Blake Jorgenson, longtime photographer for Backcountry Magazine, recently joined forces with Second Ave. Films to create a documentary discussing the role of photography in the digital age.
The Wild, Wild South: How a handful of South American countries are reshaping guiding and avalanche safety
That emphasis on certification, and on overall avalanche education, is relatively new for much of South America, says Greg Shaffran, an avalanche instructor and guide for Aspen Expeditions who has spent the past three summers in Chile and, last season, began teaching avalanche courses in Ushuaia, Farellones, Laguna Del Maule and Chillán.
Leash Laws: When to use pole straps in the backcountry
Discussion of backcountry set-ups tend to elicit strong opinions on what to bring along and what to leave on the gear shop shelf. And when gear can seriously hinder or aid your day, even items as small as the pole strap are up for review. After all, sometimes the littlest things make the biggest difference off-piste, and knowing when and when not to use pole straps is important to bc safety.
The Uphill Agenda: Aspen’s mayor ushers in a new wave of ski-focused economy
Mountain-town culture is a notoriously fickle subject. High-rise hotel and conference centers can threaten authenticity, but too little investment can lead to a ghost town. Luckily, Steve Skadron, Aspen, Colo.’s mayor, understands this fragility and is working with an uphill economy in mind.
Backstory: Are We There Yet?
Spring 1998 found me gazing at the sky from a shelter 10,000 feet up Rainier. The pinpoint sparks above contrasted with the sea of clouds below, and the stark, ghostly light moved me to doubts. We summited without our skis, and my regrets followed me home.
Off-Piste Atlas Spills the Goods on Seattle’s Backcountry Backyard
While Snoqualmie may be the humblest of the Cascade passes, sitting just 3,000 feet above sea level, certified mountain guide Matt Schonwald believes it to be an underexplored cornucopia of descents. “It’s incredible how many tours are there—easily over 100,” he told me last month. “That pass is by far one of the densest ski touring areas in the country by pure volume of runs.”
Medical Alert: Dealing with unexpected emergencies in the mountains
Physical injuries—otherwise known as trauma—get a lot of attention in backcountry first aid. But there’s a whole other realm of dangerous and deadly emergencies that skiers and riders should be aware of and prepared to manage. We spoke with Nicholas Kanaan, an emergency physician based in Salt Lake City, Utah with a background in wilderness medicine, to learn more.
Backstory: Consistently Inconsistent
Over the last five south central Alaskan winters, temperatures have swung from one end of the thermometer to the other like the wipers before me. And in a state where rideable terrain starts at sea level, the difference in a few degrees determines whether low-elevation terrain is accessible or not.
A Devine Path: Canadian-certified guide Kate Devine looks to mom for inspiration
Mothers and daughters: it’s a relationship not often talked of in the ski-guiding world. But as the number of female guides grows, so too does the source of inspiration for ladies taking on the challenges of this particular career path. For Canadian-certified guide Kate Devine, her relationship with mother Grania has fueled her professional pursuits and helped her find guidance.
Caroline Gleich completes McLean’s Wasatch Chuting Gallery
On April 6, 2017, 31-year-old Caroline Gleich became the first woman to finish all the lines in Andrew McLean’s Chuting Gallery. To hear about this achievement and what it means to her, we caught up with Gleich at her home in Cottonwood Heights. Here is what she had to say.
