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 …
Climbing, contrasting cultures, and the Creator When I was a little kid I loved to climb trees. Part of me loved the excitement and adrenaline of free soloing junipers and pine trees in my backyard. The other part of me craved the solitude and birdseye hideout. It was a place away from people, from responsibilities; a place to silently observe …
Bells on the door chime as you walk in while the shop dog lifts his head to acknowledge your presence before returning to napping. Aromas of burnt coffee and ski wax fill your nose while a Phish jam season plays through the speakers. Behind the sticker-plaster counter is the friendly face of your local shop employee, likely prematurely weathered due …
This blog started out as “10 Tips to Have an Awesome Trip to Japan.” However, as COVID-19 started to show up in late February here in British Columbia, it did not feel right to share a travel blog as we moved closer to a global pandemic. It has been a crazy year, to say the least. Japan in January 2020 …
UPDATE 10/16/2020 *This scholarship has closed. Check back next year for a similar opportunity.* The Voile BIPOC Backcountry Scholarship will provide a backcountry set up to help an individual overcome financial constraints that may be hindering their backcountry goals. We venture into the mountains for the unique tranquility and personal growth they provide. As a long time member of the …
Like most mountain guides in mid-March of 2020, I lost all my employment prospects for the foreseeable future due to the fallout of our worldwide pandemic. Ski patrol work at Big Sky: terminated early. Ski guiding season: terminated early. Denali guiding season: canceled. Summer guiding season: hard to say; maybe? Mountain Guiding to COVID Screening With limited options available, I …
In 1980, Voile was started with a mission to create tools that would take us further into the outdoors, and tools that would help to keep us safe until our journey had brought us home. We, alongside many others, have devoted ourselves to cultivating access, stewardship, and connection to nature because of the unique peace of mind and profound healing …
Patience. A word we have heard a lot about lately, especially in regards to spring ski mountaineering. As ski mountaineers, we exercise patience often as we wait for acceptable conditions to line up with our specific objectives. Sometimes that means waiting until spring. This spring, Zach and I had our sights set, once again, on skiing the Grand Teton together. …
Risk: possibility of loss or injury. Tolerance: the act of allowing something. From: Merriam Webster Dictionary As I was descending from the summit of Mount Matier to the saddle of the NW Face for our ski descent, I was awestruck by the beauty of the glowing, rimed snow pillars on the ridge. Distracted for a brief second during the exposed …
