Backcountry Ski News

Backcountry Ski Season Is Coming…Are you Ready?

I don’t think words are required for this one.

Avalanche Skier POV Helmet Cam Burial & Rescue in Haines, Alaska from Chappy on Vimeo.

30 Sep ’09 by

US National Telemark Ski Team Heads To Europe

It’s not backcountry skiing per se, but I have to plug the US Telemark Ski Team as they represent what “backcountry skiing” used to be…well sort…at least the free heel part. My wife, Jeannine, is a member of the ski team, although is admittedly having a more difficult time training this year, being in Seattle versus Whitefish, MT, for the past two winters.

You can view what’s happening with the team on their site – http://www.ustsa.org – as they travel the globe, competing against the best telemark skiers in the world. Even better, show your support by donating to the team (so the athletes can do what they do best – race!) or at least try attending a telemark race, which is, by the way, a lot more exciting than you’d think.

16 Jan ’09 by

Ticking Timebomb

This is not the weekend to go backcountry skiing, at least here in the Northwest. Interestingly, the reason for what could be a truly hazadarous weekend for any sort of ski touring, has less to do with the Pacific Northwest and more to do with the Rockies.

“This is the weakest snowpack I have seen in December in the past 20 years,” said Mark Moore, director of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center in Seattle.

This isn’t just a short story about the snowpack here in the NW, it’s a lesson for anyone heading out into the backcountry. To make a long story short, our season started very late; we were hardly able to skin up the Muir Snowfield on Mt Rainier during Thanksgiving. But as is always the case, that changed; the entire weather pattern changed literally overnight. Frigid arctic air arrived from the north, and the moisture soon began to fall. Soon enough, our bare slopes were covered with 3-4 ft of blower pow. Great at first, a worry later on, because we all know what happens next…

“It’s a weak structure that, in many places, goes all the way to the ground,” Moore said.

But it’s not just here, in the typically “Cascade Concrete” that is heightening the awareness of avi experts.

It’s weaker and weirder everywhere across the west so far this year, said Paul Baugher, ski patrol director at Crystal Mountain Resort and founder of the Northwest Avalanche Institute.

“We’ve already had two (ski resort) in-area avalanche fatalities this year,” Baugher said.

On Dec. 14, a 27-year-old woman died at Utah’s Snowbird ski resort and on Christmas Day, a 21-year-old man was killed at California’s Squaw Valley ski resort. Both were experienced skiers who were in-bounds when they were caught in avalanches.

This is when backcountry ski freaks go a bit crazy. We’ve had a taste of the good stuff and we want more, a whole lot more. But is it worth it? I think I’ll be grabbing the skate skis this weekend.

Check your local avalanche center website for backcountry ski tour conditions.

27 Dec ’08 by

Think Outside the Box: Beautiful & Inspiring Winter Landscape & Skiing Photos For the Holidays!

Time is running out on holiday shopping. Which is kind of scary, because with Christmas only a couple weeks away, there still is barely any snow in them hills! I woke up this morning, as I do every day, looked out the window and the Olympic Mountains are bare bare bare. It will come they say.

In the meantime, browse our growing selection of backcountry skiing photos (many of which do not contain skiers at all but beautiful landscapes encountered during our ski tours as well.)

Photography prints are available in many sizes, including true fine art prints mounted on canvas.

4 Dec ’08 by

Rethinking Telemark Bindings: The Rottefella NTN

I’ll be the first to say, out loud, that anyone still telemark skiing or ski touring on the ‘old’ telemark bindings are crazy. Although I’ve only been backcountry skiing on the Black Diamond O1s for about a season and half, it took all of two steps to realize, very quickly, that we pin heads were suffering a hell of lot more than we needed to. The free pivot on the 01s, G3 Ascents, or Voile Switchback makes ski touring a completely different world.

But now Rottefella is betting on something better (and bigger I might add), the NTN, or the “New Telemark Norm”. (What’s up with the name???) I’ve seen the bindings at a couple ski movies and shows here and there. They look cool…and bulky…and heavy…and I got to wonder if these will trigger a true telemark skiing  renaissance .

Regardless of first impressions (which apparently are pretty positive) the Rottefella NTN continues to go through many improvements, as noted on telemarktips.com. If you’re a telemark skier, it’s worth at least browsing the article.

Rottefella NTN Telemark Binding

Rottefella NTN Telemark Binding – photo from telemarktips.com

19 Nov ’08 by

The Real Deal: Backcountry Skiing Avalanche Video

A Dozen More Turns is a reminder that anything can happen to anyone while backcountry skiing.

10 Nov ’08 by

Don’t Die In The Backcountry

Next Saturday, Nov 8, is the Northwest Snow & Avalanche Snow Summit here in Seattle. The full-day event is filled with talks and stories about avalanche awareness, ski touring in the Cascades, and such topics as “Decision Making in High-Risk Environments”.  Martin Volken from Pro Guiding Service is just one of the speakers, so the caliber of talks is pretty high.

Following the summit is the Friends of NWAC’s annual Snowbash fundraiser at the Tractor Tavern.

You can buy tickets online for both:

Avalanche awareness is becoming more and more important as skiers head out in the “slackcountry” in droves. Don’t wait; be proactive and get some avalanche practice.

Descending Mt Stuart

31 Oct ’08 by

Backcountryskiphotos.com is live…sort of.

Backcountryskiphotos.com (will be) officially launching with an inspiring and ever-changing selection of the best damn backcountry ski photos on the planet! Not only that, but expect to see interviews from the best adventure and ski photographers out there.

Mt Stuart Backcountry Ski Tour

Mt Stuart Backcountry Ski Tour

20 Oct ’08 by