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.
Backstory: Legends of the Fall
It was the time of year when it’s warm in the city and cool in the mountains, when the clear skies and crisp air beckon you to higher altitudes. Outside the city, leaves were painted in sleepy colors in preparation for the slow, fluttering journey to their final resting place. The hills gleamed gold as we wound up into them; the car’s thermometer registering lower and lower around each rocky switchback. Summer was fading and was winter still waiting. It was time to hunt down fall turns.
Skis of the Future: A conversation with DPS and Black Crows
DPS is overhauling their carbon skis with the new Alchemist line—that’s touted as having more damping qualities than their previous Pure3 construction—and Black Crows continues to improve and lighten their tester-loved Freebird skis. And both companies are guided by passionate skiers making developments for the future of backcountry skis.
Backstory: The Blizzard of Babies
Yesterday, in the living room, my 10-month old daughter Clover and I watched our favorite movie, Blizzard of Ahhh’s. Her giant blue eyes stared at the screen while Mike Hattrup floated another effortless turn. Clover pointed, squeaked “Da-da,” and giggled, her smile validating my obsession with the snow and mountains. I nuzzled my nose into her chubby cheek. She gracelessly clapped in approval.
