Skintrack Sketches: Artist Jill Pelto documents climate change through watercolor
Artist Jill Pelto loves the natural sciences. From a young age, she worked with her glaciologist father Mauri Pelto in the field while growing up in Worchester, Mass. Pelto got her B.A. in studio art and earth science and went on to graduate from the University of Maine with a Masters of Science in 2018.
Skintrack Sketches: Travis Parr on remaining rooted while pushing his artistic boundaries
Graphic for the 2011/12 Icelantic Nomad ski. [Image] Travis Parr For Icelantic Skis’ co-founder and artistic director Travis Parr, the future of his brand lies in its past. Since 2003, Parr has … [Read More...]
Watch Utah locals log summer turns down Little Cottonwood Canyon’s Suicide Chute
On July 10, photographer Steve Lloyd and snowboarder Justin Morgan decided to take advantage of the unseasonably thick snowpack in the Utah’s Wasatch Mountains and tag one of the more aesthetic lines … [Read More...]
Tico Gangulee tags first ascent and descent of Pakistan’s Chashkin I
View of Chashkin I after a dusting of snow. [Photo] Tico Gangulee IFMGA guide Tico Gangulee, 41, is a life-long devotee of high alpine pursuits. He began rock climbing as a kid in New … [Read More...]
Skintrack Sketches: Skiing, art and loss through the eyes of Sandra Fransson
Sandra Fransson in her element. [Photo] Frida Berglund Hailing from the town of Lulela in Swedish Lapland, Sandra Fransson has been shaped by mountains. From ski instructing in Colorado’s Rocky … [Read More...]
Lighten the Load: Fours Skis To Go Farther, Faster
While staying afloat in winter’s deep snow requires a wide and sometimes heavy ride, spring—and summer—turns bring about a different list of requirements. For longer tours and steeper objectives that … [Read More...]
Higher Learning: The nuances of how, when, where and why to take a course
Two Marches back, as I stood on the edge of the frozen Bell Lake in Montana’s Tobacco Root Mountains, I knew I was exactly where I needed to be. Together with a half dozen no-longer-strangers, I … [Read More...]
Quick Pits Part II: How pits help with in-the-field decision-making
In Sarah Carpenter’s article, The Dos and Don’ts of Quick Pits, released last month, she explains the benefits of a quick pit as a tool to gain a “focused assessment of snowpack in [a] particular … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: All-Mountain Skis
This year’s best skis are focused on transcending boundaries. From light skintrack slayers that can muscle through crud to fat powder boats that charge edge to edge, 2019’s Editors’ Choice lineup … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: Freeride Skis
This year's best skis are focused on transcending boundaries. From light skintrack slayers that can muscle through crud to fat powder boats that charge edge to edge, 2019's Editors' Choice lineup … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: Powder Touring Skis
This year’s best skis are focused on transcending boundaries. From light skintrack slayers that can muscle through crud to fat powder boats that charge edge to edge, 2019’s Editors’ Choice lineup … [Read More...]
2019 BACKCOUNTRY EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS
The 2019 Gear Guide's story is one of transcending boundaries, from the unification of our ski and splitboard tests at Powder Mountain, Utah to the gear itself. This year’s best products excel beyond … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: Boots
Massive walk-mode ranges, state-of-the-art buckles, heat-moldable shells and true 130 flex ratings might have sounded far fetched among AT boots a decade ago, but the future is now with this 2019 … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: Bindings
In the race to the top, it’s all about balancing weight and security, and this year’s Editors’ Choice bindings showcase durable construction paired with weight savings and tremendous versatility. From … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: Apparel and Accessories
For the second year running, the 2019 Gear Guide is packed with the best jackets, layers, packs, helmets and more apparel and accessories for this winter. Our Editors’ Choice apparel exemplifies the … [Read More...]
2019 Editors’ Choice Awards: Splitboards
As splitboarding has matured, so too has its relationship with skiing—and this year, we merged Board Test Week with our Powder Mountain Gear Test. Send trains, friendly one-upmanship and endless gear … [Read More...]
2020 Gear Test Week Instagram Recap
The 2020 Gear Test Week may be over, but memories of a week fueled by powder, sun and fun are still fresh in the minds of testers and editors. The work at Backcountry Magazine headquarters located in … [Read More...]
The 2020 Gear Test Week in review
Tester Kris Thomas examines his ski's flotation properties at 2020 Gear Test Week. [Photo] Matt Kiedaisch Snow was in the air last week when more than 40 testers converged on Powder Mountain, Utah … [Read More...]
Splitting the difference at the 2020 Gear Test Week
Tester Whitney Gilliam gets down with this coming year's splitboard selection. [Photo] Matt Kiedaisch Last year’s 2019 Gear Test Week was the first at which skiers and splitboarders shared slopes … [Read More...]
Fat skis at the 2020 Gear Test Week lighten the load
Tester Betsy Manero tests out her ski's flotation on Day Two of 2020 Gear Test Week. [Photo] Matt Kiedaisch Adding weight in the gym may be a point of pride, but on the skintrack every gram counts. … [Read More...]
2020 Gear Test Week: The ties that bind
Tester Marla Bailey leans in to the latest binding tech. [Photo] Tyler Cohen There is one piece of gear that is the foundation of all AT setups, since Dynafit’s 1986 Low Tech model: the binding. … [Read More...]
2020 Gear Test Week: With boots, is less more?
In recent years, AT boots have sported all manner of buckle systems, from the Boa cinch to the traditional four-buckle lock-down. Each method is geared toward a particular use; the Scarpa Alien RS’s … [Read More...]
