Physical injuries—otherwise known as trauma—get a lot of attention in backcountry first aid. But there’s a whole other realm of dangerous and deadly emergencies that skiers and riders should be aware of and prepared to manage. We spoke with Nicholas Kanaan, an emergency physician based in Salt Lake City, Utah with a background in wilderness medicine, to learn more.
Wisdom: Nancy Bockino Practices Patience
Nancy Bockino keeps really busy. Her work takes her between Teton County Search and Rescue, teaching avalanche courses, guiding for Exum Mountain Guides and researching high-elevation pines in Grand Teton National Park. How does she balance it all? Patience, she says, plus a passion for the mountains.
Rubies in the Rough
In 1977, along with business partners Binx Sandahl and Carl Fischer, Joe founded what’s now one of the longest continuously running heli ops in the U.S. That first year, they had just 17 guests over a short season that started on St. Patrick’s Day. But through the subsequent decade, business swelled to 32 guests every three days, and Joe became the sole owner of Ruby in 1981 before meeting his future wife and business partner.
Lawmakers look to sell 3.3-million acres of public land
A bill introduced last week before the U.S. House of Representatives aims to sell 3.3-million acres of public land throughout the West. While text of the bill and specific land parcels have not been released, the acreage represents Bureau of Land Management land across 10 Western states including Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon.
Snowpack List: Avalanche Assessments from around the U.S., Week of January 2
New Year, same snowpack. That’s generally the consensus across the U.S. where persistent, early season hazards seem to remain a concern, offering up moderate avalanche danger ratings across many forecasted zones. The far-western part of the country—Tahoe specifically—will see heavy snow over the beginning half of the week, while much of the intermountain west will see snow midweek.
Crowdsourced: How Will Social Media Shape Avalanche Forecasting?
It wasn’t long ago when standard protocol for gathering the daily avalanche bulletin meant calling in to a recorded message. Now, there are web-based forecasts, graphic interpretations of hazards and apps to upload observations. And while the daily bulletins will never be reduced to 140 characters on Twitter, avalanche centers are looking to new-age platforms to gather observations and share information.
2017 Board Test Week: Testers New And Old
All week long in Crested Butte, Colo., some 40 testers will run countless snowboards, boots and bindings through the test paces, down the resort and up and down in the backcountry. Among those 40 testers, a core crew of a dozen riders who have traveled from across the country will test from bell to bell […]
2017 Board Test Week: Pre-Test Dispatch
Nearly a foot of snow fell on Crested Butte Mountain Resort over the weekend, and while the mercury will spike today, more snow is in store for the 2017 Board Test. “We’re looking at ideal conditions for all-mountain board testing,” said Test Director Adam Broderick. “We usually get a few days of firmer conditions and pow later in the week, and that’s what’s on the books for this week.”
The Impromptu Reverse: 2016 Grand Traverse Recap
Max Taam and John Gaston of Aspen, Colo., were crowned winners of the 19th-annual GORE-TEX Grand Traverse. But they—and some 200 other teams—didn’t arrive in their hometown of Aspen after racing through the night from Crested Butte as expected. Instead, they completed the fourth-ever so-called Grand Reverse in a time of 6:30:18.
Aspen-bound: 19th Annual Grand Traverse Is A Go
“Might as well cut to the chase,” Grand Traverse Race Director Andrew Arell said to begin this year’s pre-race meeting. “We’re going over to Aspen!” With that, the 550 racers packed into Crested Butte’s Grand Ballroom at Mountaineer Square erupted with applause and cheers.
