On the Cover: Often, a great photo takes a vision, careful planning and a lot of patience. When conditions and lighting align, the skier and photographer must work in harmony to get it all just right. “I had to wait for hours to get this shot because we wanted to make sure that the shadows would fill half of the frame,” says Christoph Oberschneider. Eventually, on this day in Gastein, Austria, the sun did its part, casting partial light over this slope, while darkness loomed in its absence. Lorenz Pfeffel picked his line between the two, gracefully arcing a turn as Oberschneider released his shutter. Christoph Oberschneider

THE OUTLIERS ISSUE

THE TRANGO TANGO p. 68
In 2023, Christina Lustenberger, Jim Morrison and Nick McNutt made an attempt to ski one of Pakistan’s Trango Towers, a well-known objective for alpine climbers, not skiers. It wasn’t successful, but it lit a fire, and a year later, Lustenberger and Morrison returned with climber Chantel Astorga. After three months at base camp, they pulled off the impossible with a successful summit and descent of the Great Trango Tower.

IGNORING CONVENIENCE p. 78
According to environmental activist Robin Greenfield, “We need extreme people because, it’s just a simple fact, if nobody takes it to the extreme, then we never see that we can go to a further possibility.” In the ski world, no one better embodies that than Stratton Matteson, a professional splitboarder who spent five years forsaking gas-guzzling vehicles for a bike and pedaling upwards of 40 miles a day to trailheads around his Oregon home.

CONTOURS: HOKKAIDO p. 88
When considering the perfect powder, endless supply of ramen and healing onsens, it’s obvious why Japan’s northern island is a bucket-list item for skiers. But, beyond the low-density flakes and hot springs, there’s a deep history of sliding on snow, starting with the indigenous Ainu people’s fur-lined birch skis and continuing with an Austrian military man, thriving university outdoor programs and a post-Olympic ski boom.

DEPARTMENTS

Perspective
Mark Abma finds birthday pow.

Editor’s Note
Betsy Manero is addicted to caffeine.

Letters

Off Grid
The Backcountry community shares their untracked experience.

Spectacle

Straight Lines
Ryan Stuart reminds us not to blindly follow social media, and Brody Leven faces binding failure and a midlife crisis in Tajikistan.

Blown In: Splitting Pangea
Seth Beck is on a mission to splitboard the remnants of the historic Central Pangean Mountain Range.

Blown In: Hut, Hut? Take a Hike
Washington’s Cascades are known for their sea of difficult-to-access peaks. And yet, there are hardly any huts available to backcountry skiers within the range.

Blown In: State of the Snowpack
State of the Snowpack is bridging the gap between broad Avalanche Canada forecasting zones and local snowpack variability in B.C.’s mountain towns.

Blown In: Tracks of Change
Paula Smith, through her organization, the Washoe Youth Outdoor Expedition Program, is bringing kids from the reservation into the backcountry.

Wisdom: Doug Chabot
For 29 years, Doug Chabot worked as a forecaster for Montana’s Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. After retiring last year, he shares a few nuggets of wisdom.

Mountain Skills: Mountain Town Survival
It’s no secret that living in a mountain town breaks the bank. Ethan Daly investigates how ski bums are making it work.

Faces: Craig Sheppard
Craig Sheppard is bringing his snow safety expertise—honed in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains— to Australia’s Mountain Safety Collective.

Gearbox: Poles, Skins and Skintrack Accessories
Poles—adjustable and not—skins and all the items to keep you comfortable on the uptrack.

Tailgate: Beach Day Gear

Biff America
Live fast. Don’t die young.

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