The idea of escaping into nature and away from the crowds—and enjoying untouched snow—may sound really good, but where do you start? There are two essential components, education and gear.
Skis
Any downhill ski can theoretically be set up for use in the backcountry, but alpine touring skis designed specifically for backcountry use usually feature lighter weight designs that make hiking uphill drastically easier.
Backcountry/alpine touring/ski mountaineering skis (the terms are used interchangeably) range from super-svelte trekking and racing styles focused primarily on uphill mobility and speed, to more freeride-focused models that offer the same massive dimensions and innovative rocker profiles as the newest inbounds powder skis. My backcountry skis offer touring features like notches in the tip and tail for attaching climbing skins. Along with low weight comes some sacrifice in another areas, usually in the ski’s ability to remain damp and chatter-free on hard snow or to resist impact damage to the base and edges like I just found out on Saturday.
Skins
Skins are ready-to-cut sections of plush material that stick to the bottom of your skis and allow you to travel uphill without sliding back down. This is because they have a ‘nap’ that helps grip the snow in one direction, and glide in the other.
Skins are made of synthetic/mohair blend that are durable and grippy, while mohair skins glide with superior speed and efficiency, but may not grip as well as synthetics. Skins with a blend of mohair and synthetic offer a balance of these qualities.
Clips at the tip and tail and a sticky, non-permanent glue compound keep a skin attached to your ski. Most skins use clips that will universally attach to any ski. Martin gave me skins that shipped with an easy-to-use trimming tool and instructions.
Bindings
Backcountry touring bindings allow my heel to move freely off of my ski while I'm skinning uphill for an easier, more natural stride. When it’s time to ski down, the bindings lock down in the heel. There are several types of touring bindings: low-profile, lightweight tech bindings that are only compatible with touring boots with dimpled tech inserts.
Ultralight and minimalist by design, these tech bindings (originally developed by Dynafit) only work with ski touring boots with tech-compatible heel and toe fittings. This binding style places a premium on stride efficiency and low weight, rather than adjustability or downhill performance. These bindings didn’t historically feature traditional DIN adjustment, but new options on the Dynafit Binding are indicative of big mountain skier’s desire to adopt tech bindings.
Other things in these touring bindings include heel risers that can give a boost under your heel for climbing steep hills. Brakes aren’t standard on these ultralight tech bindings.
Boots
Touring boots feature a walk mode that allows the ankle to pivot freely for better range of motion when you’re hiking and skinning. They also usually include aggressively lugged rubber soles and lightweight shell material, all of which make the alpine touring boot suitable for gaining altitude. A carbon cuff or tongue, lightweight plastic shell, minimalist buckle design, or honeycomb structure help reduce the weight of the boot so I can move faster and feel less fatigued during a long tour.
Martin helped me to make sure that I was getting boots that are compatible with my bindings. A true alpine touring boot’s rockered sole is generally only compatible with pin-style tech bindings.
Like traditional alpine boots, touring boots cover a range of flex ratings. I love my boot’s flexibility on the walk or skin up which also is affected by the range of motion on the walk/ride hinge.
Poles
Backcountry ski poles are essentially the same as your regular ski poles, but they ideally will have an adjustable or collapsible design to adapt to changing terrain. For example, you may want them longer than normal for flat terrain (so you can swing them like cross-country poles), and shorter when you’re ascending steeper terrain.
Now that you have your equipment assembled, what else do you bring along? It will depend on how long you expect to be out and how far you are going, among other things. There are, however, some things you shouldn’t leave home without.
Backcountry Ski Pack
A good backcountry ski pack is tough, offers a means of carrying my skis if I need to, a mid-sized capacity, and a sleeve or compartment that’s made specifically to hold the shovel Martin ordered especially for me with it's smaller size, probe, are avalanche rescue tools for quick access. Beyond that, an extra attachment points for things like my helmet (which I would rather not wear on a sweaty ascent).
Martin can tell you more about picking the right ski touring pack.
For Christmas he not only gave me a pack that will allow quick and easy access to my shovel and probe, but this backpack may help save my life with this airbag system. If I suddenly find myself in a slide, I pull the oh-crap handle and an airbag deploys to increase my mass and help me to stay on top of the debris and minimize my chance of trauma and burial.
Avalanche Beacon
Beacons are absolute necessities. Without one I cannot search for someone who was buried in an avalanche, and no one can find me. Some beacons have a lot of bells and whistles, but as a beginner the most important thing I needed to look for was easy and intuitive use.
However, no matter how simple my beacon may be to use, I need to practice until operation is second nature. So we are planning to go out in the snow, and bury some packs with beacons in them to practice our search skills. When things go south and lives are on the line, nurses don’t rise to the occasion, they fall back on their training. Beacons are computers, and computers are only as smart as the people operating them...
Shovel
The classic winter tool is a necessity in the backcountry as well— my shovel is used to dig test pits for snow-pack analysis and to excavate skiers in the event of an avalanche.
A plastic blade isn’t strong enough to dig through concrete-hard avalanche debris. Aluminum is the only choice for safety in avalanche terrain. Some blades offer a serrated edge or pointed shape for extra digging power. Blade size is also a factor; those with larger blades will move more snow, but are harder to manage. That is why Martin choose a shovel with a fixed-length shaft for me; a fixed-length shovel is lightweight and makes for easy storage in a backpack.
Probe
A lightweight folding pole ten feet long, an avalanche probe is used in an avalanche rescue scenario to probe the snowpack for buried skiers once I locate their general position with an avalanche beacon, enabling me to zero in with accuracy that a beacon can’t provide. This leads to less digging time and a faster recovery, which can potentially save lives.
Puffy Jacket/Extra Insulation Layer
The layers to bring along and/or wear will vary greatly depending on the weather, but even on a bluebird day, having a good warm puffer in the bottom of my pack is always a great idea. Weather can change quickly and keeping warm will be that much easier.
Extra Gloves
Gloves are a crucial piece of equipment and I have a few pairs, a thin fleece pair for skinning up, a midweight leather pair for skiing and transitioning, and an insulated, fully waterproof pair to keep my fingers warm in challenging weather.
I think everyone has their own list of necessities, one that develops out of experience. For example, I now always take a small thermos of hot tea on ski/bus trip approaches. When, after a long ski day on the hill, you find a frozen-fingered eight-year-old from the quickly declining weather conditions in the fading light, your touring partner will celebrate you as a savior when you warm the frozen digits with your magically hot water. Point being—experience is the real teacher, and I learned this one the hard way.
Above all …
Martin has me all geared up, but, he can’t emphasize enough: know before you go. The most important things you bring into the backcountry are knowledge and good judgment. Good judgment keeps you out of trouble, and knowledge may save you if your judgment comes up short. Unfortunately, judgment only comes from experience.
So, how do you live through the learning curve? I cannot start backcountry skiing with experience, but I can start with some knowledge by taking an avalanche 101 course. Luckily, my first trip into the backcountry with my new gear took place with an avalanche expert, Martin. He made sure we were heading to a safe, low-angle zone and he knows what he is doing and is willing to teach me. Then, he signed us up to take a course next month.
Above all, enjoy! A new world of experiences awaits us.
