Twenty-five years? Backcountry? You’re kidding. No? That’s 175 dog years—a long stretch, regardless of your species. And yeah, it’s cliché, but what a long, strange trip it’s been.
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WINGWALKERS: THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA’S REDLINE TRAVERSE
There’s a range in America’s most populous state that’s hemmed in by desert and people. Each year, millions come to California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to collectively attempt to climb Mt. Whitney or ogle Yosemite’s Half Dome or ski at Mammoth or hike the John Muir Trail. In the spring of 2016, Adam Howard, Craig Dostie and John and Tyson Hausdoerffer came here for a different reason: To ski some of the famed Redline Traverse, first pioneered in the early ’80s. Summits here tower 10,000 feet above the Owens Valley to the east, and it’s arguably on this granite and snow where both American ski mountaineering and long-distance ski touring were born. The mountain objectives and gear have changed a lot in the century since the first snow surveyors plotted these hills. But a few things have stayed the same: It’s still breathtakingly high; it can get insanely deep; and, from October to May, there’s no one here. Wingwalkers is part of that story published in Backcountry Magazine, Spring 2017; written by Adam Howard, read by Matt Richardson.
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We’ve compiled a database of U.S. resorts with a little about each individual policy—where and when skinning is allowed, whether or not it’s free during operating hours and the link directly to the resort’s guidelines.
Our testers worked all winter in their home ranges to try gear in narrow couloirs, open pow fields and tight trees. Though they didn’t get to hang out at Powder Mountain, Utah, like they usually do, they did learn their gear even better, bringing you tried-and-true Editors’ Choice picks.
2018 Editors’ Choice Awards: Freeride Skis
This year, we're mixing things up. We've historically organized skis solely based on width, but we've realized … [Read More...]
Category Killer: Powder Touring
These category killers are fat and rockered (110mm and wilder) with a favorable touring weight. Here are four … [Read More...]
