The Vermont Backcountry Alliance (VTBC) is taking strides toward increasing access to terrain through the clearing and opening of the Braintree Mountain Forest in Braintree, Vermont. And in their latest film, Shared Lines, Vermont-based T-Bar films matches VTBC’s story with stoke from last year’s deep Vermont winter.
Mountain Skills: When is it OK to go Big?
We see it all the time in the ski movies: people charging big lines in the mountains. It’s inspiring and makes us want to go out there and charge, too. Yet, most of the time we are riding “mini-golf” terrain in our own backyards, wondering when conditions will allow us to hit the bigger lines. There might even be other people going big. So how do we know when it is safe to ride big, committing lines?
BACKCOUNTRY BULLETIN: DECEMBER AVALANCHE AND BACKCOUNTRY COMMUNITY EVENTS
December is here and with it comes avalanche center fundraisers, new educational programs, and speaker series. Here are some of the events to put on your schedule this month.
Skier goes missing during massive Alaskan avalanche cycle
Dr. Liam Walsh, a 33-year-old anesthesiologist from Wasilla, Alaska has yet to be found after going skiing in Hatcher Pass on November 22.
Two brothers escape consecutive Colorado avalanches
Brothers Brian and Alex Holmes of Ophir, Colorado are lucky survivors after setting off two separate avalanches on November 25 during their descent of Yellow Mountain in southern Colorado’s San Juan Mountains.
Snow Shooter: Yves Garneau
Photographer Yves Garneau lives high in the Swiss Alps where he shoots skiers for fun and home interiors for a living. His path has been relatively traditional, picking up a camera in the days of film and later transitioning to the world of digital and postproduction effects. Garneau has had a smooth career accept for one detail—he almost had to serve a year in an Italian prison for taking a photograph.
Food Fight: Can What You Eat Earn You Another Lap Up The Skintrack?
As a committed cyclist who logs a few thousand miles annually, I can get way too focused on nutrition. Throughout the summer, my pantry is overflowing with energy gels, powders and protein bars to fuel and hydrate for—and recover from—big endurance efforts. Come winter, however, all that meticulous planning and those gel snacks get pushed aside—trail food is whatever is in the cabinet and recovery drinks are either hopped or malty. But which approach is better? And can I really earn another lap up the skintrack with energy gels and hydration mixes?
Highlander Sendgame: Scottish skiers release Late, a film about Highlands ski lines
When you think of Scotland, The Loch Ness Monster, Haggis and Braveheart are things that come to mind—not skiing. But on Sunday, Puzzle Media released Late, a short film about a group of British skiers who set out on a 20-day tour in April to search for snow and big lines in the Scottish Highlands’ Glencoe region and Nevis Range.
First U.S. Avalanche Fatality Involves UCLA Grad Student
The body of Michael David Meyers, a 25-year-old grad student at Los Angeles, Calif.’s UCLA, was found over the weekend buried in avalanche debris in California’s John Muir Wilderness. Meyer reportedly went missing earlier this month, and his death marks the first avalanche fatality in the country this winter.
Snow Shooter: Ian Coble
Seattle-based photographer Ian Coble is always in search of new challenges, never content with sitting by and letting his career take its course. Coble likes to explore new genres and compositional styles, and his dynamic eye shows through in his diverse body of work.
