Backcountry Magazine March 2016 – The Future Issue AlpinistFEATURES LAND OF BEYOND In the outdoor world, few individuals are lionized more than the explorer. And exploration, and the excitement, mystery, uncertainty and danger it entails, is fundamental to everything we do as backcountry skiers. Yet skiers have visited every snowy range across the world and technology and crowding are shrinking the mountains. What does this mean for the concept of exploration? And what does it mean for us, the explorers?
legends like Mugs Stump and Erhard Loretan once encountered some of their most visionary alpine experiences
mythologies and politics that have helped shape the history of the region
When he gets a chance to visit the Karakoram Range with Steve Swenson
THE GEAR GUIDE
Amid the sandstone spires
Seven days lost on Mount Elbrus
Wired Mark Jenkins recounts a tale of three climbing writers discussing their craft while making probable first ascents in Wyoming's Cloud Peak Wilderness
When a day trip in Little Cottonwood Canyon goes wrong
The intrepid Andrew Szalay seeks out the man behind the mysterious online avatar
Publisher: Height of Land Publications (December 2015)
2015 BOARD TEST & GEAR GUIDE
Eileen Guo recounts efforts of local and international alpinists to restore a mountain tourism economy
