Discovering the Inland Northwest Backcountry I’m on the wrong side of the road as I skin up Columbia Mountain. It looked good from Google Maps, but as I continue to ascend it looks like I’ll either be skiing mellow trees back down to the car or dropping into some very steep terrain with trees and […]
Immense But Not Impossible Read More »
Whitewater Ski Resort’s Coldsmoke Powder Festival Is Always a Trip to Remember I make it within five blocks and 20 minutes of the opening social event at Coldsmoke Powder Fest in Nelson, British Columbia, and I realize I’m getting a migraine. To the point that I can’t see. Did I mention this particular event I’m
Coldsmoke, Snowboarding and Mountain Migraines Read More »
We’re all trying to get the best bang for our buck, and when you ski or board, that means trying to get some freshies in the days after a storm. We are lucky living in the Inland Northwest with so many resorts all within a short drive. Taking last season out of the mix, each
Altai Skis, the guys that make the ski/snowshoe hybrid the “Hok” as well as other snow sliding gear, is having a demo and ski day at Sitzmark Ski Area, probably the smallest most retro ski area in Washington and maybe the whole Northwest. The area is close to the Altai Skis world headquarters near the Canadian border in Curlew,
Altai Skis Demo and Instruction at Sitzmark Ski Area in North Central WA (Feb. 6) Read More »
Comfort is a relative word to apply to camping. I’m perfectly comfortable spending days at a time in the backcountry, but I recently heard of a couple who planned a summer trip in their RV, powered by generator, to a campsite less than half an hour from their home. They did so in order to
Winter Camping in Comfort—Tips to Stay Warm, Dry and Have Fun Sleeping Out in the Snow Read More »
If ever I wanted to be adopted by a town, I’d like to be able to call Fernie my home. In fact, in a single weekend visit it already feels like that. It isn’t the way everyone greets you with quaint Canadian charm, eh (they do), or the surrounding mountains in which the town is
Home Sweet Home to the North: Fernie, B.C. Read More »
Picture snow. That snow is polka dotted with cross-country skiers laughing as they make their way across white clearings and curving trails to a warming hut for free cider and soup. Picture kids frantically racing to the finish line for a donut. Envision booths, vendors, prizes, and scavenger hunts. Picture yourself swooshing down quiet trails
Winterfest Offers a Chance to Make Friends, Learn Something New, and Eat Donuts Read More »
December reminded us just how good winter can be here in the Inland Northwest: knee-deep resort days; cross-country skiing and sledding in city parks; urban fat biking; backcountry ski conditions that get you looking for camper vans on Craigslist; and the silent, white beauty of snow as it piles up in feet across the region.
Reimagining Winter Read More »
The Altai Balla Hok is short, wide and comes with an integrated climbing skin that provides exceptional traction and stability; it’s the perfect learning ski/snowshoe design for getting kids from ages 5 to early teens into the backcountry and loving the snowy wilds (depending on their size and ability level). Bridging cross-country skis and snowshoes,
Altai Balla Hok (Kids Snowshoe/Ski Hybrid) Read More »
Backcountry travelers are adding another piece of avalanche safety gear to the essential three (shovel, probe, transceiver) when they play in the mountains. If everything else goes wrong and you find yourself caught in an avalanche, an airbag is designed to keep you at the surface of the snow and visible to rescuers. I’ve been
ABS Vario Airbag Backpack Read More »
