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MEDICINE BOW PEAK, SNOWY RANGE | WYOMING
MEDICINE BOW PEAK

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Powderjunky: July 16, 2010 Uphill: 2,000 ft. | Downhill: 2,000 ft.

More spur of the moment skiing as we headed down to California for some sun and surf. As we drove through Lassen National Park there was still some snow left to ski, and we actually skied top to botto...[view]
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Powderjunky: July 3, 2010 Uphill: 2,500 ft. | Downhill: 2,500 ft.

Improptu skiing on Hood at 8:30pm made for some great turns. After trying to learn to wind surf in Hood River, it was nice to get on some boards that I am not falling every turn. It worked out that by...[view]

Powderjunky: June 26, 2010 Uphill: 3,800 ft. | Downhill: 3,100 ft.

Went out to ski the North Shoulder and West face. It couldn't have been more ideal summer conditions. Not much snow on the first leg of the trail. But the climbers cairn was buried and we passed it by...[view]
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Darkstar: June 19, 2010 Uphill: 2,000 ft. | Downhill: 2,000 ft.

A 3 minute walk from the car and you can ski 2k+ at Kirkwood right now. Worthy for a mellow hike and some turns!...[view]

Darkstar: June 13, 2010 Uphill: 1,000 ft. | Downhill: 1,000 ft.

Road out bikes past the road closure, about 7 miles up Blue Lakes Road (near Carson Pass) scoping for anything fun we could find. Turns out there's still a ton of snow back there, and we were able to ...[view]

Powderjunky: June 12, 2010 Uphill: 1,500 ft. | Downhill: 1,500 ft.

Always wanted to explore out here and do some skiing near John Day. We had our hopes of skiing off Strawberry Peak, the range's tallest mountain. We began to doubt ourselves as we skinned past lost of...[view]
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Warpigsinfin: June 8, 2010 Uphill: 2,000 ft. | Downhill: 2,000 ft.

We skied off the tram the first reasonably sunny day after the recent biblical downpour... it's been raining in Jackson for the last several weeks, but often snowing in the high peaks.Though it had ra...[view]
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Darkstar: June 6, 2010 Uphill: 1,600 ft. | Downhill: 2,100 ft.

Skied the aesthetic Chute Out Couloir off the Dana Plateau Sunday. Instead of skining up the relatively steep Ellery Bowl, we used access from the top of Tioga Pass to shave a few hundred vert off the...[view]
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Darkstar: June 5, 2010 Uphill: 3,000 ft. | Downhill: 4,300 ft.

Linked up this classic with a solid group of skiers and riders this weekend. Still amazing amounts of snow in the Eastern Sierra, although we've gone from full-on winter, to (almost) full-on summer in...[view]
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FEATURED SKI ARTICLES, TRIP REPORTS, and GEAR REVIEWS

The Stoke was High: 8 miles in, 8000 feet up image

Trips
The Stoke was High: 8 miles in, 8000 feet up

06/04/10 | by snowNinjas

Sometime in February, the SnowNinjas realized that spring was fast approaching, which meant that we had to make plans to climb one of the Cascade volcanoes again.  We considered all of the classic ski-mountaineering options, but eventually decided to...Read Article | (3)

Skiing the Frozen Continent of Antarctica: Part 8 (Ship of Fools) image

Trips
Skiing the Frozen Continent of Antarctica: Part 8 (Ship of Fools)

05/27/10 | by Dark Star

In Part 1 of "Skiing the Frozen Continent of Antarctica", Dark Star gets the opportunity of a lifetime to go backcountry skiing in Antarctica.  Part 2 (The Martial Glacier) picks up with a ski report from his first turns of the trip in Ushuaia, ...Read Article | (1)

BCA Avalanche Rescue/Tranceiver Online Survey image

News
BCA Avalanche Rescue/Tranceiver Online Survey

05/13/10 | by Editors

Have you ever used a transceiver to attempt an avalanche rescue?  Here's your chance to help make avalanche safety equipment and training better.Backcountry Access (BCA) is taking their ongoing research to the next level: they want to hear from peopl...Read Article | (1)

Black Diamond Merges With Gregory Mountain Products image

News
Black Diamond Merges With Gregory Mountain Products

05/10/10 | by MaxG

With core outdoor companys, like cloudveil, removing themselves from their humble beginnings we can only hope that emerging small town heros like Voile, Flylow, and Trew step up to fill the void. Not that going public is a bad thing, but I think ...Read Article | (4)

Skiing the Frozen Continent of Antarctica: Part 7 (Unloading the Pack in the South Shetland Islands) image

Trips
Skiing the Frozen Continent of Antarctica: Part 7 (Unloading the Pack in the South Shetland Islands)

