June 25th, 2009 by mat
Normally well into summer by the 25th June, the region above the Dachstein West ski region including the Gosau glacier have had 1.5m of new snow over the last days or two. Whilst most people this time of the year are enjoying that region for the emerald lakes, the lucky few who have made a ski tour today will be enjoying massive powder runs. The Nordkette range above Innsbruck also has new snow today, with a white cover across the peaks.
The Gosau glacier seen in the distance from the Krippenstein Freeride Arena in February – image © ineedsnow.com
March 18th, 2009 by mat
Krippenstein Freeride Arena Sekundenjagd ski race – image © ineedsnow.com
Long before the fizzy drink fueled extreme sports event craze arrived, the Sekundenjagd freeride off-piste event (that dates back as far as the 1950’s) tested the very best skiers and snowboarders down a loosely marked route in the Krippenstein Freeride Arena. The latest race is taking place on the 11th April 2009 and for those wanting to see some of the finest regional skiers and snowboarders throwing themselves down some seriously steep stuff, the cable car company is offering free rides for spectators not carrying ski or snowboard gear. There are expected to be around 70 racers taking part in the event. The Krippenstein Freeride Arena is located above the wonderful lakeside ski holiday village of Obertraun.
I skied the Krippenstein Freeride Arena with a guide in January 2009 – it was steep, tough and had some great powder sections, check out the video taken using a helmet camera.
February 9th, 2009 by mat
I have finally managed to edit 45 minutes of shaky helmet camera video from last weekend at the Extreme Krippenstein Freeride Arena. The Krippenstein Freeride Arena has to be one of the best off-piste ski regions in Europe. The tourist board invited us over and laid on a guide (this really is an area for a guide). The routes down were varied, steep and tough going. Anyway here is the video:
February 2nd, 2009 by mat
Just back from a weekend in the superb and challenging Krippenstein Freeride Arena. The skis in the hire shop and on the cable car tell the story of Krippenstein (or as the locals call it ‘Krip’). From shoulder height all you can see on the cable car are fat, if not huge powder planks, often with helmets balanced on the tips. Backpacks and airbags are abundant – this is very, very serious terrain. The Krippenstein Freeride Arena is one of the true, elite off-piste Meccas in the Alps. The cable car base station is located in front of a sheer rock wall, whilst the top lift station and ‘ski area’ are located on the relative plateau high above the car park. The total ski piste area is dwarfed by the length of the off-piste ski routes, whilst those too are extended unofficially by variants on the ski routes. Make no mistake, this is absolutely an off-piste ski region that requires a local guide if you are going to take any of the off-piste ski routes. The terrain is very steep, has some light tree cover and often has superb powder skiing on offer. The routes are also littered with rock faces, snow covered caves and frozen water falls. For the better skiers and snowboarders needing some of the most challenging off-piste terrain in the Alps, you simply have to go to the Krippenstein Freeride Arena.
Guides are absolutely essential - image © ineedsnow.com
Ski touring onto the local glaciers is popular - image © ineedsnow.com
Conditions yesterday, 1st Feb were superb - image © ineedsnow.com
And for a big change the Dacstein West ski region is ideal for families and intermediates – it was good to take a few mellow runs after the Krip the day before 