Backcountry Skiing

Backcountry SkiingGaia GPSHow-To

Make the Most of Your Early Season Backcountry Ski Turns With Gaia GPS

by Tyler Jackson
written by Tyler Jackson
The ridge line I hiked up; a prime example of why rock
skis should be considered essential equipment for early
season tours.

For many backcountry skiers with sticks to spare, early season ski tours mark the start of a months-long pursuit of fresh lines and high adventure. However, these outings come with their own unique challenges: thin snowpacks, unpredictable conditions, and a whole lot of rocks. That’s why proper planning and on-the-ground navigation are essential—and Gaia GPS is one of the best tools to make this process as efficient and safe as possible.

This is the second post in my series about using Gaia GPS in real-world situations. In part one, I focused on how to use Gaia GPS’s web browser interface to plan trips before heading out. This time, I’ll look at how to use Gaia GPS during the adventure itself—navigating your route, adapting to conditions on-the-ground, and using the app’s features to stay safe and maximize your ski day.

This past Friday, I set out on my first ski tour of the 2024 season: a pre-work dawn patrol at Berthoud Pass, hunting down cool lines for the winter. I’ll walk you through my preparation and navigation on this trip, dishing out practical tips to get the most out of Gaia GPS.

What to do Before Leaving the House

Although this post focuses on the real-time use of Gaia GPS, it’s worth briefly revisiting the pre-trip steps that set the foundation for a successful day in the backcountry.

I planned my route on the Gaia GPS web browser. This process allows for precise route creation and layering of important information, all of which syncs seamlessly to the mobile app. Here are the key steps I took:

Note how I have Gaia Topo active as my base map, with Slope Angle overlayed atop it for quick reference.

1. Cleaning Up the Mobile App with Toggle Mobile Sync
Gaia’s “Toggle Mobile Sync” feature is a great tool, and it’s also brand new. This feature lets you remove unnecessary data from your mobile device while keeping it accessible on the web browser. For ski tours, this means I can focus on the route and waypoints relevant to that specific outing, ensuring my interface is clean and easy to use for quick reference when I’m on the move. To get the full scoop, check out this article: Goodbye Clutter, Hello Streamlined Maps: Introducing Sync to Mobile

2. Selecting the Right Layers
For early season tours, I rely on two layers:

  • Slope Angle Layer: This is essential for evaluating avalanche risk. Using this in conjunction with avalanche forecasts from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) helps me to identify safe routes at a glance.
  • Gaia Topo: This detailed topographic map is ideal for backcountry navigation. I use this layer to plan ascents and minimize exposure to steeper, avalanche-prone slopes and terrain traps.

Pro Tip: Early in the season, avoid snow depth layers, as they’re often inaccurate for sun-exposed aspects. Instead, focus on slope angle and terrain features to assess conditions.

3. Planning an Efficient Route
My goal for this outing was a quick, safe tour that I could wrap up before heading home to clock in for work. I used the web browser to create a route that followed a wide ridge line and minimized steep sections. This had the dual effect of keeping the hike up easy and minimizing avalanche risk. Once the route was finalized, I synced it to my phone for use in the field and checked to make sure that I had maps for the region downloaded.

Navigating the Route in Real Time

Once I arrived at Berthoud Pass and clicked into my rock skis, Gaia GPS became my primary navigation tool. Here’s how I used the app during the tour:

Waypoints I placed for my tour, marking spots to check out in the future or places I wanted to make note of.

1. Following the Pre-Planned Route
My route served as a reliable guide throughout the tour. By referencing the route on my phone, I could stay on track without constantly second-guessing my path.

2. Use Waypoints!
During the hike, I used waypoints to mark cool spots or lines for future reference. This is a critical habit for anyone exploring the backcountry, as it helps build a mental and digital map of the terrain. Here are the types of waypoints I added:

  • Future Objectives: I pin interesting ski lines that looked promising for later in the season.
  • Avalanches: I drop waypoints wherever I see avalanches or signs that one might happen.
  • Reference Points: Landmarks like prominent trees or rock outcroppings (or in this case, large metal towers) to make it easier to orient myself, both on the way down, or on future occasions. Most critically, once I’m getting ready to transition and ski down, I almost always drop a waypoint or two at the topographic lines that indicate my point of no return: the minimum elevation I can ski to without having to hike back up to my truck.

3. Recording Tracks
I also used the app to record my track. In the moment, the recording is not necessarily critical, but I find that recordings are incredibly handy to use for reference when I am making repeated trips to an area.I can drop waypoints along the track, and I can refer back to the old tracks whenever I’m building a new route. 

Pro Tip: I like to look back and see where my actual track differs from my planned route, which helps me to plan more efficiently in the future, or make note of hazards (like the wind slab).

Safety First!

Safety is always the top priority in the backcountry when I’m out alone, especially during the early season when rocks and thin snowpacks combine with avalanche danger to create unpredictable, often risky conditions. As one of my favorite guidebooks states: “They’re called the Rocky Mountains, not the Snowy Mountains.”

Here’s how I use the app as part of my safety toolkit:

Early season does not mean avalanche free. Anytime there is snow on the ground, an avalanche can release!

1. Slope Angle and Avalanche Forecasts
Before heading out, I review the CAIC avalanche forecast to get an idea of the snow conditions and what to watch out for. On the way up, I use the slope angle layer to maintain awareness of the terrain I’m in and the avalanche risk, especially when I venture off of the route I had planned out. It’s also important to note that this layer provides a broad overview of slope angles but doesn’t account for localized terrain features, so you’ll still need to use your best judgement when assessing slope steepness.

2. On the Fly Adjustments
Gaia GPS is an excellent planning tool, but it’s no substitute for real-time decision making. You’ll need to detour around hazards and obstacles, adjust your ski plan on the move, and stay on track to reach your destination. This is a huge reason that I always try to have a route built and available in Gaia GPS. While tracking myself, I can easily check my location against the route, and work my way back over to the intended path.

3. Avoiding Terrain Traps
This becomes especially important on the way down, doubly so when I’m exploring new areas. When I’m somewhere new, I’ll stop and check the topo layer or map layer periodically to make sure that I’m not running myself toward a drainage or terrain hazard like cliffs or gullies.

Wrapping Up the Tour

The final phase of any ski tour is returning safely to the trailhead. Here’s how I used Gaia GPS to finish my day on a high note:

1. Navigating Back to the Trailhead
After completing my descent, I used the app to navigate back to the parking area. By following my recorded track and the waypoints I dropped along the way, I avoided my most common mistakes like veering off course or ending up on the wrong side of a drainage. Nothing saddens me more than putting the skins back on for a hike up to the truck after a beautiful run.

2. Post Tour Beers and Review
Back at home (or a conveniently placed brewery), I reviewed my recorded track to evaluate the day’s route. This process is incredibly useful for identifying areas where I can improve, such as finding new routes, or making note of hazards I ran into on the way up. Whenever I come across something particularly cool, I like to export it and share it with my skiing partners for future consideration.

Early season ski tours come with lots of challenges, but with the right tools (a good pair of  rock skis) and preparation, these adventures can be almost as much fun as powder days, and every day on skis is a good day. Gaia GPS is an invaluable resource for both planning and pursuing backcountry trips, providing the information and flexibility needed to stay safe and make the most of your time in the mountains.

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Two skiers skin up a low-angle snowfield in single file. It's sunny and mountains extend in the distance.
Backcountry SkiingGaia GPSHow-To

How to Use Maps to Help Avoid Avalanches

by Drew Zieff
written by Drew Zieff

Beyond the boundaries of ski resorts, untouched powder and the promise of adventure beckon skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, mountaineers, and hikers into the backcountry. However, traveling in the backcountry is not without risk—25-30 people die in avalanches each year in the United States alone. Last season, an exceptionally weak snowpack in many popular backcountry zones has contributed to an increase in avalanche danger and fatalities.

