There’s a new captain at the Utah Avalanche Center cruise ship, and his name is Mark Staples. In August, longtime UAC Director, Bruce Tremper, announced his retirement. That same week, Tremper’s replacement was revealed, and the guy has some serious avalanche chops. Since Staples is now in charge of the organization that works to educate…
Tag: avalanche
Gear you need to backcountry ski
If you are a resort skier looking to expand your boundaries, then you’ve surely thought about jumping on the backcountry skiing bandwagon. But you can’t just take your alpine setup and start hiking mountains. You need to purchase (and learn how to use) specialized backcountry skiing and snowboarding gear. Below is a list of essential…
Video: The Forecaster
Black Diamond TV released its second webisode this week, titled, The Forecaster: A Message from the Backcountry. This time around it features Utah’s own Drew Hardesty, an forecaster for the Utah Avalanche Center. While we get to know the guy who’s voice we hear on the daily avalanche report phone message, the real thrust of…
Prep for the backcountry at 2015 Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop
When you ski the backcountry, preparation and education is key. One annual way to get prepared for the upcoming ski season is to attend the Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop. The public session is full of networking, educational seminars, informational presentations, and lots of interaction with professionals through Q&A sessions. It may sound a bit…
Snowbasin fatal avalanche the first of the 2015 season
We came so close! Myself, along with my backcountry skiing friends, had just remarked how cool it was that there have been no avalanche fatalities yet during the 2014/15 ski season. Fingers were crossed that we might have a zero-fatality season. But with a big storm falling on powder-starved skiers and snowboarders, perhaps it was…
Atomic and Salomon create online Mountain Academy courses
Avalanche education is expensive. Level 1-3 professional courses cost hundreds of dollars, pricing out many backcountry users. Well, Atomic and Salomon have partnered to create the Mountain Academy, an online avalanche safety course. It’s designed to be a supplement to traditional, in-the-field courses that will cost a lot less money. Designed in collaboration with wePowder,…
Video: Snowmobile Avalanche Safety
Did you know that snowmobilers are the most at-risk backcountry user group for avalanche fatalities? With sled technology getting better, which allows easier access to steep slopes, absolutely no snowmobiler who ventures into the backcountry should go without avalanche safety training, along with the appropriate gear: beacons, shovels and probes. In an effort to raise…
Black Diamond Evac 7 Shovel review
Avalanche shovels are pretty utilitarian. You have a shovel blade, a telescoping handle and a grip. As long as your avalanche shovel is metal and not plastic, there’s nothing to see here… move along. Unless of course, that shovel is the Black Diamond Evac 7. Why is this shovel so special? Because it’s more than…
Learn Backcountry 101 at Brighton
Ready to leave the resort boundaries and explore untracked slopes in Utah’s backcountry? Well you better get educated about avalanches first. One way to get started is by attending the Backcountry 101 course at Brighton. This course is geared toward skiers and snowboarders who are brand new to off-piste riding who need to learn how…
Snowbird ski racer, Bryce Astle, killed in Austrian avalanche
It is a very sad day for the Utah ski community, as one of our own, Bryce Astle, was killed in an avalanche while skiing in Austria. According to the U.S. Ski Team, Astle was freeskiing with a group of six at the Austrian resort of Soelden. The slide killed Astle along with fellow racer,…