Spring skiing was in full swing on Mt. Baker, Wash. by early last April when photographer Grant Gunderson and his ski partner for the day, Kirsten Rowley, hit a skintrack for Baker’s Shuksan Arm. The duo had spent the previous day at the resort exploring sidecountry zones that had proved to be stable, so they went into the backcountry feeling confident about the snow stability.
Anna Soens reframes the conversation on athletic achievement in the mountains
Anna Soens didn’t expect that she’d become an adaptive role model over the last two and a half years. In December 2015, however, the 30-year-old Boise, Idaho-based wildlife biologist fell 35 feet at a climbing gym, breaking her lowest thoracic vertebra, an injury that left her with partial paralysis from the hips down. As an […]
Ace Kvale: An iconic photographer mentors a new generation
Ace Kvale has been on the forefront of adventure photography for the past 40 years, with subjects ranging from Himalayan peaks to the valleys of his southern Utah home. Kvale, 62, kickstarted his career in the ski industry as an athlete and model before moving behind the lens in the 1980s.
Backcountry Basecamp 2019
BASECAMP 6.0 – Backcountry Magazine teams up with Scott Sports and Nokian Tyres to spread mountain education across the country Jeffersonville, Vt. (for immediate release) – For more than 20 years, Backcountry Magazine has been committed to educating its community on how to safely travel through untracked terrain. And for six years we’ve been taking […]
A Master Bootfitter’s guide to footbeds and liners
We last chatted with Board-certified pedorthist Bob Egeland just before the 2018 Gear Test Week at Powder Mountain to hear about the ABCs of bootfitting. In our conversation, he elaborated on the three key steps to a good AT boot fit: A) The proper shell size; B) Stabilizing the foot with some sort of foot bed; and C) Dealing with all of the padding, poking, punching and grinding.
Fabulous Feet: Master bootfitter Bob Egeland talks about how to approach AT boot fitting
While his profession might leave some feeling a bit squeamish, Bob Egeland, a board-certified Pedorthist, is passionate about keeping people happy in their ski boots all day long. And finding a comfortable fit is his top priority, especially for backcountry skiers who don’t have the option to take a break in the lodge if toes start to tingle.
How one trailbuilder is reshaping access to Vermont’s winter landscape
Hardy Avery has a knack for scoping lines, and it’s a skill that’s established him as one of Vermont’s most sought-after trailbuilders—no matter the season. Avery’s best known work is often of the mountain-biking flavor, with signature trails in Waterbury, Hyde Park and Stowe—including his namesake trail, Hardy’s Haul—drawing visitors from near and afar. In […]
From Buried to Brother-in-law: How an avalanche rescue in British Columbia led to a marriage in Minnesota
As Hansi Johnson—a former Patagonia sales rep who now works as Director of Recreational Lands for the Minnesota Land Trust—recalls, in March of 2004, he was on his annual backcountry ski trip to British Columbia’s Selkirk Mountains with a group of colleagues and friends. His travel group, totaling about 10 individuals, was a team well […]
Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison make first full descent of 27,940-foot Lhotse
On Sunday, September 30, ski mountaineers Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison made the first ski descent of Lhotse, one of Nepal’s famous 8,000-meter peaks, looming at 27,940 feet and the fourth tallest in the world.
Accident report of Vermont Army National Guard-triggered avalanche in Smugglers’ Notch points to a lack of risk assessment strategies
On March 14, six Vermont Army National Guard soldiers were involved in an avalanche incident in Smugglers’ Notch’s East Gully, an event that left five requiring medical treatment. More recently, Vermont-based investigative news outlet VTDigger published a September 18 article that takes an in-depth look at the accident and the risk assessment surrounding it.