While avalanches are undoubtedly hazardous, they tend not to occur randomly. Backcountry travelers can largely avoid avalanches with careful route planning and terrain management. This how-to article will point out a few ways that you can use maps as one tool to mitigate risk and help you avoid avalanches.

Traveling in avalanche terrain is an inherently dangerous activity. You should not travel in avalanche terrain until you and your partners undergo avalanche safety training and are competent in the use of avalanche safety gear (beacon, shovel, probe). Maps serve as a supplement to avalanche safety training, not a replacement.

This article covers how to identify avalanche terrain by observing:

A Short Primer on Avalanche Terrain

photo of avalanche with terrain trap beneath it.
Avalanche at Farmington Lakes, Utah. Photo courtesy of Utah Avalanche Center

If you aren’t familiar with identifying avalanche terrain, the Avalanche Canada online terrain identification tutorial is a great place to start. Our article gives you some examples of how you can identify and analyze avalanche terrain on a map. While a map is an important planning tool, keep in mind that it can be hard to completely understand terrain solely from a 2D map. You can supplement your understanding of a route with photographs from guidebooks or online sources like PowderProject and with 3D tools like Google Earth. And, most importantly, continually evaluate terrain as you travel, as subtle details may not be completely conveyed by the map.

Aspect and Elevation

Avalanche hazard often varies by aspect and elevation. Many avalanche forecast centers use an avalanche danger rose to forecast the distribution of the different avalanche problems at different aspects and elevations. The danger rose, in conjunction with your map, is a good place to start when planning a tour. Use the forecast to help you pick a safe objective for the day, rather than choosing a location first.

Here is an example from the Utah Avalanche Center forecast. Below 9500 feet, the avalanche hazard is “low,” a subjective categorization meaning human-triggered and natural avalanches are unlikely. Keep in mind that conditions can change rapidly, avalanche forecasts are imperfect, and accidents and fatalities have occurred on “low” hazard days. Elevation and aspect are only one part of mitigating avalanche risk.

Example of a danger rose for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Aspect can give you important clues about danger from wind loading and sun exposure. If the winds have been coming from the west, you may be more concerned about wind slabs on easterly aspects. On sunny days, solar radiation can contribute to wet loose avalanches on solar aspects. And, particularly in continental and intermountain snow climates, persistent slabs may be present on all aspects.

When planning your tour, note the elevation on the map by reading the contour intervals and compare it with the danger rose. Or, better yet, create a route and look at the elevation statistics.

Avalanche on the south face of Taylor Mountain, Teton Pass, Wyoming. Photo courtesy of Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center.

Slope Angle

When avalanche expert Bruce Tremper introduces terrain management in his must-read book, Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, he leads with a quote from Canadian avalanche specialist Karl Klassen. Klassen says, “The snowpack is a capricious and erratic acquaintance who you never get to know very well. The terrain is a steady and predictable friend that you can always depend on.”

Caveats riddle avalanche textbooks and avalanche safety classes. Snow science has fewer hard rules than backcountry skiers would like, and discussions of slope angle are no different. Avalanches are dynamic, conditions dependent, and can occur on a wide variety of slopes. These inconsistencies demonstrate why terrain management should always be used in conjunction with snowpack evaluations, weather observations, and avalanche forecasts. That said, while by no means a foolproof strategy, backcountry travelers who want to avoid avalanches significantly minimize risk by sticking to slopes under 30°.

Slope Angle and Avalanche Correlation: Because slope steepness directly correlates to avalanche activity, savvy backcountry travelers pay close attention to slope angles. Over 90% of avalanches start on slopes between 30° and 45° degrees. A 30° slope compares to a blue run at a ski area, while 45° slopes are found on double black diamond runs. In other words, prime skiing terrain is also prime avalanche terrain. One key detail is that most avalanches start on slopes between 30° and 45° degrees. Avalanches can be triggered remotely and run into lower angle terrain, so it is important to have a thorough understanding of runout zones.

Slope Angle Maps: Gaia GPS’ Slope Angle layer can help you identify avalanche terrain. Slopes are color-coded with their approximate steepness, with orange and red denoting terrain between 30 and 45 degrees.

The Inaccuracy of Slope Angle Maps: Keep in mind, slope shading is only “a depiction of reality.” The map will differ from the actual terrain. Avalanche start zones like convexities or small pockets of steepness can escape detection. The error can be as high as 4 degrees. The difference between 26 and 30 degrees, or 30 and 34 degrees, can be a significant increase in risk exposure – check out this distribution chart of avalanches by start zone slope angle.

In January 2019, a tragic avalanche accident occurred during an avalanche training class in Colorado. One contributing factor was that the slopes the group traveled on were a few degrees steeper than what the slope-shading estimated. To understand more about how nuanced—and impactful—slope-angle readings can be, read the full accident report. For an even deeper discussion, see Jeff Deems’ presentation about how these map overlays are made from the 2019 Colorado Snow and Avalanche Workshop or the article “Digital Mapping: Do You Know What Your Map Knows?” in September 2020 issue of The Avalanche Review.

Additional Tools for Measuring Slope Angle: Slope angle maps are best used for a big picture overview of terrain. To assure that you avoid 30°+ slopes, use a map in conjunction with a hands-on tool, like a slope meter, for a more accurate slope assessment. That said, measuring by hand isn’t infallible either—to get an accurate slope reading with an inclinometer, you may have to expose yourself to the start zone or the slide path.

Topography

If you aren’t familiar with reading topographic maps, here is a good primer.

Understanding topography helps differentiate more dangerous, complex terrain from simpler, safer terrain. Identifying start zones, ridges, and gullies can help you choose safe travel routes. Keep in mind that ridges are generally safer places to travel.

Onsite interpretation of terrain
Topo map with slope-angle shading of the area in the photograph. Some example terrain features are identified on the map.

Terrain Traps

Terrain traps magnify the consequences of being caught in an avalanche. Being washed over a cliff or into a stand of trees increases the chance of being injured or killed due to trauma—in addition to the risk of being buried under the snow. Trauma causes up to 30% of avalanche fatalities. Gullies and abrupt transitions to flat zones cause the snow to pile up higher, meaning a victim could be buried more deeply, decreasing the chance of a successful rescue.

Carefully scout your intended line for terrain traps with topo and satellite layers. Cliffs may be visible on satellite layers, and will show up on topo maps as contour lines stacked very close together.

Avalanche Paths

Use satellite layers to identify known avalanches paths that you may want avoid on your tour. While avalanches can happen in a wide variety of terrain, satellite maps often reveal signs of obvious avalanche paths including open slopes, sparse trees, and funnel-shaped terrain.

Utilize the Satellite Topo layer to help identify ridges and drainages, which are sometimes confusing on satellite images.

After identifying an avalanche path, it’s important to have a clear understanding of avalanche runout angles. While start zones are generally over 30°, the momentum of a slide may carry avalanche debris down gentle slopes, across flat expanses, and even up inclines, so be sure to give yourself adequate distance from the path. Keep in mind that in very unstable conditions, avalanche paths might exceed the normal runout—taking out old trees or buildings and redefining the path.

Supplement your analysis of avalanche paths with data and maps from avalanchemapping.org, which provides an atlas of common avalanche paths in popular backcountry skiing areas.

