5 Things Backcountry Skiers Should Stop Doing

(Last Updated On: December 25, 2016)

It’s that time of year- Festivus! And part of Festivus is the airing of grievances. No, these aren’t 5 things backcountry skiers should stop doing that have anything to do with something important, like avalanche safety. They aren’t things that are going to get you killed. These are just things that annoy me- so take it with the grain of salt and humor that is intended here. Chances are, most readers will even do some of these things, especially the last one. So here you go, my Festivus airing of grievances in 2017:

Things backcountry skiers should stop doing

1) You Refuse to Ride Lifts

So, you think you’re too “core” to ride lifts, eh? Well guess what, it shows in your skiing. Let’s say you’re an aerobic animal, so you regularly ski 10,000 feet in a day of backcountry skiing. At a ski area, you can bang that out and then some in an hour. Every other run you take after that at a ski area is extra practice that the backcountry skier doesn’t receive. If all you ever do is backcountry ski, you’ll never get very good. Skiing is hard. Backcountry skiing is harder. You’ll hit every type of snow imaginable, and it sure helps when your legs have all those extra miles of muscle memory under them. Nobody wants to see your sidesteps down a steep couloir because you haven’t put the time in at the ski area to just ski it.

Skiing low angle powder in sketchy avalanche conditions is a wise decision. But you know what’s more fun than skiing low angle? Skiing steep angles! And it doesn’t matter if the snow is powder, chowder, or chalk- skiing the steeps is more fun than skiing the flats.

Finally, bad skiers are sketchy. They crash and lose their gear in the middle of starting zones. Nobody wants that.

2) You Know How Many Grams Each Piece of Gear Weighs

OK, if you’re one of those Lycra clad skimo racer types, that like to run up the hills and then come down them in a manner that closely resembles the comedy sections of old Warren Miller movies, have at it. And go ahead and count up every last gram that you carry with you, because it might actually matter to you. But for the rest of you- stop. Just stop. We’re backcountry skiers, not road bikers.

All you’re doing is getting to the top 5 minutes faster than the skier with decent gear. And now you’re cold because you’ve been waiting. So now you’re going to ski down on silly little carbon-titanium skis with flimsy worthless two buckle boots while you’re cold and stiff. So you might even ski worse than the guy mentioned above who refuses to ride the lifts.

3) You Cut the Straps Off Your Boots

Ugh- now you’ve really done it. If you’re a gram counter that never rides lifts that also cut the straps off your boots to save even more weight, the beautiful sport of skiing has turned very ugly indeed.

As a custom bootfitter once told me, the one thing that makes the liner and the shell work together is the strap. Think of it as The Dude’s rug in The Big Lebowski. The quickest way to kill your boot’s performance? Skip the strap. Skiing an alpine run in near nordic gear doesn’t do anyone any good. But hey, if you think the 10 seconds you save is really worth it to ski down then…

4) You have No Idea how to use Pole Straps

OK, so you were told in your avalanche class that you shouldn’t ski avalanche terrain with your pole straps on. No argument there. But just because you noticed a bunch of crusty ski patrollers cut their straps off, doesn’t mean you should cut yours off, too.

For some reason, quite a few backcountry skiers seem to have no idea how to use something as simple as a pole strap. I see it all the time. I guess maybe I’d cut mine off, too if I didn’t know how to use them. So here’s the deal. If you use your straps, you don’t have to hold your pole in a death grip. Watch the Nordic crowd- they know what they’re doing, at least when it comes to pole straps. So the next time you’re skating down a road or skinning up the forest, use those straps- they’re there for a reason. And it’s more than just making sure you don’t drop your pole.

Finally, the straps make attachment to your pack far easier when you’re climbing or rappelling. Loop the strap over your ski tips, whether A-frame or diagonal, and you’re all set. I stumbled upon a blog where the author was removing his grips for some dumb tape job and he had his poles strapped to his pack in an X shape, like some sort of deranged butterfly princess.

5) You use Kinko Gloves

OK, so you just moved to a ski town and you want to fit in. So you buy some Kinkos, Snoseal them up in the oven and Boom!- you just earned some mad cred. You can even step it up a notch and write your initials on the cuff, or better yet “ski fast” or “love hate” on the knuckles. Yeah, you’re fitting in now!

But there are two things to consider about Kinko gloves. One- they are the coldest gloves you can buy. It’s almost like there’s a reason they only cost fifteen bucks. I have pretty warm hands overall, but I can’t imagine using those gloves unless it’s at least 45 degrees out.

There is another glove company that says of their gloves “they’re dexterous as &*^%.” If Kinkos had a similar saying, and they were truthful, it would say “they’re dexterous as a brick”. They’re as anatomically correct as a Barbie doll. What’s the point of a winter glove that you have to take off to grasp anything smaller than a beach ball?

Now, I do own a pair- it’s just that I’d never ski in them. I’ll shovel with them, or use them to rappel, so I don’t ruin a decent pair of gloves. Or maybe on a hot summer day, so my hands will cool off…

If I made you decide that you should perhaps ride some lifts, save some money at Liftopia:

Otherwise, feel free to leave a comment to tell me how awesome your Kinkos are, and how much time you save leading a strap free lifestyle. Better yet, tell me what other things backcountry skiers should stop doing (other than writing articles like this one :))

Frank Konsella

Frank loves snow more than anything... except his wife.  He ensures his food is digested properly by chewing it 32 times before swallowing.He is a full-time real estate agent serving Crested Butte and Gunnison and would be honored to send you his monthly newsletter.

