PanhandleBackcountry.com is partnering with Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center (IPAC) to show Pease’s film “Yugen” at 7 p.m. on October 18 at the Garland Theater in Spokane. The event is a benefit to raise funds for IPAC, a non-profit organization which conducts avalanche clinics and level I avalanche courses and provides critical avalanche forecasting for three regions covering North Idaho and northwest Montana.

IPAC works with a limited budget, so fundraisers like this are a huge boost. “We rely on both funding from the Forest Service as well as the public; without it we couldn’t provide the services we do,” says IPAC director Jeff Thompson. “Last year we were able to go from one avalanche bulletin on Friday to a Tuesday/Friday bulletin split,” Thompson added. The eventual goal is to post daily avalanche reports. None of this can happen without the support of the community.

The Inland Northwest has a very diverse snow sports community, from backcountry skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers, and snowmobilers, all of which use the services provided by IPAC. Show your support while watching an inspiring film with some fun raffle items and adult beverages. Tickets are $10 and available at Eventbrite.com. Find the promo link for more info and tickets at Panhandlebackcountry.com. //

[Feature photo: Larry Banks]

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This event intrigued me because it was hosted at my home resort on Wardner Peak, on in-bound, winter-hiking-accessed terrain. The inaugural race attracted 14 skiers, one snowshoer, and me on a split board. It consisted of climbing three quarters of the way up Wardner peak; transitioning into downhill mode and riding to a pre-set location; and transitioning several more times to finish with a ride down the face of Wardner to the finish line, where beers and cheers awaited the finishers.

Not long after, Bartlett said the event was going again, and they had learned a bit from the first event. This time the course was fully on the front side of Wardner to allow easy spectator viewing from start to finish.  It would include more beers and grills for hamburgers and hotdogs, as well as a small change to the course outline. Also, there would be three separate categories: Hard Core—three laps for a total of 2,025 feet of vertical, Soft Core—two laps for a total of 1,350 feet, and Leisure—one lap for a total of 675 feet. The year-two turnout increased to 23 participants, a mix of skiers, split boarders, and three snowshoer’s carrying snowboards. One certainty about the Uphill/Downhill is that many show up for the fun and camaraderie (although some take the race seriously).

Now going into the 3rd year, the Uphill/Downhill is morphing into the Silver Mountain Backcountry Weekend. Set for Feb. 10-11, the event will include two days of activities consisting of an On-Snow Avalanche Clinic, presented by Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center (IPAC) and National Ski Patrol (NPS). The clinic will benefit even the most novice backcountry user, and an avalanche transceiver park will be open to anyone who wants to learn how avalanche transceivers, also known as beacons, work. There will also be a deep burial beacon search and recover competition. Concluding the weekend events is the Uphill/Downhill race.

Bartlett is stoked about the competition. “We’re lucky to have a great area for backcountry riding,” he says. As backcountry skiing and snowboarding have become more popular, “A lot of people are curious about it— they just don’t know where or how to start.” Willy notes that “This event gives the opportunity to team up with knowledgeable and experienced backcountry users and avalanche professionals,” as well as meet like-minded backcountry enthusiasts— all in one place.

Learn more about the Silver Mountain Backcountry Weekend at Silvermt.com. //

Larry Banks is an accomplished splitboarder who co-founded PanhandleBackcountry.com. His last article for Out There back in January 2017 highlighted splitboarding in British Columbia.

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When we arrived, more than two feet of snow had recently fallen in the upper terrain. At the pass summit, we check in at the Parks Canada information center. As we suspected, avalanche conditions were rated high. As this was our first time to the area, we opted for the more conservative Grizzly Shoulder trees just behind the pass center, making for an easy-access climb. In the parking lot, we were greeted by a group of fellow splitboarders from Calgary. We put our gear on and made our way up from behind the old hotel on the heavily traveled entrance route toward Balu Pass. As we trekked up the access route, we came upon the first avalanche path; we turned into the trees for a safer climb. Nearing the summit, the skies cleared slightly, giving us a peak of the greatness and immensity of this landscape. I looked in awe upon mountains that span across every direction, ascending high above where we stood. With so much opportunity for touring, I knew this would be a yearly trip.

We noticed signs of recent instability, so we dropped into the trees, whooping and hollering for a glorious 2,000-foot descent in deep, soft, Selkirk powder, back to the access skin track. We finished with a session of howling laughter as we hiked some trailside kickers, resulting in some flight time, face plants, and high fives.

Although known for its immense avalanche activity in relation to the railroad and highway system, the pass is steeped with ski touring history. A guidebook called “Rogers Pass: Uptracks, Bootpacks & Bushwhacks” by Douglas Sproul documents enough tours to keep people busy for years. Parks Canada lists ski touring guidelines and requirements related to avalanche control areas, parking permits, and winter permits on its website. A great way to explore the pass at your own pace and ability is to hire a guide service such as Capow Guiding (www.capow.ca/guiding/pow-guiding).

