Cell phones in the backcountry, ideas, tips, tricks, info

Cell phones #$%^&*****. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're here to stay. Some purists preach about how a cell phone ruins the feel of their backcountry skiing trips. I even saw an article wherein the author said he felt "weird" about using a cell phone to save his friend's life. Tell all this to the guy who's still alive because of a phone call. But do make your calls in privacy. Yanking out your phone for a non-emergency call on a crowded summit, or sitting in a peaceful backcountry hut and having a loud conversation with your wayward teenager, now that is crass. Whatever...the things are super useful tools for backcountry skiing, and a lot of us use 'em to good effect.

One of the best cell phone accessories I've found is an AA or AAA battery holder. When I travel light I still carry my phone for emergencies, but I take the battery holder instead of the dedicated battery pack that only works on the phone. I carry my spare batteries in the holder, and can thus make a call in a pinch, or use the batteries elsewhere.

Best cell phone tip: If all you need is an emergency phone, you don't have to pay the outlandish monthly charges for a cell phone and number. Instead, buy a used de-activated phone. A good bet is any one of the Motorola Microtac series (they're durable, lightweight, and easy to get accessories for). Get an AA or AAA battery pack for your phone, and a car voltage adapter. You can dial 911 from a deactivated cell phone, and you won't pay a cent. You can't receive calls, but...suprise, you can make calls (they'll ask you for a credit card, and it's expensive). This works, take my word for it -- I bought a de-activated phone for $10 at the thrift shop and tried it! The 911 cell phone rules and regs are covered on the FCC site.

(Caution: Cell phones have limited range in remote backcountry, so don't plan on always getting a connection while backcountry skiing. You'll get more reliable performance the higher you are in the topography, since your connection to the nearest cell phone antenna station must be virtually line-of-sight. Also remember that by holding your cell phone so the antenna is vertical and as high as possible, you'll get better performance. For super reliable backcountry skiing emergency communication, it's often better to get an amateur radio license and use the amateur radio system.)

(All material on this website is copyrighted. Permission is required for any reproduction, electronic or . Recreation is dangerous -- you may be killed or severely injured if you choose to do backcountry skiing, 4-wheeling, four wheel drive trails, hiking, driving, or any other back country sport. All information on this website is intended only as general information for a variety of aspects of outdoor activities including backcountry skiing. While the authors and editors of the information in this website make every effort to present useful information, due to human error and passing time, information within this website may be inaccurate, false, or out-of-date. You agree to use any information, maps, photos, or binding mounting instuctions or templatates with care and at your own risk, and waive Wildsnow.com its owners and contributors of any liability. Backcountry skiing and snowboarding are spoken here.)

Backcountry Skiing and Snowboard Tips and Tricks from Louis Dawson and friends

Backcountry Skiing and Snowboard Tips and Tricks
from Louis Dawson and friends