Brittany Walker Konsella

Backcountry skiing can be a difficult sport for a beginner to understand, as there are multiple levels of complexities. And once they dive in, beginners quickly realize the deep dimensionality of this sport. I remember easing my way into backcountry skiing over a decade ago – something I dabbled in for years before actually taking the full plunge. I remember being a beginner and being in awe of nearly everything. But there are certain things that beginner backcountry skiers should know that will help make their transition into the sport a little easier. Here’s a list of five things I’d wished I’d known before I started backcountry skiing:

March 8, 2017 Brittany Walker Konsella

Mountain Lessons: Helping an Injured Skier on Fletcher Mountain

We decided to continue to approach them, and see if they needed help. There were two skiers, one injured and one not. They explained that they had approached from the other side and that their first skier to drop in to the line, Josh Barilar, had gotten caught up on some wet slough which had steered him into the rock wall that lined the side of the chute. He then fell into the moat, the deep gap that forms between snow and rock walls. His ski was broken and he had a severe laceration on his leg which squirted blood out every time they tried to move him. In fact I could see the splatter of blood on the rock wall.

Gimps

March 7, 2017 Brittany Walker Konsella

How to heal from ACL knee surgery

As it turns out, some of the best advice you can get about healing from an injury comes from those who have been through it themselves. If you’ve been following this blog you know that I am once again recovering from ACL knee surgery – my third one, in fact. Over the last two decades, I’ve gathered some pretty good experience with ACL surgeries and recoveries. While all of my recoveries have been different, there are underlying themes that remain the same. I’ve had to console dozens of people recovering from ACL reconstruction themselves, and have been thanked many times after. Unfortunately, it happens I know a thing or two about this stuff. And, I guess it’s time I start sharing it more.

Backcountry Skiing Front Range

March 2, 2017 Brittany Walker Konsella

TBT: Skiing Tenmile Canyon (Feb 2006)

I’ll be honest, it was one of my first true ski mountaineering lines. This line in Tenmile Canyon – a line I don’t even know the name of and still have trouble trying to find exactly which one it was as I pass by it on I-70 – it was this line that gave me the thirst. This line gave me the craving. It was this line that started love for ski mountaineering. It was this line that brought me to where I am today.

Uncategorized

February 24, 2017 Brittany Walker Konsella

Review: Snoqualmie Pass, Washington Off-Piste Ski Atlas

The previously released Silverton and Crested Butte editions of the Off-Piste provide a bit more of an introduction to each of their respective areas. But, this Snoqualmie edition is more than that, featuring 80 routes that span from low-angle trees to 60-degree chutes that require a rappel. This guidebook fits the gamut of every kind of backcountry skier.

Biking Front Range Gimps

February 21, 2017 Brittany Walker Konsella

ACL Recovery Update: 3 months post-op

I always say that healing, just like climbing mountains, is as much a mental battle as it is a physical one. I’m not going to lie, I’ve had a few mental demons over the last three months. But, if any of them remained, I shooed their remnants away during my three hour bike ride. My pale exposed skin absorbed enough Vitamin D to last for weeks. The radiating smile on my face was proof that the ride was good for my soul.

Backcountry Skiing Front Range

February 15, 2017 Brittany Walker Konsella

TBT: Loveland Pass – Widow Maker & Hippie Trees (1 May 2016)

From across the way at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, the Widow Maker is easy to spot. It’s ominous avalanche path swoops across the mountain and calls to backcountry skiers who dare. But, it’s an avalanche path, which means it does slide. Skiing the Widow Maker on a pow-day in the heart of winter would certainly lead to grave outcomes. Yet, our day was in spring. Late spring really – the day after a cement-like snow fell and bonded quickly to the stable snowpack beneath it. The Widow Maker was a good choice for the day.

3 Podcasts every backcountry skier should listen to - 1) Slide, 2) Powder Radio, and 3) Totally Deep

Backcountry Skiing Miscellaneous Movies & Books

February 9, 2017 Brittany Walker Konsella

3 Podcasts Every Backcountry Skier Should Listen To

Podcast are growing and it seems like many new ones pop up every month. I’ve listened to many of the skiing-related podcasts and have narrowed the best down to just three. Sure, there are more out there, but these three are the ones that I think are the best and worth spending time listening to. I listen to these regularly, and I hope that you will be inspired by them too.

Backcountry Skiing Reviews - Gear & Other

February 7, 2017 Brittany Walker Konsella

Fritschi Introduces the Vipec Evo and Tecton AT Bindings

There’s no doubt that the ski industry is making improvements for the “quiver-of-one” skier – those who want just one set up for both touring and skiing at the resort. The Marker Kingpin has been at the pinnacle of this blend for quite some time. Though the Kingpin skis exceptionally well, its transition system with the lever under the foot leaves some things to be desired. I personally have been waiting for a better binding to come along that fits into this “quiver-of-one” niche. Perhaps the Tecton will be the ultimate “quiver-of-one” binding.