Backcountry ski touring news.
Many of you are probably familiar with the spirited writings of avalanche forecaster Drew Hardesty. He’s ramping up his web publishing under the subtitle “meditations on life not after death, but before.” After seeing his sources of inspiration, among them Basho and the Old Testament, I’m eager to partake. Browse here.
Let’s go out
To see the snow view
Where we slip and fall.
If there’s a prize for the best April foolie post out there, other than the perfection incarnated into our own exalted effort, it should go to BCA for their exposition of organic climbing skins. Kept me smiling for an hour, especially since it was close to a few real-world experiences I’d enjoyed over my storied (and sometimes forgetful) past. Check it out.
Congratulations to our home teams for their Grand Traverse race results. Our very own WildSnow editorial director Manasseh Franklin and her partner Alex Lee took 25th place out of 164 starting teams, and third in their co-ed age class. Check the team’s excellent long-form account here. And nearly making the podium, Cripple Creek Backcountry’s Doug Stenclik and partner Eric Poore nabbed sixth place overall! Though before I go totally tizzy over that, it should be noted that the winners, Cam Smith and Tom Goth, charted 6:06, thus breaking the previous course record of 6:37 by a significant margin and crossing the finish nearly two hours ahead of team Cripple Creek.
Overall, I’m amazed winning racers are pinning these GT times over 37 miles — that’s averaging around six miles an hour! Results here.
More Traverse stuff: If you’re not familiar with the aerobic anomaly otherwise known as Cam Smith, check this out.
Though it grieves me to go there, I’d be remiss not to mention the tragic death of WildSnow contributor Gary Smith, in an avalanche. He was a smart, vibrant, talented guy who’ll be greatly missed. Full report here. Our WildSnow remembrance here, and Gary’s WildSnow writings are here.
In the past, we’ve covered several exoskeleton options that might apply to backcountry skiing. I liken these to E-bikes, though they’ve got a lot of improvement ahead before they equal E-bikes in terms of acceptable performance. Here’s another one.
Sigh. Here we go again. Park City resort has closed a popular backcountry access gate, and it may stay that way indefinitely. Why do I sigh? Years ago, I thought the North American ski industry had for the most part adopted a more “European” model of resort boundaries. A sort of hybrid system that used clearly-signed gates in distinct rope lines or fences. The overarching concept: Access to public lands via a transportation system. Apparently I was wrong, and we still need to battle for our right of passage. Report here.
But wait. To be fair, one does have to acknowledge that some of these “backcountry” gates see droves of unprepared, downright clueless skiers who to the casual observer present a zombie-like demeanor as they pass the signs informing them of their imminent death. Why do I say “zombie?” Because zombies are already dead, so they don’t care about dying. This needs to stop. These people are not zombies. They are sons and daughters, fathers and mothers. What’s the ultimate solution? Simple. Put the gate in a place that requires a moderate uphill skin to reach the downhill goods. In addition, how about a tall, imposing gate that only unlocks with a beacon signal?
Condolences to the friends and family of Greg Harms, part owner of Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, who died along with four others in a recent helicopter crash. Apparently this happened while Alaskan heli-skiing. Harms had ties to the Aspen area, many friends here. Helicopter skiing has in my opinion a nearly miraculous safety record, considering the amount of hours the ships fly in mountain terrain. But sometimes the melding of man and machine falls short of the task. Report here, and the GoFundMe if you care to help out.
Dynafit has come up with the term “piste touring” to denote resort uphilling. I like it, snazzy, hip, Euro-centric. But I like our vintage term — uphill skiing — as well. Among other things, it makes for better bumper stickers. We’ll see what wins the jargon wars. Someday. Meanwhile, I ran across this interview with Dynafit CEO Benedikt Böhm, regarding the “piste touring boom.” Among his insights he notes: “If the service is right, we see a great willingness of tourers to pay for it.” We be watching. The interview is here.
https://www.ispo.com/en/markets/dynafit-piste-touring-boom-we-need-guiding-systems-and-long-term-concepts
The V-word (vaccination) is dominating the feeds. Apologies for stating the obvious. Which brings one to pondering risk versus reward. Where have I heard that term before? Just before launching my corpus down an avalanche path? My take: now that I’m vaxed I’ll hang out with my other vaxed friends, per CDC guidelines, maskless if they’re okay with it. As for the (rapidly diminishing) vast unvaxed, I’ll spend proximity time with them as well, masks or not, their choice after group discussion. Yes, the vax isn’t perfect, but I’m good with it.
Thoughts on the vaxed future: When covid is gone — or as uncommon as ebola — I’ll bet masking during air travel will remain commonplace. I’ll do it. Less chance of arriving to the dream vacation and waking up with a sore throat four days into it. As for pandemics in general, I was around during the polio epidemic, which was in many ways comparable to covid. I was too young to be scared, but remember the tray of vax impregnated sugar cubes they passed around our grade-school classroom. A shout out to the scientists who come up with this stuff, 1961 or 2021.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain. For more about Lou, please see his personal website at https://www.loudawson.com/ (Blogger stats: 5 foot 10 inches (178 cm) tall, 160 lbs (72574.8 grams).
