For Parents
For Parents: Backcountry skiing safety considerations
I want to take a brief moment to explain how my wife and I do our best to minimize risk when our kids go backcountry skiing. Obviously, avalanches are the biggest concern, though tree wells, hypothermia, frostbite, or skiing injuries are also possible. For the sake of this post, I’ll just focus on avalanches.
Here’s what we have done with our kids as they began to participate in backcountry skiing:
Only allow them on low-angle, low-risk terrain at first.
This is probably the most important point. Before our kids had touring gear, their first few trips were boot-packing or snowshoeing up the mountain to ski down. As the kids began to backcountry ski more and got touring gear, we had three places we allowed the kids to go independently due to the very low avalanche risk. These places have allowed our kids to independently practice their backcountry skiing and safety assessments in a low-consequence place. As the kids began to drive, the first two places on this list were the only places we’d allow them to ski solo.
It should be mentioned that whenever there’s been dynamic weather (new snow, wind, sunny days in the spring) we’ve prohibited them from even skiing these places for a day or two (or only before midday in the case of spring skiing). While it’s very unlikely these places will slide, it’s always possible.
Hunter Pass in Hiland Valley/South Fork
We’ve only allowed the kids to ski the terrain and gully directly underneath the pass. The vast majority of that slow is very low-angle with trees and brush that can help anchor the snow. Be aware that anything outside of this specific terrain carries a larger risk of slides. This is a great spot for the kids to get in several laps and isn’t terrible to snowshoe due to the low-angle slope.
“Tequila Bowl” in Arctic Valley.
Tequila Bowl is the large, low-angle bowl/slope coming off of Mt. Gordon-Lyon. It’s easily visible from the Arctic Valley ski resort. It’s very low angle, to the point you can hardly get in ski turns for most of the decent because you have to keep your speed up to get back to the parking lot. This was my boys’ first backcountry trip with me, and they used snowshoes. There are a few caveats with this location:
- On skier's left as you descend from the top, there is a cornice. I’ve never seen it slide, but I insist the kids stay away from it.
- Once the ski resort opens, you must travel on the west side of the valley, outside the ski area, to access the peak. However, it’s a very popular spot and always has a good up-track on that west side of the valley.
- The terrain surrounding Tequila Bowl is steeper and could slide.
Turnagain Pass: Tincan below the timberline.
Honestly, the drive to Turnagain Pass is scarier to me than this terrain. When skiing, if you descend before the treeline ends, the risks of slides are minimal. The terrain is much like Alyeska – lots of mountain hemlock, cliff bands, rollers, meadows, and a lot of other cool terrain. However, there are a few caveats with this location as well:
- It’s best to go with someone who has skied it before. The biggest issue is ensuring your downhill route gets you back to the parking lot. If you ski straight down, you’re going to have a long hike/skin back to the vehicles. Additionally, going with someone who has skied this spot before will ensure your kid doesn’t end up on the top of a cliff he/she doesn’t want to ski! However, there are no enormous cliffs or anything you couldn’t find a way around.
- The kids need to keep each other in sight! The biggest concern here is tree wells. The snow gets incredibly deep, and a fall into a tree well could be dangerous if the kids don't have someone to dig them out.
- There are a couple of slopes on the way up to the treeline that, while small, are steep enough to slide. In theory, you could stay in the trees and avoid most or all of these. This is also the most popular spot in Turnagain, and there should be plenty of other skiers to put in a skin track and test out the slope.
Check weather, avalanche center reports, and ensure kids have very basic avalanche knowledge
I follow the Hatcher Pass and Chugach National Forest Avalanche Centers on social media. I have also heard that this year there will be an avalanche forecaster for the Chugach front range near Anchorage! Beyond their snow condition/avalanche reports, each of these centers also has a website with observations from the public and reported avalanches alongside the official condition reports.
I also check the forecast. Skiing in a blizzard sucks, and I’m typically more worried about road conditions than anything. If dynamic weather is expected or just occured, I tend to request they stay on very mellow terrain or wait a few days for the snowpack to settle and stabilize.
Even if your kid hasn’t had official avalanche safety training, they need to know that if they hear “whumphs” or see shooting cracks in the snow, it’s time to turn around and go home. No exceptions.
Require them to bring a Garmin
Sometimes we track them; sometimes we ask them to text us at regular intervals.
