In this essay borrowed from the longform piece on huts from Backcountry No. 144, author Sam Demas makes the case for how more U.S. huts can increase affordability and access across this country.
Observation Overload: How to Prioritize Data from Pits, Weather and Snowpack
It can be hard to approach backcountry skiing like a scientist, especially on bluebird powder days, but taking a note from scientists can help us sort and prioritize information. A systematic approach creates practiced habits that improve our decision-making process. Additionally, it can allow us to understand which data to prioritize as we gather information on changing weather, snowpack structure and more. Here’s how.
The Snow Hunters: Pandemic Disruption, History and Powder Skiing in China’s Altai Mountains
It was snowing heavily when a group of North American skiers and riders arrived in the secluded village of Khom, China, tucked in the Altai Mountains, this past January. “To go on a ski trip to one of the most remote places you can get to and have it snow the whole time? It seemed like a perfect scenario,” says British Columbia-based filmmaker Chris Winters. Too bad a global pandemic upended their plans, as Megan Michelson shows in this story from Issue 135.
The Best Place in the Valley: A Community-Organized Hut Pays Tribute to Friends Lost
After a 1980 tragedy, the Colorado towns of Crested Butte and Aspen banded together to create a memorial to the 10 friends they had lost. To this day, the Friends’ Hut welcomes those with the fortitude to reach it.
Why We Wake at 4 a.m.: an Ode to the Wasatch Dawn Patrol
Photographer and author Mary McIntyre writes, “Dawn patrolling was already ubiquitous when I was growing up in the Wasatch. I thought skiers everywhere on Earth woke at 3, 4, 5 a.m. to greet the day from a mountaintop. It’s just what skiers do, right? Wrong, apparently. Though it does occur on a smaller scale elsewhere, the Wasatch Mountains are unique in the sheer volume of dawn patrollers they’ve inspired to miss out on beauty sleep.”
Stay Tuned for Your Local Avalanche Forecast
The Crested Butte Avalanche Center has an intensely local focus, providing information and forecasts solely for the mountains surrounding its eponymous town. As the center turns 20, writer Jason Sumner looks back at how it started and how it has evolved.
Skier dies in Grand Teton National Park
A skier died Sunday after falling in the Apocalypse Couloir on Prospectors Mountain in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
Welcoming People to the Snow Globe
Teton Pass Backcountry Ambassador Ariel Kazunas says that volunteering on the busy Wyoming pass is a way of paying forward the empathy and kindness her friends showed her while she was learning to ski.
Channel Change: Pushing for radio communication in a crowded backcountry
Growing participation in backcountry skiing and snowboarding has created a need for intergroup communication to avoid or respond to accidents. Though some old-timers swear by the effectiveness of hooting and hollering, organizations near popular zones have started developing systems using localized radio channels to address the problem.
Gearbox: Sunglasses
From high-pressure weather to over-cast storm cycles, these six sunglasses balance clear vision with stylish looks.
