Pyrenäen

Piper Kunst steals the show. Armada's Team Movie makes history, Snowboard Heaven unfolds in Riksgränsen, the Japan Team Movie celebrates its 20th anniversary, a Nasa station appears in the Pyrenees - and finally there's a comedy hit.

Freeride history was written in Ordino Arcalís on February 3rd, 2026. 65 riders from 17 nations met for the FIS Freeride World Championship for the first time. According to the locals, the region is currently experiencing its best winter in over ten years - it would be hard to imagine better timing. Although persistent fog initially caused delays, the patient wait was rewarded. As the sky cleared, the snow-covered, playful and rocky "Basser Negre" face opened up and was ready for great moments. The legendary face enjoys cult status in the FWT scene. Iconic runs have been carved into the snow here before and the first Freeride World Championships also added a few new chapters to the story.

Only the avalanche situation is more exciting than the weather. The dry early winter in the Austrian Alps is taking its revenge. A pronounced weak layer combined with wind and fresh snow has provoked a series of avalanche accidents and claimed several victims. Kamchatka was also badly hit, with huge snowdrifts burying homes and people. Europe is also facing a stormy week. Quo vadis 2026?

Blue skies, fresh snow and 3,000 fans who turned the slope into a cauldron. The start of the Freeride World Tour by Peak Performance 2026 could hardly have gone better. At the Baqueira Beret Pro by Movistar, the legendary Tuc de Bacivèr celebrated its comeback as a venue for the first time since 2023. And the slope immediately showed why it enjoys cult status among freeriders. Despite the challenging snow cover after fresh snow and wind, everything came together on the day of the contest. The riders heard the noise of the crowd right at the start, let it push them - and delivered bold lines, big airs and genuine world-class freeriding.

I packed my thick backpack, the giant ice hockey bag and the two-metre-long ski bag onto the Flixbus, hugged my flatmates once again and the big bus sets off. From above, I could see my friends trying in vain to make out which of the darkened windows I had sat down behind. So that was it for Heidelberg, off to the mountains!

Many people dream of a white Christmas. In our SnowChase Xmas Special, we take a closer look: Where does it snow under the Christmas tree, where does it stay green and where is it at least sugared?

Spectacular season opener of the FIS Freeride World Tour 2025 in Baqueira Beret. The FIS Freeride World Tour 2025 by Peak Performance kicked off with an impressive event at the Baqueira Beret Pro by Movistar in Spain. Freeride stars and up-and-coming talents delivered top performances on the newly introduced "La Bamba" competition slope. The challenging east-facing slope with a gradient of up to 53 degrees provided the perfect stage for spectacular freeride action and set the tone for an exciting season.

Winter is slowly coming to an end, even if the fresh snow maps on the PG-ICON weather forecast are once again turning colourful this week. In the meantime, we are continuing to work on the weather maps on Powderguide.com. We have refreshed the portfolio once again to provide the travellers among you with reliable snow and weather data. Our forecast maps are now also available for Norway and Scandinavia, the Caucasus and the Pyrenees! A search function has also been integrated into the map, allowing you to quickly search for locations, valleys or mountains.

To be honest, we only managed the VdW every fortnight this season. But not true, we had some nice films! And now, at what feels like the end of the season, we still have something to offer. Hedvig Vessel's great film, a bit of Antti and a king line in the Pyrenees! The VdW wish you a good end to the high-speed season and hereby close the shop.

The competitive freeriding season is finally starting again. The best freeriders on one and two boards will once again plunge down slopes in the Alps, Pyrenees and Canadian Rockies and try to convince the judges of their skills with their line and freestyle elements. This year is also a very special one, as another event stop will be added to the Freeride World Tour - Georgia, which is increasingly becoming the focus of the freeride community, will become the "Home of Freeride" for the first time.

The first two stops of the FWT have already been completed and although the snow conditions were difficult, the action was impressive. In Andorra, the race was held on the Pic Des Les Planes, in the same face as the 2022 stop. This terrain offers many options for line choice, starting with a steep and technical section and then offering countless small to medium-sized obstacles, mostly characterized by flat landings.

It was a party! The FWT took place in the Spanish Pyrenees for the second time in a row and it already seems to feel very much at home here. Under blue skies and in partly difficult, partly fantastic snow conditions, it was especially the performances of the local heroes that had hundreds of spectators cheering. It's clear: control wins points but Air&Style wins events, and young rookies win against old hands. A great start to the season!