Key points to keep in mind before you venture into avalanche terrain:

  • Get avalanche safety gear. Practice sufficiently with your beacon, shovel, and probe before you head into the field.
  • Get proper training. Using maps is a supplement to education, not a replacement. Visit avalanche.org to find an avalanche education course. Start with the free avalanche awareness and education series “Know Before You Go.”
  • Read the avalanche forecast. From Colorado to Utah, Montana to Alaska, avalanche centers provide detailed local forecasts that outline aspects of concern and relevant avalanche problems. When you are online or within cell range, you can use the Avalanche Forecast layer to access the detailed local forecast. Pull up the map to see what the danger rating is for the area you plan to ski that day. From the Avalanche Forecast map, click on the shaded area to be able to access a link that will take you directly to the local avalanche center’s website for more information. Be sure to read the entire forecast from the avalanche center from the link provided on the map.
  • Supplement the weather forecast with Snow Forecast overlays to see what snow is expected to roll in during your ski tour. Check the Snow Stations (Daily) map before your trip to get a daily report on the amount of new snow that has fallen in the last 24 hours and what the average water density reading is for the new snow in the area you plan to visit.
  • Always travel with a trustworthy partner. Beacon, shovel, and probe are useless if you don’t travel with a partner who knows how to use them.

Gaia GPS Pro Tip: Plan routes at home
Planning routes at home is always a smart idea: you can use the desktop version of Gaia GPS, create routes or import tracks from a friend, and print out maps just in case your phone dies when you’re in the field. You can also plot decision points, make backup plans, and determine exit strategies. For more on backcountry route planning, click here.

Contributors to this post include:

Drew Zieff is a freelance journalist and writer and the snowboard test director at Backcountry and Outside Magazine.
Jim Margolis is a Gaia GPS Support specialist and former instructor, program supervisor, and field staffing coordinator at NOLS
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How to Read Topographic Maps

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

Knowing how to read a topographic map is the foundation of any backcountry adventure. Through the use of contour lines, topo maps bring a 3-dimensional element to a 2-dimensional paper map. Topo maps allow you to visualize the rise and fall of the land and “see” the depths of canyons, the location of boggy meadows, and the height and shape of mountains.

But, make no mistake about it, learning to read and understand topographic maps takes time and practice. Whether you’re new to topo maps or a seasoned wilderness navigator, this article will help explain the basic features found on topo maps, like lines, numbers, symbols, and colors, so that you can read them with ease and confidence.

This article covers:

Contour Lines

Contour lines are the primary and most important feature on a topo map. They show the shape of the terrain, including its hills, slopes, and depressions, by tracing a constant line of elevation on the map that corresponds with the landscape in the real world. Think of contour lines as imaginary horizontal planes sliced through the terrain surface.

Visualizing Contour Lines

It may be helpful to visualize contour lines as stacked “layers” of the landscape, similar to a layer cake. A large mountain appears as a dense group of lines with a small circle in the center that represents the peak—just picture looking down at a wedding cake from above. Areas with few contours appear relatively flat—more like a 2-tier birthday cake. A topo map provides a bird’s eye view of those concentric circles, allowing you to “see” both the height and shape of the mountain on the map.

Blog_Feature.png

From the USGS Topo on Gaia GPS, the summit of Pu’umakanaka, Hawaii is a near-perfect cone as indicated by the evenly spaced and round contour lines. Notice the tick marks on the contour lines in the center of the map. Those marks indicate a crater or depression at the summit.

Knuckle Mountain

Try this quick exercise at home to get a better understanding of contour lines:

  1. Make a fist with your hand, taking note of the “features” on your fist. There are four knobs (knuckles), a gentle slope (back of your hand), and four small ridges (fingers) separated by ravines (space between the fingers).
  2. With your other hand, mark an “x” on the knuckle that sticks up the highest to mark the “summit.“ Using a pen, drop down from the summit a quarter-inch and make a contour line around the peak of “knuckle mountain.” Follow the elevation around the mountain, without dropping or climbing, until you complete the contour line and close the circle. Drop down another quarter of an inch and repeat. Do that again and again, until you’ve mapped out your entire fist.
  3. Next, lay your hand flat with your palm on the table. Find the spread out contour lines on the back of your hand, indicating a gentle slope. Notice the “v” shaped topo lines where the ravines were between your fingers. The areas by your fingers have contour lines that are close together, indicating steepness. Find an hourglass-shaped topo line for the saddle between your knuckles.

Reading Slope Steepness on a Topo Map

Contour lines present in very predictable ways on the map. When the slope is gentle, the contour lines are spread far apart. Conversely, when the slope is steep the contour lines pack closely together. On a cliff, the contour lines are stacked on top of each other. A flat meadow is void of contour lines.

whitney.png

California’s Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet, the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states, is steep on its east face as indicated by the closely spaced contour lines. Whitney’s west face is marked by low-angle slopes, as depicted by the wide-spaced contour lines.

Identifying Features with Contour Lines

Contour lines show more than just the steepness of a slope or the elevation of a peak. You can pick out major land features on the map by the way the contour lines are shaped.

  • Peak: A mountain or hill that is marked by concentric contour lines. The summit may be marked with a name, an “X”, or an elevation.
  • Valley: A landform with a depression in which water, if present, would flow down. Also know as gullies, drainages, ravines, and couloirs, valleys are indicated by “V“or ”U“ shaped contour lines that “point” uphill, toward higher elevation.
  • Ridge: A landform with an elevated crest that slopes down on the sides. Ridges are also shown by “V“ or ”U“ shaped contours, but these “point” downhill, toward lower elevations. Remember, water never runs along ridge tops.
  • Saddle: A low spot between two peaks marked by hourglass-shaped contour lines.
Basic topographic landforms (peak, saddle, ridge, drainage) and a comparison of relative steepness as seen on US Topo in gaiagps.com.
Basic landforms on Thompson Peak, Idaho.

Contour Intervals and Index Marker

The contour interval is the amount of elevation change between each contour line. Contour intervals vary from map to map. Intervals set at 40-feet are common on 1:24,000 scale maps. But many maps, especially small scale maps, have 50-foot or 100-foot intervals. Index contours are the more prominent, bold colored lines with the elevation marked on them.

Index contours on the NRCAN Canada Topo layer. Index contours are every 5th line, and there are 500 feet between index contours, so the contour interval is 100 feet.

Discover the contour interval in two ways:

  1. Find the contour interval on the map margin or legend, or
  2. Calculate the contour interval between index contours, which are are the more prominent, bold-colored lines with the elevation marked on them. First, subtract the lower number from the higher number and then divide the result by the number of contour lines. For example, if the index contours elevations are 8000 and 7500 feet as shown in the picture above, the difference is 500 feet. If every fifth line is bold, then divide by 5. The contour interval is 100 feet.

Topo Map Scales

Map scale is important because it tells you how detailed a topo will be. Map scale is defined as one single unit of measurement equal to a definitive number of the same number of units in the real world. You’ll find the map scale written as a ratio in the bottom margin of a topo map.

Map scales vary greatly across different topo maps, but the most common scale is 1:24,000 for topo maps created in the United States. On a 1:24,000 scale map, 1 inch on the map is representative of 24,000 inches, or 2000 feet, on the ground. The United States Geological Survey quadrangle maps are scaled to 1:24,000. These are large scale maps and bring a lot of detail into focus.

A map scale of 1:63,360 is common in Forest Service maps, and maps throughout Alaska. These are smaller-scale maps, with less intricate detail. Some National Geographic maps use a scale of 1:65,000, which allows a large area of land to be packed onto a single topo map.

What you need to know is that the bigger the number on the bottom of the ratio, the smaller the scale and the less detail:

  • 1:24,000= a large scale map that depicts a smaller region of land in intricate detail
  • 1:63,360= a small scale map that depicts a larger area of land in less detail
The map scale and contour intervals are usually found in the bottom margin or in the legend of the topo map.

