The coolest thing about the trip was being able to ski with Rick Borkovic, a prime figure in the revival of using the telemark turn for backcountry skiing. In the 1960s and 1970s Rick was a ski patrolman and guide in Crested Butte, Colorado. With his nordic as well as alpine skiing expertise, in 1971 Rick (along with a few other Crested Butte locals) began experimenting with using nordic ski gear to make turns on steep alpine terrain. Rick’s group, along with concurrent nordic downhill experimentation in the Northeastern U.S. and in California, led to the modern free-heel skiing industry.

MapQuest Recommends Backcountry Skiing and Jeeping Between Aspen and Crested Butte, ski tour some of this at your peril, route eventually fixed but blog post left for humor.

Andrew McLean dispatch from southern Patagonia ski mountaineering trip

Giving Thanks for Rock Climbing and other Backcountry Gifts

If it seems a bit out of character, it is! But just to prove this old dawg can do a few new tricks, we did the 13 hour drive from Colorado down to Joshua Tree National Park for a week…

Ted Mahon report on Snake Coulior skiing on Mount Sneffels, Colorado backcountry skiing