Check out our feature stories about backcountry ski gear, skiing and culture.
Book Review: Beyond the Mountain Steve House is one of the world’s premier alpine climbers. He has set a high standard for style and achievement in the mountains. His approach to the mountains centers on a low impact, self-reliant alpine style that demands serious commitment and resolute skill. From a sixty-hour non-stop ascent of the Slovak Direct route on Denali to… Read More
The Wapta Traverse – A Canadian Rockies Classic High Pressure and bluebird conditions prevail and the views stretch as far as my eyes can see in all directions. Dozens of stunning, rocky peaks dressed in white vie for my attention. I wander the ridge toward the summit of a small peak near the Scott Duncan Hut and contemplate the surroundings…. Read More
Scarpa F1 Ski Boot Review I’m no rando racer, but I still have a solid appreciation for the trend in lighter backcountry ski gear. Following design innovations pioneered in the randonee race world, alpine touring boots have benefited from the slimmed down, lighter designs born of the rando race world. These new svelte boots still offer strong downhill performance and are gaining momentum amongst the… Read More
Avalanche Safety – Communication in the Backcountry With ski season comes avalanche season. It’s time to review the practices, communication, behavior and interactions with your ski partners from last season – take an honest and critical look at how the memories measure up on the safety front – think about the days you pushed the comfort zone and the days… Read More
The Time Within – DPS Shadow Campaign More dreamy footage of powder skiing in Japan from the team at DPS – here is The Time Within – Episode II of the DPS Shadow Campaign. Powder skiing in Japan in ultra-slow motion . . . Here are the official words from DPS: As a light snow begins to fall… Read More
As Promised, here’s Episode 1: The Space Within – the first installment of four DPS Cinematic Short Films. And here’s the official word from the DPS team: Exploring the tidepools of a deserted tropical beach, a young boy finds a mysterious treasure washed upon the rocks. ‘The Space Within’ whispers of another world, holding magic unlike anything he has seen… Read More
DPS Skis has just announced Volume IV of their ‘”Shadow Campaign” Film Series. As usual we can look forward to four new films. This year, the DPS Cinematic crew traveled to Kyrgyzstan, Japan and Alaska in search of adventure on snow. Individual episodes are scheduled for release on the third Thursday of September, October, November and December of 2017 –… Read More
Elan Ripstick 106 and Elan Ibex carbon 94 xlt Theres a healthy snowpack in the Northwest and it’s been a great spring for ski testing. We’ve been putting skis from Voile, DPS, Black Diamond, Salomon, Elan and others through the paces on Mt. Hood. Yes, you heard that right Elan is entering the backcountry ski market. It’d been decades since I jumped on… Read More
Weak Layers A low-tech approach to identifying common avalanche culprits – by Larry Goldie Believe it or not, regardless of what triggers an avalanche, every avalanche has one thing in common: they all fail on a weak layer of snow. Personally, I would much rather be out skiing than standing around in snowpits looking at snow crystals and analyzing weak layers…. Read More
Tech bindings have evolved quickly over the past few years and the 2017 Outdoor Retailer (OR) show in Salt Lake offered a glimpse of the latest innovations on the tech binding front. Dynafit and Fritschi unveiled new AT tech bindings at OR, while G3 and Salomon continue to refine their offerings. Here’s quick overview: DYNAFIT: The brand that literally invented the… Read More
Outdoor Retailer, the annual gathering of outdoor gear/clothing manufacturers and industry pros, was held in Salt Lake last week. We checked out a wide variety of cool new and upcoming products at the show, but one of the highlights was a day of skiing in the Uintas Mountains with SCARPA, G3 and Park City Powder Cats to test the new… Read More
Ski Clothes for Kids – Setting Kids Up for the Backcountry A big part of getting kids to enjoy backcountry skiing is making sure they stay warm and dry. We (adults) take managing our body temp and comfort level for granted, but kids have to learn how to manage uphill and downhill comfort. It’s not rocket science, but it requires… Read More
Setting an efficient skin track requires using the terrain to your advantage and finding the balance between climbing efficiency and skin track angle. A key component of a good skin track is efficient corners. Jeff Ward from North Cascades Mountain Guides walks through the process behind creating rounded and AVA turns in lower to moderate angle terrain.
Dream Job – Avalanche Forecaster An Interview with ChugachNational Forest Avalanche Center Forecaster Wendy Wagner by David Waag We all appreciate the value of our regional avalanche forecast centers, and let’s be honest, who hasn’t dreamed of working as an avalanche professional? It’s all face shots, field observations and free gear, right? Well, it turns out there’s a lot more… Read More
Efficient Ski Touring Transitions Efficient transitions while ski touring help you manage your time, temperature and gear effectively. Check out this video of Jeff Ward, IFMGA Mountain Guide and co-owner of North Cascade Mountain Guides, as he talks us through several ski touring transitions. Jeff does a great job walking us through the steps and thought process behind efficient transitions between ski… Read More
