Freeride action in the Alps

In search of the best spot in the country I decided to explore ‘The Alps’ together with Alois, Alex and top photographer Heiko Mandl.

Travelling through high alpine terrain we crossed breathtaking landscapes. Through canyons and via many small peaks as well as monstrous snow cornices we reached one of the numerous plateaus… our choice.

(Pic: Preparation of the board after reaching the summit)

But apart from snowkiting I had some other things to do on my priority list. One of them was intensive testing of the Atomic Splitboard, the ‘poacher’. And it caught me from the very beginning. The board can be transformed into a touring ski in just a few and simple steps.

(Pic: Alex doing a nice cut back in the snow wave)

An elaborated system lets you change the stance and the positioning of the binding as well as the climbing assist, crampon and mounting and unmounting the ski skin in a very easy way.
The ‘poucher’ is extremely light for a touring board but still keeps the necessary robustness.
It has the good chances to be my best companion for future freeride tours.

I will place two more inserts per ski and then I am sure it will show great performance as a ski in powder, for snowkiting or even speedflying. More infos on the Atomic ‘Poacher’ are available at www.atomicsnowboarding.com a board that will become a must for real freeride snowkiters.

(Pic: Waves like on the sea – but frozen… Hardy over the lip)

The second testing was done for the innovative glove system from “ The Heat Company” for the Siberia expedition. The heatable glove can be changed as needed into either a fingered glove with optimal mobility or mittens for ideal protection against the cold – the perfect tool for working outside in the snow.
I am convinced the ‚Heat 3 Special Force’ is ideal for my purpose. After finishing the fine tuning I put on the mittens and start rocking. More information on the product: www.theheatcompany.com

It’s great that testing and Snowkiting can be so easily combined. We ripped the snow cornices like waves and enjoyed the incredible vastness. 6 hours later I suddenly ended up in one of the canyons but with the help of the poacher I could safely reach the exit a few kilometres later. An extremely beautiful but also hard working day in the alps!

(Pic: Perfect for my purpose – the glove from the Heat Company)