Distance Scale

The distance scale in the margin identifies the distance on the ground in relation to a straight line on a map. For example, in a 1:63,360 map, one inch on the map equals one mile on land. On a larger scale 1:24,000 USGS quadrangle map, as referenced in the photo above, one inch on the map equals 2,000 feet on the ground. This is important when you’re out in the field because it places context to distances on the map’s representation of the landscape.

The bar scale doesn’t take into account distance added by switchbacks and twists and turns of a trail. But you can use the lanyard of your compass, a guy line from your tent, or the shoelace from your boot to trace the bends of the trail and then measure the lanyard against the linear bar scale. This will give you a more accurate assessment of distance than a straight-line measurement on the map’s surface.

Map Legend

A map legend explains what the map’s symbols, lines, and colors represent. Look for the legend in the margin or in the corner of a map. On gaiagps.com, click on the map’s thumbnail in the layers menu to access the legend.

Large scale USFS recreation maps often include a robust legend with keys for recreation symbols, like campgrounds and restrooms. There may be a listing of points of interest, such as prominent peaks and glaciers, and a legend defining roads, trails, and manmade features like gates and power lines.

Colors on the Map

Some legends define what different colors represent on the map:

  • Blue represents water in the form of creeks, rivers, and lakes.
  • White areas outlined by a thin blue line indicate a year-round snowfield.
  • Green areas are sections of land covered with vegetation, like trees.
  • White, or the color of the base map, represents land that lacks tall vegetation.

The absence of vegetation can mean many things, including a desert landscape, a meadow, a scree field, a gentle grassy slope high above treeline, or a burn area. Use the contour lines to take a guess at what the surface characteristics will be on the ground without vegetation. If the area is flat with no contour lines and a river flows through the non-vegetated area, then the white-shaded zone is likely a meadow. If the non-vegetated area is high above tree-line, steep, and below a rocky mountain, there is a good chance it’s a field of talus.

Declination

Topo maps are oriented to true north, while your compass needle is drawn to magnetic north. Declination is the angle of deviation between the magnetic north and true north. This angle is often depicted in the bottom margin of the map or on the map itself, as seen in the photos below.

Two ways declination is depicted on maps, in the margin or on the map face.

These diagrams show the declination for the area on the map. Map and compass navigators use the declination angle to adjust their compass to account for the difference between true north on the map and magnetic north, which lies some 400 kilometers south of true north.

Declination varies with location on the earth, and in one part of the United States may be several degrees different than in another part of the country. Also, declination changes over time as magnetic north responds to the earth’s ever-changing magnetic field, so it’s important to check the map’s publish date as older maps may not accurately reflect the current declination. You can also look up magnetic declination by using this nifty calculator.

Orient the Map

Topographic maps are oriented to true north. If you’re holding the map in front of you, and the letters and numbers are right-side up, then the direction of true north is located at the top of the map. This is important because when you are in the field, you’ll need to orient the map to true north to bring the map in line with the land features around you. Learn how to orient the map from backpacking guide Andrew Skurka.

When the map is oriented to true north in the field all the surrounding features will line up with the contour lines on the map. This is the time to practice picking out ridges and peaks on the skyline and matching them up with distinctive contour lines on the map.

Map Grids

Township and Range

Many maps have grid lines with the numbers 1-36 written in the middle of each box. These numbered boxes are called sections and originate from the township and range survey method that was used throughout the western United States, some midwestern states, and Alabama and Florida. Each square on the map represents one-square-mile on the ground, conveniently giving you the ability to assess distance without having to use the distance bar.

The map on the left shows a large-scale USGS quadrangle map showing township and range grid lines and section numbers. The map on the right is a USFS large-scale map displaying township, range, and section numbers. Each box represents one square mile.

UTM Coordinates

Some maps, like National Geographic Trails Illustrated, display the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system, which includes markings on the map for every 1,000 meters on the map’s north-south line and east-west line. The measurements on the north-south lines are “northings” and represent the number of meters that point on the map is from the equator. The numbers on the east-west lines are “eastings” and they depict the number of meters east or west of a particular reference line. You can find these measurements along the margins in the USGS quadrangle maps. Some maps display UTM grid lines, and others don’t, leaving you to eyeball the exact measurement or use a tool to help calculate the exact point.

Latitude and Longitude

Latitude and longitude coordinates are also listed in the margins of most topographical maps. They present in the form of degrees, as shown in the picture below.

image.png
Notice the lat/long coordinates on the upper left margin of this USGS quadrangle map and the UTM “easting” and northing“ measurements closer to the edge of the map.

Find Topo Maps

The USGS has been producing topographic maps since 1879 and has produced some 54,000 maps that cover the topography of the entire lower 48 states and Hawaii. These maps are referred to as the USGS quadrangle maps, with each map covering a 7.5-minute section of latitude and longitude on the globe. USGS quad maps, scaled at 1:24,000, are still considered the industry standard.

The U.S. Forest service also makes topo maps for its lands. The FSTopo is the same large-scale map as the USGS quadrangle map and is available in hard copy at some of the Forest Service offices. Its wilderness maps cover an entire wilderness area and come in a small scale to fit on a single page.

Private companies have delved into publishing topo maps too. National Geographic Trails Illustrated offers more than 250 titles for recreation areas in America. Some smaller companies make regional topo maps, such as Beartooth Publishing in Bozeman, Montana, and Tom Harrison Maps, based in San Rafael, California.

View the nine most popular hiking maps at Gaia GPS to get an idea of which topo maps people use most. With a premium membership, you can access and download the entire Gaia GPS map catalog, including the best backcountry maps and layers. Check out all the classics:

USGS Topo

Official topo maps from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This quilt of digitized 1:24,000 USGS quadrangles covers the entire contiguous United States. Each quad covers 7.5 minutes of longitude by 7.5 minutes of latitude. The date of the last update varies by region.

Gaia Topo

Gaia Topo is the main map source in Gaia GPS, available to all Gaia GPS users—with or without a paid membership. The new Gaia Topo is now available on iOS, the web, and in the latest beta test version of Gaia GPS for Android.

USFS 2016

Full, detailed topographic coverage of all 172 national forests and grasslands in the US. This is the most up-to-date rasterized map available from the US Forest Service. It includes labeled trails, roads, and vegetation shading to help you plan hiking, backpacking, camping, off-roading, hunting, or fishing trips.

You can also print and customize the maps from Gaia GPS and take them with you on the trail.

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Two skiers skin up a low-angle snowfield in single file. It's sunny and mountains extend in the distance.
Backcountry SkiingGaia GPSHow-To

How to Plan a Backcountry Ski Tour with Gaia GPS

by Devin Lehman
written by Devin Lehman

Devin Lehman is the Product Manager for Gaia GPS. Join him in planning and going on a backcountry ski tour, and to learn how to use Gaia GPS for your winter backcountry excursions. 

I’m a backcountry snowboarder who happens to work in tech. It’s a lame joke I’ve told coworkers over the past decade. (And it’s a joke that needs no explanation to my coworkers at Gaia GPS.) So when winter swung into central Oregon and the avalanche forecast looked promising, I jumped on the opportunity to tour Mount Bachelor with some friends before opening day. Here’s how I did it, from start to finish.

A New Mapping Paradigm

Technology has revolutionized ski tour planning. Growing up on ice coast of Maine, I spent many weekends with friends and family bootpacking up the Camden Snow Bowl to get a few edgeable turns. Hail, sleet, snow, and freezing temperatures rarely stopped us from having a good time outdoors. 