04/28/10 | by Dark Star

In Part 1 of "Skiing the Frozen Continent of Antarctica", Dark Star gets the opportunity of a lifetime to go backcountry skiing in Antarctica.  Part 2 (The Martial Glacier) picks up with a ski report from his first turns of the trip in Ushuaia, ...Read Article | (4)

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June 4, NW CHUTE MOUNT THIELSEN | CASCADES (SOUTHERN) | OREGON

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March 10, EAST FACE SNOWGRASS | CASCADES (CENTRAL) | WASHINGTON

March 10, SNOWGRASS CASCADES (CENTRAL) | WASHINGTON

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June 6, Backcountryskinews: Condolences to his friends, family, Whitman alumi and the... Sweetgrass crew. [view]

June 4, Darkstar: Super sad news today from Squaw, [link]Vibes and respect ...to the family and this wonderful mountain spirit. You will be missed Arne! [view]

June 2, Darkstar: Denali was sweet. Super cold for sure, but an amazing exp...erience unlike anything I've ever attempted to ski. However, unfortunately I was unable to get to the summit and ski off, but we made a good push to 18,200 and were able to ski pow from 15,400. Glad to be home warm and in one piece:) [view]

June 1, Powderjunky: Glad to have you back! How was denali? [view]

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SELECT edate, heading, url, country, state, extra_3 FROM event_join, web_content, urls, states, countries WHERE e_id= web_id AND edate >= '2010-07-31' And extra_1 = countries.id AND extra_2 = states.id AND web_content.url_id = urls.url_id ORDER BY edate ASC LIMIT 4
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NEW COMMENTS

Powderjunky: Thats a good point norwegiandan. But I think the p... [view]

Jonathan: I'm over on the east coast and it really depends o... [view]

Norwegiandan: Any thoughts about use of airbags when your riding... [view]

Whatever: Thanks for the review. I skied the Haute Route Plu... [view]

RERUN OF THE MOMENT Next Rerun
How to use an Inclinometer image

Interview
How to use an Inclinometer

Sisters, OR United States | 01/13/09 | by AwesomePatrol

According to Bruce Tremper, in Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, "...an inclinometer is one of the most important tools to carry in avalanche terrain."  Just a couple of degrees can be the difference between safe and not safe.  Humans by nature are not good at judging slope angles, mostly because slopes look different depending on your perspective. A slope viewed straight on will always look steeper than viewed from the side. A quick slope angle refreshe...Read Article


r: Prime avalanche terrain rests between 28-45 degrees. So theoretically, if you have an inclinometer, no matter the avalanche danger, you could ski safely if there are slopes available that are not in that critical range.  That point alone, to me, is the biggest selling point on having one.  You can use ski poles to determine slope angle but it takes a little more skill, and with inclinometers being inexpensive, you might as well go buy one and save yourself the hassle. Below are the four common methods of using a slope meter/inclinometer.                                    From the SideThis method allows you to measure the angles of adjacent slopes. It is very accurate and easy to do. Just align your slope meter to a nearby slope that you have a good side profile of. You can use a ski pole to help get a more true average.Advantages1. Can easily read entire average slope angle and/or variations in the slope. 2. Can be done with just one person.3. Ski pole not required.Disadvantages1. You must be on a different slope to take the measurement.Best Use1. Determining if the slope you are looking at is in your desired slope angle for a descent.2. Determining which areas to ski or stay away from on the descent.                  On the SlopeThis method is useful for attaining the angles of small variations on the slope. Like where to skin up or where to conduct snow tests. Just lay your ski pole on the slope and place your inclinometer on your ski pole. This method only measures that exact spot and not the entire slope.Advantages1. Measures your current exact slope angle, and just that.2. Can be done with just one person.Disadvantages1. Doesn't tell you the entire slope angle.Best use1. Determining the slope angle where you want to dig a pit or another snow study test.2. Determining where to set a skin track. From BelowGet as close to the bottom of the slope as possible. Use your ski pole like a gun and sight the tip to the top of the slope. Place your inclinometer on the ski pole and have a friend read the measurement. You should aim for an imaginary you on top of the slope (about 4-5 feet from the top), to account for your height variant.Advantages1. Can easily read entire average slope angle and/or variations in the slope. Disadvantages1. Must adjust for height of person.2. Must be directly under the slope which can put you in harm's way of a potential slide.3. Requires two people.Best use1. Determining where to ascend.2. Determining if slope angle is in desired range for a descent. From the TopGet as close to the edge of the slope as possible. Use your ski pole like a gun and sight the tip to the bottom of the slope. Place your inclinometer on the ski pole and have a friend read the measurement. You should aim for an imaginary you on the bottom of the slope (about 4-5 feet from the bottom), to account for your height variant.Advantages1. Can easily read entire average slope angle and/or variations in the slope. Disadvantages1. Must adjust for height of person.2. Must be directly at the edge of slope which can put you in harm's way of a potential slide or cornice break.3. Requires two peopleBest use1. Determining where to descend.
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Concourse Double Ski Bag image

