Backcountry Awareness
Sitting here in late August backcountry awareness is the awareness that in two or three months I'll be out there, hearing the rip of skins and feeling the arc of my skis through fresh snow. But what I want to write about is real backcountry awareness, the essential ingredient for safe and successful backcountry skiing. Resorts, be they alpine or nordic, try to create a predictable environment for skiers. Groomed snow reduces the variable of natural snow, allowing the skier to concentrate on...