By Graham Hesselsweet | January 2022 For years, I had gazed into mountain faces, searching out ski lines and wondering what adventure there was to be had when you dared to exit the boundaries of ski resorts, increase slope angles, and seek out powder stashes. But before it’s safe to venture into the backcountry inContinue reading “AIARE Level I”
Category Archives: Backcountry
Tim’s Birthday
By Sara Hesselsweet | January 2021 We celebrated on the weekend with a tour in the backcountry, of course. This was our first time outside the ropes in Colorado, and because of our lack of familiarity with the terrain and snow conditions, we hired a guide through Apex Mountain School — where Sara and GrahamContinue reading “Tim’s Birthday”
Breckenridge Nordic Center
By Sara Hesselsweet | January 2020 Because our family skis with touring equipment, we have the ability to free-heel. For many folks, the objective of alpine touring involves climbing up slopes that aren’t accessible by lifts so you can then ski lines inaccessible to resort skiers, often in remote locations and/or untracked powder. But backcountryContinue reading “Breckenridge Nordic Center”
Ski touring at Baldy Ridge, near Breckenridge, CO
By Emma Hesselsweet | January 2021 I leaped up the mountain, occasionally looking back to see my family, right behind me. Today it was actively snowing, and we were making use of our new uphill skis. For our first foray into the backcountry of 2022, we chose this Baldy Ridge ascent close to the townContinue reading “Ski touring at Baldy Ridge, near Breckenridge, CO”
How our family started uphill skiing
This story starts on a freezing cold day a few years back, when we were skiing down the face of Mount Snow in Vermont and I got caught on a tricky patch of ice and nearly slid into a tree. As I collected my nerves and tried in vain to search out a less-icy line,Continue reading “How our family started uphill skiing”
The Peace of Wild Things 