As we celebrate 30 years of magazines with Issue 161, editors, both past and present, offer personal reflections on their time at Backcountry Magazine. In this note, former Editorial Director Tyler Cohen contemplates some chairlift wisdom he recieved as an intern from tele icon Dickie Hall.
Look Back, Rise Up
As we celebrate 30 years of magazines with Issue 161, editors, both past and present, offer personal reflections on their time at Backcountry Magazine. In this note, sometimes editor and always janitor Adam Howard considers the legacy of Shane McConkey and his enduring influence on ski culture and ski design, while acknowledging a personal editorial regret.
Wisdom: Sandy Ward
Almost two decades ago, Sandy Ward found splitboarding connected her to her Indigenous culture. In this Wisdom piece from The 30th Anniversary Issue, she talks about creating opportunities for Indigenous women and youth to experience the backcountry.
Arctic Addictions: How I Became Obsessed with Scandinavian Splitboarding
Splitboarding in the Arctic might as well be a Schedule II drug—highly addictive, potentially dangerous, with a severe risk of psychological and neurological dependance.
Backcountry Basecamp 2025
The 12th annual Backcountry BASECAMP tour, presented by Flylow, brings the beta published in every issue of Backcountry Magazine to resorts across the U.S.
From the Northeast to the Tetons, the Wasatch to the Front Range, Backcountry Magazine joins local guides, forecasters and avalanche instructors for a series of pop-up festivals featuring gear demos, avalanche education, guided tours and a huge raffle benefitting a local nonprofit.
Mountain Skills: Set a Plan and Stick to It
Sticking to your plan is easier said than done. But, it’s one of the best ways to stay safe in the backcountry.
Healing Through High Peaks
Personal hardship led Julie McGuire to backcountry skiing. This winter she became the third person and first woman to ski all 33 of the Catskill Mountains’ High Peaks.
Required Reading: Greg Hill’s I Could Die at Any Moment
Legendary skier Greg Hill’s memoir, I Could Die at Any Moment contemplates the inherent risk of spending a life in the mountains.
Time Slides
In this Editor’s Note from our 2025 Photo Annual, Greta Close flips through her dad’s old photos. It’s a Tuesday night in October, and I’m home from Washington. Since he used to live in the Cascades, Dad’s putting on a slideshow. There’s an image on the screen: Two parallel tracks overlay fresh, white, wind-drifted dollops […]
Required Reading: Louis Dawson’s Avalanche Dreams
Esteemed mountaineer Louis “Lou” Dawson’s memoir, Avalanche Dreams, is required reading for any backcountry enthusiast.
