Photo courtesy: Petra Cliffs
Last month, three unlucky skiers were caught in a large avalanche in the Alaskan backcountry. Guide Steve Charest of Petra Cliffs and one of the skiers were taken for a ride and partially buried. The other skier was fully buried and nowhere to be seen. Read More …
Photo by: Steve Charest
A few weeks ago I was on the last leg of a red-eye from Los Angeles to my home in Vermont. I was haggard. As I was zoning out at my window seat, a young woman sat down next to me, looking equally as tired. “Are you as ready as I am to get back to Burlington?” I asked.
“You have no idea.”
With a knowing smirk, I waited patiently for the typical sob story of missed connections, bitchy airline employees, and lost baggage.
“I’m coming back from Alaska … I was caught in an avalanche.” Read More …
Whether you ski, snowboard, snowmobile, or snowshoe, we cannot stress enough the importance of avalanche awareness and safety when you travel in the backcountry. Knowledge is key; experience is a must. Next time you’re skinning up in avalanche-prone areas, remember avalanche expert Dr. Ian McCammon’s two checklists for avoiding slides: ALP TRUTh and FACETS. Read More …
Whether you occasionally dart out of the resort gate for a couple of virgin turns or you spend entire seasons shunning the ski lift in favor of the backcountry skin track, you need a beacon strapped around your sternum. It can make the difference between sharing a pitcher with your pals at the end of the day and explaining to search and rescue why you couldn’t dig your pals out of a slide before they asphyxiated. Stark, but there it is. Read More …