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lou.dawson.writer
15 comments
“What’s the ultimate solution? Simple. Put the gate in a place that requires a moderate uphill skin to reach the downhill goods. In addition, how about a tall, imposing gate that only unlocks with a beacon signal?”
No, those same people that don’t know or don’t care to know will just duck the rope and traverse across, potentially exposing themselves to even more danger by sidehilling where they shouldn’t. Send out more ski patrol to enforce the gate you say? Why on earth would the epic resorts expend resources on that? What purpose would that serve them?
There is no good solution for the resort. They look bad either way when deciding between unfettered access or no access, though probably worse in the public eye if they have people dying adjacent to their resort. Those of us that complain about land access are way less interesting for the news to cover.
If we as a society continue to feel like we need to protect people by making their choices for them by making lift served backcountry access more difficult, then make an access gate at the bottom of your resort and remove the whole “lift” part.
THAT seems like the simple solution to me. Not the right one in my opinion, but a solution that could happen in the future.
Usually missing from these discussions, are the emotional, physical, and financial burdens of everyone that are part of a rescue/recovery and the aftermath.
Who pays for that?
Why do we think there is a solution just around the corner? Virtually every adventure sport went through a period like this – increased participation – increased accidents. Pure BC skiing was no exception and now real accident rates (as a percentage of population) are decreasing. This is after years of steady rates. The same is true of BC snowmobiling. What brought them down was a constant and positive culture of learning. The “gate problem” will respond to similar action. When you see someone exiting a gate that looks clueless – tell them and then tell them about avalanche education. Friends of avalanche centers can play a role as can ski areas. Behavior can change. BTW – maybe if resorts make the fences more difficult to duck they could cut down on that activity. I often string extra rope at problem areas and guess what – people can’t/don’t duck them.
I’ve aged out of back-country – the climbing part. I live at sea level and skied in the BC interior at 7000 to 9000 feet. The climbs are now too much for my lungs and legs. Back-country descents were all fun, still would be today.
Maybe there’ll be an Exoskeleton in my future, to help with the climb eh?
These years, I slum it on the lifts. (But not this Covid year)
Really like the idea of locating gates (and more gates) where a climb or skin is required to reach them. Will this prevent people from getting themselves killed? No, but it stop some of the clueless and/or lazy from dying. And, it might be enough to convince the corporate and Forest Service bureaucrats to not eliminate gates altogether.
Thousands and thousand of square miles of terrain to ski, but this is of course about wanting quick vert to better snow without having to work for it. There are regularly broken legs, getting impaled on dead branches, lost skis, avalanches, broken bindings, getting lost, paralyzing broken necks, etc. Not just deaths.
Saying that this is about corporate and Forest Service bureaucrats is not being honest. It is about regular inevitable searches, rescues, and recoveries. Sometimes brutally difficult, dangerous, and lasting all night and longer.
Ski areas spend a great deal of money on preparing, maintaining, and staffing a defined area where they can somewhat control risk. Who comes to the rescue when things go wrong outside of that? The Ski Area? USFS? Others?
Who pays for that? How exactly does that work? Please answer the question and be specific. Ski Patrol, First Responders, Helicopter Crews, Volunteers, and Emergency Rooms want to help legitimate victims. Not so much those that jump closed boundaries, unprepared, inexperienced, dangerous stunts, etc.
Christie you raise great questions and offer interesting assertions for the litigious US and of course the ski industry. Having spent the better part of my professional career tied to risk management and mitigation as well as being a BC skier I battle to find the right answers. Suffice to say the ski resorts are firmly within their rights to close a gate due to the factors/events you point to and we see enough examples unfortunately every year as to why gates are closed, why they don’t exist and why ski areas are risk adverse. BUT where you lose me is determining who is a legitimate victim, unprepared, inexperienced and engaged in dangerous stunts as one could say that most of the avalanche deaths and BC rescues in Colorado this year might fit into the criteria you offer. Not to pick on Vail resorts but a number of unfortunate avy deaths this year related to skier/riders accessing the BC via their gates surely will cause their insurance carriers, general counsel and other professionals to again assess the exposure to cost of defense expense. So I leave you with this question: Who should be the arbiter in charge of determining who is covered, who should pay and who should be rescued based upon each accident when Search and Rescue is needed?
Hi Christie–I appreciate some of your points, but I generally disagree. You suggest that closure’s are mostly about the great expense and difficulty of rescue. Yes, rescues might be tough, but I think the boundaries are more about liability and financial risk. In terms of who would pay, I think local solutions depending on the resources in each area, and perhaps who responds. The responsible agency would pay, and perhaps recoup (some) costs from patients, or insurance. Finally, I guess my main objection to your post is in the last paragraph: define legitimate victim? Making such a distinction leads to a perspective of superiority, a sense that you fall on the legitimate side, and that’s one step away fro thinking accidents can’t happen to you. I climb and ski often in Chamonix, a high mountain area with a huge number of visitors, some very experienced, others less so. I often see people doing thinks I think are crazy, but I always try to check myself from judging them too harshly, because…mountains lead to humility?
