“We don’t live in a ski town,” my friend said one night a couple of weeks ago as we sat on the deck of the Brewster River Pub and Brewery, dubbed the Brewski by locals. We were only a quarter of a mile from Smugglers’ Notch Resort, but it was off-season and still warm enough to sit outside. My response echoed off the unoccupied metal chairs: “What are you talking about?”
Jeff Engerbretson passes down his exploration ethos
For Amie and Jeff Engerbretson, the search for powder is a family affair. Amie, 31, who was raised in Lake Tahoe, Calif. by her professional-skiing father, Jeff, 54, grew up thinking that it was normal to make a career out of winter sports. In the winter of 1986/87, Jeff began his pro-skiing career and in 1986 starred in a travel TV show Inside Skiing that took him around the world.
Jim Harris: the optimistic adventurer
Freeskier and photographer Kalen Thorien loves the open road—she even has the word “wanderer” inscribed in ink on her fingers as a testament to her travel inclinations.
With the new Recon skis, Black Diamond doubles down on their Helio Line
Black Diamond released their carbon Helio skis in 2016 and, since then, the award-winning line has undergone changes to become lighter and stronger.
How Tahoe-based snowboarder Ming Poon swapped business for photography
Photographer Ming Poon, 36, has curated his life around a love for the mountains. After developing an interest in snowboarding at a young age while growing up in Vermont, Poon moved to California to attend Sierra Nevada College, where he scheduled classes and work to maximize time spent learning other skills, like snow science, safe mountain travel and how to ride in front of the camera.
How a spring day on Mt. Washington proves sometimes danger comes from above, not below
Conway, New Hampshire-based avalanche instructor David Lottmann, 41, is no stranger to the changeable nature of weather and snow conditions on his region’s tallest peak. Mt. Washington (6,288 ft.) is home to some of the highest windspeeds ever recorded on Earth, and in winter that can create serious windslab avalanche danger.
The Woolsey Way
We decided to complete a weekend mission including descents of the Grand Teton and Mt. Moran, despite hearing only warnings of how difficult the peaks were to access and climb.
Backcountry Basecamp 2020
Backcountry Magazine has teamed up with our title sponsors Scott Sports, Nokian Tyres and Whistlepig Whiskey to bring our basecamp tour online for its last stop. You can follow along now in our Instagram Stories. We’re also running a massive raffle through our website to benefit Catamount Trails Association. Celebrating its 25th year, Backcountry Magazine continues a […]
With the TLT8, Dynafit brings major updates to its game-changing line
Game-changing is a loathsome term around the Backcountry office. That’s because it generally tends to be thrown around with enough frequency when talking about gear to become meaningless, hence its blacklist-adjacent status.
Passport, Check: Globetrotting guide Steve Banks talks International Travel
Crested Butte, Colo.-based guide Steve Banks takes the “I” in his IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations) certification to heart. So far, he’s visited eight different countries for ski guiding, with many repeat stamps in his passport to his favorite locations.
