Nordkette

It's that time again, the end of the year is approaching and it's time for fireworks. As the year draws to a close and the first firecrackers go off in the valley, it's worth taking a look up there. Innsbruck has been celebrating its mountain New Year's Eve on the Nordkette since 1994.

PowderGuide is a partner of this year's Freeride Film Festival and is bringing the legendary PG snow depth prediction game to Innsbruck. Of course, everyone can take part, even those who are not at the Metropol Cinema. Directly above the venue is the Nordkette/Seegrube snow hole close to the city. But how much fresh snow is there on the Seegrube in an average season?

When the snow slowly disappears and the sun gains strength, it's Figl time again! Hardly any other piece of sports equipment symbolizes the transition from winter to spring in the Alps as much as the Figl - short for firn glider. What was once born out of necessity is now almost a cultural asset of alpine skiing.

Ullr gets on his sledge and off we go for the Christmas dump. Well, except for the unfortunate ones who have to make their family visits out of the reach of the Alps, but even then they can really step on the gas again on the 22nd/23rd, if the resorts open up and you can get there at all.

This winter has been tedious, but at least something is happening again in March. Ullr really hasn't made it easy for us this year. Little snow, warmth, weak layers and so on. But spring is shaping up to be at least halfway decent. Another dump in March that's worth seeing and this time brings snow for everyone!

"Nordstau! North jams regularly provide the Nordkette, Innsbruck's local mountain, with massive amounts of fresh snowfall. [...] We designed this board for just such days!" writes the manufacturer Stompede about the split version of the Nordstau snowboard released last year. We tested what it feels like to draw the first lines in the fresh powder, but also how the board behaves in other snow conditions, on around 20 days.

Ullr takes heart in best politician style and promises everything to everyone! At least in the German-speaking Alpine region, things should be going quite well from Monday. (German-speaking regions south of the main Alpine ridge may forgive me this simplification...)

All those who have not yet finished with winter after this messed-up corona season and the Spanish February with its firn tours will now be rewarded by Ullr for their loyalty.

The Genius patiently endured my early days on single trails and in bike parks. My cluelessness and overconfidence couldn't bring it down, nor could air travel in cardboard boxes and trips in the back of campers. The mixture of very good downhill and respectable uphill performance - especially thanks to the lockable suspension - turned out to be the ideal mix for my bike preferences and, even after 8 years, gives me no reason to long for a new bike.

Ullr means well with us. Unfortunately too well. As with all triologies, the grand finale comes at the end: the return of King Ullr. But he wants to make the Eastern Alps look more like the second Star Wars and turns everything into the ice planet Hoth.

Number 5 is alive! As promised, it's still going strong: it's snowing and it's getting cold. The oracle has already had a really nice day and is now writing live from the north parking lot. Even areas where there has been no snow in the valley for a long time will soon be worth it, because this alarm goes all the way down.

Online registration for the free SnowHow Camps opened yesterday. The camps provide avalanche knowledge for beginners and slightly advanced freeriders and ski tourers in a practical day and evening lectures.