I was still in high school at the time in Eastern Washington and was completely obsessed with skiing. That cover really defined that area of steep skiing in Alaska and was something that I only dreamed about getting to experience someday. Little did I know at the time that two years later, I would move to Bellingham, Wash., and meet Carl, who became a mentor of mine, and Dean, who became one of my closest friends and mentors. After several seasons learning the ropes from Carl and Dean, my own photography started to take off and I scored my first cover, on the December 2003 issue.
Backstory: Seasoning in Ski Boots
I eat my breakfast of oats quickly while standing up. At the same time, I make myself a to-do list: dishes; peach-ginger cake for dessert; roasted tomato soup for après; marinated pork for dinner; granola for tomorrow. As the cook at a Canadian ski lodge, I aim to make great food each day, but I […]
BC Banter: Our 100th Issue, the Northwest’s First Snow, Utah Avy Workshop and a Zombie Fortress
Backcountry Magazine kicks off the holiday season with a celebration of our own—the 20th anniversary issue hit newsstands on Tuesday, Oct. 28. After 100 issues, we commemorate the legends, turns and tech that have progressed the sport, and our gang of art directors, photo editors, photographers and publishers weigh in on their BCM favorite covers, from 1994 to present.
Biff America: On Inflatables
Jeffery Bergeron, under the alias of Biff America, is a monthly columnist for Backcountry. Each week, Biff provides anecdotes about some of our favorite things: beer, sex and skiing. He can be seen on TV-8-Summit and read in several newspapers and magazines. Reach Biff at biffbreck@yahoo.com. For signed copies of his book, “Steep, Deep and […]
Backstory: Dawn Patrol
It’s 5:37 a.m., and I’m in a gas station. The woman behind the counter has tiny feet and an underbite. Small wrinkles fracture her shadowed face in ways only years of cheap tobacco and regret can form. I look into the copper stillness of her eyes while placing food on the scratched glass surface. Memories […]
Mountain Skills: How to prepare for avalanche conditions in unfamiliar locations
It’s October, and you’ve already booked a hut week in the Monashees, a yurt trip in the Sawtooths or a weekend in the Wasatch. But how will you know what conditions will be like at, say, the end of February? And, more importantly, how can you be familiar with the snowpack and deal with avalanche conditions when you arrive in an unfamiliar backcountry zone?
Biff America: On Sauna Etiquette
Jeffery Bergeron, under the alias of Biff America, is a monthly columnist for Backcountry. Each week, Biff provides anecdotes about some of our favorite things: beer, sex and skiing. He can be seen on TV-8-Summit and read in several newspapers and magazines. Reach Biff at biffbreck@yahoo.com. For signed copies of his book, “Steep, Deep and […]
Women’s Specific: Are female-focused skis necessity or preference?
Changes in skiing technology—think the first parabolic shapes, fat widths and rocker—usually bring excitement, not controversy. That is, until you consider women’s specific gear. So are women’s-specific skis preference, necessity or a change in marketing culture?
Mountain Skills: Get the Most Out of the Uphill
While backcountry skiing or riding, we tend to spend more time going up than going down. And, simply put, skinning done poorly is not fun. There are three primary ingredients to a good day of touring: establishing a proper pace, setting an appropriate skintrack angle and avoiding kick turns whenever possible. You’ve likely come into the backcountry to escape the rat race, so learn to enjoy the climb up and the whole experience will get a lot better. Here’s how.
BC Banter: Brownsville, Vt. Buys Ascutney Trails, GoPro Faces Investigation and DPS’s New Films
Town of Brownsville, Vt. Buys Ascutney Trails Brownsville, Vt. On Tuesday, October 14, the townspeople of Brownsville, Vt. voted to purchase 470 acres of the former Ascutney Mountain Ski Resort, which closed in 2010, for $600,000. Three-hundred-thirty voters packed the town’s Story Memorial Hall and confirmed the purchase first through a voice vote, followed […]
