Backcountry skiing news from the year 2006, enjoy the history of touring.

The plastic vs aluminum shovel debate continues to rage on web forums and during private conversations. A number of people have asked what I use, and why I depict a minimal plastic shovel in my photo of a gear kit…

We just got back from Zermatt, Switzerland and wanted to send you some photos you might post. I was amazed at the amount of snow — the second day of our trip a two day storm began and dumped 1 meter of snow.

Avalanche expert and author Jill Fredston writes about her experiences with snow safety in the backcountry.

The Euro ski racing scene was kind of an eye opener. The resorts are huge, wide open and do almost no avalanche control work by North American standards. Add to that the mentality that avalanches are seen as an unavoidable act of God, and you begin to see why so many people die over there.