The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the grass is starting to get green. Maybe you’ve already been out for a mountain bike ride or two, or you’ve started pre-season bike maintenance. Your beloved skis are probably gathering dust in a corner in the basement or your shed, and won’t be given another thought until the snow starts to fly again. But hold on – there are a few easy end of season ski maintenance tasks you can…
If you spend much time in the backcountry, you have probably considered getting an app with GPS tracking and topographic maps. Nothing can replace paper maps in terms of reliability (as long as you keep them dry), but GPS apps have come a long way. Another good alternative is something like the Garmin InReach Explorer+, which has topo maps and real-time GPS navigation as well as satellite messaging. You can learn more about that device and other options in our…
Study after study has shown that time spent outside enjoying nature is beneficial for our physical and mental health. In this article, we’ll go over what we think are the top 10 reasons to get outside and explore the backcountry, whether it’s a warm hike in summer or a snowy day ski touring in the winter. These benefits don’t just apply to getting into the deep backcountry wilderness. If all you can do is go for a walk in an…
Whether it’s your first hut trip or your 1000th, it’s always a good idea to make a list and check it twice. You might find a few items here that will make your next backcountry hut trip the best one yet. It’s easy enough to remember the basics like your skis, skins, beacon, shovel, and probe (hopefully), but what about hut booties? Have you ever forgotten the oh-so-valuable toilet paper on a hut trip? Not fun. Read on to discover…
Avalanche Statistics Before we get into avalanche safety tips, I’m going to (hopefully) scare you a bit with some avalanche statistics. In this case, you definitely don’t want to be a statistic. Here are a few numbers to give you a sense of how dangerous avalanches can be. Somewhere between 20 and 50 people die in avalanches in North America every year. The chance of survival if you get caught in an avalanche is less than 1 in 3. Not…
This backcountry skiing for beginners gear guide will provide you with a basic but thorough understanding of what you need to know to get started. Whether you’re an absolute beginner or a seasoned veteran, I hope there is something on this list that will help. The intent of this gear guide is not to narrow down each piece of gear to one recommendation. It’s to give you an idea of what to look for when shopping/scrounging for gear. I’ll give…
So you’re wondering how to start backcountry skiing. Your friends have told you about all the fresh pow that’s waiting out there for you. You’re dying to know what it’s all about. First things first: backcountry skiing or boarding is dangerous, and there is no way around that fact. There are ways to minimize the danger through training, terrain evaluation, avalanche forecasts, experience, technology, etc. but there will always be an element of danger so keep that in mind.