Comments on: What is the Definition of “Backcountry?”

By: Lou

Lou — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:35:42 +0000

Hi Steve, I know it’s a family surname, but do not know what it might mean in English.

By: Steve Krause

Steve Krause — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:09:06 +0000

What does the word “Fritschi” mean?

By: The Heli Hiker

The Heli Hiker — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 15:28:32 +0000

I love this topic and I think the answer is simple. Lets start with whats not backcountry. If you ride a chair lift and then hike and ski back into the resort, its called yo-yoing. If you ride a chair lift hike or not hike but you ski out of the boundries and you dont ski back into the resort, that is called sidecountry skiing or out of bounds skiing. Its only Backcountry skiing if one, there is no Avy control. Two you never enter the property of a ski resort. And three, you climb for you turns. Church

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 15:08:02 +0000

I start thinking about the frontcountry, middlecountry and backcountry in terms of getting out in case of emergency. Can I ski down to the car? Do I have more than a couple of miles to skin/wax out? Did we have to take machines in and then skin? But then I think about Jackson where skiing out of bounds is not just “skiing out of bounds.” So it really is like Wilderness and wilderness. There can be personal definitions but really it is a state of mind depending on experience, comfort level, etc. My 2 cents.

By: Seth F

Seth F — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 21:58:50 +0000

Amen to “who cares!” The purity of so many of our sports are having to be defined and pigeon-holed. But I am also a bit of a snob and like to think that my definition is more correct than what others might think. Getting away from others and having my own descent (while being watched by my travel partners of coarse), approaching the descent by my own power (minus help from my TAV), and a reasonable distance form anything mechanised or commercial.
Now that I am trying to define what I would like it to be, I realize that I am not yet a backcountry skier. That makes a good goal for this year.
May we all enjoy the hills and not worry whether we are meeting the right criteria.