We didn’t have the best gear in the late ’90s. I wasn’t sure what “gore-tex” meant and jeans with sweatpants underneath often served as our premier choice of winter clothing. Checking conditions around Belfast, Camden, or Carrabassett Valley included picking up paper maps to look at terrain. We’d open a local newspaper to see weather forecasts. We’d talk to park rangers about conditions. And we’d turn on Maine Public Broadcasting to find out if school was canceled or if we’d be begging our parents to call in “sick” for us. These were the best methods we had at the time to plan, adventure, and share our outdoor experiences.

Enter Gaia GPS. Over the years, this app has transformed how outdoor enthusiasts, professionals, and weekend warriors adventure—including me.

Armed with vastly better tools and relocated to the opposite coast, my mission remains the same. When my friends and I decided we wanted to tour Mount Bachelor, I just had to turn to one resource to bring the trip to life.

Route Plan on the Web

With the best route planning tools available, gaiagps.com is the place I like to start planning any adventure. Plus, a desktop’s big screen also lets you get a better, bigger sense of the terrain than the tiny screen of a phone.

So start by going to gaiagps.com. Hit the locate button in the bottom right corner to center yourself on the map. Since I’m not planning this ski tour from my front door, I type “Mount Bachelor” into the search bar to bring me to my destination on the map. Conveniently, I can see the localized weather forecast from OpenSnow just by tapping anywhere on the map.

Activate Winter Maps

The Gaia Winter map shows backcountry ski start zones in orange, and touring zones in blue.

Of Gaia GPS’s hundreds of maps, a handful prove essential for every backcountry tour. I start by selecting Gaia Winter as my basemap. Designed in-house, Gaia Winter boasts the same clarity and file efficiency as Gaia Topo, but prioritizes winter travel. Backcountry ski zones conveniently pop-out from the map in blue and starting zones stand out in orange, making it easy to find places to tour. Gaia Winter’s winter color palette also pairs perfectly with the suite of winter safety maps we’re going to layer on top of it.

Snow Safety Maps

Next, I add the Slope Angle shading map and layer it on top of Gaia Winter. (Just drag Slope Angle to the top of the active map queue.) I turn the opacity down to about 30 or 40 percent so I can still see the underlying topographic terrain. Wondering what the colors mean? Tap the map name in the sidebar and scroll down to the bottom to see the map legend. Since I want to avoid slopes above 30 degrees, which could yield avalanche-prone terrain, I can easily pick my route through terrain that’s shaded yellow (26 to 29 degrees) or has no shading at all (less than 26 degrees).

Now that I’ve got a sense of the terrain, I add the Avalanche Forecast layer to the top so I can scope out the regional avalanche forecast for the day. By zooming out a bit on the map, I can see that the avalanche forecast for the central cascades is green. But I want to read the full report anyway, so I click on the link to the full forecast from the Central Oregon Avalanche Center. 

Weather Maps

I also add the Snow Stations Daily map to get snow conditions for the area, including the snow depth, how much new snow has accumulated, and the snow water equivalent, which tells you whether you’ll be skiing Montana cold smoke or Sierra cement. Since we’re touring a ski resort, I can also add the Ski Resort Reports map to get official conditions from the mountain. (Resorts with fresh snow glow on the map.) I can also add the Snow Depth map to get a visual on estimated snow depths throughout the area. Once again, tap the map in the sidebar and scroll down to the bottom for the map legend to see which colors correspond with what snow depths.

Given the late-season wildfires, I also add the Wildfire and Smoke Forecast maps just to make sure our plans don’t go up in smoke.

Finally, I add the Satellite Imagery map so I can get a sense of how treed the terrain will be, where we’ll hit treeline, and where avalanche paths may exist. I’m going to keep this map as an inactive layer for now; we’ll turn to it once we activate 3D mode.

Hone in on the Zone

Now that we’ve got all of our maps, I start to scout out potential zones for the tour. I’ve already decided I want to ski around Mount Bachelor. Using Gaia Winter, I can see the backcountry skiing start and touring zones are on the northeast aspect of the mountain. The Slope Angle map shows there are some clear low-angle paths up this side of the mountain as well. 

For easy reference, I mark this region of the map with a polygon. That way I can spy this area of the map at low zoom levels, and my touring partners can get a sense of where we’re going. To add a polygon, or “area,” click “Area” in the sidebar and add points to mark the perimeter of the zone. If the polygon shading gets in the way of seeing the map underneath, just turn it off by either toggling off “Areas” in the “Map Overlays” section of the sidebar. Or tap the area on the map, click the polygon in the sidebar, and turn the map visibility off. 

Map Route with Snap-To-Trail

Now that I’ve got a sense of the terrain and the region we’ll be touring, I’m going to map out a potential uphill route. Of course, this may change as we assess the conditions and terrain upon arrival, but it’s useful to have a sense of where we’re going and how long the route may be.

Zooming into the orange “start” zone near Mount Bachelor, I see there is a parking lot. I’m going to mark that as our starting point by dropping a waypoint on the map. Next, I’m going to map out the route. After clicking “Route” on the sidebar, I’m going to follow one of the trails switchbacking up the mountain. Mount Bachelor actually has designated uphill routes when the lifts are spinning, so I want to abide by this uphill route in case there are any employees working–I’d hate to pop up in front of a groomer or patrolling and startle them! Gaia GPS’s smart snap-to-trail routing automatically snaps to the trail as I plot out points along it. When I make a careless click on the web, using the undo feature makes route correction a breeze.

About two a half miles and 1,500 feet of climbing up the trail, we reach a saddle. As we had a group of folks with varying levels of experience, I want to create two options. One more mellow mid-mountain approach, and another option to summit if conditions are right. While creating the routes, I’m able to see the right statistics (weather, ascent, slope angle, avalanche conditions) and tailor the route accordingly. 

Some people may want to transition and ski back down here, so I’m going to end the route and give it a name: “Main plan.” For those who may want to continue on to the summit if conditions allow, I’m going to start a new route here in a different color. Once again, I let Gaia GPS’s smart planning tools do most of the work for me until the route reaches the summit.

For fun I even dropped a waypoint that could be a nice lunch spot for us to eat our pocket-tacos, a staple diet for touring adventures. 

Scout in 3D

Now that I’ve drawn some potential routes on the map, I want to get a better understanding of the terrain we will be covering by looking a the map in 3D. So I hit the “3D” button in the bottom right corner. Next, I add the Satellite Map to the top of our active map layers. Following the route up the mountain, I can see that the first half of the skin track goes straight up a ski slope with trees on either side. The second half switchbacks up a ridge above the treeline. Panning around this northeast face of the mountain, I can see some potential skiable chutes and faces.

Share with Friends

I want to share my routes, waypoints, and area with my friends so they can prepare for the tour at home and navigate in the field. First, I add all of these items to a new folder. Now it’s easy to share it with my partners. Just click on the folder, hit “Invite others to this folder,” and enter their email addresses.

Now when my friends open their Gaia GPS accounts on gaiagps.com, they’ll see a notification on the bell (top right of the screen) inviting them to add my folder to their accounts.

Sync Route to Phone

While gaiagps.com serves as the powerhouse for planning at home, I want to see all my new data in the field once we get going. To ensure it shows up in the app, open your Gaia GPS app at home. Tap the “Saved items” button on the bottom bar. Swipe down to automatically sync the items on your web and app accounts.

Take Maps Offline

We may not have cell coverage for the full tour. Plus, sometimes I like to put my phone in airplane mode to save battery life. To ensure I can see the map regardless of cell service, I’m going to download Gaia Winter and Slope Angle shading for offline use. 

