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Show 14 February 1997 BACKCOUNTRY ETIQUETTE BY CRAIG GORDON WITH JOHN BRESEE Backcountry skiing and riding is the fastest growing segment in the industry; take a look at the face of Superior for confirmation of this. Where once the backcountry was an area reserved for the fringe elements of skiing, nowadays it has become a playground for riders of all snow vehicles. Unfortunately many of the newcomers to the backcountry have not put in their time learning the appropriate lore and respect for the terrain. What follows is a simple guide to backcountry etiquette, which might help keep you alive....either by avoiding avalanches and accidents, or angry confrontations with those who claim to have been as they climb the mountain. Foot trails destroy this tenuous grip. If you want to lay a boot path, use the natural advantage you have by taking a more direct line up the mountain than a free heel skier can take; you will get there faster and everyone will be happier. Multiple skiers on the same slope: This is one of the most common, and most dangerous mistakes you can make. Unfortunately the ski movies are helping to create this problem by showing huge Alaskan slopes, with three and four skiers interweaving. Don’t do this in the Backcountry or you will die, and your bro’s will be buried next to you. skiing these hills since they put down their mining “Conserve powder, So it is there for you tomorrow” Powder Conservation: This is an area of environmentalism with almost no lobby, but we at the WCR 7 bummer. What this means is that you should avoid ble. Stay in your own believe this is crucial. Conserve powder, so it is there for you tomorrow. How; it is easy. If you are taking a fast line down a hill, ski within reasonable boundaries. Meaning, don’t take 300 yard wide arcing turns and Z-up the hill. Use the fall line, and be aware of the area you are tracking up. A group of skilled tele skiers can ski all day in an area which snowboarders can track in one run. A snowmobiler who is high marking can pack out a huge area in no time. The marks of a snowmobile can set up as hard ridges, ruining the area for other recreationists. Try to use a previously laid traverse, rather than creating your own. Every track can quickly set up into a curb and gutter when we go through a period of high pressure | | Safety Skills: REI and many other area outlets offer frequent classes on backcountry safety. Take a class! Make yourself into a skilled independent backcountry specialist. Choose your partners carefully, and be fully aware of their safety skills. It is easy to find yourself the leader of a group of people with no clue at all. In this instance they automatically look to you as the leader, and you bear the responsibility. If you are going into the backcountry with little Crossing tracks: The slope you choose is your own personal tapestry and should remain so until one has had proper time to reflect on the work. The purity of creating a long zipper down the hill is the lure for many people, and to stop at the bottom just in time to see someone else Z across your line is a sullying someone elses ment it, you area liability, and do not belong in the _ backcountry. Owning a transceiver does not make you a guru. All too often people head out with a transceiver and no shovel which just means they will find your frozen corpse a little sooner. Avalanche hard work whenever possi- line. Your track on the hill is an expression of your skills, and often an expression of yourself. As an. art form it is very under, appreciated outside of the Alpine Community, but within it it has tremendous value. The Rules for backcountry access are simple, yet beaters keep screwing it up. Don’t hike in a skin trail! When a person postholes his (or her) way up a — skin trail, it makes the trail unusable to those who. put in the effort to lay it in the first place. Free heel skiers use devices known as skins to grip the snow It’s Your Ticket To Ride! debris is like cement - hands, skis and snowboards are worthless. | The avalanche may not be what kills you: While you should be aware of the avalanche threat, the big danger to many people could be something more shovel. Gaia is powerful: The Wasatch Front Range is widely regarded as one of the most active avalanche areas in the country. On a sunny day, it is easy to forget the inherent danger of travel off the beaten path. Learn and practice a deep and powerful respect for the wilderness; acknowledge that you are alive only at the whim of the mountains on which you travel. or no safety training, you are placing the responsibility for your life on someone else. Without a cohesive evacuation plan, and the skills to imple- mundane, like equipment failure or simple injury. If you break your binding on your snow- board can you still get yourself out of the wilderness? What piece of equipment, or minor injury could keep you overnight on the mountain? If I drop this rock, and it doesn’t work out, what happens? Can my friends cart my sorry, damaged ass out of here? These are questions you need to ask yourself, and be honest with your answers. Route Finding: Can you read a map? Do you have a map? Do you know the names of the surrounding peaks? You should learn a bit of the history and geography of an area before venturing off-piste. You can’t tell the rescue party that your pal, “is buried near a cornice.” Ambiguous call. Know where you are and where you are going. Cellular Telephones and other Electronic Gimcrackery: Yes there are a lot of cool toys out there, and they can probably save your life....and that is what they should be used for. If you happen to carry a cel phone so that you can check your voice mail from Wolverine Peak or get stock quotes on the tram, then you are an ass. Carrying an electronic form of communication does not obviate your responsibility for yourself. It is not a crutch to make up for your absolute lack of backcountry savvy. You can’t call for help when you are buried in snow. The Wasatch Backcountry is quickly becoming crowded, and it is only going to get more saturated. Only by being aware, respectful, and responsible can we keep the pristine experience which so many of us love. — Actually, it’s the Access Ride Ticket “Best Authentic Thai Food cca e Vegetarian Dishes You can even let others ride instead of the day. Ski two use vais lift rides when you or three runs ia the morning, or can’t be enjoying Solitude! take the afternoon off to catch a E This winter, experience E éB Access at Solitude! ES i entree of equal or greater value. ji Valid dinner only M-Th. Not valid with other offers. Must A present before ordering. Not valid Friday or Saturday. This WCR coupon expires 1/15/97 Sur Resont Just purchase as many runs Solitude. There's nothing quite lik Big Cottonwoo d yo it. tah | Be fecows) |_Pies WwW... “Requires a one-time purchase of the electronic Access Card for $4. Minimum purchase required. rs Ham aatemcyo) L J CUISINE! Solitude thawed carcass out AO aaa at Solitude! GCE SS: at ab Sandy Mall oT TAA ‘ without paying the big price tag. a whether they find you in 3 minutes, or dig your wolf chewed half Present this coupon before i ordering and get one free entree with the purchase of another as if you had a season pass, — Experience It is up to you... BUY ONE | GET ONE FREE| call Solitude at 534-1400. another great way to use the Access Card, you can ski Solitude _ M-Sa 11-2 M-Th 5-9 Fri-Sat 5-10 For more information on all that the Access Card bis to afte: With the Access Ride Ticket, Lunch Dinner =a few runs of fresh powder. Open In The State” Scneorecennens purchase your skiing by the lift as you like and you're sci for the Resch Cre Ses Imagine being able to bcs t o re |