We owe a lot to the women profiled in this issue. Their influence on backcountry culture has enabled us all to ski and ride safer, stronger, and better. So even though this list includes only women, these 37 belong on any "Top Skiers" list because of their timeless relevancy in the sport. Also in the January issue, Brigid Mander travels to Norway to discover the cheapest local's secret ever, Heather Hansman takes a look at the gender gap in guiding, and photographer Seth Lightcap gambles big in Nevada's Toiyabe Range. Then, we narrow down the best beacons, probes, airbags, packs and accessories to keep you safe.

FEATURES

Sisters of the Steeps
When your daughter tells you she wants to be a freeskier, have her Google Lynsey Dyer's nationwide SheJumps programs. Was the Marmot Precip the first shell you could truly afford? Thank Neidi Cooley for the design. If skiing has a glass ceiling, these two, and 35 others, have shattered it to pieces.

Norway or the Highway
Norway has a reputation for splitter, seaside couloirs and astronomically expensive travel. So contributor Brigid Mander headed to the Arctic Circle last April to figure out how to ski the mountainous country on the cheap. She found what she was seeking: innumerable ocean-side lines and a network of 500 state-run, accessfriendly, ultra-affordable backcountry huts.

Accessories Guide
When it comes to backcountry essentials, no one item is truly more important than another. Not the probe nor the shovel or beacon. But like with skis, there are a lot of options. And these days, no probe or beacon is created equal. We've helped you narrow down your choices before you enter your Paypal password.

CONTENTS

Contributors

At the Altar
A note from the Editor at Large

Letters

Breakable
A Cut Above?

Backstory
Reader Essay: The Elegant Path

On Location: Nevada
Playing your cards right in the most mountainous state

Eleven Percent
Minority Report: Where are all the female guides?

Women's Specific
Are lady's skis a myth or a must-have?

That Girl
In the lab with cover girl Carolyn Stwertka, future Ph.D

Lance's Lab
Behind the blower and Editors' Choice storm cycles

Mountain Skills
Dig baby, dig

Mountain Account
A Wasatch slide, Alex Lowe, and saying goodbye

Spectacle
1,000 words

Biff America
On getting chicked

Last Col
Sex sells?