On the Cover: By August, our art director, Mike Lorenz, had compiled 50 cover options for the coming volume of Backcountry—explosive pow shots, wild lines, jaw-dropping backdrops, knife-edge bootpacks—all eye capturing and with the symmetry and space needed to accommodate cover lines. Often, we ruminate on several possibilities for each issue. Other times, like with this year’s Photo Annual, our eyes and hearts are collectively drawn to one photo that’s simply too striking to place anywhere but the cover. Even after flirting with other photos, we couldn’t get our minds off this shot of a rippling, windblown canvas from Cordova, Alaska, and Simon Hillis’ simple line between shadow and light. Christoph Johann

THE 2026 PHOTO ANNUAL

OPENING THE LENS p. 60
Re Wikstrom recognized the dearth of women in ski media early in her career. With a camera in hand, she set out to change that. Focused on photographing female skiers skiing—not posing—she captured many of the early all-women cover shots. Over two decades later, her work and mentorship has inspired the rising generation of female skiers and photographers.

THE PHOTO ANNUAL p. 72
The average social media scroll-by is hardly the space for art critics, but a magazine gallery is a different story. Art Director Mike Lorenz considers thousands of photos for the Photo Annual, evaluating each shot on everything from lighting to composition to ski form to creativity. Only great, if not perfect, photos make the cut.

LIGHT LINES p. 92
When four-lane highways and developments push
into nature, longstanding wild spaces can vanish in a blink of an eye. To demonstrate how quickly humans can impact a landscape, Calum Macintyre and Vegard Aasen created the Light Lines Project: long-exposure photographs showcasing headlamp-clad skiers weaving their way down Norwegian peaks at twilight.

IN SEARCH OF THE GOODE p. 102
Forrest Coots first spotted Washington’s Mount Goode—the highest summit in North Cascades National Park—from the window of a plane. Four years later, he and Fredrik Marmsater made their way by plane, ferry, e-bike, cable, foot and ski to reach the slopes of the fabled peak. They were rewarded with May pow.

DEPARTMENTS

Perspective
Jeff Cricco finds a unique uptrack.

Editor’s Note
Greta Close enters her girl era.

Letters

Off Grid
The Backcountry community shares their untracked experience.

Straight Lines
Sarah Stern reflects on loving mountain towns to death, and Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada shares the backcountry with family.

Blown In: Arctic Angels
With the predicted potential for Arctic warfare on the rise, the U.S. Airforce is reinvesting in winter combat, teaching soldiers to ski and developing custom planks for the job.

Blown In: WNDR Goes UNDR
Algae-plastic-pioneering ski company WNDR Alpine rose fast and fell quicker.

Wisdom: Marcus Caston
Marcus Caston offers insight on capturing the illusive perfect shot.

Mountain Skills: S.O.S.
When and how to call for help.

On Location: Alaska’s White Mountains
An Anchorage local ventures into Alaska’s interior.

Faces: Scott Rinckenberger
Born and raised in Washington’s Cascades, photographer Scott Rinckenberger has spent his life exploring and capturing his home range.

Gearbox
Gloves, mittens, socks and shoes for warm extremities, insulating layers and stylish but effective poles.

Biff America
Biff navigates the American health care system.

Tailgate: Camp Stove Chic

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