Motherhood in the Mountains photos courtesy of Ben Girardi. This winter, I found myself consistently waking up at 4 a.m. Instead of alpine starts answering the call of the mountains, I was responding to the cries of my infant son. As I approached motherhood, part of me worried that I would lose my drive for splitboarding instead of adventures in …
Feature photo from the Inspired Summit Adventures Ski Mountaineering Clinic. Ah springtime! A fabulous time in the mountains when snowpacks have stabilized and trailheads are quieting down as many folks flock to the desert. Spring can be a great time for exploring new zones or getting up close and personal with those lines you’ve been eyeing from afar. We tagged …
Spring touring has arrived! If you’re like us, you’re itching to go for bigger objectives after what felt like a long season of avoiding nasty PWLs. With the change of the seasons comes a change in your backcountry kit. Enter ski crampons and splitboard crampons. What are splitboard & ski crampons: Essentially the same idea as boot crampons, but they …
Lexie Anderson on a spring touring mission in the Tetons on the Voile Spartan Splitboard. Photo courtesy of Arron Diamond. The days are getting longer, temps are getting warmer, and if your anything like me your eyes have been gazing upwards, towards the alpine, all winter waiting for the peaks to become more friendly. The deep snows of winter are …
In the year 2021, it would seem that telemark and mountaineering are now mutually exclusive concepts. With far superior technology and weight saving advantages within the alpine touring sector of backcountry skiing, there is almost no reason to be a ski mountaineer on telemark equipment. Yet alas, the years go by, and I myself am still here: a “modern dinosaur” …
The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting a lot of things, including ski season. Back in May 2020, Powder Magazine wrote an article predicting an impending wave of new backcountry users as a result of increased restrictions at ski resorts. While recreation is more important than ever for mental and emotional well-being, there exists the concern that those new to venturing beyond …
Fitness is leased, not owned, and the rent must be paid every day. In Part 1, Backcountry Ski Fitness, I wrote about the importance of intensity in your training plan. I forgot to mention, unless you have already built the proper aerobic base by doing high volume at lower intensities, you are unlikely to benefit from high-intensity training. Even once …
As some of us are getting early season turns, I bet we’re all amped for a full-on winter! We now move into our fourth winter season with avalanche education in the United States split into 2 tracks: recreational and professional. Here are my thoughts on this change and the current course structure. Make a Plan Like having a plan to …
If you read the reviews on the SuperCharger or V8, you know each ski is esteemed in the backcountry community. However, you might not know which ski platform is a better fit for you…
It takes relentless self-discipline to schedule suffering into your day. But if you do, you’ll find that at the other end of that suffering is a whole other life waiting for you. -David Goggins Backcountry ski fitness takes time. There is nothing that any of us can do to create more time. However, we can manage our time differently or …
