Backcountry-ing has become a pretty big thing recently. With the pandemic shutting down or limiting resort access and complicating the already overly-complicated process of resort skiing, not to mention the soaring lift-ticket prices, many skiers and boarders have turned to more off-piste options. That’s a great thing, in my opinion, as I find backcountry to be a much more pure and calming experience compared to a resort skiing’s frenetic crowds. From a mental health standpoint, at least, I think it could be said that backcountry skiing is better for you.
That being said, from a safety and risk standpoint, you’re a lot more likely to end up in trouble in the backcountry than you are on the resort. So while backcountry is a great thing that I’d love to see everyone try, there’s a right and a wrong way to go about it. In the video above, pro skiers sit down with an avalanche expert and the founder of a survival gear company to chat about how to get out in the backcountry for the first time in a safe manner, and share some war stories about the days when backcountry safety was little more than an afterthought. Check out The Inertia’s Inspire Course on backcountry safety, below.
Editor’s Note: If you’re serious about getting out there in the backcountry, there’s no better place to start than Inspire Courses’Backcountry Basics and Avalanche Awareness, featuring big mountain snowboarder Nick Russel and avalanche instructor Sam Thackeray. Learn how to make safer decisions, find better snow, and ultimately, have more fun.
