On the afternoon of Thursday, April 16, Colorado’s Summit County Rescue Group shared news of an avalanche fatality north of Silverthorne, Colo. According to a statement published on the group’s Facebook page, a party of three was traveling on the north side of Red Mountain in the Gore Range on Wednesday when the avalanche occurred, carrying one member of the party 1,800 feet and causing fatal injuries
Backcountry Bulletin: April 10 – Earthquakes & Avalanches
In this week’s backcountry news: a magnitude 6.5 earthquake rattles the Sawtooth snowpack; a well-known snowmobiler dies in an Idaho avalanche; the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center ends daily forecasting; a deadly fall in Chamonix, France; and more.
Backcountry Bulletin: April 3 – Tuckerman Ravine Closure, Teton Pass Death, Making PPE, Avalanche Center Approaches and More
In light of all the stories brewing in the world right now related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re bringing back our weekly news roundup to share what’s happening nationwide and beyond related to the mountains and the backcountry community.
U.S. Forest Service Closes All Of New Hampshire’s Tuckerman Ravine, Huntington Ravine and Gulf of Slides
Announced today, the U.S. Forest Service has closed all Forest Service land within the Cutler River Drainage of New Hampshire’s Presidential Range. This closure affects the entirety of the classic spring-skiing terrain of Tuckerman Ravine and Hillman’s Highway, as well as Huntington Ravine and Gulf of Slides. The unprecedented action expands on Monday’s closure of the Headwall section of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail and was enacted in response to safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Utah Avalanche Center reports 11 human-triggered avalanche incidents in three-day window, urges users to make more conservative decisions
In response to these accidents, and in light of resort closures and the strain being placed on the healthcare system by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) is urging backcountry users to make more conservative decisions in the mountains.
Points of Contrast: in the mountains, everything has an equal and opposite
After two hours of climbing steadily uphill, we pause on the ridgeline. All is quiet—no labored breathing, no squeak of bindings or whoosh of pant legs passing, no sifting of snow sliding into the cut bank of the skintrack. The air is still, and neither a tree bow bends nor a bird or squirrel moves through the forest.
After 20 years, Patagonia’s R1 celebrates its tenure as the ultimate layer
Patagonia R1 Fleece Pullover Hoody and Tech Hoody$159 and $169 | patagonia.com It’s the mid ’90s, and PolarFleece is everywhere. The soft, high-pile knit made from recycled polyester and invented in 1981 by Polartec has become as ubiquitous in outdoor clothing as zippers. My father would buy it by the bolt from Malden Mills, Polartec’s […]
With the TLT8, Dynafit brings major updates to its game-changing line
Game-changing is a loathsome term around the Backcountry office. That’s because it generally tends to be thrown around with enough frequency when talking about gear to become meaningless, hence its blacklist-adjacent status.
Backcountry.com battles small businesses over trademark, apologizes. Backcountry Magazine remains unaffected.
Before winter has really even kicked into gear across the U.S., the word backcountry is already making major headlines. But not because of news of avalanches, access issues or tension beyond boundaries. Earlier this week, the Colorado Sun reported that online retail giant Backcountry.com is suing a handful of small businesses over a trademark of […]
Fanfare: Scott and Alpride take the avalanche airbag to a futuristic level
The inner workings of Scott’s new supercapacitor-powered avalanche airbag sound like something out of Back to the Future. And while the Backcountry Patrol AP 30 doesn’t have the time-travel capabilities of Dr. Emmett Brown’s DeLorean (thanks to its flux capacitor), this pack is more travel-capable than many airbags.
