We started out as competitors, Backcountry and me. My crazy newsletter, le Chronicle du Couloir, became a magazine in 1993. During the transformation to national distribution I considered renaming it Backcountry, but Bela Vadasz convinced me to stick with Couloir.
Giant’s Steps: A Brief History of an Infamous High Sierra Line
Anyone who has driven south from Bishop on California’s scenic Route 395 in the spring has seen it, a thin white line dropping from the right corner of Mt. Williamson’s north face. To skiers of the steep, that thread beckons like a hypodermic needle loaded with raw adrenaline.
Marker’s Alpinist: A new, lighter tack for the alpine-focused brand
The Alpinist is Marker’s new binding, and it debuts with a heavy emphasis on the uphill. And considering that Marker’s Duke once held the heavyweight title among backcountry bindings, this two-pin tech represents a dramatic shift in Marker’s priorities, tipping the scale at a mere 245 grams (8.6 oz.) per foot.
2017 Backcountry Bindings: A Tech’s Perspective
After a week in the trenches wrenching bindings at Backcountry Magazine’s annual Family Camp (also known as their annual Gear Party…err…Test) at Powder Mountain, I can tell you a few things about which AT bindings were liked and which were not.
Remembering Mitch Weber, Founder of Telemarktips.com
This past weekend, Mitch Weber, a man known for his writings and musings on the website Telemarktips.com, passed away two days before his 60th birthday after an extended fight with cancer. Weber is survived by his wife Laurie, daughter Allison, son Neil and step-son JT. Craig Dostie, founder of Couloir Magazine and a senior editor of Backcountry, wrote […]
Gear Test Week: A Family Affair
When you read the dispatches from the Backcountry Mag crew on the status of their annual Gear Test Week at Powder Mountain Resort, you can’t help but think what a party the whole affair is. Indeed, a festive atmosphere does dominate the whole scene. How could it not? After all, a week of skiing where […]
