On the Cover: In many ways, it’s fitting that our 30-year anniversary cover is shot by none other than legendary Wasatch photographer Lee Cohen. While photo editors, art directors and designers have changed over three decades of Backcountry Magazine, Cohen’s shots have been a constant, tracing back to some of our earliest pages. With decades of experience traipsing through the Wasatch with a camera, it’s no surprise that, when the skies momentarily cleared during a 10-day onslaught of February storms, Cohen yet again found the goods in the Alta backcountry. Tommy Flitton did the rest on this day, slashing champagne powder under bluebird conditions. Lee Cohen

THE 30^th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

THE WAKE OF LOVE. p. 64
In 1993, tele skier Kasha Rigby turned heads when she podiumed at the U.S. Extreme Skiing World Championships. She spent the next 30 years traveling to ski everywhere from China to Uganda to Baffin Island. After her passing on February 13, 2024, she is remembered as both a pioneering skier and a force of nature who gave more than she took.

THIRTY YEARS OF SKI PHOTOGRAPHY p. 74
Backcountry Magazine’s first cover was shot by the publication’s first designer and art director, Brian Litz, in 1994. Since then, we’ve published hundreds of thousands of photos, featuring the best skiers you’ve never heard of and those you have, epic pow slashes, daring descents, skintrack meditation and lifestyle antics. Litz looks back at the early days, with additions from contributing photographer Jeff Diener and our current art director, Mike Lorenz.

POWDER EMPIRES UNITE p. 86
Best friends to mortal enemies is a trope usually reserved for movies. But, in Canada’s Rocky Mountains, Hans Gmoser and Mike Wiegele’s heli-skiing operations turned friends into lifelong rivals. In the process, the two shared a hotel, stole clients off each other, pioneered descents and laid the groundwork for modern decision-making routines in the mountains.

FAMILY STYLE p. 98
There’s a tenuous line between life and death in the mountains—it’s a line Italian splitboarder Ettore Personnettaz knows all too well. Despite experiencing unbearable loss, Personnettaz has cultivated a vibrant splitboarding community in his sleepy corner of the Aosta Valley, highlighted by his festival, Splitboard Day. Each time he shares the joy of slashing a turn, he hopes to honor friends who have died in the mountains.

DEPARTMENTS

Letters

Off Grid

Perspective
Malou Peterson embraces best for last.

Editors’ Notes
To celebrate 30 years of magazines, editors from past and present reflect on their time at Backcountry Magazine.

Spectacle

Straight Lines
Brett St. Claire contemplates the roots of backcountry skiing, Carolyn Highland brings her students to the mountains, and Libby B. Bushell soaks in the joy of backup plans.

Blown In: Leveling the Field
When a 12-year-old Javier Pineda moved from Mexico to Colorado, he dreamed of skiing out in the mountains he could see from the car window. As an adult, Pineda is using his passion for touring to bring more diversity to the sport.

Blown In: From Maps to Apps
Once, tour planning involved a compass and paper topo maps. Today, apps like OnX Backcountry, CalTopo and AspectAvy offer are a plethora of additional tools for backcountry skiers to employ.

Wisdom: Sandy Ward
Almost two decades ago, Sandy Ward found splitboarding connected her to her Indigenous culture. Now, she’s committed to giving others the same opportunity.

Mountain Skills: First Aid Kits
Ski guide and doctor Alan Oram unpacks his first aid kit and shares what to do when a day goes sideways.

Faces: Paul Parker
During his lifetime, telemark icon Paul Parker had an outsized impact on backcountry skiing. He took his last turn in October 2024.

Gearbox: Beacons, Airbags and Avalanche Tools
New beacons, innovative airbags and other backcountry safety essentials.

Biff America
If it wasn’t crowded, it wouldn’t be cool.

Tailgate: Avalanche Poodles
A return of everyone’s favorite test-slope dogs.

For three decades, Backcountry Magazine has been dedicated to the pursuit of fresh lines and the people who live for them.