Tirol

On 15th and 16th of February 2025, you will have the exclusive opportunity to test the latest alpine skis from VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports. The meeting point is the Wetterstein lift in Ehrwald, nestled in the breathtaking scenery of the Tyrolean Alps beneath the Zugspitze.

Apart from a short, unspectacular break today (Wednesday), there will be plenty of sunshine and little chance of fresh snow for the time being. It will become increasingly milder at higher altitudes over the next few days, while the cold air will linger in the valleys.

Who has already done all their present shopping two weeks before Christmas? Here's a good opportunity to get a few useful gifts for your loved ones quickly and easily. Win a 250,- Euro voucher for the PowderGuide Shop and make your loved ones or yourself happy for Christmas!

Heavy equipment, waiting times at cold railway stations, high planning costs... there are plenty of reasons (or excuses?) not to travel by public transport, especially on ski tours. A reflection on my efforts to leave the car at home more often and to outwit my own comfort.

For many ski tourers, the Wildspitze is a favourite classic in spring. The summit can be reached quickly via the Mittelbergjoch and the Taschachferner via the Pitztal glacier lifts. The only drawback of this tour: due to the very low gradient, it is not very rewarding in terms of downhill skiing. In terms of the descent, the tour via the Southcouloir is much more appealing (assuming you have the ability and experience to tackle steep slopes). This route takes you to the highest peak in Tyrol "by fair means" and by the most direct route.

The weather can be summarised as follows at the moment: Before the summer is after the summer is before the summer and sometimes it snows. At the moment we're in a "it's snowing again" phase. Tomorrow summer will return.

The Zillertal, situated between the Inn Valley in the north, the Zillertal Alps in the south, the Kitzbühel Alps in the north and the Tux Alps in the west, is not only one of the largest and most populous valleys in Tyrol, but also a sunny tourism hotspot. Nevertheless, there are countless interesting peaks and slopes for ski tourers and freeriders between Strass and Hintertux.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been on everyone's lips since the release of ChatGPT. AI is also increasingly being used in the field of avalanche warning and research. One current example is the CADS (Camera-based Avalanche Detection System) project, in which researchers from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Innsbruck have developed a model for recognising avalanches on webcam images together with Lo.La Peak Solutions GmbH.

Every year, the Splitboard Festival and Testival takes place on the Tyrolean fjord, halfway between Munich and Innsbruck, in the cold hole of the northern Alps, in the snow-rich Karwendel, more precisely in Pertisau at Lake Achensee. Splitboard enthusiasts come together - whether they are experienced splitboarders, beginners or newcomers. Old-school hands who still saw their boards by hand and manufacturers and providers of splitboard tours and camps are also present. This year for the 10th time - congratulations on the anniversary edition. I want to check it out, it's a first for me.

In unison with the sensitive PowderAlert, the VdW also warns of the approaching "mid-season blues". We are countering this with everything YouTube has to offer and hope for a mild course and a speedy improvement.

New site, new look, new faces behind the facades. We would now like to introduce ourselves and offer you a look behind the scenes at PowderGuide. Who actually does what here?

Not only the early start to the Alpine Ski World Cup season in Sölden, but also the recently announced development plans for the Gepatschferner and around the Linker Fernerkogel have attracted a lot of criticism. In this article, Benjamin Stern, a member of the Austrian Alpine Club's Spatial Planning and Nature Conservation Department, explains what construction measures are planned in the Pitz and Kaunertal valleys, where glacier protection is lacking and what modern solutions the Alpine Club would like to see.