I sit in a recycled ski chair on the cabin porch in Ouray, Colo., and watch giant, Christmas Eve snowflakes fall softly as I call my parents to wish them Merry Christmas. I am eager to tell my parents that I’m going backcountry skiing for the first time tomorrow. Instead, Mom reads her oncology report: cancer. In my mind tumors twinkle like Christmas lights throughout her. The conversation ends and snowflakes merge with my chilled tears.
BC Banter: Snowless on Turnagain Pass, Sentencing in Wolf Creek Avalanche Death, 22 Inches Fall in Tahoe, RASTA Glade Project Open for Comment
Warm temperatures have brought rain in place of snow so far this season at south central Alaska’s Turnagain Pass. Now, more than two weeks past the typical opening date, the Pass is closed to snowmachining due to lack of snow. Recent wet snow, followed by cool temps, has increased avalanche risk, and a December 14 storm “created the first documented weak layer of snow this season,” Chugach National Forest Avalanche director Wendy Wagner told Alaska Dispatch News.
Living the Life: David Rothman On Ski Culture, Recreation and Mountain Living
Sean Prentiss talks with author David Rothman about his ski–culture book titled: Living the Life: Tales from America’s Mountains & Ski Towns.
Splitboards, Sweat and Cheers: Racing the Eighth-Annual Dirksen Derby
Splitboarding is not usually this chaotic. It can certainly be scary or even dangerous, but this is a sunny day at Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort. The climb is just a few hundred feet, yet there are a few dozen fans cheering, as well as two-dozen competitors in various levels of fervor. It’s the eighth-annual Dirksen Derby Splitboard Race, a skin-up-to-banked-slalom-down suffer-sprint hosted by pro-rider Josh Dirksen to benefit local disabled snowboarder, Tyler Eklund.
BIFF AMERICA: ON CAMERAS
“A camera doesn’t make you bulletproof, and decisions should be based on snowpack, an honest assessment of your ability and the consequences.”
The Splitty Guiding Fund: Rick Gaukel Splitboard Scholarship
When splitboarder Rick Gaukel and four friends were killed in an avalanche on Loveland Pass, Colo. on April 20, 2013, he had recently completed a 12-day ski-guide course with the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). Splitboarding was his preferred method of backcountry travel, and he was an advocate for getting it accepted by the AMGA. […]
Mountain Skills: Exploring with Modern Navigation Tools
“My map and compass never have dead batteries.” This is the most common rationale I hear for not learning and adopting new technology. Film still works in cameras and the Postal Service still gets information from place to place, but there are better ways these days. The same is true for improving the way we tour plan and navigate. Here’s how to use modern navigation tools.
Biff America: On Alcohol
“Alcohol can distort your perspective of your skill, bravery and dancing ability. And I can’t help but think video can do the same.”
The Wasatch Backcountry Voice: Tom Diegel on protecting Salt Lake City’s Mountain Landscape
When we published an article in the November 2013 issue on Wasatch Backcountry Alliance (WBA), the organization that provides a voice to backcountry users in and around Salt Lake City, Utah was just in its inception. The WBA, a volunteer nonprofit, has experienced tremendous growth since then. Today it aims to reach members beyond SLC and the […]
Mountain Skills: Making Better Observations
Turn to someone you trust—a more experienced friend or maybe a guide—and you’ll likely find out that they don’t dig too many pits, and they certainly never trust their life with the information gained in one snow pit. This disconnect can be confusing—after all, we learn to dig pits early in our education, but in reality most skiers don’t bother. Here’s when and how to dig to get the most information.
