Teamwork in the mountains is paramount, but it can take many years to develop relationships with trustworthy backcountry partners to the point where you form a routine that serves as a backcountry safety net. Jeff Dostie, my Tour Camp co-guide for Points North Heli-Adventures (PNH) in Cordova, Alaska is someone I have grown to rely on. Through our relationship, we have developed a routine that we use to keep our clients and ourselves safe.
Skins on, skins off
There are more ways to peel and store a pair of climbing skins than there are crayons in a coloring box. From one-legged skimo race transitions to the casual posthole option, discovering your preferred skin-removal technique is akin to finding your true identity as a backcountry skier. This transitional soul searching can be quick, or […]
Hot smoke, cold smoke: Wildfires burn both ways on the heels of a destructive season in the Northwest
“What pictures will never give you is the smell of the smoke,” says Stefan Hood, a Forest Protection Technician and backcountry skier from Houston, British Columbia. “You’re smelling the organics of the soil burning, and you’re smelling trees [that] are on fire. That kind of smoke permeates everything. It permeates your clothes and your hair; everything ends up taking on that scent.”
The Attack of Depth Hoar
The beginning of winter 2015/16 has lived up to forecaster’s predictions, with a strong El Niño cycle bringing an onslaught of snow across the western United States. With great amounts of snow, however, comes risk. A persistent weak layer has formed deep within the snowpack and can be found from the Wasatch Mountains of Utah […]
BACKCOUNTRY BULLETIN: JANUARY AVALANCHE AND BACKCOUNTRY COMMUNITY EVENTS
It’s January and the snow is flying. Check out some of this month’s backcountry events to put on your calendar—whether you want to brush up on avalanche safety or just have a good time. ALASKA CHUGACH NATIONAL FOREST AVALANCHE CENTER—FIRESIDE CHAT SERIES: WEATHER AND SNOWPACK Thursday, January 7 | 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. | Alaska […]
That Girl: Kt Miller integrates adventure and conservation for a new take on ski photography
Kt Miller was more or less born on skis. “My dad skied like 100 days a year, so he started putting me in a backpack when I was a baby,” the 25-year-old Cooke City, Mont. resident says. “I think I’ve been skiing since I was two.” That early outdoor immersion resulted in a livelihood based […]
MOUNTAIN SKILLS: TIPS FOR CLEAR COMMUNICATION
Early last winter I was skiing some sheltered powder on a treed slope near Teton Pass in a group of three experienced backcountry skiers. We assessed the snow, discussed safe zones, and dug a quick, hasty pit to confirm prior observations. Feeling good about the slope, the first skier dropped in and made a quick […]
Snow Shooter: Blake Jorgenson
Photographer Blake Jorgenson has been taking photos for a long time—before the era of digital, when the average kid still knew Fujifilm was a photography company and didn’t assume it was just a movie about the tropics. His experience has given him a perspective on communication and what it means to be an artist. We […]
Tim Petrick, former CEO of K2, talks about his new job as COO at Silverton Mountain
In early December, Silverton Mountain announced the hiring of a new, high-profile employee: Tim Petrick, former President and CEO of K2, who is now the COO of Silverton Mountain. This is a big change for Petrick—moving from K2 headquarters in Seattle, Wash. to Silverton, Colo. a town with a year-round population of fewer than 600 […]
Bolton, VT to host 24-hour backcountry race that gets back to the basics
Races don’t run themselves and the newly formed Stowe, Vt.-based events company, Native Endurance, is working hard to bring new challenges to New England’s endurance athletes. Their debut race is a 24-hour AT/skimo competition to be held at Bolton Valley Resort on March 19 and 20, where there will be no need to fight through electrical wire or torrents of color—just the raw exhaustion of skinning for a full turn around the clock.