Enroll them in an Avy 1 class
If your kid falls in love with this pastime, it’s well worth your money to get them fully certified with an Avalanche Level 1 course. The Alaska Avalanche School is offering its annual 3-day class for teens January 2nd-4th ($475). It’s best if teens have a full touring setup, required safety gear, and a little experience ski touring.
While I don’t believe a book is in any way comparable to actual field experience through a class, you should also buy one or more of the books below and insist your teen reads it cover-to-cover. (You should too!):
- Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain (This one is often considered the gold standard, but the ones below are good primers or supplementary texts to this one.)
- Avalanche Essentials: A Step-by-Step System for Safety and Survival
- Snow Sense
Give them the proper safety gear and require them to practice their skills.
Your kid needs an avalanche beacon, shovel, probe, and helmet to backcountry ski safely. Just as importantly, teens need to know how to use the gear. With my kids, we went to a park at night to practice using an avalanche beacon to find someone. The kids would close their eyes and wait in the car while I buried an avy beacon somewhere in the field. Their job was to find the beacon as quickly as possible using the correct grid method. As my boys got more proficient and adventurous, we bought our boys avalanche packs (they have an inflatable airbag you can deploy if caught in a slide.) It’s not a panacea or a license to ski stretchy terrain, but there’s plenty of research suggesting that the packs do save lives. We purchased the electric-powered ones so that the kids could practice deploying them a lot without the need to refill CO2 cartridges. (FYI: They’re stupid expensive!)
These tools are never a replacement for good decision-making, and I’m proud to say that my kids have never triggered a slide or needed to deploy their airbags. They knew, from day one, that if I wasn’t satisfied with their safety assessments and decisions, their backcountry skiing days would be over. I also made sure to instill a deep fear of avalanches in them, and I still constantly remind them that “no ski run is ever worth your life.” They have proven themselves to be safe and reliable which has allowed them more freedom.
Final thoughts:
Let your kids go with their friends up to Hunter Pass. They can hike or snowshoe up to the pass if they don't have touring gear. It tends to be really, really safe if they stay directly below the pass on their way up/down. It’s also a popular spot with lots of other skiers keeping an eye on each other. While I think it’s critical they have an avalanche beacon, probe, and shovel and know how to use them, it’s a great place to spend a day playing in the snow with minimal potential consequences. If they don’t want to hike/snowshoe far, they can just build a jump and mess around in the Alaskan wilderness!
If your teen becomes passionate about backcountry skiing and wants to venture further, it’s time to pony up some serious money for quality touring gear, an Avy class, and perhaps an Avy pack. (More details here)
Consider participating in this pastime too! It’s a great bonding experience and you’ll learn together!
Have your teen go out with a more experienced backcountry skier! There’s a surprising number of local teens that backcountry ski and can help orient and mentor newer skiers.
For Parents: Why you should let your kid backcountry ski.
Parents,
I won’t pretend to be an expert at parenting. (My own kids can certainly confirm that fact!) But I think one of the best things my wife and I have done as parents is to keep video games out of our house and to grant our kids a lot of freedom to explore the wild lands around us.
I maintain that spending time in nature gives young people the quiet self-confidence that they desperately need. Quite simply, that quiet self-confidence can't be supplied by video games or all the other “safe” comforts of modern suburban life. When people (of any age) complete a difficult trip, deal with discomfort, push their perceived limits, and make lifetime memories, they discover their own sense of strength, competence, and independence. And as Alaskan parents, we have the perfect “proving ground” for our kids to explore.
Teens are desperately trying to prove to themselves, and to those around them, that they’re “adults.” In nature, kids overcome their fears on the ski slope, rock wall, or hiking trail. They discover that they’re more physically capable than they thought. They have to make serious decisions about their and their friends’s safety.
These experiences give teens a deep sense of competence and responsibility. All of a sudden, the upcoming math test, the teenage crush, and the friend drama are placed in their proper perspective. If your kid spent the last Saturday confronting his or her fear of skiing off a cliff, the scary math test doesn’t feel as scary anymore.
In my opinion, backcountry skiing offers many benefits to our teens:
- It’s a lifelong activity. People of all ages backcountry ski.
- It provides exercise and adventure during our long winters.
- It’s a social activity. Backcountry skiing often isn’t safe unless you go with others.
- Cool people do it. I find that folks who backcountry ski are some of the happiest people I’ve met. After all, backcountry skiing requires a child’s heart. You have to be stoked to go spend the day frolicking in the snow. I think it may be the single best activity for meeting other fun, responsible, adventurous, outdoorsy people.
