Product Description

Martin Volken and his co-authors provide skiers with all the tools and knowledge they need to safely and successfully travel in the mountains. The guide features intermediate-to-advanced techniques for ski touring and ski mountaineering, from planning wilderness trips to perfecting turns in rolling terrain and mastering uphill climbing. For those skiers ready for a more technical, high alpine environment, they draw on traditional mountaineering skills, including roped climbing, setting protection anchors, using ice axes, climbing on bare rock, and more.

In addition to mastering techniques, Backcountry Skiing also features information on recent evolutions in ski equipment; avalanche safety tips; a primer on mountain weather and glaciers, trip planning tools, a discussion of emergency situations, nutrition and fitness advice, and winter camping basics. Throughout this guide, a special emphasis is put on being well-informed and making good decisions-whenever you strap on your skis and skins and head out into the backcountry.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10658 in Books
• Brand: Martin Archery
• Published on: 2007-11-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 339 pages

Review
"Backcountry Skiing is a brain-dump of some of the most dialed ski mountaineers in the U.S.." -- Backcountry Magazine

"Impressive volume." -- AmericanTrails.org

"[A] backcountry bible." -- --Skiing Magazine

"Backcountry Skiing is a brain-dump of some of the most dialed ski mountaineers in the U.S.." -- Backcountry Magazine

"Impressive volume." -- AmericanTrails.org

"[A] backcountry bible." -- --Skiing Magazine

"Backcountry Skiing is strongly recommended for anyone contemplating skiing mountain terrain in winter conditions anywhere in the U.S. and Canada." -- The Midwest Book Review

"Great content, quality writing, excellent photos, attractive layout--it's the best and most authoritative book on ski touring and ski mountaineering." --Wenatchee Outdoors by Andy Dappen

"Backcountry Skiing is strongly recommended for anyone contemplating skiing mountain terrain in winter conditions anywhere in the U.S. and Canada." -- The Midwest Book Review

"Great content, quality writing, excellent photos, attractive layout--it's the best and most authoritative book on ski touring and ski mountaineering." -- Wenatchee Outdoors by Andy Dappen

About the Author
Martin Volken received his IFMGA certification in his native Switzerland and is the owner of Pro Ski and Guiding Service in North Bend, Washington. He has been guiding all facets of mountaineering since 1992 in the United States and abroad. He has pioneered several first ascents, ski descents, and ski mountaineering traverses in the North Cascades. Martin has appeared on the cover of Outside magazine as well as in several other industry publications. He is involved in product development for K2 and Outdoor Research and is an examiner for the American Mountain Guides Association. He resides in North Bend with his wife, Gina and his two daughters, Andrea and Christina. Martin has also published Backcountry Skiing Snoqualmie Pass, a guidebook for the Snoqualmie Pass area in Washington State.

Scott Schell is a certified AMGA Ski Mountaineering Guide and has guided extensively throughout the United States, including Alaska, as well as in Canada and Europe. An avid ski mountaineer, Scott has been involved in avalanche and guiding education as an instructor and trainer for AIARE and a former AMGA ski discipline instructor. As the former manager of Pro Ski Service in Seattle, he saw the need for a ski mountaineering book that would provide a comprehensive source for the backcountry skier. While toting his cameras throughout North America and Europe, Scott has captured many memorable and compelling images through the trained eye of both a photographer and mountain guide. To learn more about Scott's work, please visit www .schellphoto.com. Scott's passion for ski mountaineering, alpine climbing and the outdoors is only surpassed by his affection for his longtime partner, Margaret.

Margaret Wheeler is a ski, alpine, and rock climbing guide who has led trips throughout Europe and North America. An active member of the guiding community, she is an instructor of guide training for the AMGA and serves on its board of directors. She is involved in avalanche education through her work as an AIARE instructor and trainer. In the development of her ski mountaineering career, Margaret has been a member of several women's expeditions pioneering first ski descents in India and the Altai mountains of Mongolia. In 2006, she became the second woman in the United States to complete her IFMGA/UIAGM certification. She holds a bachelor's degree in history from Dartmouth College and a master's in mechanical engineering from University of Washington. When she's not in the mountains, Margaret works part-time for a Seattle-based engineering fi rm, and lives in Snoqualmie, Washington, with her long-time squeeze, Scott.

Customer Reviews

The Best Soup-to-Nuts Primer on How to Ski the Backcountry
It's bizarrre: For as huge as backcountry skiing has grown, the definitive "how-to" manual hasn't been written. Until now.
I own everything from Lito Tejado-Flores' ancient book "Backcountry Skiing" to the slim "Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book" and about three avvie and ski-guidebooks. None of those has everything that today's newbie Alpine ski-tourer needs to know.
But this book by Schell, Wheeler and Volken has it all. And while experienced backcountry skiers might be able to skip parts of chapters, and skim others, this longtime backcountry skier was surprised (and a little embarrassed) how much he learned -- the mountain-guide authors cover in detail things like seated belays, various shelters, placing protection on ice, and building several kinds of anchors. Pair this book with an even more detailed avalanche-awareness book (or better, a class) and you'll be ready for the mountains this winter.

A Must-Have For Your Guidebook Library
Scott Schell, Margaret Wheeler and Martin Volken have teamed together to write the definitive guidebook on backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. All three authors, who are either IFMGA or AMGA certified mountain guides, have organized the discipline of backcountry skiing into ten concise chapters that take the reader through such topics as gear selection, avalanche preparedness, ski mountaineering, and mountain rescue techniques. One highlight of the book is the clear photos and graphics to demonstrate the useful skills and ideas that are helpful in the backcountry. For example, I recently used the skin cutting guide for my new touring skis. The step-by-step instructions and accompanying photos walk you through the essentials to match your skins perfectly to your skis. Instead of just describing what specific items you need for safe travel in the backcountry, the book has clear pictures of such items and procedures as a basic ski mountaineering rack, building an emergency sled, and crevasse rescue just to name a few. Make sure you have a highlighter and sticky notes to mark important information for you'll find yourself returning to this handy guidebook time and again for further reference. "Backcountry Skiing" is designed for both the experienced backcountry skier looking to hone his/her skills and the novice seeking to strectch his/her limits outside the ski area boundary.

Great Book on the Best Type of Skiing
This is a great book. Not too basic and not too advanced for someone wanting to get into the best way to ski-the earn your turns way.

I used to teach alpine touring and ski mountaineering in the army and this would have been a great book to have around as the textbook. We taught all of this and then went in depth on the important items like avalanche safety (avoidance) and rescue. This book gives a beginning or intermediate ski mountaineer a taste and encourages AIARE level one certification (I recommend level two personally...)

I still have my copy of the past standard, Peter Cliff's out of print classic "Ski Mountaineering" (no, I won't be selling it on EBay) and this is an improvement on it.

It is great for learning and a great review for those that think they remember everything. I got some good tips on gear that, damn, I SHOULD have known!!!