A lot of people get stoked when the first snow comes down and the rat race for the first lines starts earlier and earlier. The first powder turns in the northern hemisphere are real after the snowfall in September and October. The first real signs that winter '19 -'20 is about to get started.
Chamonix
Skiers Joel Evans, Olly Alkema and Charley Radcliffe skied the first lines in Chamomix in the beginning of October. The snowfall of the last two weeks was enough for a first layer of pow around and above the Aiguille du Midi. They skied at an altitude of 3800 meters. Pretty awesome, but be warned: “many crevasses” according to the skiers.
Tromsø
Tim Vanhoutteghem was already riding great powder in the far north on the 24th of September. The first 450 meters were still snowless near Tromsø, but then after 1200 meters of skinning up, he managed to find a great line. Blue sky, cold powder, True North Adventures.
Alberta, Canada
We’ve skied with Dylan Siggers on one of our helitrips in Canada. He benefited from the Super September Storm that brought snow to southwest Alberta on October 1st (!). Check out the footage he shot with Rob Heule and Dave Keenan. Stoked!
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Tim Durtschi wants to make as many turns as possible before we enter a new decade. The Tram in Jackson Hole was on summer schedule for the last day on the 6th of October. It will open again when the winter season really starts . Tim benefited from the snowfall of the last period and the fact that the lift was still running. No matter how thin the snow cover may be, he just popped out an early season 360.
Warning: pre season!
The above images were all shot by locals who can ski like no other. Not only do they know the terrain in their area by heart, they also have the skills to fully control these types of lines in pre-season. They were there at the right time with the right skills to take advantage of the first storms. In short: knowledge and skills.
If you live far away from the Alps, you’d better wait until the snow cover is thicker. Until then: get fit and invest in your knowledge. If you are already a participant in Mountain Academy, resume the course. If not, [start with Mountain Academy] (https://wepowder.com/en/academy) now and get access to knowledge that will make you more aware of the risks and that will help you to make better decisions in the backcountry. Winter is coming!