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The sweet snow of the backcountry brings bliss with a blast
By GREG JOHNSTON
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Comes a day in the riding career of many snowboarders when the groomed slopes aren't the kick they used to be and a snow-covered mountain is no longer gazed upon only for its beauty.
You find yourself considering the easiest approach to the top of the mountain, and the best line of descent.
Riding becomes not just recreation but a quest -- a quest for the pure alpine bliss that comes only when gliding above a deep, pillowy layer of pure unpacked, untracked white.
"The real reason most of us head for the backcountry is for the good snow, the dry, unpacked powder," says Chris Van Tilburg, a Vancouver, Wash., physician, climber and rider who has written a book called "Backcountry Snowboarding."
"It's a combination of things," he explains, "the challenge, the solitude, getting away from the crowds. But ultimately, it's the sweet snow."
There has been an explosion in the number of snowboarders who head into the high backcountry by hiking, showshoeing or "split-boarding" -- using a snowboard that breaks in two for climbing.
Many simply walk out of bounds from the top of ski areas into ungroomed terrain. But more daring riders are climbing to the tops of Cascades volcanoes -- Hood, Adams, Rainier, Baker -- and riding several thousand vertical feet down glaciers and snowfields.
Snowboarders are even rumored to have ridden down the steep rim of Mount St. Helens into the officially off-limits zone of the crater.
"I've really seen a huge increase in backcountry snowboarding," says Luke Edgar, an avid backcountry rider and product manager for K2 Snowboards on Vashon Island. "I've been going down Mount Adams' south climb for 12 years, and usually you see one or two others. This last summer I think I saw about 70 people with skis or snowboards, and about 70 percent of them were snowboarders."
Van Tilburg has witnessed the boom as well.
"It's the hottest thing in snow sports right now," he says. "When I climbed St. Helens last spring, there were easily 100 people who made the summit and more than half of them were coming down on skis or snowboards."
More and more skiers are also heading into the backcountry, particularly with the increased popularity of telemark skiing, using synthetic "skins" on the bottoms of the skis to climb. (Skins are also used on split snowboards).
Actually, backcountry skiing and snowboarding are both "retro" sports: Before there were ski areas, all skiing was in the backcountry, as was snowboarding before ski areas allowed riders on the groomed slopes.
But in the Northwest, most backcountry sliders are snowboarders.
They ride year-round, in summer scaling high slopes with glaciers or permanent snowfields, and showing up at ski areas long before snow is deep enough to crank up the lifts.
"As soon as we get the first white dusting on the peaks, people go for it," says Gwyn Howat, marketing director of Mount Baker ski area, considered one of the top snowboarding areas in the world, both in-bounds and in the adjacent North Cascades backcountry.
"They're up finding any little patch of white they can. They camp out in our parking lot, anticipating and waiting. You've got to love the enthusiasm."
At the same time, mothers, fathers and ski area managers sometimes shudder at the prospect of backcountry riding. Many ski areas allow snowboarders and skiers to reach the backcountry via their lifts, but post warning signs at the boundaries notifying them they are doing so at their own risk.
The simple fact is that the frozen backcountry is a dangerous place for anyone not prepared physically and mentally.
Snowboarders die in the backcountry every year. This season's first fatality was a young rider in Utah buried by an avalanche late last month not far from the Alta and Snowbird ski areas.
Reports indicate the rider and his party made several mistakes: They were in a known avalanche area when conditions were hazardous, the whole party was in a dangerous spot at one time, and they did not carry equipment that probably would have saved the rider's life.
"The backcountry doesn't have to be all that dangerous," says Van Tilburg, whose medical training gives him a sharp perspective on the subject. "Make sure you're riding in conditions within your skill level and be prepared for varying conditions. There are avalanches, steep snow, rock fall, streambeds, hidden obstacles."
Avid backcountry riders carry avalanche transceivers, or beacons, that emit a radio signal when in transmit mode and pick up a signal when in receive mode. Many also carry avalanche probes, which are collapsible poles used to locate people buried in snow, and lightweight shovels for digging.
"The one thing I unequivocally always have with me is my brain," Van Tilburg says. "People think they can buy a beacon and be safe. You need to know how to use that gear and you need your brain to avoid those dangers in the first place."
The top rule in backcountry riding is never go alone.
Secondly, only one person should travel hazardous terrain at any one time. Parties should traverse from one safe spot to the next, one at a time.
The experts advise that you always stay in visual and voice contact with other party members.
If you ride the backcountry, you need to learn to recognize slide-prone slopes. Better yet, learn to sample the snowpack to help determine how hazardous conditions are on a given day in a given place.
Experienced riders who take the time to learn the sport and its safety issues ride some of the most unbelievable high Cascades country.
"You get to run your board through fresh snow for thousands and thousands of vertical feet," says Matt Happe, who recently moved to Utah from southwest Washington, where he rode the slopes around Mount St. Helens. "A lot of times you won't even cross another track."
Says Luke Edgar: "There's tons of good riding, because we've got all the volcanoes here and north-facing slopes. I've ridden Rainier four times, Baker twice, St. Helens, Hood 20 times, Adams 20 times."
Most backcountry snowboarders use a variety of special equipment. Many use "powder boards" designed for unpacked snow. Typically, these boards have broad, upturned noses, longer lengths and sometimes the back end cut in a swallowtail, which increases flexibility and turning response in deep snow.
Most use a backpack designed to carry a snowboard on the way up and snowshoes on the way down. Collapsible poles are used for support on the ascent, then also stowed in the pack on the ride down.
Riding on unpacked snow, especially light, dry powder, takes practice. It's vastly different than the groomed hardpack at ski areas. Unpacked snow provides a slower, more fluid ride and is more forgiving, once you learn to relax, lean back to keep your tip up, and glide.
"It's a floating feeling; you can build up speed, yet you float and glide through turns," Van Tilburg says. "Fresh, untracked powder is the ultimate."
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BACKCOUNTRY SAFETY TIPS
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