Magazine

The Austrian Board of Trustees for Alpine Safety (ÖKAS) analyses alpine accidents and derives trends, recommendations and prevention measures from the data. Since 2006, the Alpine Fair has served as a platform for information, training and networking, with the Alpine Forum, organised by ÖKAS, playing a central role. Since this season, ÖKAS has also been a partner of PowderGuide, with the aim of jointly disseminating information and knowledge on the subject of alpine safety.

Whether for mountaineering, camping or winter sports - the right equipment is crucial for a safe and enjoyable experience in the great outdoors. However, high-quality outdoor equipment can be expensive and if you only use it occasionally, you should ask yourself the question: Buy or rent? The Alpine Club offers a wide range of equipment for rent, from climbing and ski touring guides to equipment and three-day public transport tickets (Innsbruck section).

Mammut has stood for quality, safety and innovation since 1862. The safety and protection of their team of athletes and their customers are at the heart of everything they do. Therefore, they continuously test and improve their materials and products to uphold these high standards. During this process, Mammut identified a potential issue with the power switch of the new avalanche beacons Mammut Barryvox 2 and Mammut Barryvox S2 in some cases, and therefore decided to recall all potentially affected products for inspection, and where applicable, repair or exchange.

Who's ready for winter? Fancy honing your off-piste technique this season? Do you want to expand your mountain knowledge or are you simply a mountain freak and are looking for others who will shred with you and show you the best descents? Then this is your chance to take part in the pre-season camps in Engelberg.

It's now been almost a year since I sat on a hot seat to spend a winter season in Japan. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can give a few tips on what went well and what I wish I had done differently.

Jojo and I spent the winter season 2023/24 skiing in Furano, Japan. As ski-technicians, we worked for "Summit Ski School & Guiding". Makenzie Robson and Jac Phillips founded "Summit" four years ago. We interviewed Mak last spring about how it all started.

With the new Crux series, Head is launching a very light freetouring ski onto the market, which are intended to stand out from the competition in particularly through its downhill performance. At the same time, Tyrolia is launching new pin bindings. We have tested how the widest ski in the series, the Crux 105, mounted with the top Almonte 12 PT binding performs on snow.

Just in time for the start of the season, the European Outdoor Film Tour is once again travelling through Europe, bringing with it athletic solo runs and exciting adventures. Since the German premiere on 16th of October 2024 in the Alte Kongresshalle in Munich, the program has been shown at more than 350 events in nine countries. The total play time is around 120 minutes.

The opening ceremony of the Dynafit Headquarter in Kiefersfelden was an absolute highlight, not least because of the ski workshop. A whole day was filled with our own ski construction and the subsequent opening ceremony with drinks and music.

Anton shares insights about his latest ski movie "SNOW" and the impact of technological advancements like FPV drones and AI on his filmmaking. The film draws a connection between the world of freeriding and the deep relationship indigenous cultures have with snow.

The weather is going crazy and leeward cyclone Anett has caused chaos in many regions with large amounts of precipitation (a more detailed analysis in weather blog #1 2024/25). It brought an early onset of winter to the Alps at higher altitudes and even below 1500 metres. Even if the beloved snow is just melting again, the start of winter cannot be stopped. Here is an overview of the ski resorts that are the first to open.