Manageability Thoughts: Are you biting off more than you can chew in avalanche terrain?
Avalanche educator Sarah Carpenter takes a step back to evaluate what hazards are manageable in the backcountry, what what needs to be avoided.
Expedition Review: Group Dynamics, Movie-Making and Managing Risk in the Swedish Arctic
The alarm came too early at 3:30 a.m. By the light of our headlamps Benj and I quietly made coffee and breakfast inside our tent. While we were still cocooned in our sleeping bags to stay warm, Benj … [Read More...]
Talking Risk: How to Better Understand and Communicate About Uncertainty
Alta Ski Area Snow Safety Director Dave Richards once said, “The only certainty in avalanches is uncertainty. The only time you know anything is when you are wrong.” Traveling in the backcountry means … [Read More...]
Have Patience: How April Storms and Powsurfers Reinvigorated my Winter
A trio of powsurfers sat by my front door for weeks, neglected. Wanting to join the ranks of snowboarders who’ve turned to riding low-angle slopes on the bindingless boards, in late February I … [Read More...]
Chugach avalanche kills Valdez, Alaska, heli-ski guide
Few details are available so far about the 16th avalanche fatality in the United States this winter. Michael Hamilton, 46, died Monday after triggering a slide on a northwest aspect of the Pencil … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Knowing When To Turn Around
“It’s getting late. I think we should get off this slope and head back.” This is a statement that has good intentions, but the process behind it isn’t perfect. As spring approaches, the days get … [Read More...]
Gearbox: Airbag Packs
Editors' Choice: Mammut Light Short Removable Airbag 3.0 $580 | 2140g (w/out canister) | mammut.com This little number found its way to one of our most airbag-averse testers, who cites … [Read More...]
Gearbox: There and Back Again
Five skins for going the distance—and a reglue service to test time, not patience Black Diamond Equipment Ascension The Ascension name dates back to the first North American-made skins … [Read More...]
Gearbox: Packing for Anything
Editors' Choice: Scott Patrol E1 30L The Tech: Available this year in a 30L short length for smaller individuals, Scott’s Patrol E1 relies on the Alpride E1 airbag technology: an electronic … [Read More...]
Talking Risk: How to Better Understand and Communicate About Uncertainty
Alta Ski Area Snow Safety Director Dave Richards once said, “The only certainty in avalanches is uncertainty. The only time you know anything is when you are wrong.” Traveling in the backcountry means … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Knowing When To Turn Around
“It’s getting late. I think we should get off this slope and head back.” This is a statement that has good intentions, but the process behind it isn’t perfect. As spring approaches, the days get … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Hydrate or Die
I know a lot of guides who manage to ski all day and only drink a half-liter of tea. They also tend to have their first kidney stones around the age of 40. Fun! Conversely, when I toured with Greg … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Anticipating Point Release Avalanches
This article was originally publish in April, 2015. As the spring approaches, many of us turn our attention to steeper, more technical lines higher in the mountains. The layers of snow that formed … [Read More...]
Checklists, Beacon Checks and Route Planning: Building Systems as a Backcountry Traveler
Fresh snow? Check. Awesome touring group? Check. Sarah Carpenter checks in with her backcountry posse on Wyoming's Teton Pass. [Photo] Iain Kuo It’s extremely important for backcountry travelers … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Professional vs. Recreational Avalanche Training…what’s in it for me?
This winter, avalanche education in the U.S. is evolving. The old system of Level 1, 2, 3 is currently being replaced with two options: a recreational track and one geared toward professionals. The … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: The “Hell yes, or no way” approach to terrain management
Moderator Margaret Wheeler leads a panel with Montana State University professor Jerry Johnson, Matt Hansen of the Teton County Search and Rescue Foundation, and Sawtooth Avalanche Center forecaster … [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...]
Mountain Skills: How To Become A Better Ski Partner
“Hey. Great to hear from you. I’m out skiing—with partners—and I’m about to drop into a couloir. I’ll call you tomorrow!” With that, Forrest McCarthy, an Exum Mountain Guide who’s guided from the … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Planning a trip to an offbeat location requires more than Google
Chamonix. Hokkaido. Portillo. Certain locations are synonymous with international ski travel, meaning resources for trip planning are as plentiful as some places can be crowded. But what about … [Read More...]
