Steep Skiing

The annual Alpine Forum will also take place digitally this year due to the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 situation. On November 13 and 14, the Austrian Board of Trustees for Alpine Safety will present online lectures, live streams, webinars and tutorials.

Your calls have been heard! The VdW play a little encore. One last piece with an all-time favorite protagonist, in high alpine and steep terrain, at top speed and with profound lyrics.

Italy will survive and, despite the recent crisis, is coming back to life in the powder! We enjoy neve pulverosa and canale and canalone, and hereby show our solidarity with the southern side of the Alps. At least that's how it initially appears on the video... The fresh snow is sometimes sparsely reflected in moving images. So soon we had to pull out some gems, and finally, as is so typical, a PG-Conditions reporter and steep face skier completes this episode, and how!

The good thing about this tour is that it can be adapted to the respective conditions, preferences and ability with a little creativity. Even the start presents you with the first decision. Do I start with a gondola ride up the Pischa and then walk up the Pischahorn? Or do I walk over the Jöriflüelafurgga? Due to the complexity of the tour, we opted for the option via Jöriflüelafurgga and an early start.

Seems like the first skiers are already secretly hiding in their favorite couloirs during these days with less snow. At least that's what the successful YT search for this special terrain suggests! Presented here: steep descents from the Pyrenees, the Rockies, Scandinavia and, of course, the Alps! We learn how to ski couloirs without using poles or hand straps!

When the conditions are right in spring, the Couloir du Pissoir is a more than worthwhile excursion destination in a high alpine setting. Our reporter Jan not only provides a tour description, but also - kissed by the spring muse - a poem about the tour.

Pete Houghton lives in Chamonix and has years of experience on the classic and less classic steep descents in the area. He recently climbed a couloir on the Becs Rouges. After good snow in the upper section and two abseils, he traversed into his intended exit couloir and found out: The exit from the gully had slipped since the inspection and no longer existed. Rockfall and wet snow threatened from above.

The north face of the "King of the Zillertal Alps", also known as the "Gran Pilastro" in Italian, is a true classic among steep faces. Seen from the Austrian side, this wall, which is up to 55 degrees steep, rises 400 meters into the air. It is usually only climbed, but in good conditions it can also be conquered downhill on skis or snowboard.

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.

For the film "La Liste", Swiss freeskier Jérémie Heitz set himself an ambitious goal: Within two years, he wanted to conquer 15 of the most impressive steep slopes in the Alps on skis - at a speed that would make him a pioneer.

The Matterhorn. A mountain steeped in history. The symbol of Switzerland. For me personally, it is probably one of the most beautiful mountains in the Alps. It is definitely the most famous mountain, because it even comes in chocolate form! For years, the Horu, as the locals call it, has exerted a strong attraction on me. Skiing down the east face of the Matterhorn has long been on my ski to-do list. For various reasons, it had never worked out so far...

Blocking the front cheek is always a topic of discussion. Some may block rather carelessly, others think more about it - but the question still arises: when, why and how do you block "correctly"?