Ski

I can fully subscribe to what is written on the sidewall of the Blizzard Rustler: "Live The Moment". Three words that can easily be applied to other areas of life, but are definitely the law with the Rustler under your feet. I've taken a closer look at the award-winning steam hammer over the last two seasons.

After we were able to test the "The Freeride" of the small ski manufacturer NORSE in 192cm last year and presented the construction of the ski in more detail, we were excited to see the second ski in the still small product line. "The Enduro": a ski that bears its area of use in its name and has been recognised as a true all-rounder in various ski magazines.

ISPO, an interesting but also very exhausting trade fair, has been postponed from January to autumn. However, we at PowderGuide are still doing our best to provide you with information about the material for the upcoming season.

A ski built from the ground up with the exact specifications of Swiss freeride maestro Jerémie Heitz: Jerémie skis the wildest faces at top speed - that's what his skis are built and shaped for. Read our test report to find out what this means in terms of riding characteristics.

To be honest, I don't even know how I came up with this Gear of the Week. I think it rather found me! I had been looking for skis that would suit my needs for some time, namely slalom skis for pre-season preparation on the piste and for in-between, a powder ski for fat days, an everyday freeride ski and an early-season touring ski for 2,000 vertical meters plus, narrow couloirs and alpine adventures.

Everything is different this season - especially if you don't currently have the pleasure of open cable cars due to where you live. In order to still be able to test equipment extensively, the motto this season really is: "Earn your turn". Luckily, Ullr took pity on us after the late start to winter and gifted us with heavy snowfall from the end of December. Perfect for testing the Scott Superguide Freetour, which Scott calls the "Holy Grail".

Fresh snow, sunshine and untracked slopes - can you top that? Hardly, but maybe the right sound will put the finishing touches to the perfect powder day. That's why the PowderGuide Powderday Playlist is our Gear of the Week.

As expected, there was little news presented at this year's online ISPO and at individual product presentations by manufacturers. Many retailers still have stock from 2020, which is why some model ranges are carry-overs for the coming season. This mainly affects the downhill-oriented models.

The elegant wooden ski from the small Bernese ski manufacturer Earlybird is a revolution in terms of sustainability and design. The 107 mm wide ski is Earlybird's freetouring model and appeals to deep snow fans with a thirst for ascent who appreciate a racy freeride ski even in the deepest backcountry. Not only the look and durability are impressive, the downhill performance with surprisingly low weight make the ski a versatile companion on small and big adventures.

The Mindbender 116c is the widest ski in the K2 Mindbender series and, according to the manufacturer, is nothing less than "the ultimate big-mountain powder ski". Reason enough for us to have two testers scrutinise the ski in two lengths. In our gear review, you can find out how the innovative combination of carbon fibre mesh and wood core built into the ski has proven itself in practice.

There are a few new developments in the ski sector that should be of interest to PowderGuide readers. In addition to a few new touring models, most companies have tidied up their freeride portfolios. Roughly summarized, most of the new top models come in medium widths around 105mm, with Titanal for lift-assisted skiing, as well as without Titanal and in similar, lighter versions as touring models.

With the Mindbender series, K2 has skis in its programme that basically work in all conditions or at least in a wide range of snow conditions and types of use. Of course, it also depends on the width and construction whether the skis have their centre of gravity in powder or rather on the piste, but we tested whether the skis really work everywhere using the Mindbender 99 TI as an example.