Hey John, I like the issues you have raised. I am sure they are on the minds of a lot of backcountry skiers. I have posted them to our Facebook page with a link back here as I would like to know what the viewers think about these issues as well.

On point one, while we do not own the skin track it is intended for a specific use and it only takes one post holer to render it useless so I think you have a very valid point. On the second one, I think we are going to see more and more of this and it is up to us all to point out the errors of their ways. Education is key and if the issue is not raised then it just keeps on going. I feel for the Search And Rescue crews that have to then go in and rescue these people.

Ignorance is bliss unfortunately.

The Devil's Advocate might say:

Of course it's easy to look down on those without your experience, skills, and abundance of proper equipment.  If someone can't afford a split board, skins or touring set-up then they certainly still have the right to use the backcountry.  Is postholing is really such an impact on your enjoyment that you'd keep this newb from enjoying their experience?  I'd rather cheer them on in their exhausting endeavour.  As for those whose technique is not up to snuff, well those who live in glass houses...

I do remember the days when I too hauled my skis up steep, snow choked faces without any avi gear.  It was the 80's we were young and didn't know any better.  We all did it, anywhere in the mountains, aware that there was a danger but not giving a %#&.  I personally see it as a right of passage to be young, full of piss and vinegar and stupid.  Darwinian, maybe, but most of us survived. 

I'm with 2wheeler...

I find a lot of the backcountry frustrating. Hence my recent love affair with Waterton. But even with seemingly endless courses and training I’m still learning and far from being any good at any of it. I don’t think too many of us got delivered by the stork sporting ACMG patches or holding CAA certification.

To someone that sees a backcountry skier or boarder coming down a powder slope on the side of the road, it just looks like super awesome fun. They can’t see that those skiers or boarders had skins, beacons, shovels, probes, and a whole pack full of other bits and bobs, and they certainly can’t see that those skiers or boarders were educated in what they just did. It seems new enthusiasts often get persecuted as if they are some kind of lesser ignoramuses. But to be fair, is there any sign that says, “don’t skin too close to the edge of the uptrack”, “don’t walk up my skin track”, or any of the other endless list of gripes that I have?

Unfortunately all too often it seems that some poor guy or gal that was inspired by our tracks gets a dirty look followed by a shake of the head and a few rude mutterings about how they’re doing the wrong thing. Sadly they had no way at all to know that they were doing anything wrong at all, but get treated as if they should have?

There also seems be unfair judgment for lack of ability. Again the stork didn’t carry too many of us into this world as rad freeriders. I’m not a great skier but I do like to challenge myself and progress. Getting put down for side slipping controlled and safely through a narrow crux or for traversing across a challenging slope is unnecessary.

When you see me screwing up in the backcountry, please give me a friendly hello and some helpful advice. Maybe a little cheer would be nice too.

This conversation reminds me of an interesting article I read in the latest Backcountry (Photo Annual) magazine by Biff America (pg 24). In it he begins to rant about a group on the uptrack in front of him who are carving the track up. He then makes these interesting observations:

"Now comes the tricky part. In my mind, those in the group in front of us were goofballs; clueless; whatever phrase works for you because they didn't respect the aesthetic beauty of a lone ski track up a beautiful valley. But the beauty of our sport - the reason we all love it - is that (other than keeping safe), there are no rules."

And isn't this one of the major drawcards for us all in the backcountry? The unfettered freedom to roam, the road less travelled, free of the encumbrances and rules that so dictate our normal lives?

He goes on to say:

"........ I can't just assume that everyone adheres to my values and/or follows my BC credos. I guess, in a nutshell, I'm foolish for letting a few extra skintracks cloud what was an otherwise magical morning."

and

"........ The biggest danger in getting older - other than death and wearing comfort waist jeans - is becoming the person you used to mock when you were young, that inflexible person who was adamant that their way was the only way."

The backcountry is about exploration and exhiliration. The moment we begin to impose rules and regulations, the magic begins to fade. I'm a firm believer in self determination, if you want to go out with no gear and no training, then be my guest. Just don't expect me to dig you out and you won't get any sympathy if you screw up and die or even worse, get severly injured. Just don't endanger me or my friends by your actions.

Don't expect me to invite you along, nor tolerate your company. Just go your own way.

In this day and age, there is more than enough readily accessible and relevant information and training regarding travel and safety in the backcountry. Ignore it at your own peril. There are no excuses.

