While most backcountry users end their formal avalanche training after Avy One, snow safety requires constant education.
The Offseason: T-Bar Films Gears Up For Winter
“We’re gearing up for what is going to be a big 2015/2016 winter,” Tyler Wilkinson-Ray says in an interview in the October 2015 issue. He’s half the two-brother team behind Vermont-based T-Bar Films, known for producing “United We Ski” and “Vasu Sojitra: Out On A Limb.” While editing their latest film, Tyler shot and produced a short, capturing his motivation, inspiration and outlook for the upcoming winter.
Photo Gallery: Hokkaido’s Heli Debate
In “Hokkaido’s Heli Debate,” Whittaker investigates a brewing issue on Japan’s north island, where backcountry and helicopter skiers are squaring off over the shadowy trees and sunny bowls of Shiribetsu-dake (3,632 ft.). “Can there be enough for everyone?” Whittaker ponders.
Apogée: Celebrating JP Auclair and Andreas Fransson
Last year, Andreas Fransson and JP Auclair set out to film a project they called Apogée, which means the highest point in the development of something. The project was cut short, a year ago yesterday, when the both Fransson and Auclair died in an avalanche on Monte San Lorenzo on the Chilean/Argentine border. Exactly one year after their deaths, close friend Bjarne Salén, of Endless Flow Films, released a 15-minute cut of the film.
Infinite Wisdom: Wisecracks and Wit For Ski Travel
When it comes to ski travel, everybody has an opinion—where to go, when to go, what to pack or how to adhere to international sauna etiquette.
Snow Shooter: Oskar Enander
For color-blind photographer Oskar Enander, shooting is all about shadows—he loves winter’s contrast of light and dark. Born in Gothenberg Sweden, Enander moved to the Alps in a van to live as a ski bum but picked up photography along the way.
Patagonia and Sweetgrass Productions Release “Jumbo Wild” Trailer
For 25 years, backcountry skiers and the First Nations tribes of Invermere, British Columbia have fought against the development of the 1,500-acre Jumbo Glacier Resort. Now, Patagonia and Sweetgrass Productions are releasing a documentary—titled Jumbo Wild—that tells the story of this ongoing fight in British Columbia’s Purcell Mountains.
Living, Breathing Mountain
In early summer, Aspen-based skiers TJ David and Adam Moszynski hightailed it from the Rockies to the Andes to ski some of Ecuador’s largest—and currently active—volcanoes. In partnership with ASEGIUM, the country’s national guiding program, David and Moszynski took on high altitudes, uncompromising weather and sulfuric acid in their endless pursuit of winter.
Remembering Bela Vadasz: Skier, Guide, Groundbreaker
Ski mountaineer and guide Bela Vadasz died last Tuesday. Outside of California’s Sierra Nevada, many may not know his name, but his impact on the backcountry community stretched far across the world. Vadasz was cofounder of Truckee, Calif.-based Alpine Skills International and was among the first internationally certified American mountain guides. He is survived by his wife, Mimi, and two sons.
Snow Shooter: Fredrik Marmsater
Photography is not Fredrik Marmsater’s first trade. He started out his professional career as a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry researching cancer drugs, but six years ago he left his well-paid position to become a photographer. The transition to photography has entailed a lot of hard work and dedication for Marmsater, but he embraces the challenge of capturing steep lines and difficult angles, knowing that his efforts will pay in beautiful images.
