‘Commentary’ Articles

Snowbird Update: The Life and Death of Dotted Lines

By: Jeffrey Miesbauer | May 25th, 2011
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Perfect????....Photo by Re Wikstrom

Snowbird has blown up the news wire this spring, issuing a dizzying string of press releases to counteract the criticism it received for recently proposed developments. One key proposal involved the construction of an alpine roller coaster; the other was a Master Development Plan to study the effects of a new tram to the top of the American Fork Twin Peaks and the effects of extending the resort into Mary Ellen Gulch. Although nothing has been approved or denied officially, the tide of opinion seems to show that Utahans like ski lifts more than roller coasters.

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IOC Approves Ski Halfpipe for the 2014 Olympics

By: Jeffrey Miesbauer | April 27th, 2011
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The word is out.  Men’s and women’s ski halfpipe will be an event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The decision came as the International Olympic Committee convened in a plush London conference room on April 6, far from snow, mountains, and tall tees. Since snowboard halfpipe brought home the bacon (in terms of ratings and sponsorships) during the past two games, ski halfpipe was the next logical step. But a move from Winter X to the Winter Olympics is sure to spark some controversy from the freeskiing community.

Look out for these names in Sochi 2014.

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Zen and the Art of Managing Powder Panic

By: JGW | December 30th, 2010
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Every region of the skiing world has its own particular form of this terrible ailment or morning malaise … a rapacious brooding that turns happy citizens into gorilla-chest-pounding, car-horn-honking, Ben-Hur-on-the-traverse fiends. This sanctimonious demon’s name: powder-induced panic. Let me elucidate a specific example …

Salt Lake City’s proximity to habit-forming ski terrain is, like almost anything during this merry-go-round around the Sun, both a boon and bane. Yes, friends, just like Peter Parker’s uncle once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” If you haven’t experienced how empowering 24 inches of Wasatch-density awesomeness can be, then maybe it’s time you took a trip.

But let’s not forget what Lord Acton said: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Salt Lake is within short driving distance of more than ten ski and riding resorts—and the greater-Wasatch-front sprawl boasts more than 2 million citizens. Consider the cumulated monster cloud of psychic anxiety that collects over this salty front each morning fresh snow has fallen … it’s like Ray’s incarnation of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man to the Nth degree. Seriously, people WILL lose their shit.

Allow me to offer some suggestions to help you harness this power (and be responsible) without letting it overcome you: Read More …

How to Drive (and Not to Drive) to the Ski Area During a Snowstorm

By: Kate Showalter | December 9th, 2010
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Driving 23 miles took us more than three hours.

Around 8 p.m. on a recent Friday night, CalTrans announced that, beginning 20 miles west of the top of Donner Pass, Calif., all vehicles needed traction tires and either chains or four-wheel/all-wheel drive. We were just three exits from the chain-up checkpoint when we drove into mayhem. Semis were lined up in the pullouts, and their drivers were chaining up. Installers dressed in bright yellow rain gear were, for a fee, helping car drivers get their chains on. Getting to the checkpoint took us an hour.

At the chain-up checkpoint, we exited the highway, and my husband put chains on our car’s front tires, and then he drove a few hundred yards and hopped back out to double-check that the chains were secure (an important step if you don’t want to leave your chains on the highway). Then a CalTrans worker waved us back onto the freeway. We didn’t get far before we were at a standstill again.

Yes, conditions were bad—an early season storm started as rain and turned to snow … and lots of it—but I’m certain we could have all moved through smoothly albeit slowly if drivers didn’t make so many boner moves. Read More …

Hook Me Up, Bro: The Rules of Swag

By: Adam Riser | October 28th, 2010
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Ryan Strong in desperate need of new gear after losing his pole in an avalanche.

“Dude, you work at Backcountry.com? Can you get me a deal on gear?” I cannot even count how many times I’ve heard these words. Pro skiers, sponsored climbers, shop employees, and even lifties know that it’s a rare week that goes by without someone asking this question. Unfortunately, the implications of this seemingly simple question can be surprisingly harsh. Under most circumstances hooking up a friend can cost an employee or athlete their job or sponsorship.

Most importantly, you need to understand that asking your friends this question puts them in a very difficult situation. Turning down your friends is a very hard thing to do, especially given the nature of partnership in mountain sports. “Dude, I dug you out of a damn avalanche last season. You’re seriously not going to help me get a hookup on boots?” There are cases where it’s OK to ask for a hookup, but if you want to avoid being a total ass and asking for the wrong things at the wrong time, then read on and see when you can get your hands on some swag and when you should keep your mouth shut and buy your own damn gear.

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Start Them Young, and Pass on the Passion

By: Kate Showalter | October 20th, 2010
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Start 'em young

Photo courtesy Jamie Preston, #80 on the BC Leaderboard

Many world-class outdoor athletes began learning their sports in their preschool years. Tommy Caldwell did his first climb at age 3. Reinhold Messner summited his first mountain with his dad at age 5. Parents who get their toddlers on the rock or onto the slopes might be giving their kids a leg up—but perhaps even better is that parents have an opportunity to pass on the love they have for their sports or the outdoors to their progeny. Read More …

10 Reasons Not to Ski the Himalayas

By: Kate Showalter | September 22nd, 2010
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Ski the Himalayas? Better think twice.

Ski the Himalayas? Better think twice.

Does exploring Nepal’s 1,300+ peaks higher than 6,000 meters (19,685+ feet)—many of which haven’t been climbed let alone skied—sound like your kind of adventure? Here are ten things that might make you think twice before you pack your bags and jump on a plane with your touring gear.

Then again, for the masochist/devil-may-care crowd out there, maybe these are ten things that’ll make the whole adventure sound even more appealing. Read More …

RIP: Brociety

By: Justin Mool | September 2nd, 2010
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End of Brociety

End of Brociety

Since SteepandCheap.com came onto the scene many moons ago, Backcountry.com has introduced a flurry of new One Deal At A Time sites: starting with WhiskeyMilitia.com, moving to Chainlove.com and Bonktown.com, and ending with Brociety.com. Whiskey was billed as surf / skate; Chainlove = MTB; Bonktown = road cycling; Brociety = snowboard.

Despite a stoney flying woolly mammoth, the site couldn’t hold its own. Read More …

Public Waterways In Utah

By: JGW | July 29th, 2010
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Currently in the great, wild, western state of Utah, it is illegal to enter any public body of water that flows over marked private property —that is if your un-permitted feet are specifically touching the ground.

Would you like to know more about how that fact really affects kayakers, fishermen and fisherwomen, hunters, tubers, and other people who like to use and play in public waterways? Read More …

Gaper-Proof Your Biking

By: Adam Riser | July 20th, 2010
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Gaper? No way. This guy will probably ride you into the ground.

To gape or not to gape, that is the question. For some reason, the things that make a mountain biker look like a gaper aren’t as cut and dry as they are in other outdoor activities. Some things change with time, and some things you can get away with if you ride well enough. Then, there are some things that never change. In the end, it’s a lot more about what you do and how you treat other riders than how you look.

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Outdoor Industry Takes on Climate Change

By: Kate Showalter | July 12th, 2010
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Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Imagine a world in which the areas you love to hike or backpack are being consumed one by one by wildfire each summer, or the mountain you love to ski or ride has diminishing snow cover each winter. This mental exercise shouldn’t be a stretch for any of us—these scenarios are already happening. Additionally, picture the outdoor industry’s future profits disappearing as fast as Arctic sea ice.

Hence the step the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) recently took toward preserving outdoor recreation as we know it for those generations born into the not-so-distant future. Read More …