My eyes open, and it’s dark. I guess the time at 6 a.m., but it’s winter and hard to tell for sure. What I do know is that today is Saturday, and I’m here by myself in my mountain cabin on the edge of Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains. Most importantly, I know that today, I will go skiing.
SNOWMAN: Mike Douglas’s Labor of Love
Mike Douglas has been working on his first feature film, “SNOWMAN” for nearly three years. He’s poured countless hours and a whole lot of cash into the film, which centers around avalanche controller Kevin Fogolin’s harrowing escape from a massive slide in the mountains of British Columbia, but Douglas is running out of funds.
The Grand Teton: A Johnstone Family Picnic
Not all family outings conclude with a broken record on one of the most notorious peaks in the Lower 48, but the Johnstones of Jackson Hole, Wyo. aren’t your average family.
Summer Stashes: A Diehard’s Guide to Skiing All Year
It’s June, and maybe you’re still fighting the realization that winter is over. You’re probably mountain biking, or just twiddling your thumbs, questioning if it’s too early to start watching ski movies in anticipation of next season. But if you’re strong willed and willing to work for it (in some cases really work for it) you can find skiing all year without blowing your savings on a plane ticket to South America.
Throwback Thursday: The Outernet
Back in 1999, when this ad ran, the Iron Cross was still cool and Voilé was king of all things outernet. More than 15 years later, we still think the Iron Cross is pretty rad…when the timing is right.
Biff America: On Justin Bieber
Jeffery Bergeron, under the alias of Biff America, is a monthly columnist for BCM. Biff provides anecdotes about some of our favorite things: beer, sex and skiing.
Mountain Account: Downward Spiral
In late February of last winter, Christian Mason joined a group of friends for a bc yurt trip in northern Idaho’s Payette National Forest. To shorten the 10-mile approach to Payette Powder Guides’ Lick Creek Summit Yurts, the team utilized snowmobiles for shuttling gear and people. After six days at the yurts, the group loaded up the sleds with excess food and beer, and Christian stepped behind a sled to be pulled out. Then things went wrong.
Reign Over Rainier: Carter Resets Speed Record
Eric Carter says his speed record on Washington’s 14,410-foot Mt. Rainier was somewhat of a consolation prize. He and best friend Nick Elson were aiming to set the speed record on the Liberty Ridge, but were forced to move to the Disappointment Cleaver route when news broke that six climbers were lost near Liberty Ridge (the six are still missing and presumed dead). We caught up with Eric to talk about his record climb, the tragedy on Liberty Ridge and the sport of ski mountaineering.
Throwback Thursday: Get Rad!
Remember when inline skating was as rad as backcountry skiing? Yeah, neither do we. But back in January 1999, when Alpine Trekkers were cutting edge, Alpina began making plastic telemark boots and offered a line of roller-skates—perfect for practicing the balance, coordination and one-legged pirouettes necessary in every bc skier’s skill set. Here’s BCM founder David Harrower’s review of the Alpina 450.
Carbon Crappers: Ski construction drops a load, and its price
Elemental carbon is a major component of all living things, plus pencil lead, diamonds, etc. But none of that is useful for making skis. Sure, everyone knows carbon fiber is used in the construction of skis, boots, poles, and probes (not to mention bike frames and fishing rods). But, did you know that you can buy a carbon-fiber coffee table, toilet or even a complete bathtub?