- You can (should!) do it with them! Even if you don't backcountry ski yet, if you’re proficient on downhill skis or a snowboard, it provides a perfect teen/parent bonding activity. Take an avalanche safety class together. Drool over skis and equipment together. Explore new slopes together. Because of the not-insignificant safety considerations when backcountry skiing, it provides an excellent opportunity not only to recreate with your teen, but for them to demonstrate their risk-tolerance, safety assessment, and decision-making skills.
A note on safety
I won’t pretend backcountry skiing is without risk. Avalanches are a very real threat, but one that can be mitigated by following the advice below. (Also, please reference this post where I talk in-depth about safety considerations.)
- In my opinion, anyone participating in backcountry skiing MUST take an Avalanche 1 course. (The Alaska Avalanche School offers a class each year just for teens.) There are also abundant low-angle slopes that teens can ski with an essential 0% chance of an avalanche.
- Backcountry skiers must go with other people proficient in winter backcountry travel. Decisions in the backcountry need to be made by consensus among other educated adventurers with similar levels of risk tolerance.
- Backcountry skiers MUST have the correct gear. For teens, an avalanche beacon, shovel, GPS device, probe, helmet, and airbag-style avy pack are essential items.
As a parent, I think that the hardest part of letting our kids go backcountry skiing is feeling like they’re not safe. It’s a lot less anxiety-producing just to keep them at home. I’m not sure there’s any way around the fear we feel as parents when our kids are in potentially unsafe situations. That said, I think there are ways to deal with our own anxiety and fears:
- Kids must unequivocally prove they have a proper sense of risk tolerance. They need to earn our trust (incrementally) until we feel confident they can make safe, independent decisions in the backcountry.
- It’s easy to inaccurately perceive danger as a parent. Avalanches are scary. But if your kid makes safe decisions in the backcountry, objectively, they’re far more likely to die on the road to the ski slope than on it. I think it’s easy to allow irrational fears to negatively affect our decision-making as parents.
- We have to understand that our own anxieties are worth the experience, independence, confidence, and memories our kids will gain. To me, this has been the single biggest reason I allow my kids to adventure in the backcountry, despite the fact that I’m a bundle of nerves while they’re out there.
A note on boys
I think time in nature is especially important for boys. Video games in particular pretend to give boys all the things they need. Games promise adventure and risk. They promise a memorable story. They offer the chance to work together with friends to accomplish something.
The problem is that none of it is real. I see a significant difference between boys who are “gamers” and boys who are active and adventurous. I think we’ve allowed our boys to live a pathetic version of boyhood simply because it keeps them “safe” and well-supervised. In the meantime, I think they are losing out on critical experiences and personal growth during one of the most important developmental periods of their lives.
It is my firm belief that boys must prove to themselves that they are men. I think that means doing really hard things. By confronting fear and facing real challenges, they learn so, so much about themselves.
Okay, you’ve sold me on this idea. How do we get started?
Backcountry skiing is expensive to get into*. To get fully outfitted with the gear to safely backcountry ski, it’ll cost about $4,000. But the required gear and training last a long time. Especially if your kid is done growing, the gear you buy them will easily last a decade or more. You can also buy much of this gear used, or you can sell it if your kid outgrows it or loses interest.
Growing up, my parents offered me a pretty good deal. For any expensive outdoor gear, they would offer to pay half the price. As a teen, whether it was tents, backpacks, skis, or rock shoes, it made buying that gear feasible on an adolescent budget. By my parents asking me to pay half the cost, it ensured that I was invested enough in the activity to drop my own hard-earned money.
Rough Costs (new):
- Skis - $850
- AT/Tech bindings - $500
- AT/Tech Ski boots - $800
- Ski skins - $150-200
- Avalance beacon - $350
- Probe and shove - $100
- Helmet - $100
- Avy pack - $1700
- Avalanche 1 Course - $450
- Garmin – $400
* You can do it cheaper, especially if your teen just wants to try it out. If you can find someone with a backcountry setup with frame bindings, you can adjust the bindings to your kid’s boots and they can try it out for the day (as long as they're in mellow terrain and have all the safety stuff too.). Also, “boot-packing” or snowshoeing up the slopes is possible. It’s way more of a workout, and not nearly as efficient, but that’s how I did all my backcountry skiing back in high school!