On the Cover: It’s not often you see long dreads flowing from a ski helmet. Meet San Juan Expeditions guide and longtime splitboarder Kam Weakley, shown here letting his hair down in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. “Throughout my career in the mountains I have become aware that there are not too many people recreating in the outdoors that look like me, let alone working in the mountains professionally,” Weakley says in his guide bio. “I am proud of who I am and am excited to share that through my guiding.” [Photo] Jeff Cricco

THE 2024 PHOTO ANNUAL

THE PHOTO ANNUAL p. 58
A ski photographer’s life might seem idyllic, an endless parade of pow days. However, that ignores the frozen fingers and toes, heavy backpacks and long nights spent editing. From that work (and immense skill) comes our Photo Annual’s array of images that capture the backcountry experience, from face shots to tired feet, long skintracks to wine pulls.

900 INCHES p. 80
Donner Summit, California, winter 1951/52: 812 inches of snow. Thompson Pass, Alaska, 1952/53: 974 inches. Mt. Baker, Washington, 1998/99: 1,126 inches. Last winter’s 903 inches in the Wasatch is bound to join these prodigious dumps in the history books. Four Utah shooters tell us what it was like to wade through that much snow.

THROUGH VIKING EYES p. 90
Ethereal light, picturesque terrain and powder stashes make any place a ski photographer’s dream. But Norway and its well-known Lofoten Islands have more than that. Liam Doran captures this land of gods and giants, the endless possibilities of touring at sea level with waxing daylight and the simple beauty of skiing from summit to sea.

FROM SCARCITY TO ABUNDANCE p. 100
More people than ever are touring, which means more stakeholders invested in land access, road use and untracked turns. By leveraging communities’ collective power to improve accessibility and equity, backcountry alliances—from California’s Sierras to New Hampshire’s White Mountains—are showing everyone can find what they need on the skintrack.

DEPOSITION

Perspective
Mattias Fredriksson captures a shot for the birds.

Straight Lines
Carolyn Highland earns her turns the very hard way while Drew Zieff takes the easy way up, and Atalaya Hausdoerffer earns ice cream in Paris.

BLOWN IN

Zeroing in on Zincton
In a defunct B.C. mining town, a proposed ski resort promises lift-access backcountry in an ecofriendly package. As Zincton All- Season Resort grinds through red tape, locals question if this is the best use of the ghost town and popular touring zone.

Wisdom: Re Wikstrom
Re Wikstrom knows your network is your net worth and has surrounded herself with a slew of strong friends.

Mountain Skills: Skintrack Hero
Bootpacks and kickturns and slope angles, oh my! There’s a lot to setting the perfect skintrack, but uphill enthusiasts Alex Geary, Kylee Toth and Joey Vosburgh break it down for better ascending this winter.

Gearbox: Electronics
Long gone are the days of carrying only a topo map and a compass. These gadgets—ranging from communication devices to watches to lighting—might just get you out of a backcountry pickle.

BLOWN OUT

Profile: Alison Criscitiello
Most ski trips are recreational forays, meaningful to the participants, not the wider world. But glaciologist and ski mountaineer Alison Criscitiello’s expeditions serve a wider purpose. When she drilled a 1,037- foot ice core on Canada’s Mount Logan in 2022, her work unlocked thousands of years of weather and snow knowledge.

CONTRIBUTORS 

EDITOR'S NOTE

LETTERS

BIFF AMERICA

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