At resorts where I’ve actually seen your gate suggestions implemented (Bridger Bowl’s Schlasman’s in MT for beacons required, Taos’ Kachina Lift for forced hiking) anecdotally I do generally see a more respectful and aware skiers and riders beyond them. I am curious if there are any statistics to back either of those practices up. A friend who lives in Bozeman has absolutely increased his avalanche knowledge as a direct result of Bridger’s policy – he wanted to ski the ridge, and while researching what beacon to buy he became extremely interested in how they function and are used in backcountry scenarios. He just bought his first touring setup, and is planning on taking an AIRE course next year.
Hi, Lou I’ve been reading some of your excellent binding reviews and had a few questions for you. Comments were ‘closed’ on the review I read so I hope it’s okay to post here instead.. I’m a UK climber/skiier interested in putting together a backcountry touring setup that will allow me to access the more remote areas of Scotland for winter climbing. The skiing would be simple cross country terrain, either flat or very low angles. To save hassle (and money!) I’m looking for a binding that will allow me to ski in my La Sportiva Trango boots (B2s but I’m very lightweight so they feel stiff to me).
I found varying reviews on random forums recommending Fritschi FT-88s and Silvrettas before stumbling on your website but I’m struggling to work out what I should be buying. Could you recommend a binding? I understand this will be a far from perfect setup (due to binding release, weight, boot stiffness etc) but I’ll be using it very infrequently so I’m trying to keep costs very low.
Many thanks, Louie
Hi Louie, thanks for dropping by. Apologies for the comments being closed on most of our posts. We’re forced to do this because cyber-criminals attack the comments system, and leaving our post open for comments encourages that, in volume that we don’t have the resources to defend ourselves against. Regarding your question, it is always a dilemma. The Silvretta bindings, now antiques, are hard to find and suspect in terms of durability. If you’re doing flat/rolling terrain, one approach is to use backcountry nordic type equipment, and just carry your climbing boots. Do you have a sports shop you like, where you could get advice on exactly what binding/ski/boot combos are popular in your region? Lou
Thanks for getting back to me Lou, I live a long way from the hills (and snow!) so no local shops but fate has intervened in the form of some 190cm Fritschi skis with FT-88 bindings and skins for £35 on eBay. The price is so low I’ll buy them, have a tinker and see how I get on in my mountain boots next winter. Do you have any tips for mounting the FT-88s on a shorter ski? any advice about the FT-88s gratefully appreciated…If this setup works ‘ok’ it would give me the confidence to spend more on lighter kit in the future, regards Louie
There are some things which are hard to wrap words around, snow and avalanches for sure.
Hardesty stands out among educators and forecasters with his style of communication. While sharing nugs from Herman Melville to Gary Larson in addition to his own experiences, he really gets ideas across. It is much appreciated.
Thanks for the link.
Hey Lou, apologies for hijacking this thread for another gear question. Like Louie above, I couldn’t comment on more appropriate threads since commenting seems to close quickly. I’m in the market for a new BC setup for CO calendar winter 14er approaches/travel and some spring couloir outings. With my climbing habits I find myself skiing trap crust, sastrugi, hardpack, wind hammered terrain and poorly covered boulder fields about 60% of the time, spring slush in the trees about 20% of the time and corn, powder or windblown powder over hardpack about 20% of the time. I don’t call myself a skier by any means but rather a mountaineer that survival-skis off peaks. I’m 5’11”, 154 lbs and am currently on a 174cm K2 backlash with fritschi free ride pluses (12.6 lbs), BD boots (8.8lbs). Love the setup (you recommended it to me 12 years ago and I have skied them to death) but am ready to downgrade them to the days of worst coverage and move on to something lighter weight. What I love about my current setup is that it blows through heavily featured, variable snow. I read up on the Navis Freebird and have been considering upgrading to it (at a 173cm length) for my all mountain year round BC needs. Seems like a good all-mountain setup but I’m nervous that it might be a little too light (too much of a departure from the characteristics of my old setup) and possibly wider at the waist than I need. I’ve also been looking at the Dynafit Hojis for boots. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the combo or other recommendations. Your last recommendation served me extremely well so I’ve come back for more. Appreciate any advice. Thanks!
P.S.: Gary’s Denali ’19 review led me to the Navis Freebird. Was rudely shocked to read the CAIC report of his accident… I enjoyed his writing and he seemed like a great guy… RIP, and my best wishes to his family.
Hi Prakash, the folks at a small/specialized ski shop might be of more help than me. I’m still into gear, but not reviewing it so much, so I tend to not be conversant in every last option. I can tell you that you might as well go with a lighter binding, Atomic/Salomon Backland is my favorite. As for boots, I love the way the Hoji Pro skis but find the shark nose toe to be a total bummer. You might consider the Hoji Free, which has the DIN nose. As I always say about skis, if something seems right, try to get a demo or at least find some folks who use it and can give you feedback. Also remember that there’s no direct correlation between weight and performance, though heavier gear does sometimes perform “better” on the downhill, for a number of reasons. If there was a direct correlation, we’d all be carrying weights that snapped onto our skis for the downhill (smile). Lou
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