To download the maps on the app, tap the plus button on the top bar. Select Download Maps, and move the rectangle over the area in question. I like to download a little extra map, just in case. Next, press “Save” and choose which maps you want to download for offline use. You also have the option to download the data that will let you create new snap-to-trail routes in the field without cell service. Why not, it can’t hurt–toggle on “Include data to create and navigate routes offline.” Hit next. Keep the app open while the maps download. If you have decent wifi, it should be quick.

Navigate with the App

The squad reviewed the routes overnight, and now it’s go time! Before I leave the house, I like to double check that my maps are downloaded for offline use and are set as active map layers. While I’m in the app, I can get driving directions to the parking lot. Just tap the route, hit the “More” button, and select “Driving Directions.” 

Upon arriving at the mountain, we meet up for a check in focusing on General headspace, Fitness, Willingness to suffer, Skiing ability and Avalanche risk tolerance. Once we completed the checks, the group agreed the mid-mountain lunch tour made the most sense.

Record Tracks

I like to record my adventures in Gaia GPS for a few reasons. One, recording your tracks leaves a breadcrumb trail of your progress in the app. That way if I need to retrace my steps, I can just turn around and follow the line on the map. Second, recording your tracks in the app lets you relive your adventure in 3D on the web once you get home.

So after I turn on my beacon and we do our checks, I start recording my tracks. Once again, tap the plus button. Select “Record a Track.”

Drop Waypoints

As we skin up the mountain, I drop waypoints to mark snow features, views, and to add notes about the snow pack and any other observations our team makes in the field. You can also drop a photo waypoint. Just tap the plus button and select “Take Picture.” Don’t forget to mark up the map with your memories.

Après 

The conditions were way too reminiscent of my ice-coast heritage, and side-hilling became the name of the game. For one member of our group, however, that was no issue. It definitely helps to have four paws with integrated crampons. We hit our top-out point, snacked a bit, and started the descent. While we didn’t have any deep pow lines to drop or slashes to throw, we sure did have a lot of fun. With Gaia GPS as our planning and adventuring tool, we were able to make a route directly back to the car without throwing our skins back on. A win in any backcountry enthusiast’s book! 

As snow keeps piling up in Bend and we watch the conditions, rest assured I’ll be counting down the minutes until I can get back into the mountains. Gaia GPS and Outside have elevated my ability to educate myself, plan, and execute some of my most fun adventures. I’m incredibly lucky to have found a place where I get to combine my passion for the outdoors with my love of working in tech. That lame joke has now become a dream come true–something I am grateful for. 

Cheers to Gaia GPS, Outside, and the outdoor community.

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Backcountry SkiingGaia GPSNew Maps

Find Backcountry Skiing in Gaia Winter Map

by Abby Levene
written by Abby Levene

Discover backcountry ski zones, snowmobile trails, and trails for every winter activity with our new and improved Gaia Winter map. Complete with world-wide ski resort maps plus nordic, fatbike, uphill skiing and snowshoe trails, Gaia Winter serves as the go-to map for winter travel. We’ve updated it to make it even more useful for your adventures.

Just like our original Gaia Topo, Gaia Winter comes with industry-leading clarity and download efficiency. Download the map for your entire state so you can always have a map on hand, even when you lose cell service. From backcountry ski zones to snowmobile trails to enhanced tree cover, read on to learn about the improvements and how to get the most of Gaia Winter this season.

Discover Backcountry Skiing

Backcountry skiers planning their next tour have come to the right place. We’ve added popular backcountry ski zones to the map. Areas shaded in blue show where you may find places to tour. Regions shaded in orange illustrate starting points.

Our cartographers created these backcountry start and ski zones based on where users started recording ski tracks and where their tracks took them, respectively. Backcountry ski zones are mostly contained within North America now. And you’ll also find a few zones in Iceland, Norway, and France.

Spy Snowmobile Trails

snowmobile trails in Gaia Winter

Sledders can now discover snowmobile trails right on the map. We’ve added all the snowmobile trails from our Snowmobile Trails map to Gaia Winter for your convenience. Before you go on your next tour, download Gaia Winter for offline use so you have a trail map on hand. That way you can reroute on the fly, find somewhere to refuel, or navigate in a white-out. 

Get even more trail details including grooming status, access dates/restrictions, trail width, difficulty level, trail length, and direction of travel with our interactive Snowmobile Trails map. Pair this trail overlay with Gaia Winter for optimal planning and navigation. 

Understand Landcover and Topography

Say goodbye to the blues. We’ve revamped the color palette to make Gaia Winter brighter, with more detailed landcover. As you’re planning your next ski tour, use Gaia Winter to see if you’ll be skinning over shrubs, through trees, or across tundra. Sledders can see if they’re traveling past prairies or farmlands. 

The winter-themed color palette of the map sets a seasonal tone and enhances its utility. Tour the backcountry with confidence thanks to a stronger emphasis on terrain, tree cover, and contour lines. Mountains pop out of the map, helping you scout the best uphill and ski lines. See exactly where treeline ends so you can find powdery bowls and untracked glades. Hiking, mountain bike, and other three-season trails are deemphasized to make it even easier to see ski, snowshoe, and fat bike trails.

Activate Snow Mode

Gaia Winter’s less diverse color scheme also pairs perfectly with our safety and weather maps. Pair Gaia Winter with our suite of winter safety maps, including Slope Angle shading, Avalanche Forecast, Snow Stations Daily, Snow Depth, and Satellite Imagery to help you plan safer tours. Check out our primer on how to use maps to help avoid avalanches for a refresher.

Trails for alpine skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, fatbiking, uphill skiing, and snowmobiling are indicated by line type. And now you can also distinguish trail activity type thanks to icons right on the trails themselves. 

Gaia Winter is Available with a Premium Membership

Gaia Winter is available on the web and in the Gaia GPS app with a Gaia GPS Premium membership. To access this map, visit the layers menu and search for “Gaia Winter.” Or from the layers menu, select “Topo Maps.” Scroll down and tap “Gaia Winter.” Tap the “Add Layer” button. Learn how to add and manage overlays here.

A Premium Membership also gives you access to Gaia GPS’s entire map catalog, including a suite of avalanche safety maps. These include Slope Angle, Avalanche Forecast, recent satellite imagery, Snow Stations (Daily), Snow Depth, and snow forecast maps. Read up on how to use maps to help avoid avalanche danger.

Plus, with Premium, you can layer maps together. For example, you can place the Slope Angle map on top of Gaia Winter to find the best low-angle terrain. And you can download your maps (including Gaia Winter) for use without cell service, as well as print maps so you always have a backup.

Take winter to the next level. Join Gaia GPS Premium with Outside+ to get one subscription to fuel all your adventures, thanks to access to Trailforks Pro, Outside, SKI, Trail Runner, Outside Watch, and more. 

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SNOTEL map
Backcountry SkiingGaia GPSNew FeaturesNew Maps

Find the Deepest, Lightest Powder with the Snow Stations (Daily) Map

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

Find the freshest, lightest, and deepest snow for your next winter adventure with the Snow Stations (Daily) map. This map taps into hundreds of remote SNOTEL and Canadian weather sensors to show just how much snow fell over the last 24 hours in mountain zones around the west. The map also provides water density readings to give you a sense of whether the new snow stacks up light and dry like Montana’s famous cold smoke or wet and heavy like Sierra cement.

No more trial-and-error in driving up to the pass or trailhead to hunt down the best snow conditions. Backcountry skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers can simply check the Snow Stations (Daily) map before heading out the door to get a real-time look at conditions on peaks and passes in the Western US and British Columbia. View this map with a Premium Membership on the web and in the Gaia GPS app when connected to the internet or cell service. This map relies on constant updates and is not available for downloading.

