Somewhere in the world, it is time for your Friday morning (or afternoon) coffee break? Draw another espresso and read on.
This guy is lucky to be alive, so lucky. You won’t believe the epic he and his friend went through back in January. Heli rescue in the dark, companion left wearing only his base layers, triggering avalanches while trying to ski out and not freeze to death. Best wishes for a lot of healing! Whew.
Beautiful, a coalition of advocacy groups in Vermont U.S.A. banded together and created a genuine uphill-downhill ski touring area, human powered. Located in Green Mountain National Forest, an uphill skin track and 1,200 vertical foot descents. Been going on for a while, time to begin doing more coverage. Looks a bit vegetated, but no more than some of the over-grown and poorly managed timber we ski through here in Colorado. Interestingly, in the article they allude that “combating” illegal cutting perhaps led to a more open process of legally creating ski runs. I was excited to see the video linked below explaining that glading can be done with zero negative impact on the forest. Lesson for the rest of our fair land? Pull those chainsaw ropes and let the forestry enlightenment commence! More here.
Ever wondered at what’s the highest lift served skiing in the world? Wonder no more.
Napkin sketch your backcountry safety plan while sipping that morning java? Apparently, that’s what financial planner Carl Richards does when he’s not making caffeine fueled investment decisions and has some extra paper laying around. Basic point here, but well done by who but the New York Times? Which reminds me, perhaps get a napkin sketch you can stick to your ski for the day, with THE PLAN. Your plan. The plan you are going to stick with?
Ok, with all the talk about safety and rescues, are you thinking about how good that helicopter pilot needs to be? I’ve always wondered about the details of “short haul” rescues, that rather hairball looking operation that involves dangling a SAR hero from a cable below the bird. I’ve been told that worldwide, short haul has revolutionized alpine rescue. But not without challenges and danger. Excellent article here. Any heli pilots or SAR folks care to comment?
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
