It’s only September, and already the coming of winter can be felt in the air. Time to start thinking about avalanche safety and helping those who keep us alive in the backcountry. It’s time for the 2011 Utah Avalanche Center Fundraiser, hosted by Black Diamond. The big party will once again be at the Black…
Tag: backcountry skiing
Vanessa Aadland skis Superior butt naked
Have you heard the tale about a girl who skied Mount Superior butt naked? The story has been all over the Internet the past few days as a picture of pro skier, Vanessa Aadland, has been making the rounds. The image shows her standing atop Superior, arms spread, with no clothes (save an avalanche beacon – safety first.) Many questioned whether she…
Tucker Taffe Memorial Fund to benefit Utah Avalanche Center
Tucker Taffe, the Alta resident who died on Mt. Rainier on May 10, is being remembered by his family and friends with a memorial fund to benefit the Utah Avalanche Center. 33-year-old Taffe passed away after summiting Mt.Rainier. He was skiing down the Upper Nisqually Glacier when he fell into a 100-foot deep crevasse. He…
Utah avalanche victim found in Grand Teton National Park
A week-long search for two missing skiers in Grand Teton National Park ended Sunday when the bodies of 27-year-old Walker Kuhl of Salt Lake City, and 31-year-old Greg Seftick of Columbia Falls, Montana, were found under 13 feet of avalanche debris. The two men went backcountry skiing in Wyoming’s Grand Tetons on April 16 to…
National Forest Service accepts Snowbird expansion proposal
Snowbird may get a whole lot bigger in the coming years, as a massive expansion proposal by the ski resort has been accepted by the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Service. This acceptance doesn’t mean the Forest Service will approve the expansion proposal, but they will begin the evaluation process including environmental impact statements, serious discussion with…
Video: tiny skiers shred tiny mountains from a tiny tram
Sometimes a video comes along on the internet that just makes you stop and go, “wow.” The past few years, tilt-shift photography has been making waves. This technique involves using a special camera lens that allows for a very narrow depth of field and blurry edges to give the impression that everything in the shot…
Backcountry skiing Tom’s Hill
Tom’s Hill is one of many backcountry ski areas in the ever popular Mill D North Fork of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Open spaces, glades, and low-angle slopes are the main features of this little knob amongst larger brothers like Reynolds and Little Water Peaks. But its diminutive size (9,040 feet) is what sets Tom’s Hill…
Fritschi Freeride Pro backcountry binding review
The Fritschi Freeride binding series has been a backcountry ski staple for years now. Despite huge competition from Dynafit and Marker, Fritschi remains relevant and continues to be seen on skin tracks in mountains around the world. Their latest release is the Freeride Pro, a backcountry binding made specifically for wide powder skis. I’ve been…
Backcountry skiing Mill B South Fork Canyon
The Lake Blanche Trail to Sundial Peak is the most popular hike in the Central Wasatch. Every summer, thousands of people ascend to the crystal waters of Lake Blanche near the top of Mill B South Fork in Big Cottonwood Canyon. But in winter, upper Mill B South Fork is empty. Sure, the backcountry skiing…
Women break into the backcountry with SheJumps
Women often get overlooked by the aggro, manly nature of outdoor recreation, especially in backcountry skiing. Times are changing however, and more and more ladies are finding solitude and pow in the mountains without their testosterone-fueled counterparts. But breaking into the backcountry can be intimidating, what with avalanches threatening to kill you and all. That’s…