The backcountry can be a dangerous place for athletes and photographers alike. Jeff Cricco stays behind the lens, but he thinks about safety every time he ventures into snowy landscapes. While he was home in West Vail, we caught up with Cricco to talk snow safety and learn how he deals with the stress of putting himself on the line for his job.
Know Before You Go Launches Revamped Program and Video
This week, the Friends of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center and the Utah Avalanche Center released the revamped edition of the avalanche awareness program Know Before You Go (KBYG).
Mountain Skills: Why good ski partners matter
My good friend Jamie Week describes the importance of communication in the backcountry like this: “Inbounds at the ski area, skiing and riding is all about me. It’s about finding the best lines and the best snow. Once you leave the resort and enter the backcountry, it’s a team sport. It’s no longer about me, me, me. It’s about teamwork and team safety.”
Backcountry Bulletin: November Avalanche and Backcountry Community Events
With less sunlight drawing you outside, November is the perfect time to brush up on avalanche skills and hang out with friends. Here are some of the events to put on your schedule this month.
Snow Shooter: Louis Arevalo
There are people who believe that taking a photo of someone is a way of capturing his or her soul. Photographer Louis Arevalo believes it’s no easy thing to capture the essence of a person or place, but he works hard to achieve this, and while his intensions are not ghoulish in nature, he tries to use photography to convey a deeper meaning.
We talked with Arevalo to discover more about his passion for certain photographic genres and how his action photography and portraiture each present advantages and challenges.
Women’s Ski Camps: Five programs designed to push boundaries
Gone are the days of using “you ski like a girl” as an insult. With the host of women’s ski camps available to females young and old, there are now more opportunities than ever for women to get out and push their boundaries on skis. Whether it’s backcountry skiing or resort shredding, these all-female camps provide the training grounds for experienced skiers who just happen to have two X chromosomes.
Mountain Skills: Understanding ‘The Avalanche Problem’
Two winters ago, a party of self-described expert skiers and snowboarders exited a ski area to center punch a very steep and committing untracked bowl of almost thigh-deep powder. It was bluebird, and the stoke was high. Most of the party had been through a Level 1 avalanche class; they had checked the forecast—Moderate—dug a pit and made a plan to ski one at a time. Then, they watched with horror as the first skier threw in a ski cut that triggered an avalanche two- to four-feet deep and 600-feet wide.
Testers’ Choice: La Sportiva Vapor Nano
LA SPORTIVA VAPOR NANO $1,200 – sportiva.com SIZES: 164, 172, 180, 188 DIMENSIONS: 130/102/120 WEIGHT: 5 lbs. 4 oz. (180) Buy Now Tested and Reviewed Tester Christine Raymond enjoys what she calls “light gear to climb faster and wide skis to float the powder.” While she is not a big fan of spring skiing, she does […]
Snow Shooter: Jay Beyer
Travel is part and parcel to being a photographer, but Jay Beyer really gets around. He has been on the road for the last few months, capturing hunting images in New Mexico, Colorado and Montana and has finally settled back into the office, for a little while at least.
We were lucky to catch Beyer at his home in Cottonwood Heights, Utah in between adventures where he is now editing before the winter months. Beyer shared a few of his future plans with us and discussed how he finds balance in his fast paced world.
Keep Tahoe Skiable: Rich Meyer, a man behind the formation of the new Tahoe Backcountry Alliance talks backcountry access
Rich Meyer is a man on a mission. That mission? To make the backcountry in California’s Lake Tahoe region more accessible.
