It was Memorial Day weekend. 2018, but the road barricade still blocked Highway 212 just past the Montana/Wyoming state line. The Beartooth Highway, one of the highest paved roads in the country, was my access point to the spring skiing that still existed above 10,000 feet.
Skintrack Sketches: Artist Emma Longcope paints the public lands she protects by day
Colorado-based artist Emma Longcope, 25, sees art and journaling as a way to slow down and better appreciate her surroundings on the skintrack. And although she considers her art a hobby, Longcope works to bring her artistic side to her day job as the content coordinator for the American Alpine Club by illustrating infographics and other nature-inspired materials.
Fruits of the Sea
How an old-timey city in northern Québec celebrates tradition while embracing its evolving future.
Backstory: Turning Back
An overhanging rock face looms to our left, and I can see the Coleman Glacier sprawling far below my feet. Kyle and I are on the Hourglass, a 50-degree ramp that gains Mt. Baker, Wash.’s North Ridge. Early this morning, after a few soggy hours of sleep in Murkwood Camp, we’d navigated the crevasses of […]
Skintrack Sketches: ACMG guide Aaron Enns zooms in on geometry to paint a bigger picture
Artist and ACMG-certified guide, Aaron Enns, 40, hails from Golden, B.C., where he looks to his skintrack-based work in the winter and tree-planting vocation in the summer as fuel for his creative juices. Through incorporating the natural, repeating patterns and fractal geometry that appear in the familiar backcountry scenery of his workday, he aims to […]
Backstory: Rising Up
Starting off slowly gives me time to reflect on an event I ran last night, as part of the group I started for women who like to backcountry ski and ride. With help from a handful of volunteers, we put on events, like guest speakers and slideshows. We also advocate for women in the backcountry realm and gather for beacon practices, ski days, hut trips and the like. I tend to beat myself up before giving myself credit and, this morning, I wonder if our group is actually sexist, because we exclude men.
A Return to Jumbo: Glacier Resorts Ltd. goes to court in an attempt to re-open development opportunities
On June 25, the developers of a proposed ski resort on the Jumbo Glacier in British Columbia’s East Kootenay Mountains were back in court after a three-year hiatus. Their goal: to resurrect the ski area project thought to be dead in the water, dubbed Jumbo Glacier Resort, spearheaded by Glacier Resorts Ltd., CBC reported Monday.
Backstory: Sunbowl Retreat
Whether on cross-country or backcountry skis, I enjoy the beauty and quietness of simply being out there—but there are other aspects even more compelling, which rouse more primal, visceral and satisfying feelings within me. Sitting at my desk, I thought of the past weekend, when Mike and I went to Lassen Volcanic National Park, with its jagged peaks amid ancient volcanic remnants.
The Last Hill Until the Next One
For an offbeat crew taking the long route from Reno, Nevada to the base of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, slow is better and biking is best.
Backstory: Brown Shorts By Night
The snow of the surrounding mountains shoots back rays of the setting sun. Yellow, red and then purple. I’m amazed at the variety of colors in the sky and reflecting on the snow. Everything seems perfect. But deep in my mind, unpleasant thoughts grow with the lengthening shadows on the mountainsides.
