Backcountry BasicsSM

Students Per Instructor: 1, 2 or 3
Course Length: 2 Days (approx. 8 hours per day)
Seasons Offered: Winter
Alpine Mastery Method: Ski Mastery - Level I
Prerequisites: Ability to ski “more difficult” trails at nordic ski center

Course Summary: This course is an introduction to nordic skiing in the backcountry.

Reservationss

Course Description:
If you are able to ski the “more difficult” trails at most nordic ski centers you’ll enjoy this two-day introduction to the world of nordic backcountry skiing.

We start out by discussing the various types of equipment and clothing suitable for the backcountry and then we’re off for a tour. We’ll work on your stride, aiming for efficiency, not speed, and your climbing technique, again looking for maximum return for minimum effort. Without resorting to advanced turns we will show you a few tricks to help you control your speed and direction on the downhill sections. Our goal is for you become comfortable with the basic tools required for skiing natural snow in wild places.

The second day’s tour will be longer and we’ll place particular emphasis on maintaining control while skiing downhill on the narrow winding trails common to the East’s forested mountains. You can expect to learn the “power wedge” for speed control, the telemark position for fore and aft stability and many tips and tricks useful for skiing on and off trails in the backcontry.

Snow conditions play a huge part in all backcountry skiing and the specific skills we cover will depend, to some extent, upon mother nature's mood. In addition to skiing skills we'll discuss trip planning so you can put together your own backcountry skiing adventures on terrain you are comfortable skiing.