It is almost backcountry time, when powder hounds sick of paying ridiculous lift ticket prices
say f*ck it and head off into the welcoming wilderness to find gobs of the luscious white stuff they can call their
own. Hopefully, people will take some care this year and stay away from heavily avalanched areas…and hopefully they
will equip themselves properly, bringing along radios and/or avalanche beacons. Speaking of which, in the spirit of
helping you find the right gear, I’ve got a couple of sites you might be interested in.
Backcountrygear.com has got deals on everything from skis to packs
to tents. And of course, you should never forget the old standbys
REI
and
EMS, both of which have some decent deals this year on
randonee
skis and equipment.
For a good update on what’s happening in the backcountry, check out Lou
Dawson’s wildsnow.com, a blog dedicated to backcountry skiing. Frequently
updated and loaded with posts on equipment, ski spots and news, this is a fine site for backcountry fans. And of course
you can’t go wrong with Couloir Magazine.