Gear Review
2010 Concourse Double Ski Bag

04/19/10 | by Dark Star

The Dakine Concourse Double Ski Bag in a 185 cm length is the perfect solution for air travel with lots of ski gear. Whether you are a pro skier globetrotting from one face shot to another, or a family with kids heading to Colorado for Christmas vac...Read Article
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Skiing the Frozen Continent of Antarctica: Part 6 (Somewhere off the Antarctic Peninsula) image

Trips
Skiing the Frozen Continent of Antarctica: Part 6 (Somewhere off the Antarctic Peninsula)

Doug Stoups Ski Cruise 2009, Antarctica | 04/12/10 | by Dark Star

In Part 1 of "Skiing the Frozen Continent of Antarctica", Dark Star gets the opportunity of a lifetime to go backcountry skiing in Antarctica.  Part 2 (The Martial Glacier) picks up with a ski report from his first turns of the trip in Ushuaia, ...Read Article
(7)

Backcountry Skiing in Style at the Tornak Yurt image

Trips
Backcountry Skiing in Style at the Tornak Yurt

Smokey Mountains, Tornak Yurt, ID United States | 04/06/10 | by snowNinjas

Last week, the SnowNinjas got together with six friends and rented the Tornak Yurt for some backcountry skiing in the Smokey Moutains outside of Sun Valley, Idaho.  This was a total departure from the SnowNinjas usual m.o. - we're used to hauling in ...Read Article
(1)

New Avalung Increases Survival time to record breaking 5 hours under snow image

News
New Avalung Increases Survival time to record breaking 5 hours under snow

Under the Snow in the Backcountry, UT United States | 04/01/10 | by McGaper

A Black Diamond rep leaked information to skiingthebackcountry.com late last night on some secret product testing for the new and improved Avalung. The current Avalung allows buried avalanche victims to breathe under the snow for up to 90 minutes. Ho...Read Article
(6)

One Close Call, Skier Out Skis Avalanche image

Trips
One Close Call, Skier Out Skis Avalanche

Tam McArthur Rim, OR United States | 03/28/10 | by powderjunky

Wow. Is all I could muster as I just watched a good friend escape the cold grip of the white monster as it thunders down the slope in a kung fu fury with a powder plume of the likes of an atom bomb. Pictures are worth a thousand words, and videos too...Read Article
(48)

What's Your Favorite Slackcountry Resort? image

Educational
What's Your Favorite Slackcountry Resort?

North America, WY United States | 03/25/10 | by Editors

As editors of SkiingtheBackcountry.com, we've had the privilege of traveling full time over the past few winters.  It's been an incredible opportunity to visit almost every ski town in the west and ski almost every resort!  This Spring, we'll be putt...Read Article
(9)

Mercury Mitt image

Gear Review
2010 Mercury Mitt

03/24/10 | by Ski Waheenie

The Black Diamond Mercury Mitts are awesome. Much warmer than other mittens I've worn, comfortable and relatively affordable too! As a girl who is ALWAYS cold, I highly recommend these mittens....Read Article
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Last Weeks Contest Winners image

News
Last Weeks Contest Winners

Right Here in your backcountry, WY United States | 03/22/10 | by Editors

And the Grand Prize Winner of Last Week's contest is..........Lakerat204 with a sick photo of a Teton Sunset! Congratulations, Lakerat204, you just won your very own backcountry bomb!!But we also had some other great entries as well, so we will be se...Read Article
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Dani Deruyter Becomes First Woman to Snowboard the Grand Teton image

Trips
Dani Deruyter Becomes First Woman to Snowboard the Grand Teton

Grand Teton, WY United States | 03/17/10 | by WarPigSinFin

WarpigSinFin is a skiingthebackcountry.com ambassador who accompanied Dani on her ascent and descent.On March 11th, 2010 I got to help make a little piece of history here in Jackson Hole when my partner Dani and I summited the Grand Teton and droppe...Read Article
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Gear Review
2010 Pursuit

03/17/10 | by Telegrrrl

Overall, I liked this pack. I love that it's designed for women specifically. It's so much lighter than my previous 2 packs which was bliss in the backcountry. A good design in my opinion (with the exception of the previously mentioned). The unin...Read Article
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