When I drove up Utah’s Cottonwood Canyons this past Saturday, parking lots were a zoo—more so than usual, that is. Stickered Subarus and trucks cozied up mirror to mirror. Groups of diehards and new users alike spilled out into the Wasatch’s infamously well-beaten network of skintracks. And with greenlit avalanche conditions and a balmy weather […]
As Resorts Close, Sales of Backcountry Touring Gear Spike
Toilet paper and canned goods aren’t the only commodities flying off the shelves in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. As Vail Resorts’ stock fell along with the rest of the market, and as ski resorts across the nation closed for the season earlier this month, the demand for touring setups has spiked. “Ski resorts […]
Amid Closures, Select Ski Resorts Continue to Allow Uphill Skiing
Over the last week, ski resorts closed en masse due to concerns and restrictions related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). A few, however, will still let you skin uphill. But remember: It’s a go-at-your-own-risk affair, with no rescue services available and no avalanche mitigation at closed resorts. When ski resorts across the country announced mass […]
Splitboarding in the time of COVID-19
by Ryan Irvin March 20, 2020
Last weekend I was on a ski retreat deep in Washington’s Central Cascades. I found myself talking with another group of skiers who happened to be nurses from my small town of Leavenworth, Washington. I joked with them about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), asking what all the hype was about. On the way back to […]
Blurred Borders: For resorts with inbounds avalanche terrain and lift-accessible backcountry, managing boundaries proves challenging
Phrases like “inbounds backcountry” and “sidecountry” are frequently tossed around by resort-goers, referencing terrain they view somewhere in between proper backcountry and controlled resort territory. But according to patrollers and avy educators, both terms should be eliminated and these zones approached with a backcountry mentality. “We don’t have ‘inbounds backcountry,’” says Doug Richmond, Patrol Director […]
Near Russia, With Love: Norway’s Finnmark Alps
You’ve heard of Lyngen and Lofoten. You’ve seen pictures of sailboats bobbing in the Arctic beneath staggering lines that rush to the sea like the Grinch dropping in on Whoville. But go even farther north and there’s a forgotten range that even many Norwegians don’t visit. And for the natives of this place, that’s just fine. No guidebooks, no waypoints. Just local knowledge, a skipper and unlimited access to the prettiest range you’ve never heard of.
How one Crested Butte-based skier pays it forward
For Crested Butte, Colorado-based Alex Riedman, being a member of Crested Butte Mountain Rescue is all about giving back to her community.
Teton County SAR coordinator, from dispatch to mental health
In 2006, Jess King, 40, began volunteering with Teton County Search and Rescue as a way to give back to the Jackson Hole, Wyo. community. She remained on the volunteer team until 2013, when a search and rescue coordinator position opened up with the county’s sheriff office.
Why IFMGA-certified guide Margaret Wheeler believes that variety makes a difference in the mountains
When I call up guide Margaret Wheeler, 45, at her home in Ketchum, Idaho on an early November day, she answers with a sniffle. Wheeler apologizes and explains that her nasal tone is induced by a head cold, but continues on, unfazed by her condition.
In the Sierra Nevada Mountains, an incoming storm turns a good day into an escalating accident
On January 12 of last season, Jason Layh, 44, and his partner embarked on a tour on Jobs Peak (10,638 ft.), located in the southeast corner of the Tahoe Basin on the Nevada side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
