For ski mountaineer Andrew McLean, ingenuity comes easily. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1961, he spent his youth moving a few times before settling in Seattle, Wash., where he ski raced before leaving to attend the Rhode Island School of Design. At RISD, McLean, known for bouldering the campus walls at night, was […]
The Avalanche Airbag: A lesson in fluid dynamics
Per mountain lore, Peter Aschauer got the idea to create an inflatable flotation system for avalanche safety after hearing about a German forest ranger in the 1970s who survived an avalanche thanks to an elk affixed to his backpack. The mechanics were simple: the laws of fluid dynamics dictate that, when a medium is in […]
A Ski Area That’s Backcountry: Oxymoron or opportunity?
The draw of backcountry skiing stems from the freedom, solitude and simplicity it offers. And that draw seems to grow more attractive and accessible each year, thanks not only to huge improvements in gear but disenchantment with increasing commercialization, prices and crowds of traditional, confined ski areas.
Points of Contrast: in the mountains, everything has an equal and opposite
After two hours of climbing steadily uphill, we pause on the ridgeline. All is quiet—no labored breathing, no squeak of bindings or whoosh of pant legs passing, no sifting of snow sliding into the cut bank of the skintrack. The air is still, and neither a tree bow bends nor a bird or squirrel moves through the forest.
Jeremy Jones on dancing down spines, innovating new tech and fighting for our planet’s future
It’s not an overstatement to say that Jeremy Jones’s contributions to backcountry snowboarding have been unparalleled. Not only did he bring splitboarding to the big screen in the Teton Gravity Research Deeper, Further, Higher trilogy, but his eponymous brand has also dominated the splitboard market. Now, Jones embarks on his biggest endeavor yet—not solely enjoying […]
Backcountry Access: Leading safety technology, 25 years later
In 1994, Bruce Edgerly, along with Bruno McGowan, founded Backcountry Access in a South Boulder , Colo. garage. At the time, telemark gear was the easiest means with which to access the backcountry, but Edgerly was unwilling to accept its limitations.
The Human-Powered Evolution of Greg Hill
In 2010, at the age of 35, Revelstoke, B.C.-based skier Greg Hill set the benchmark for most vertical feet skied in a single year: two million. That’s an average of 5,500 feet per day, and Hill traveled around the world to make the dream happen.
Carbon-Fiber Forefather Dave Goode Passes Away
Dave Goode, founder and president of the eponymous ski company, died last Wednesday. In a statement released by Goode Skis, the company confirmed his passing, noting that he died while taking part in one of his passions, piloting his airplane. He was 64. Goode, originally from Michigan, skied with the U.S. Ski Team at age […]
Nine timeless items to rely on season after season
We live in a world of constant innovation—the latest iPhone is out before there’s even time to break the last one, cars can drive themselves, and there are more USB port styles than can be counted on one hand.
Dynafit bindings: From basement-made Low Tech to TÜV certified
In 1982, 12 years before the birth of Backcountry Magazine, Austrian mechanical engineering student Fritz Barthel and his partner decided to tack the summit of Mont Blanc onto the end of an April climbing trip. Burdened by heavy gear and 200 cm slalom skis, they were exhausted by the time they reached the summit. That climb instilled Barthel’s drive to design lighter gear.
