Pyrenäen

When will the big change in the weather come? Well, no idea. That's actually the end of the weather topic for this week. For the time being, there won't be much change to the boring high pressure swamp that has been with us for more than long enough. The WeatherBlog is therefore devoting itself to a (subjectively) more interesting topic: two huge ice avalanches that occurred in Tibet this summer.

This ski tour is located in the north-west of Andorra, Pyrenees and is a classic among local ski tourers, as the summit is one of the highest in the region. The summit should only be attempted in safe conditions. Safe hairpin bends are a must, and crampons are recommended in icy conditions.

At the FWT stop in Vallnord-Arcalis on February 13, Hazel Josie Birnbaum (USA) and Sam Smoothy (NZL) won in the skiers' category and Estelle Balet (SUI) and Jonathan Charlet (FRA) in the snowboarders' category. Flo Orley (AUT) took second place and leads the snowboarder rankings. It was the third stop of the season for the freeskiers. Eva Walkner (AUT), who finished second today, is qualified for the fourth stage in Alaska as the overall leader. The competitions in the other three categories that were canceled in Fieberbrunn will be made up for later this week in Andorra.

Freeriding has increasingly developed into a mass sport in recent years and it is therefore not surprising that more and more freeride contests are springing up like mushrooms. In Austria in particular, the Open Faces series of events has become one of the most important points of contact for all those who like to compete with other people. The makers of the Kick the Vik eco-freeride competition have been proving for years that there is another way...

The canyon cuts deep into the karstic landscape; I struggle to find my feet on the slippery ledge. The water roars at my feet and plunges into a deep, black hole. The noise is so loud that I can't possibly understand what Stefan is trying to tell me, but his outstretched thumb and broad grin show that everything seems to be fine.

Powder in the forest and steep gullies, tapas and red wine, crisp peaks, tours and freeriding in the national park area. In Val d'Aran, many facets of ski mountaineering and freeriding can be celebrated in style.

"Are you coming to ride at the end of February?" "Nah, I'll be in the Pyrenees" - My conversation partner looks at me scrutinizingly before making fun of me: "Ooooh! The extravagant gentleman! Off to the Pyrenees, right?"

Mediterranean low!!! Off to the south side of the Alps and powder your little noses. After last week's rather indifferent flurries provided excitement and were most likely to bring joy to East Tyrol and Italy, the next low will bring much more predictable snowfall to France, Italy/Slovenia and the Upper Engadine.

We encounter almost no vehicles on the way from Baqueira-Beret in the Spanish part of the Pyrenees to Andorra. After two hours of constant ups and downs on the narrow roads over the Port de Bonaigua and the El Cantó Pass, the sea of lights of the duty-free shopping nirvana of Andorra shines out of the darkness deep below us.

The Pyrenees – For years, we have dreamed of making our tracks in the snow on the slopes of the border mountain range, which is up to 3,400 meters high and separates Western Europe from the Iberian Peninsula. This year it finally came true: seven days in four ski resorts in three different countries.