backcountry skiing
Ungroomed mountain touring
Backcountry skiing is skiing in remote, unmarked terrain beyond the boundaries of maintained ski resorts.
Unlike resort skiing with groomed runs and ski lifts, backcountry skiers hike or use climbing skins to ascend slopes before skiing down through untracked snow.
The practice requires avalanche awareness, navigation skills, and self-sufficiency: We spent the weekend backcountry skiing in the Tetons.
Organized exploratory journey
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
- thrill-seekingPursuing excitement through risk
- adrenalineEmergency response hormone
- escapadeReckless, exciting adventure
quest · journey · discovery · remote access · peak bagging · dawn patrol · ski mountaineering · traverse
Newly made, not stale
- untouchedNot contacted or affected
- deepFar from surface
- fluffySoft and light-textured
- champagneEffervescent celebratory wine
face shots · waist-deep · bottomless · blower · settled · sluff · spindrift · accumulation
Rapid mountain snow collapse
- crevasseDeep glacial fissure
- exposureState of being unprotected
- hypothermiaDangerously low body temperature
- frostbiteFreezing of body tissue
tree well · whiteout · isolation · remoteness · commitment
Guiding light source
Distant or controller
- pristinePure and untouched
- solitudeState of being alone
- untouchedNot contacted or affected
- sereneUntroubled and composed
expansive · wildlife · natural beauty · unspoiled · tranquil · silence · vastness · escape
Open forest spaces
- chutesInclined passage for conveying
- steepsSoaks to extract flavor
- bowlsDeep rounded containers
- cornicesHorizontal decorative ledges
cliffs · drop-offs · alpine zone · subalpine · ridgelines · north-facing · windward · leeward
expedition
Organized exploratory journey
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
- thrill-seekingPursuing excitement through risk
- adrenalineEmergency response hormone
escapade · quest · journey · discovery · remote access · peak bagging · dawn patrol · ski mountaineering · traverse · untracked
fresh
Newly made, not stale
champagne · face shots · waist-deep · bottomless · blower · settled · sluff · spindrift · accumulation · snowfall
avalanche
Rapid mountain snow collapse
- crevasseDeep glacial fissure
- exposureState of being unprotected
- hypothermiaDangerously low body temperature
frostbite · tree well · whiteout · isolation · remoteness · commitment
beacon
Guiding light source
remote
Distant or controller
serene · expansive · wildlife · natural beauty · unspoiled · tranquil · silence · vastness · escape · disconnection
glades
Open forest spaces
cornices · cliffs · drop-offs · alpine zone · subalpine · ridgelines · north-facing · windward · leeward · approach
- outdoor recreationhiking, camping, fishing, swimming, biking
- skiingski, ski resort, ski slope, ski slopes, ski lift
- Canadian outdoorscanoeing, provincial parks, Banff, Jasper, Rockies
- Mountain Recreationbackpacking, hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, mountain climbing
- mountain sportssnowboarding, ski jumping, mountaineering, rock climbing, ice climbing
- Mountain Tourismcable car, chairlift, chalet, gondola, lodge
backcountry skiingdownhill skiing
Snow sport descending slopes
alpine skiing · ski resort · bunny slopes · ski school · cross-country skiing
backcountry skiingwater skiing
Towed surface gliding sport
wakeboarding · surfing · kitesurfing · windsurfing · bodyboarding
country, skiing, backcountry, backcountries, cross-country skiing