Tech Tips Archives
The Ultimate Guide
to Backcountry Skiing
The Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Skiing and Riding After each one of our courses at Baker Mountain Guides, we do our best to provide useful resources to our students so they can continue their education and not completely forget all the things they learned from us. There’s a lot of great information out there, but […]
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Backcountry
Navigation 101
Backcountry Navigation 101 Navigating in the backcountry has changed a lot over the years with easy and affordable access to technology. Anyone can now turn their cell phone into a stand-alone GPS unit that puts a blue dot wherever you are in terrain. The basics, however, haven’t changed. To truly use your navigation tools (even […]
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Whiteout
Navigation
Whiteout Navigation Whether you are a backcountry skier or mountain climber, learning the basics of whiteout navigation is essential for off-trail travel in the mountains. This post presents tools, strategies, and techniques to keep in your quiver for those low visibility days. This post has two main sections: 1. Where to Move (Tools for knowing […]
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Travel Techniques for
Backcountry Skiers
Travel Techniques for Backcountry Skiers and Riders In the backcountry, as a skier or rider, it is of utmost importance that you manage your group through terrain appropriately. Below are some common travel techniques on the uphill and downhill to help you keep your squad skiing/riding together for a lifetime. And we at Baker Mountain […]
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Backcountry Skiing
Skinning Techniques
Backcountry Skiing Skinning Techniques Backcountry skiing is much more enjoyable once you understand how the equipment works and the skinning techniques that maximize your gear’s potential. This post walks you through some general skinning techniques, uphill techniques, and transitions. General Techniques Baby Steps Unless you’re traveling on relatively flat terrain where you can get good […]
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Backcountry Skiing First Aid Kits
Backcountry Skiing First Aid Kits Do you have the necessary tools to respond to an emergency in the backcountry? Do you have the medical training? Avalanche Rescue training? The more training I get and the more I know, the bigger my pack gets. Below is what I carry in my backcountry skiing first aid kit. […]
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Repair Kits for Backcountry Skiing
Repair Kits for Backcountry Skiing and Riding Let’s layout a little scenario. You’re out for a long day tour in perfect pow conditions. To get away from the crowds, you push out pretty far into terrain and drop into a different drainage than the car is parked. On your run down, you take a tumble […]
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Avalanche Beacon
Function Check
How To Do An Avalanche Beacon Function Check When going out backcountry skiing or riding, one should always do an avalanche beacon function check to ensure everyone is searchable and able to search. Below is a great video created by three IFMGA Guides on how to do a simple and concise avalanche beacon function check. […]
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Single Burial Avalanche Rescue
Single Burial Avalanche Rescue Obviously, the best way to avoid a rescue is to avoid the avalanche all together. Take an Avalanche Course to be proactive and learn how to avoid avalanches. That said, even the most trained professionals can still make mistakes, so everyone traveling in the backcountry should understand how to execute a […]
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Strategic Shoveling
for Avalanche Rescue
Strategic Shoveling for Avalanche Rescue The average burial depth in an avalanche is around 1.3 meters, which equates to about 1-1.5 tons of snow to move in order to extricate someone from avalanche debris. That’s just on average, in reality, someone could be buried much deeper. How long can someone survive under the snow? On […]
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