Cascade Chronicler Lowell Skoog Makes History by Winning National Outdoor Book Award
Lowell Skoog keeps racking up accolades. Author Lowell Skoog has an archivist's eye for skiing curios, and he has the basement collection to prove it. [Photo] Courtesy Lowell Skoog The roster of … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Secondhand Stoke
I take terrible touring photos. From an island of safety, I’ll shoot with reckless abandon at a friend, often ignoring the few tenets of photography I do know (looking at you, Rule of Thirds). … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Taming Your Dragons
Andrew and I arrived at the top of Safety First, a slackcountry-sidestep beyond Vancouver Island’s Mount Washington Alpine Resort, excited about the six inches of fresh. But we were also a bit nervous … [Read More...]
Page Turners: Eight Backcountry Books To Add to Your Collection
Books, those paper relics Gen Z skiers may have scant experience with, retain an innate ability to transport us from our reality to another. For tomes focused on the outdoors, that may be doubly true, … [Read More...]
Recipes for the Skintrack and Après: Après Bolognese
Backcountry fuel often comes in single-serving, individually wrapped packages, but there’s a way for your transition bites to be more creative and Earth-friendly: Bring them from home. Beyond … [Read More...]
Gearbox: 2023 Skinning Layers
Rab Equipment Vapour-Rise Summit Jacket $230, rab.equipment You know the bitingly cold feeling when your bootpack reaches the ridge and the wind cuts into your bones? Our tester says Rab’s … [Read More...]
Gearbox: 2023 Packs
Editors' Choice: Deuter Freescape Lite 26 $200, deuter.com The Deuter Freescape Lite brings smarts to the skintrack—literally and figuratively. It’s lightweight, compact and feature-full. … [Read More...]
Gearbox: 2023 Sunglasses
Editors' Choice: Scott Pro Shield $120, scott-sports.com The Scott Pro Shield is the teacher’s pet. “A+! A great pair of sunglasses to put on and forget about,” a college professor/tester … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Take the time to be prepared for early season turns
It’s late fall and many mountains throughout the U.S. have seen some decent early season snow. As a result, stoke is high and people are itching to ski. Not many ski areas are open yet, however, and … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: How to Prepare for Your Level 1 Avalanche Course
Beacon. Shovel. Probe. For years, these have been the standard required tools for heading into the backcountry. But what good are they without the proper training in how to recognize hazards and use … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Why You Should Upgrade Your Avalanche Transceiver
Imagine your best friend buried under frozen avalanche debris. Precious minutes have passed, and you are still fumbling around on the debris surface because the outdated transceiver you are searching … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: The tools and tricks to stay motivated in the skintrack
Mornings can be rough, and even the most diehard skiers experience days when it’s hard to get out of bed. You cringe at the thought of jamming your bruised feet into your wet-from-yesterday ski boots, … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Essential Education
The list of skills and knowledge needed to get into the mountains is never ending. In fact, it’s subject matter that numerous careers are built on, but safe and efficient backcountry travel … [Read More...]
Mountain Skills: Cody Townsend Ditches Deviance
What do space shuttles and backcountry skiing have in common? According to freeride skier Cody Townsend, it’s a relationship that stems from an explosion and a theory. Better yet, he’s adapted a … [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...]
