Steep Skiing

First we go to France, where it gets steep and crazy - mountaineering and steep skiing. Next up is a trip to Japan and the world of carving tricks on a snowboard. There are also two behind-the-scenes videos of the X Games. Finally, we show a mogul video and take a new look at 2027: Gator Lock as a competitor to BOA.

One of my favorite weeks so far. We finally get a new Beyond Medals movie with a full Lord of the Rings intro. We follow Jean on his bikepacking trip from Chamonix to Norway - what an adventure. In addition, the duo Sampo and LDM present their new film, which won the award for best picture at iF3. Even if the snow isn't always the best, we all have fun - and Boom Clubs Cali Rambo delivers that and more.

We start with a funny short film project about the lunch break, then visit Patagonia and crazy French people, watch splitboarders ride across the meadow and take a look at the freeski scene in Japan, which is a little disconnected from the rest of the world. This week's contest is the SLVSH Cup, and the History Lesson is all about Parker White.

Enrico Mosetti is to me a local legend among the freeskiers of the Italian Julian Alps. Me, a bavarian Triestino, came to hear of him on a drive back home from a ski tour. My friends were talking about "Mose" doing this or that cool line, and then I found out about him through Instagram. Soon though, on another day we arrived at Sella Nevea at the parking for the western side of the valley, the one without ski lifts, and there I saw him for the first time, and he was hard to mistake with his characteristic extravagant style. He was first to start the skinning and likely first to descend as well. I here in this interview try to find out more about him and to introduce this PowderPeople to you!

Tof Henry, freeride pro from Chamonix, and Chilean mountain guide Juan Señoret died on 11 October while climbing the Puntiagudo volcano in Chile. Henry was known for his spectacular ascents of the classic and less classic steep faces around Chamonix. He brought the "freeride style" to the ice walls and made big turns at high speed where others jumped over. Tof Henry was 38 years old and is survived by his son.

It is considered one of the most beautiful ice walls in the Alps: the north face of the Lenzspitze. Even though more and more rocks are unfortunately appearing in the once huge ice sheet above Saas-Fee, the wall is a dream for every steep face skier when the snow and conditions are right! First climbed by Heini Holzer in 1972, the wall has become even more famous today thanks to the films "Mission Steeps" and "La Liste" and is climbed relatively frequently when the conditions are right.

Steep face freeskiing is not only possible in Chamonix! The "Eastern Alps" also have a lot to offer in this category, although they often receive less attention than the better-known destinations further west. The book "Ski Extrem Guide. Steilwände und Normalanstiege auf 78 Gipfel in der Steiermark, Niederösterreich und Salzburg" by Michael and Hannes Pichler and Peter Kolland (2013) offers a comprehensive overview of the classical routes as well as more exotic destinations in the region. A clear recommendation!

If you want to spice up your skiing with difficult to ultimate consequences, head for the steep walls! With a lot of technique and strong brains, the masters of the trade twirl their braids tightly towards the valley. There is a rich history behind it and many legends have immortalized themselves with their descents. For those who want to try out existential battles on skis on the mountain, a place called Chamonix or the steep "Canale" of the Dolomites is generally recommended.

*UPDATE: Due to the lockdown in Austria, the film tour and competition have had to be postponed! Most people will be familiar with Swiss freeskier Jérémie Heitz thanks to his spectacular runs in the first part of "La Liste". Back then, he set out in search of the steepest 4,000-meter descents in the Alps.

Vivian Bruchez is one of the most successful steep face skiers of his generation. As a creative "line finder", he is giving the popular Mont Blanc massif back some of its wild originality with his spectacular first ascents. At the beginning of March, Bruchez and Tom Lafaille successfully completed a new route on the Aiguille du Goûter.

This skiing adventure on the outskirts of Chamonix has everything to make a skier's heart beat faster. A gondola ride up the Aiguilles Rouges, two entertaining ascents and a long, challenging steep chute that leads into a picturesque valley. The remoteness and the picturesque return journey on the little train from Le Buet make this ski safari an exciting day trip.

You can't reinvent the ski, unless your name is Sean McConkey. All striving for powder and weightlessness has its origins in steep face skiing. So in these hopefully reflective days for all of us, let's go back to those roots. After all, whatever we do in the mountains: style means everything.