Real-Time Snow Data

two cell phones showing the snow stations daily map with information on snow totals

The Snow Stations (Daily) map helps you find the freshest snow conditions by pulling data from almost a thousand United States Department of Agriculture SNOTEL sites and British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development weather stations. Updated once every hour, these weather stations send out real-time information on total snow depth, snow water content, 24-hour change in snow totals, and more.

the legend showing what each color-coded snowflake represents on the Snow Stations Daily map. Orange and red snowflakes represent loss of snow. Black is no change in snow. Green and Blue show snow gain.


Find the location of all the SNOTEL and Canadian weather stations near you by looking for color-coded snowflake icons on the map. Each snowflake represents a remote weather station and the color of the snowflake indicates how much snow has fallen or melted in the last 24-hour reporting period.

Click on the icons to get more information about the location of the site and the weather conditions in that area. A pop-up will show the name, elevation, and the date and time the weather station last sent an update. View snow depth totals, 24-hour change in snow, and snow water equivalent changes within the last 24 hours. The link within the information pop-up on the map takes you to the weather station’s page, where you can learn more specifics about the sensor’s exact location and the maximum, minimum, and average temperature readings at the site for the last seven days, month, or a customized time frame of your choosing.

Location of Snow Stations (Daily)

You’ll find stations located in the most remote areas of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, and British Columbia, Canada. The weather stations were originally placed in these watersheds in the 1960s as a way to measure and forecast water availability for agricultural use. The SNOTEL sites quickly developed into a climate resource for backcountry enthusiasts. Skiers, snowboarders, mountaineers, and snowmobilers keep a close eye on conditions by referencing SNOTEL data. Hikers, bikepackers, and backpackers are equally interested in learning about spring, summer, and fall temperature readings and precipitation activity for backcountry areas they plan to visit.

How to Get the Snow Stations (Daily) Map

The Snow Stations (Daily) map is available in the app and online with a Premium Membership. Tap the layers icon from the Gaia GPS app on your phone or in your account on the web and select the “Add map layers” button. Scroll down and tap the “Feature /Weather Overlays” and select “Snow Stations Daily.” Tap the “+” icon to add it to your active map layers.

Layer this map on top of your favorite basemap, like Gaia Topo, USGS Topo, or even satellite imagery maps. Use the 24-, 48-, and 72- hour Precipitation layers to see what weather is predicted to come your way. Take a look at the Snow Depth layer to get a picture of how much snow is already on the ground. Always check in with the Avalanche Forecast map before heading out of cell service range.

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two skiers on top of a snow ridge with mountains in the background
AdventuresBackcountry SkiingGaia GPSHow-ToOut and Back Podcast

How to Avoid Another Deadly Avalanche Season

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

How to listen: iTunes | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox

Avalanches killed 37 people in the U.S. last winter, making it the most deadly season in modern history. Why was 2020-2021 so dangerous and how can we avoid avalanches this winter? Get the answers to these burning questions in our new winter safety series, dropping on the Out and Back podcast today.

In this four-part series, avalanche forecasters expose the factors that played into last season’s tragic fatalities. Tune in to hear the details of one of the most chilling avalanche accidents in Utah’s history. Learn how seasoned ski mountaineers make the tough decision to turn around just shy of the summit. And get a crash course on how to read an avalanche forecast so you can be plan safer routes on your next tour.

Listen to all four binge-worthy episodes at once, or pick them up in a random order. However you listen — don’t delay. Each episode gives you real, actionable insights that you can put to use in your next winter adventure.

Get 40% Off Gaia GPS Premium

Episode 43: How Last Winter Became the Deadliest Avalanche Season of All Time

Last winter was nothing short of a perfect storm. A dangerously weak snowpack plagued the entire nation. At the same time, people were hungrier than ever for fresh air and fun. This deadly combination clouded people’s judgment and put them at greater risk, says Ethan Greene, Director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

“Part of what we saw last year, I think, was that we were all living in a difficult environment,” Greene says. “And that made it hard going to the grocery store. It made it hard going to school. It made work hard. And when we had time away from those stresses and got to go into the mountains, it made making decisions in avalanche terrain difficult.”

Director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center Ethan Greene, PhD.

The unusual circumstances also brought with it surprising demographics. Greene distills the statistics to tell us what age group, gender, and experience level was most at-risk for getting caught in an avalanche last year. Plus, Greene takes a look at they way conditions are stacking up for this season. Don’t get your hopes up. This season could be shaping up to be just as dangerous as the last.

Episode 44: Lessons from Utah’s Wilson Glade Avalanche

Last February, two separate backcountry ski parties headed out for what they thought was lower-angle, safer terrain in the Wilson Glade area of Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. The avalanche risk was high that day, but the two parties were prepared. They studied the avalanche forecast, made conservative travel plans, and carried all the right safety gear into the mountains. But, precautions aside, the skiers were swept away in a colossal avalanche. Four of eight people died.

What went wrong?

Avalanche Forecaster Nikki Champion of the Utah Avalanche Center, investigated the accident. She gives her best insights on the lessons that can be gleaned from this tragic incident.

Avalanche Forecaster Nikki Champion of the Utah Avalanche Center

“I think this accident really hit home with a lot of backcountry users,” Champion says. “Because it was a lot of decisions that most of us could see ourselves making: being in lower-angle terrain, traveling one at a time, skiing the slope multiple times, and not seeing any obvious red flags in that area.”

Champion walks us through what we can learn from this tragic accident. Learn about how to spot and avoid connected terrain. She enlightens us on the dangers of uphill travel. Plus, hear how one survivor’s quick thinking and rescue skills saved the lives of others.

Slope angles in the area of the Wilson Glade avalanche range from 40 degrees to 23 degrees.

Episode 45: Avoiding Summit Fever with Ski Mountaineers Luke Smithwick and Iain Kuo

In the fall of 2021, ski mountaineers Luke Smithwick and Iain Kuo attempted an unsupported, first ski descent of the world’s seventh tallest peak — Mount Dhualagiri in Nepal. They spent weeks advancing to the mountain’s 26,705-foot summit, but high winds and increasing avalanche danger held them back from the top. After months of planning and training, Smithwick and Kuo were forced to retreat, leaving the ski record on the table for another day.

The decision to turn around didn’t come easy for Smithwick and Kuo. But sticking with an objective mindset helped them stave off summit fever. Their number one tip for making good decisions in the mountains? Erase any assumption of how things will play out.

“I have zero expectations going into the mountains,” Smithwick says. “I’m like, wow, the car started, we’re leaving town. Great. Let’s celebrate that. Okay guys, everyone celebrate.”

Ski mountaineer Luke Smithwick on the shoulder of Mt. Dhualagiri — the world’s 7th highest peak. Photo by: Iain Kuo

Smithwick and Kuo review their decision to turn around just shy of Dhualagiri’s unusually harsh and exposed summit. They check their decision-making process and their egos against the popular FACETS acronym that is widely taught in Avalanche 1 courses. Tune in to this conversation to learn where Smithwick and Kuo nailed the human factors, along with a few vulnerabilities that they have to constantly work to keep in check.

Episode 46: How to Read the Avalanche Forecast

Checking the avalanche forecast should be at the top of your safety checklist. It predicts the avalanche danger for your favorite zones and give you a heads up on worrisome problems within the snowpack. But how much stock can you really put into the daily avy forecast report?

US Forest Service Avalanche Expert Simon Trautman says avalanche forecasts should be your building block for planning a safe day in the backcountry. However, once your feet are on the snow, the forecast always takes a back seat to your observations in the field.

US Forest Service Avalanche Specialist Simon Trautman of avalanche.org

“The whole point behind the avalanche forecast is that they’re a starting point for your daily planning,” Trautman says. “But people need to understand that what they’re doing is providing an expert’s idea of a pattern that exists across the landscape.

