Sammy Carlson is no stranger to the spotlight. But after competing at freeskiing’s highest stage, the Oregon native now feels most inspired filming far from distractions in the mountains of British Columbia. There, while working on his current project, Resilience, he’s continuing to define what’s possible in powder.
Should we care about ski mountaineering in the Olympics? Look to mountain biking for the answer
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed today, July 20, that ski mountaineering will be added to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy. InsideTheGames.biz reported the news from the Main Press Centre in Tokyo, where the IOC has gathered in advance of the Summer Games. This news comes after skimo premiered in the 2020 Youth Winter Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland, and was officially proposed by the IOC executive board in June. To celebrate the news, we’re republishing a story written by Backcountry’s Adam Howard from 2014, when the IOC granted provisional recognition to the International Ski Mountaineering Federation, a first step toward the inclusion of skimo as an Olympic event.
Wisdom: Photographer Sofia Jaramillo on diversifying the outdoors
As a teenager on a road trip with her father, a Sofia Jaramillo borrowed his Nikon point-and-shoot to capture scenes along the California coast. She pointed at a lighthouse and, she says, “out of pure magic, I got this image that was composed perfectly. It was like opening a present.” That moment, along with influence from her journalist mother, helped shape a photography career for Jaramillo. Since those early days, Jaramillo spent time in Jackson, Wyoming, in 2015 for an internship at the Jackson Hole News and Guide. After an assignment to photograph a trip up the Grand Teton, she began focusing on adventure photography and, after a few more years of freelancing and newspaper work elsewhere, she returned to Jackson in 2018 to dive into outdoor photography, all while capturing, embracing and advocating for diversity in the outdoors.
Gearbox: Packing for Anything
Whether you’re planning a multi-day traverse or just looking to explore the lift-accessed backcountry, these six purpose-built packs will fill any niche you need on your next snow-sliding adventure.
Risk Reflection: Teaching avalanche education through Vermont’s pandemic restrictions
On a snowy January weekend, I took my AIARE Level 1 course with Petra Cliffs’ co-owner Steve Charest, who has been an AIARE course provider since 2009. Local Covid restrictions made this year’s courses different from any others Charest has taught over the past decade, and Charest’s Vermont-based courses were unlike others in the country. Throughout the winter, the state had some of the most restrictive regulations in the country.
Mountain Account: From Sluffs to Slides
On November 23, 2020, skier and filmmaker Nikolai Schirmer took a day off from filming to visit some familiar terrain near his home in Tromsø, Norway, which also happened to be the first area he’d ever toured in as a teenager. While the main zone consists of mellow slopes, Schirmer and his friend, Eivind, decided to check out one of the chutes on a steeper west face. With only a little fresh snow atop a solid base and no recent avalanche events in the area, Schirmer expected they would be dealing only with sluff management. But he was surprised when that sluff turned into a significant avalanche.
Summer Storage: Maintain Your Beacon, Shovel, Probe and Airbag in the Off Season
Most tips for summer storage serve as practical time-savers: clean, waterproofed gear and waxed skis make it that much quicker to get on the skintrack when the snow starts falling again. But for beacons and avy equipment, summer storage is even more important. Proper storage, and testing equipment before heading out again, is crucial to […]
Ski Mountaineer Dies in Crevasse Fall in Alaska’s Denali National Park
On Monday, May 3, 28-year-old Mason Stansfield of Ouray, Colorado, died while skiing the Eldridge Glacier in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Stansfield was an experienced ski mountaineering and a mountain guide who had worked on Denali before.
Gearbox: Five tools for touring on high
Spring mountaineering season has arrived to the high peaks, and these tools might be your ticket to ticking off your next big line.
Tools of the Trade: When, where and how to use your ice axe, crampons and rope
Jackson, Wyoming-based internationally-certified guide Mike Poborsky has three basic considerations when planning for a day out: Is the mountain going to fall on him? Will he fall into the mountain? Could he fall off the mountain? The first question helps him avoid avalanches, while the second two dictate what he needs for technical gear, like an ice axe, crampons or rope. For those looking to step into steep couloirs, onto exposed faces or around glaciated terrain where a slip could mean falling off or into the mountain, both carrying these tools and knowing how to use them is crucial.
