This chapter considers specific techniques that will help you ski over, around, and through problematic terrain and snow conditions. With good snow sense, you can ski places that you have avoided until now. Winter backcountry travel means more than skiing – it entails pathfinding through varying snow and terrain conditions. It really is what makes this sport so interesting, challenging, and fun!


Image captions (looking at small icons on the left):
Top left: Cornices like this are best left alone. It was down climbed in a fit of stupidity.

Top right: Getting out of a crevasse is not easy and rescue practice play is an important role or more efficient results. Photo courtesy of Peter Cliff.

Middle left: Trail breaking should be done with the legs not with the arms and with a fair amount of patience. Vivesphoto.

Middle right: Jumping cornices can be fun in the spring, especially when they have been well scouted out for the stability of he cornice as well as the length of the run out beneath the cornice. Vivesphoto.

Bottom left: Mining shafts such as these can be encountered in the Western mountains where mining activity occurred in the 1800’s. This was found on the very well-traversed route to Crested Butte from Aspen over Pearl Pass. I wonder how many people have missed it by mistake? Vivesphoto.