Browsing: Backcountry Skiing

One of the beauties of Utah Ski Resorts is the lift-serviced backcountry options. With access gates galore, it’s easy to get into areas that would otherwise…

I just read the avalanche report from the Utah Avalanche Center… not a whole lot to report on other than turning conditions being about as bad…

Scarpa is likely the most common brand of alpine touring boots I see in the backcountry. Spirit 3’s seem to be the norm, but with the…

I remember taking a one day course from Bruce Tremper, Director of the Utah Avalanche Center, and a friend who was also taking the course had…

As several powerful storms slammed the Wasatch, I was stuck in downtown Salt Lake City at Omniture Summit 2009 (excellent event by the way). While there,…

In celebration of the “down”, Black Diamond is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the best part about skiing… the downhill part. Especially the super-deep…

Long-revered, Osprey backpacks are some of the most sought after packs on the market today. A core team of designers and hard-core outdoor enthusiasts have been…

The wonderful world of ski gloves has many colors, sizes and styles. It seems as if there must be a glove for every type of snow…

Local backcountry ski gear manufacturer, Voile, has been pushing out some solid skis as of late.  Last year, we got the Voile Asylum and Insane fatties…

Waking up at the crack of 4:45 am isn’t tops on anyone’s list, but for those wishing to get some turns in before 9:00 am, it’s…

Black Diamond continues to pull out all the stops in their push to promote the love of the down. Their ski line has grown from skinny…

After a few weeks of limited skiing and more meetings than a skier should be subject to, I put the laptop down, stepped away from the…

Without fresh snow in the Wasatch in over a week, and no new storms in sight, opportunities can still open up in the Wasatch to those…

The Wasatch Front Range experiences the inevitable inversion at least once during every winter.  For some reason, it seems to show up mid-January right when we…

Arc’teryx is well-known for their top-quality gear. While they offer a full range of outerwear, they are still the one to beat for hard-core outdoor pursuits.…

With nearly all backcountry skiers choosing either Fritschi or Dynafit bindings, it appears that there is another option for those who choose to earn their turns. …

Getting out in the backcountry this year has been a slow process. With over a month of sketchy snow conditions and four avalanche fatalities in Utah…

With a long lull between the early-November dumping and the currently endless stormcycle, avalanche conditions in the Wasatch Mountains have been sketchy. With an inbounds fatality…

With more and more people venturing into the backcountry, it seems like many resorts are running into potential issues with what I’ll call frontcountry skinners.  These…

I have no idea what their outerwear will look like, but I’m intrigued by the philosophy. Their goal is to provide highly-technical and functional outerwear for…