Canuck Splitfest

Canuck Splitfest, held January 13-15 this year, is an annual event that brings together the splitboarding community from across the United States and Canada, allowing participants to create connections with like-minded people at Rogers Pass near Revelstoke, B.C. Canuck Splitfest promotes safe backcountry splitboarding, with several special speakers that include Revelstoke mountain sliding legends and forecasters from the Avalanche Canada group. The event is in its seventh year, and it’s grown from 50 attendees in 2011 to 300 attendees in 2016.

Many top companies in the industry donate raffle items, including splitboards, splitboard bindings, and avalanche rescue gear. The raffle raises money for the Avalanche Canada Foundation, an organization that promotes public avalanche education (much like Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center does in the Inland Northwest) and facilitates the avalanche safety bulletins across Canada. Proceeds are also donated to the Craig Kelly Memorial Scholarship fund that helps aspiring snowboarders who want to pursue a guiding or avalanche career. Craig Kelly, one of the best snowboarders in the world, died with six others in an avalanche in Canada on January 20, 2003. In the last six years, the Canuck Splitfest raffle has raised $28,600, benefitting many in the snow community. Visit www.facebook.com/CanuckSplitfest for more information. //

Larry Banks is the co-founder of PanhandleBackcountry.com. He wrote about the evolution of backcountry snowboarding in March 2015.

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I roll out of the parking lot at Valley Power Sports in Pinehurst, Idaho, stoked to have my sleds back and ready for the snow to fly as splitboarding season gets going. Wait…what do snowmobiles and splitboards have to do with each other?

Here in the Inland Northwest, we have some of the best riding in North America, with a reliable snow pack on the highest peaks even in the worst of ski seasons, as many of these spots are up to 1,000 feet higher than some of the resorts. However, unlike other backcountry skiing and riding areas with easy access where you can drive to the trailhead by car, such as Stevens Pass and Sherman Pass in Washington and Kootenay Pass up in B.C., to hit many of the best backcountry lines in North Idaho requires long slogs on touring gear, which in some cases would take much of a day or longer to reach.

Fortunately, many of these areas already have roads groomed specifically for snowmobile touring, paid through snowmobile registration fees that fund education and maintenance projects, that backcountry skiers and riders on sleds can readily reach for day touring. All one needs is a basic snowmobile, GPS, review of Google Earth, a ski or splitboard setup, avalanche gear (and the ability to use it all properly), and the latest avalanche bulletin information to take advantage of a vast expanse of riding opportunities far beyond the reach of nearly all climbing skin-powered backcountry skiers and riders. (For more information about splitboarding, check out “Split Personality: The Evolution of Backcountry Snowboarding” at Outtheremonthly.com).

Despite the fact that the vast majority of sled-assisted backcountry riders avoid popular areas in places that are frequented by most day-touring backcountry skiers and splitboarders, there seems to be lingering misunderstanding and controversy surrounding responsible sled-accessed riding, which consists of using the snowmobile for transportation instead of skinning the many long roads that are already groomed for snowmobile recreation. With this type of sled-accessed riding, the snowmobile is used to reach an end point location where the machines are parked and the backcountry rider uses climbing skins to go deeper into the mountains where most snow vehicles cannot access.

The benefits of having a snowmobile for this type of touring are many, including the ability to access terrain that few if any other human-powered skiers and splitboarders are riding; the reduction of trekking fatigue; allowing for transport of more gear such as food, water and safety equipment; and making such deep backcountry excursions more safe in the event of emergency situations where an injured person, whether skier or snow machine user, may need to be extracted.

To note, there are other types of sled-based skiing that can be more controversial, including when two riders use a sled to power up the mountain before one rider skis or snowboards the targeted slope, while the other person rides the snowmobile back to the bottom. Using sleds to make laps in this way is more common in alpine areas of the Selkirks and Canada, but there are occasional instances of this type of sled-based skiing occurring in other areas in North Idaho that are popular with day-touring skiers and splitboarders, and this is likely where much of the controversy around sled-accessed riding in the backcountry community stems from.

The use of snowmobiles for backcountry access is not new, but now due to population growth as well as ease of use, there are more participants than ever. The same can be said for non-motorized backcountry enthusiasts who head out to enjoy the solitude of the backcountry. This increase of all types of winter recreation has led to some conflict between different user groups. Accommodating both groups and their different expectations is difficult, but compromises can be gained if user groups work together.

Snowmobilers, including skiers and splitboarders who use sleds to access the backcountry, should also do what they can to minimize conflict with non-motorized users. Giving respectable breadth between each other and slowing down when approaching those on foot/ski and even stopping to talk with touring groups to discuss where you are riding, conditions, etc., can help. Avoiding riding sleds in areas that are popular with non-motorized winter recreationists will also go a long way to improve relations.

If you venture into the deep backcountry for skiing/boarding in our area, you’ll see the benefits of sled-access riding quickly. To learn more about skiing and splitboarding around the Inland Northwest and to get connected with other like-minded tourers, check out PanhandleBackcountry.com. //

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