Latest posts by Frank Konsella (see all)

Summary
Article Name
5 Things Backcountry Skiers Should Stop Doing
Description
Backcountry skiers: stop doing these things. You're making the rest of us look bad.
Author
14erskiers.com

Frank Konsella

Frank loves snow more than anything... except his wife.    He ensures his food is digested properly by chewing it 32 times before swallowing. He is a full-time real estate agent serving Crested Butte and Gunnison and would be honored to send you his monthly newsletter.

19 thoughts on “5 Things Backcountry Skiers Should Stop Doing

  • December 26, 2016 at 6:36 am
    Permalink

    Am I Poser cause I removed my straps so I won’t have to have shoulder surgery again?

  • December 26, 2016 at 8:47 am
    Permalink

    Frank, I never used the word poser, so you’re OK there. However, I was talking about the uphill, so yeah, you need pole straps. If you wanted to use straps again inbounds, check out LEKI poles- those safety straps really work.

  • December 26, 2016 at 9:25 am
    Permalink

    I’m just giving you some do do ca ca! I like the Leki system. Ive gotten used to not having them on resort. You’ll find straps on my Nordic gear!
    One more thing, kinkos gloves are cool if you like having sponges on your hands!
    Oh, one more thing, if you cut your boot straps off you are no longer a BC skier you are now a rondo skier!

  • December 26, 2016 at 8:01 pm
    Permalink

    Amen on most things! But the pole straps I disagree mostly with. Between tree skiing and side hill uptracks the straps are more trouble than they are worth. It the beauty of ski touring? Do whatever you want wherever you want as long as it only impacts you.

  • December 26, 2016 at 8:20 pm
    Permalink

    Tree skiing?
    Yeah, I’ve never understood the sidehill hand positions thing either, to be honest.

  • December 26, 2016 at 8:29 pm
    Permalink

    Poles get caught in tree branches or in buried trees in British Columbia and it’s an easy way to blow your shoulder. Skinning across steep slopes is much easier with your hands at equal heights and not your uphill hand over your head. To each their own !

  • December 26, 2016 at 9:15 pm
    Permalink

    Word, Word, and Word. Straps are so useful for hiking, and attaching to the pack, just as you say Frank. Perhaps just don’t use them when not needed, but nay-sayers may want to reconsider. Additionally, and not mentioned here, pole straps are frequently used for field tractioning of femur fractures (see your WFR manual). Anyone not trained in this tractioning technique, should consider getting trained in it. The pole strap is not essential, but is beneficial to the technique. The provocative presentation of this post is a great ‘hook’ Frank. Excellent!

  • December 26, 2016 at 9:50 pm
    Permalink

    a WFR shouldn’t be pulling traction on a femur without a commercially available traction device.

  • December 26, 2016 at 10:58 pm
    Permalink

    I freaking love this article. WE NEED MORE RANTS LIKE THIS.

  • December 27, 2016 at 3:36 pm
    Permalink

    Never trust a real estate agent that thinks Kinko’s are cold.

  • December 27, 2016 at 3:37 pm
    Permalink

    And never interact with a website that says “Your comment is awaiting moderation”

  • December 27, 2016 at 6:05 pm
    Permalink

    I agree with all of the above, and will add that skiers that post snowpack obs, photos of recent slides, snowpit data, etc. on Facebook and DON’T submit them to the local avalanche center are irritating me lately.

    Also, skiing in rock climbing helmets. You look cold, and dumb.

    And calling randonee racing “ski mountaineering.”

  • December 31, 2016 at 7:47 am
    Permalink

    I like the airing of grievances! I do have to disagree with you about the kinkos though, but I think I run abnormally hot. I wear them all winter riding lifts out here in Maine and could never tour with them because I’d over heat! Love the list and the site. I’m looking forward to getting to CB again later this winter

  • January 1, 2017 at 8:48 am
    Permalink

    Hey, I’m just telling the truth, Casey. Which is a desirable quality in a real estate agent 🙂

  • January 1, 2017 at 8:49 am
    Permalink

    Don’t blame us, blame the spammers.

  • January 1, 2017 at 8:58 am
    Permalink

    Solid Jeff, solid!

    Rock climbing helmets in the winter- yeah, weird. In May- probably a better choice than a ski helmet in a couloir.

    Totally agree on the ski mountaineering thing. Maybe I’ll save that one for next year’s Festivus. Rando, skimo, ski running, and the lycra crowd are all acceptable ways of describing that sport. But not ski mountaineering.

  • January 1, 2017 at 8:58 am
    Permalink

    Thanks Adam!

  • December 25, 2017 at 4:19 pm
    Permalink

    Ha, good stuff. I bought a dozen pairs of Kinko’s 20 years ago for $64.00 and still have a few unused pairs, they are warm tough and cheap. So my experience says your wrong there…

Got something to say? We love your comments!