When the five 17- to 19-year-old skiers and snowboarders from Whitefish, Montana’s Ridge Mountain Academy (RMA) landed in a helicopter at Valkyr Lodge in April for a week of touring in B.C.’s Selkirk Mountains, none of them had ever spent a night in a backcountry hut. In fact, none had even used touring equipment until three months prior. But thanks to a semester at RMA, a campus-based mountain-sports-training program for men and women ages 17 to 20, the student athletes managed their own gear, rotated 5 a.m. cooking shifts, contributed to morning guide meetings and took turns route finding and setting the skintrack.
Mountain Skills: Nine Things I Learned At The Northwest Snow & Avalanche Workshop
Last Sunday, 600 people packed into a conference room at Seattle’s University of Washington for a full day of education and insight at the revamped Northwest Snow & Avalanche Workshop (NSAW). Organized and hosted this year by the Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC), NSAW gathered 10 presenters, from guides and avalanche educators to paramedics and a behavioral psychologist, to discuss the latest in safety, science and decision making.
Behind the Eclipse: Reuben Krabbe’s quest
Last March, photographer Reuben Krabbe’s dream was realized. He had a vision of traveling to the Arctic Circle to nab a ski photograph during a full solar eclipse—meeting that goal is captured in “Eclipse,” the award-winning film released today.
Eclipse wins Best Film: Snow Sports at Banff Mountain Film Festival
A solar eclipse is imbued with mystical meaning—many cultures believe it’s a time when demons or animals consume the sun. While astronomers have now provided us with a scientific answer for this rare phenomenon, it remains a curiosity and the inspiration for the newly released episode of Salomon Freeski TV, Eclipse.
Safe Passions remembers Andreas Fransson, teaches skiers
A year after ski mountaineer Andreas Fransson died in a South American avalanche, Fransson’s sister, Sandra, is starting an organization in his memory. An artist, Sandra has designed and is selling a poster inspired by her brother, and the artwork is printed on a pair of Salomon MTN Lab skis, available for auction. It’s all to raise funds for a youth-focused educational initiative that will kick off with a safety course in Chamonix this January, taught by Andreas’s friend, Morgan Salén, and in partnership with Salomon and Recco.
Snow Shooter: Jeff Cricco
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.
