Skitouren

With the start of the 2015/16 season, the scale-like impressions in the one or other ascent track will make you wonder which reptile used the path before. The newly evolved species is called "Profoilius fischeri" in Linnaeus' nomenclature and has recently become commercially available. I have been using the Profoil for a season now. The following is my experience of the climbing foil, which declares war on the conventional climbing skin.

The second episode of Black Diamond TV follows avalanche forecaster and researcher Drew Hardesty. Hardesty lives and works in Utah and has been observing developments in the ski touring scene for a long time.

The father says to his son: "Come on, do a bit of active queuing! Through there, just push through there! But don't push! It's the first day today, let's stay relaxed."

The day after skiing the northeast face of Shirouma promised for optimal weather. We decided it was time for round two. Burning the candle at both ends with these long days, I couldn't help but allow 'Brown Girl in the Ring' to creep into my head while walking in the dark. Sunrise couldn't have come soon enough.

Rather than a dreamy peak observed from our window, Goryudake hides a bit further back with a less straightforward approach. When observed from the correct angle, its diamond shaped rock formations become obvious, revealing a couloir seemingly cut by Zorro himself. It's a tantalizingly close, deceptively far objective that usually requires a tent and some luck.

It should be common knowledge that you can still go ski touring well into spring. However, if you are not traveling in the highest regions of the Alps, a mountain bike is often helpful for the snow-free approach, in addition to a good dose of motivation!

When the snow line drops to 1500 meters above sea level in the leading year, this is a challenging tour with good prospects of late powder turns.

Black Diamond's Aspect, Convert and Megawatt ski lines now each have a carbon construction as a lightweight version in the range, which is aimed not only at freeriders, but above all at touring skiers who are looking for downhill-oriented, wide touring skis for powder tours.

The difference in altitude of around 850 m and the last two thirds of the tour, which are steep or extremely steep throughout, give it a "very good" rating. Due to the north-facing exposure and the altitude with the starting point at the Hahntennjoch Pass at 1894 m, this tour can be undertaken late into spring.

It is not the legendary ship of the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, with which he sailed through the Northeast Passage at the beginning of the twentieth century. But the two-master is also called 'Maud': 'Maud of Ålesund'. The small fishing boat was launched a year after the famous original was trapped by pack ice on the American side of the Atlantic in 1930 and sank. Nevertheless, I feel a bit like the great polar explorer as the bow of the 'Maud' makes its way through the thin sheets of ice through the straits around Ålesund in the early morning.

Florian Ramsauer reports for PowderGuide on his participation in the Salewa Climb to Ski Camp, an unquestionably unconventional ski touring, freeriding and ski mountaineering camp. Together with professional athletes from the organizer and alpine outfitter Salewa and local mountain guides, the group spent four days roaming the outstanding terrain around the Dolomite village of San Martino di Castrozza in fresh snow and perfect weather.

If you stroll through the DIY store, you can discover all kinds of items for skiers that will make your heart beat faster. Whether screwdrivers, fabric tape, epoxy, cable ties or good work gloves for everyday use at a sensational price.