FEATURES

ON LOCATION:
CRESTING THE COAST

Tucked in British Columbia's Coast Mountains, McGillivray Lodge stands as one of the oldest operating backcountry lodges in the entire province. The Andrews family, who started renting the lodge in the '70s and eventually purchased it, now use McGillivray as home base for their guiding operation, Whitecap Alpine. Christmas week, however, is always reserved exclusively for the family.

A FAMILY AFFAIR:
FROM BLOODLINES TO SKI LINES

Coombs. LaChapelle. Skoog. Certain family names have become almost synonymous with backcountry skiing and riding. And a look at nearly every facet of the sport reveals families with a deep bond founded in the mountains, from husband/wife guiding duos to family-owned huts to sibling-centric athlete teams. Beginning on p. 66, we profile 35 modern families who prove that backcountry is more than sport—it's life.

DEPOSITION

CONTRIBUTORS
Wintertime wordsmiths

EDITOR'S NOTE
Free Range

LETTERS
Gear Guide feedback and intel from La Grave to Bridger Bowl

BACKSTORY: BLIZZARD OF BABIES
The joys of powder and fatherhood

STRAIGHT LINES: UPBRINGING
A father and son hit the skintrack

STRAIGHT LINES: FOR BETTER OR WORSE
Mountain matrimony in Revelstoke

BLOWN IN

RUBIES IN THE ROUGH
Nevada's Ruby Mountains Helicopter Experience celebrates its 40th anniversary. But the family-run operation's past and future are all about ski touring.

BOARD ROOM: MUST LOVE POWDER
Zach and Cindi Grant, high-school sweethearts and splitboarders from Salt Lake City, have weathered renovations and Alaskan storms.

FIRST TRACKS
In 2014, Mike Libecki took his 11-year-old daughter ski touring—in Antarctica. While some questioned Libecki's decision, he felt the timing was right. So how young is too young to go OB with a kid?

THAT GIRL: A DEVINE PATH
Kate Devine grew up spending weeks at her mother's ski-touring hut and dreams of eventually taking over the family business.

SNOW GEEKS GATHER
Move over, fall film tours: regional snow and avalanche workshops are priming the preseason stoke.

GEAR BOX: FAMILY ESSENTIALS
When hut trips become a family affair, dial in the right gear to keep the good times rollin'.

BASECAMP

MOUNTAIN SKILLS: BACKCOUNTRY SKIING WITH KIDS
A father of two shares the best ways to safely get kids into the skintrack.

MOUNTAIN ACCOUNT: THE LONG HAUL
Todd Wyatt was touring in Banff National Park when an avalanche swept him over a 40-foot cliff, shattering one of his legs. But his story doesn't end there.

WISDOM: SARAH CARPENTER
A co-owner of the American Avalanche Institute talks mentorship, continuing education and teamwork.

ON LOCATION

ALONE: THE SPANISH PYRENEES
Tucked within Spain's northeastern Catalan Region sits Val d'Aran, the country's most isolated valley. While nearby routes draw summer crowds, this zone—separated each winter from the rest of Spain until the 1940s—offers untracked lines and quiet mountain refuges. Kit DesLauriers, along with a crew from Jackson, explores the pristine terrain with a little help from some locals.

BLOWN OUT

BIFF AMERICA
Strong java, brass knuckles and avy packs

LAST COL: STRUGGLE BUS
Terrain trap temper tantrums