Wallis

In a snowy valley, where neither gondolas nor helicopters take skiers up the mountains and most peaks are over 1500 meters away, you are almost an exotic with your freeride equipment. And yet they do exist, the pearls for freeride tourers, with untouched powder slopes and steep gullies. It's best to spend a few days at the Galmihornhütte.

The westerly drift is still alive and kicking and is once again providing us with a usable gliding surface!

Beaucoup de Neige! Snow in the west but the heat is becoming critical.

The Stockhorn is quite easy to reach via a ridge. After a short ascent, the summit is quickly reached. Once at the top, the view of the glaciated landscape will amaze you. The entire Monte Rosa massif is within easy reach, but the view of the Matterhorn and Gorner glacier is also impressive. Depending on the conditions, you can ski down moderately steep or steeper terrain. Caution! The crevasses on the Trifji Glacier are a serious danger on this variant.

The low pressure system that is making this weekend so inhospitable will really get going from today (15.4.2012) and in the south of the Upper Valais / in the Aosta Valley, – where there has already been over 30cm – there will be some more. But, and this is more interesting for most people now, it's also snowing where it's based, namely in the north. The direction of flow is slowly changing and by the evening it will have turned from east to northeast and then the flow may even turn to north.

One of the best chocolates in the world, the Swiss Toblerone, has the same shape as the legendary Matterhorn, which the locals affectionately call "Horu? And when the Horu, supposedly the most beautiful peak in the world, has been garnished with fresh powder, the ski area around the Matterhorn becomes a real freeride paradise. And after a perfect day of freeriding, the famous Toblerone tastes all the better with an evening view of the countless 4000-metre peaks.

What does a true freerider want from her favorite? Right – fresh pow. And what does Ullr give us? Nordstau and fresh powder.

I'm barely back from Valais and I'm already here to tell you about Ullr's new presents. Here we go again. This time, please be surprised, again in the north. But, and this is different, the massive traffic jam also extends to the east. So, dear Styrians and Salzburgers: you too can expect a big packet in addition to the usual suspects from the north.

A pattern is emerging this (late) early winter. Changing fronts from the west, bringing sometimes cool, sometimes mild and humid air to the western slopes of the Alps. As with the Dumpicane, this is now the case again. After a few insignificant flakes of up to 10 cm today (an exception in Switzerland with 25 cm), it will start tomorrow (30.12.2011).

The freeride descent to the Lac de Moiry reservoir in Zinal is not particularly technically demanding. However, the descent shines with the typical charms of the main Valais Alpine ridge, the characteristic dam wall and some crisp alternatives. This tour in the rear Val d'Anniviers can only be recommended to anyone who appreciates peace and seclusion and at the same time doesn't want to climb too much – also and perhaps especially because of the return journey on the Postbus. According to the current snow conditions (end of Dec. 2011), this freeride tour is already skiable – PowderGuide tested!

It's dumping! And that in hurricane-force winds! The appropriate name for the upcoming system for freeriders would be: Dumpicane. As our PowderGuide weather expert, the only one who really knows her stuff, has already explained how it comes about (WeatherBlog for Freeriders 07/2012), here's what it means for us. It's "dumping"!

First of all, the verification (although there is still some to come this evening): With some stations over 70 cm where there was no snow before and many regions with more than 40 cm of fresh snow, from Valais to Glarnerland, the values of the last PowderAlert matched pretty well until today. Even in the east in the Arlberg corner, some stations like the Diedamskopf have stalked the 40 cm total snow depth and should make it by tonight. Further to the east, what I warned about has happened, as the upslope flow meant that there was not much there and the negative centimetres are making themselves felt.