On the Cover: For Joel Pollinger and photographer Oskar Enander, last year's especially deep early December in Engelberg, Switzerland, brought plenty of serendipitous days when everything lined up. "No crowds, deep and stable snowpack and a great crew," Enander recalls of the day when he caught Pollinger slashing this cover's perfect powder turn. "Joel, with his powerful style, got the job done." [Photo] Oskar Enander

THE 2022 PHOTO ANNUAL

FOR MAC AND LUCY
Early on, Adam Wirth discovered that ski touring with his kids made for great family time. With his children growing up,Wirth reflects on lessons learned and memories shared on the skintrack.

THE ECONOMIST
Ski lodge magnate Larry Dolecki runs six no-frills lodges in the Canadian Rockies. On a recent trip he gave photographer Steve Ogle lessons in economics and in his philosophy that prizes terrain over amenities.

THE PHOTO ANNUAL
As the calendar moves into winter, we jumpstart your daydreaming with studies of powder melding with light, mountains towering over valleys and, of course, skiers and riders leaving their ephemeral marks on snow.

THE GREATEST SNOW
Despite increasing pressure, the range that stands over Salt Lake City, Utah, remains an epicenter for the evolution of North American backcountry skiing and riding. From dawn patrollers to legendary photographers, the Wasatch Mountains' most notable characters tell their stories from this remarkable range.

EDITOR'S NOTE

LETTERS

BIFF AMERICA

DEPTH

DEPOSITION

PERSPECTIVE
Photographer Guy Fattal made good on his goal of skiing in Canada's Tantalus Range. While there, he shared a special moment with skiers Chad Sayers and Tom Peiffer.

STRAIGHT LINES
Scott Yorko reminds us to not be so serious, Tom Hallberg makes the case for (sometimes) paying to tour, and a quiet mountain town gets discovered.

BLOWN IN

THE CONVERGENCE
Cody Hughes and Clay James quietly left their home in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2019 with an unthinkable goal: biking to Alaska to ski off the summit of Denali. The duo is part of a growing trend of environmental activists, cardio junkies and back- country purists who are ditching trains, planes and automobiles for fully human-powered adventures.

WISDOM: ANDREW DRUMMOND
The community-focused events organized by Ski The Whites owner Andrew Drummond are changing New Hampshire's ski culture.

MOUNTAIN SKILLS: OBSERVATION OVERLOAD
Sarah Carpenter thinks like a scientist and listens to Mother Nature's whispers and shouts to stay safe in avalanche terrain.

GEARBOX: GLOVES AND SUNGLASSES
Because cold fingers and bleary eyes make for a crum- my day in the mountains.

BLOWN OUT

NASCAR TO NOWHERE
Cole Pearn goes fast. But as the new owner of British Columbia's Golden Alpine Holidays, the go-kart champion and former NASCAR crew chief is learning to slow down.

For over two and a half decades, Backcountry's kept a close pulse on skis, boots, bindings, splitboards and more.