Sam Anthamatten

There are freeriders, not only you and me from the German speaking parts of the Alps, but also Japanese freeriders, like Yu Sasaki. He is familiar to us from FWT competitions. I watched Kicking Horse and Yu's run i.m.h.o. would have been the winning line if he hadn't screwed up the drop from the wind lip on top of the face, which was penalized by the judges. ContestHappening didn't mention his run, thus, in order to let justice and mercy prevail, we honor Yu's great line and big drop here!

In recent years, I have occasionally wondered whether the ski movie format still exists at all, whether it was just that its fascination had waned due to familiarization, or whether it was just the absence of Videos of the Week? The trailers for the new season at least give us hope for longer, imperial entertainment. And here, too, we are once again granting larger productions more space and finally having our free world saved by already familiar lone fighters!

Looking for exciting stories and breathtaking nature shots? At the Alp-Con Cinema Tour you'll find exactly that! Spectacular stories from a wide variety of sports at exciting natural locations are brought to the big screen at Alp-Con.

A few years ago, the brothers Lars and Silas Chikering-Ayres developed a binding system due to a lack of alternatives, which makes it possible to ascend with a pin toe piece and descend with an alpine binding and boots. What is the background to the Cast system, why is the original system no longer being sold and what is coming next?

PowderGuide user Philip Crivelli won the WhiteSession competition organized by PG partner Julbo last winter and spent ten days on the slopes with Sam Anthamatten and Vivian Bruchez. Phillip had already ticked off one or two steep faces beforehand - now, in the company of the two pros, he tackled two more. We asked Phillip how he got on: a conversation about steep slopes and skiing at eye level.

Mont Blanc West and the Marinelli Couloir - sounds exciting? Mont Blanc West and the Marinelli Couloir with Sam Anthamatten and Vivian Bruchez as guides - sounds even better? Then apply for the Julbo White Sessions.

Immediately after the Freeride Junior World Championships, the Skiers Cup Big Mountain Competition was held on the same face. So it was certainly interesting for the young freeriders to compete indirectly with the invited freeski pros from Europe and America. Compared to some of the juniors, their performances were not all that different, understandably somewhat adapted to the conditions. Nevertheless, most of them made the best of the conditions - a show worth seeing. It was clear to see, especially in the first run, that the riders had been riding in good conditions in North America over the past few weeks and that almost none of them were tempted to perform bigger tricks or riskier lines in the spring conditions that currently prevail almost everywhere in Europe. At the end of the first day, it was Collomb-Patton's Team Europe that took the lead with 9:7 points, leaving Sage Cattabriga-Alosa's Americans behind.

On February 26, 2015, the Swiss ski resort of Zermatt hosted another edition of the Skiers Cup between teams from Europe and America under powder snow and blue skies. The 5th Skiers Cup offered good conditions for the freeski team competition between Europe and America. The European team managed to win back the Skiers Cup trophy in the form of a ski boot. The overall score is now 3:2 in favor of the Europeans.

As in previous years, the Freeride Film Festival is going on tour again this year. Filmmakers and riders will once again visit cities in Austria, Germany and Poland. This year, national and international productions will be shown, including "Mission Steeps" with Samuel Anthamatten, Xavier De Le Rue and Andreas Fransson, who was recently involved in an accident.

The riders from Team Europe and Team America have already battled it out twice at the SWATCH SKIERS CUP in Valle Nevado, Chile. After losing at the premiere in 2011, Team Americas was able to equalize in September 2012: The duel between the continents is now tied 1:1. This starting position now heightens the tension ahead of the third edition of this event, as one of the teams is sure to take the lead when the SWATCH SKIERS CUP makes its first appearance in the northern hemisphere: From February 10 to 15, 2013, the freeskiers will meet again in Zermatt (CH)!