In fact, when you consider that people have been using skis as transportation - and fun, of course - through the mountains for generations, it's really quite old.
But like all things recreation, gear makes it better and more accessible to more people.
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| This is Chad. More photos below. |
The first question most people have is, "Why?"
First, it's in the mountains so there are amazing vistas in some of the best places on earth. Plus the opportunity to ski unbroken powder in a way that few people get to experience.
"You go there to see the things you can’t see in a car," Chad said. "Where we were, those views are not accessible for everybody. They are for the ones who push hard and just want to experience that next view."
But getting away from the masses at the local resort also comes with some challenges.
There's the reality that you have to get yourself up there. Unless you have access to a helicopter, you're going to have to ski and hike to the best spots. That takes very specific backcountry skis or split snowboards.
The difficulty of that trek depends on where you're going, of course. Technically, backcountry begins once you leave the confines of a resort, away from the groomers and the safety of the ski patrol.
Epic is what you make of it.
"It was probably four or five hours of hiking for a half-hour to 45 minutes of skiing," Chad said of the area around Cooke City. "It’s not hop off the lift and ski with your buddy on the way down."
The risk of avalanche and the conditions at times required the group of four to ski a few hundred yards a time, one at a time, until they got to a safer point.
Backcountry enthusiasts want to combine the thrill of the downhill with the journey to get there. That requires more gear, more experience and a greater level of training to prepare for everything that can happen up in the mountains - in the winter.
Unpredictable changes in weather, bitter cold, potential avalanches... bears? ... are all things that need to be accounted for.
Each morning, going through the gear and safety equipment - a rescue beacon, shovel, probe, extra layers, 24 hours of nutrition, fluids - there's a realization of the risk.
"Being nervous and a little sacred is a reminder that I have to be ready," Chad said.
The payoff is incomparable skiing.
"High up in the mountains, there are meadows of untouched powder that you get to carve your way through," Chad said.
It's hard to know for sure, but Chad estimates that many of the spots they skied were about a 30 inch base, with a crust and then a foot or more of powder. It's the rare opportunity "float" across the snow.
Cooke City is a tiny town southeast of Livingston, Mont., near Yellowstone Park the Wyoming border.
There are many AirBnB options in the mountains for lodging, which is what Chad's group did.
"It's a beautiful drive. Everybody should do it once in the winter," he said.
"You'd have to be pretty stubborn to live there. The tourism from my perspective would be fly fishing, backcountry skiing and snowmobiling. You’re not going there for old-timey photos or a shootout at noon. There was a decided lack of saltwater taffy and fudge."
Chad's group hired a guide for portions of the trip where none of them had skied before. Other members had some experience in the area and the safety certifications necessary for the trip.
There are guides and classes available in nearly all the major skiing areas in the country. This is just one that has multiple options in multiple sites in Wyoming and other western states.
A little searching and you'll find options where you want to go.
Stop by the store and we'll chat about whatever epic journey you have in mind.
We've got backcountry skis, splitboards and skins in stock.
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