Last November, Backcountry contributor Jim Harris fractured several vertebrae while practicing with a kite to cross the Southern Patagonia Ice Cap, an accident that left him with a loss of movement in his lower body. Now, VerbCabin, a Tahoe-based multimedia group, is telling Jim’s story of strength, courage and perseverance. The short documentary is due out this fall, and the trailer dropped this week.
Summer Stashes: Beartooth Pass, Montana
By this point in the summer, photographs of steep South American couloirs and idyllic New Zealand peaks are probably filtering through your Instagram feed. With sweltering summer heat and the end of Fourth of July festivities, you may have admitted defeat, tossed your skis into the closet and traded them in for your mountain bike. But rest […]
Backstory: The Last Time I Saw Him
Two guys from California stood at the front desk of the Lake Louise Alpine Centre and International Hostel in Banff, Alberta at 7 a.m., ready to go. They even had their tele boots on, chomping to get out into the fresh pow that had been falling for days in the Canadian Rockies. They impatiently scanned […]
BC Banter: Patagonia Debuts Responsibly Sourced Merino Layers, Silverton Proposes Terrain Modification, DPS Launches Dreamtime Preorder and RASTA Kicks off Fundraiser
Patagonia Debuts New, Responsibly Sourced Merino Layers VENTURA, CALIF. Patagonia announced yesterday the launch of their new, Merino Air Baselayer that combines sustainably sourced merino wool with a new manufacturing technology. The apparel brand says the merino wool is sourced directly from the Patagonian grasslands, where ranchers use regenerative agricultural practices to promote ecosystem health. The wool is then treated with Patagonia’s proprietary air-jet process to […]
Summer Stashes: Fourth of July Bowl
By this point in the summer, photographs of steep South American couloirs and idyllic New Zealand peaks are probably filtering through your Instagram feed. With sweltering summer heat and the end of Fourth of July festivities, you may have admitted defeat, tossed your skis into the closet and traded them in for your mountain bike. But rest […]
Vermont’s Rochester Area Sports Trail Alliance Seeks Funds to Develop Glades
Vermont’s Rochester Area Sports Trail Alliance (RASTA), a pilot chapter of the Catamount Trail Association, has launched a summer fundraising campaign to support their backcountry initiatives throughout the Braintree Mountain Forest. With fundraising help, the organization plans to construct a parking lot, renovate the existing Bell Gates backcountry cabin, build a trailhead kiosk and further develop glades throughout the forest.
BC Banter: RECCO Announces Year-Round Search and Rescue System, Marolt Bros Deliver Solar Chargers to Nepal, Black Diamond Issues JetForce Recall and Serious Storms Hit Chile
RECCO ANNOUNCES YEAR-ROUND SEARCH AND RESCUE SYSTEM LIDINGO, SWEDEN Swedish safety company RECCO has announced plans to launch their RECCO Helicopter and Search and Rescue detector, -SAR 1, in the summer of 2016 in key geographic regions of Europe. For more than 30 years, professionals have used RECCO’s handheld rescue system to locate people caught in avalanches. Now, […]
Summer Stashes: Blue Peak, Colorado
By this point in the summer, photographs of steep South American couloirs and idyllic New Zealand peaks are probably filtering through your Instagram feed. With sweltering summer heat and the end of Fourth of July festivities, you may have admitted defeat, tossed your skis into the closet and traded them in for your mountain bike. But rest […]
Backstory: Tired & Alone
The glare off the oncoming windshield bored into my weary eyes. It was the first vehicle I’d passed in more than an hour. During this long drive, my radio scrolled silently through channels. It’s not the middle of nowhere until even the Spanish and NPR channels don’t come in, and on Highway 6 between Ely […]
Jumbo’s Roadblock: Proposed B.C. Resort’s Environmental Certificate Expires
Late last week, British Columbia’s Environmental Minister Mary Polak made an announcement that will put on hold the development of Jumbo Glacier Resort. The multi-billion-dollar project, located 53 km west of Invereme, B.C. in the East Kootenay Mountains, has been a decades-long source of conflict among developers, First Nations tribes and backcountry skiers.
