Tuxer Alpen

What avalanche problem is there, at what altitude and exposure is it present, how can I recognize it, can I recognize it at all, what do I have to watch out for, why are the others going further - is it safe, have I made the right decision? The snow is great, should I take the risk.....?

Two years ago, Lisa Hempfer was given the opportunity to take part in the Training Session (Level 1) and the Next Level (Level 2) through the cooperation between PowderGuide and the risk'n'fun training programme. Last winter, Lisa also completed the Backcountry Pro (Level 3) and Alpine Professionals (Level 4). Lisa has once again taken the time to summarise her experiences. In the first part, Lisa reports on the Backcountry Pro Camp:

In order to counteract the "I-only-understand-the-station" mentality when viewing snow profiles - whether in a snowflurry or on various avalanche warning service portals - we turn back to explanatory examples. As an introductory explanation, we recommend How to read and interpret a snow profile.

The assessment of the avalanche situation on a large scale is carried out for us by the situation report. We have to use this basis to assess the local hazard potential ourselves. This can be very easy today, very difficult tomorrow and hardly possible the day after tomorrow.

Both the Austrian avalanche warning services and the SLF have now made their full seasonal reports available to download online. In both countries, the warmer than average 2015/16 winter season only really began at the start of 2016. The number of fatal avalanche accidents was slightly below the long-term average. In Austria, 14 people lost their lives in avalanches last winter, compared to 20 in Switzerland.

The Ultenspitze is certainly one of the most frequently climbed tours in the Schmirntal valley and therefore certainly not an insider tip. Nevertheless, it is often interesting, as its north-facing exposure means that it often offers good snow well into spring. Due to its short length, it is a good half-day tour, although the upper part can of course be done twice.

The new Panico ski touring guide "Tux and Zillertal Alps" by Markus Stadler presents numerous ski tours from the Tux and Zillertal Alps. The tours presented are as different as the two mountain ranges themselves. They range from leisurely ski tours close to the slopes in Hochfügen to classic day tours in the Tux Alps, a popular region for ski tourers, to high alpine climbs, some lasting several days, to the glacier giants of the Zillertal Alps.

The Gilfert is not only one of the prime ski tours in the Tux Alps, but is also not far from the popular freeride spot of Hochfügen. As everything is quickly covered in tracks in the ski area, there are often only short ascents with skins. The nearby Gilfert, although much frequented, usually still offers space for fresh tracks in one of the numerous downhill variants.

The new Tyrol Ski Touring Guide by the two authors Axel Jentzsch-Rabl and Johann Zagajsek presents around 400 ski tours on 384 pages, mainly in the Tyrolean lowlands, the eastern part of North Tyrol.