It’s no secret that backcountry skiing has seen a surge in popularity. This overall trend is clearly visible on Mt. Washington and around the Presidential Range, where I’ve been working for nearly two decades. And while the numbers have swelled, the critical safety messages being delivered to visitors have remained surprisingly consistent despite huge changes in visitor use patterns.
History on the Headwall: Mt. Washington’s Tuckerman Ravine
About a decade before I ever skied on Mt. Washington, several friends and I were climbing out of Tuckerman Ravine on the Boott Spur Trail on a cold April morning when we heard an explosion that echoed off the walls of the glacial cirque. We later found out that near the Hermit Lake Shelter, a U.S. Forest Service Avalauncher had misfired, causing an explosive round to ignite in the device’s barrel, injuring two snow rangers and a bystander.
Longtime guide Dan Escalante Killed in Crested Butte, Colo. Avalanche
Dan Escalante, a longtime mountain guide and former town councilman based in Crested Butte, Colo., has died in an avalanche. On the morning of Tuesday, April 28, while skiing Climax Chutes on the northeast side of Crested Butte’s Mt. Emmons, Escalante, 44, was caught in a wet slab avalanche. The slide swept Escalante, who was […]
Experienced Skier Dies in Colorado Avalanche, With Danger Elevated Across Colorado and Utah
On the afternoon of Thursday, April 16, Colorado’s Summit County Rescue Group shared news of an avalanche fatality north of Silverthorne, Colo. According to a statement published on the group’s Facebook page, a party of three was traveling on the north side of Red Mountain in the Gore Range on Wednesday when the avalanche occurred, carrying one member of the party 1,800 feet and causing fatal injuries
Backcountry Bulletin: April 10 – Earthquakes & Avalanches
In this week’s backcountry news: a magnitude 6.5 earthquake rattles the Sawtooth snowpack; a well-known snowmobiler dies in an Idaho avalanche; the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center ends daily forecasting; a deadly fall in Chamonix, France; and more.
Plan B: Business as Unusual – A note from Backcountry’s CEO
Stepping off the skintrack at the base of the Glacier du Chardonnet, I ask the indomitable Gordy Skoog, “What’s Plan B for making the col if the weather socks in?” We are hours into our unguided attempt to ski the Haute Route from Chamonix, France to Zermatt, Switzerland and also hours behind schedule, far below the crux saddle above the glacier. “I think Plan B is to make it,” Gordy replies, loping past.
Iceland to Greenland and Back: Rerouted by COVID-19
The ship’s mast creaked and groaned—its tremors traveled from the pole at the foot of my bed through my toes and into my incapacitated, seasick body. As the boat pitched and rolled, I tried to convince myself that it was a pleasant, soothing motion. I looked across the cabin to Julia’s bunk and saw her […]
Gilles Valade, Avalanche Canada’s Executive Director, Reflects on the Organization’s Recent Closure
The last day you could read a current avalanche forecast for any part of Canada was Monday, March 30. Avalanche Canada went dark after that, shuttering its social media and information-sharing network as well as its forecasting one month early, all in an attempt to discourage backcountry recreation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus shut […]
Backcountry Bulletin: April 3 – Tuckerman Ravine Closure, Teton Pass Death, Making PPE, Avalanche Center Approaches and More
In light of all the stories brewing in the world right now related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re bringing back our weekly news roundup to share what’s happening nationwide and beyond related to the mountains and the backcountry community.
After Avalanche and Two-Day Search on Jackson, Wyo.’s Taylor Mountain, Body of Missing Snowboarder Found
Jackson, Wyo. After a two-day search, volunteers with Wyoming’s Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) have found the body of a snowboarder who went missing yesterday in an avalanche on Teton Pass. According to the Jackson Hole News & Guide, the deceased has been identified as 28-year-old Trace Jordan Carrillo of Dubois, Wyo. On April […]