My only concern with these individuals who for whatever reason choose to backcountry without the proper equipment or training is that they will get hurt or killed. Not if, just when. Past experience suggests that if enough of these incidents occur, we will go down the path of other countries, namely regulation and restriction. I would hate to see the government impose mandatory BC registration, licensing/permitting (ie. Rogers Pass) for all backcountry travel because a handfull of misinformed or ignorant rednecks stuff it up for the rest of us.

I can't really agree with 2wheeler with regard to those unable to afford equipment or training. This is a high risk activity where by your actions you can pose a significant danger to others. Think of those poor souls that have to come to their aid should they get caught in an avalanche and risk getting caught in a secondary slide?? There are ways to minimise cost (used gear etc), its all a matter of priorities.

To finish with, another quote from Biffs article:

"Sometimes you need to remind yourself to seize the day, live and let live, and remember that (other than being safe), there are no rules"

Well I was thinking more about this John, and while every situation is different, in your case of hikers on Mount Roberts, on a good day I might follow this line of thinking.  If I know that the conditions in the backcountry were "High" or "Extreme" and the hikers were obvious newbs as you indicated, I would probably feel the need to approach them and try and inform them about the situation.  Maybe you'd be rebuffed at first, but I bet that after it sinks in, at least someone in the group might choose a safer place to ski. Of course in the end, it's their decision.

Most people start backcountry skiing to get away from the crowds and attitudes that run rampant at most resorts. The pioneers of the sport certainly didn't have skins or avy gear. In fact just a few years ago even Splitboards were seen as a joke, that just a bunch of dangerous snowboarders were out there ruining the skin track etc. These types of sports always seem to start with a genuine group of people just looking to push the limits of there sport and most importantly have fun. In the end however, just like climbing, surfing, mountain biking etc..... These sports start attracting mostly urbanites/city dwellers/yuppies and worst of all elitists who impose there ideals and "rules" on others. The backcountry is a wild place, I am fortunate enough to have the backcountry as my backyard. I consider myself to be an ambassador of my hometown mountains and my sport. Just enjoy your time out here, have a laugh, and embrace the fact that there is no rules in this wild place. Isn't that why you started in the first place? 

All that being said, if you could potentially save someone's like by giving hem advice then do it. But don't bitch about the skin track, especially if you're not the one waking up at 5 am to break trail in the first pace.

My thoughts:

1. If I come across a shitty skintrack, I either suck it up and use it or make a new one. I realize that it sucks that people trash skintracks and switchbacks, but I also feel fortunate to have one already in place I can use. I start my day assuming I'll break trail to wherever I go. But the worst is when people trash a track I put in that I intended to reuse.

2. If someone is in the backcountry without avy gear, I'll make sure they know what they are doing (even if it is careless). I'll also make sure they won't put my group at risk. Figure out what their plans are so that they don't ski above us.

On a side etiquette note; One time I was skinning down and back up on a ridge. We heard three sledders come and see that they were going to use the same way as us. Being very nice, they waited about 10 minutes for us to be away from the sketchier slope and in the trees before they went for it and passed us. There are some nice people out there, even slednecks.

Joel

Revelstoke

Not sure I buy the whole "everyone has a right to be in the backcountry" thing. I mean everybody does have this right, just with the proper equipment. Some sort of means of walking on snow at the very very least (ie. AT/Tele bindings, splitboard, snowshoe). I started backcountry skiing 8 years ago and now have around 150 days in the BC, not once did I ski in the BC until I acquired the proper gear and did my AST. I know not everyone will do this but at least having the proper means of getting out of somewhere if things go wrong is a bare essential to me. On two occasion when I first started me and my group were riding the slack country at two separate resorts that we weren't very familiar with and we got really far off path and ended up miles away from where we needed to be. On both occasions I was fully geared with my pack on goodies and AT biindings on my skis as was the rest of my group. My first actions where to eat the emergency food that I had in my pack and put my skins on. I took us several hours to get back to civilisation but all in all everything was OK, not an emergency all. Now the same scenario with a group that had to posthole all the way, there is no way they would have made it out that day, I would estimate about 7 hours of postholling with no food or any provisions, all of a sudden this is an emergency, a big one. Lets use the Quebec couple that got stranded for 7 days outside of the Kicking Horse boundary as an example. If they could have ski toured out of there when they realized they were in a bad way this would not have been an emergency, instead the lady died of exposure. Bottom line travel equipment is key, I can't really give props to those how sink waist deep every step waisting huge energy just to put themselves into a stituation where they can get stranded. Just my opinion I guess!

Tom D

Invermere, BC