“They’re great resources but it’s kind of like a weather forecast. If you get out there and it said no rain and it starts raining on you, you need to reassess and you need to figure out what that means for your plan that day. Do you just continue to have your picnic or do you change plans?”

Tune in as Trautman dissects the avalanche forecast into manageable sections. He teaches us the first things to look at and how to get the most out of the avalanche forecast when planning your next tour.

Episode 20: Avalanche Safety Tips with Bruce Tremper

If you need more ammo in your avalanche safety arsenal, go back and listen to Out and Back’s episode 20 with renown avalanche expert Bruce Tremper. Author of Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain and Avalanche Essentials, Tremper draws on his 30-plus year career in snow science to give us his masterful tips for avoiding avalanches. His advice is pretty simple: stick to low-angle terrain.

“Whenever there is uncertainty in the snowpack, the terrain is always the answer,” Tremper says. “You can cut your risk in half from going from 39 degrees down to 34 degrees. And you can cut your risk in half once again by going from 34 degrees down to 30 degrees. The handiest tool that you can use in all the world of avalanches is slope steepness.”

Learn Tremper’s low risk safety ritual and get some advice on what to do if the unthinkable happens and you get caught in an avalanche.

Avalanche expert Bruce Tremper, author of the book “Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain” digs a snow pit in Utah’s remote backcountry.

Episode 21: Buried Alive — Bruce Tremper Tells His Story

It’s almost impossible to grasp the power and force of avalanches, unless of course you’ve actually been caught in one. Avalanche expert Bruce Tremper brings us a little closer to that experience with his story about how he triggered — and was buried in — an avalanche in Montana. He describes the feeling of having the “rug pulled out” from under his skis, being swept down the steep mountain, and what it felt like when the avalanche finally roared to a stop. Go back to episode 21 of the Out and Back podcast to get the blow-by-blow from Tremper on how he survived the avalanche that should have killed him.

Tap into these Avalanche Safety Resources

Visit avalanche.org for safety resources and avalanche forecasts in your area.
Sign up for avalanche awareness and rescue courses with American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education.
Watch the Know Before You Go video to get pumped about avalanche safety.

Consider donating to your local avalanche center so they can keep those avalanche forecasts coming your way!

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Backcountry SkiingGaia GPSHow-To

Winter Hiking Safety Guide: How to Stay Warm and Plan Ahead

by Corey Buhay
written by Corey Buhay

Winter hiking offers the ability to test out new skills, push your physical limits, and experience a landscape transformed by either snow or an open tree canopy. Plus, in many places you will have the trails all to yourself, making winter one of the best times to seek solitude in nature.

However, the same things that make winter hiking special also introduce unique considerations for preparedness and safety: colder temperatures, empty trails, and shorter days reduce your margins for error. Snow can also impair visibility and obscure navigational handrails.

In this article, you’ll learn how to pack for winter excursions, what hazards to expect, how to stay fueled and hydrated in the cold, and how to navigate in snowy conditions. This guide also includes tips for diagnosing and treating cold-related illness and injury in case of an emergency.

Included in this guide:

  1. Hazards of hiking in winter terrain
  2. Fuel and hydration for hiking in cold weather
  3. Navigation in winter conditions
  4. Essential winter hiking gear
  5. Winter first aid

Hazards of Hiking in Winter Terrain

Anu stands in a snowfield with jagged peaks in the background. He's holding hiking poles and carrying a big backpack.

Winter can radically alter a landscape, giving it both otherworldly beauty and unique dangers. Here are a few to be aware of before you set out.

Ice

In the winter, melt-freeze cycles can turn trails into slick ribbons of ice. Similar conditions can result when snow on popular routes becomes compressed over time. Slips on icy trails usually only result in bumps and bruises, but a bad fall can cause more serious back, ankle, or wrist injuries. Pack traction (see “Essential Winter Hiking Gear,” below) and metal-tipped trekking poles for extra stability in icy conditions.

Tree Wells

Skiers, snowboarders, and snowshoers can all fall victim to tree wells, which are pits of deep, unconsolidated snow that form around tree trunks. The danger occurs when skiers or riders skim too close to the edge of the pit, which is often obscured by evergreen boughs, and fall in head-first. Experts estimate that 90 percent of tree well victims are unable to escape the soft, deep snow on their own—one reason why solo tree-well victims often succumb to suffocation. Avoid traveling alone in snowy, forested terrain, especially just after a snowstorm. Stay in sight of your partner and be ready to call for help and excavate them if a fall should occur.

Avalanches

An avalanche is a mass of snow moving down a slope. In the US, avalanches kill 25-30 people and injure many more each winter. Most victims of avalanches are backcountry skiers and snowboarders, snowmobilers, and ice climbers, but oblivious hikers occasionally get caught in slides, as well. Avalanches can occur above and below treeline. About 95% of avalanches start on slopes that are 30 – 45 degrees in steepness, but the snow can travel all the way into flat terrain that appears safe to the untrained eye. Before you head out, consult trip reports, topo maps, and local experts to make sure your hike won’t take you into avalanche terrain. You can view your local avalanche report, another invaluable resource, at www.avalanche.org. If you’re a skier, check out this comprehensive guide to planning a backcountry ski tour and avoiding avalanche terrain.

Steep Snow

The adventure and challenge of kicking steps into steep, snow-covered slopes makes snow climbing appealing for many. However, it’s often more technical than it looks, since slipping on a steep slope can send you sliding for hundreds of feet. Make sure you know how to assess snow conditions, use crampons, and self-arrest a fall with an ice axe.

Many snow climbs also cross avalanche terrain, so if you’re bagging winter summits—make sure you’re familiar with avalanche safety first.

Glaciers

Glaciers guard many of the U.S.‘s most iconic summits. While there are many permanent snowfields throughout the West (some of which are misnamed as glaciers), for the most part, true glaciers only exist in the far north and in the Pacific Northwest. These active glaciers move and form cracks over time, and these fissures (called crevasses) can be hidden under snow, making unexpected, fatal falls a possibility. Don’t venture across glaciated terrain unless you’re experienced with snow travel and glacier navigation. This includes brushing up on your crevasse-rescue skills.

Fuel and Hydration for Hiking in Cold Weather

coffee cup, backpack, snowshoe and bench on snow

Harsh conditions can a toll on your body, and cold weather can affect your natural hunger and thirst signals. Having a strategy for fueling and hydrating is vital to a successful winter hike.

Eating to Stay Warm

Fighting your way through snow, using ski poles, and wearing heavy clothing can all cause you to burn more calories in winter than in summer. Consume plenty of fats and carbohydrates during the day to keep your energy levels up. Bonus: All that food also serves as fuel for your internal furnace. The more you snack, the warmer you’ll be.

Keep in mind that in very cold temperatures, you’ll need snacks that don’t freeze solid. (Below freezing, Snickers bars and many protein bars are tooth-breakers.) Some great options:

  • nuts or trail mix
  • beef jerky
  • dehydrated drink powders
  • milk chocolate
  • chips or pretzels
  • deli meat and cheese
  • crackers or tortillas
  • peanut butter sandwiches
  • slices of pizza
  • banana or pumpkin bread

Staying Hydrated in Winter Weather

The other secret to staying warm is staying hydrated. Drinking water thins your blood, allowing it to reach further into the capillaries that extend into your fingers and toes. Unfortunately, breathing cold, dry air can leave you dehydrated, and cold temperatures reduce your body’s perception of thirst.

The amount of water you should consume varies dramatically based on things like activity level, personal sweat rate, altitude, and how cold/dry the air is. For that reason, experts warn against offering set hydration recommendations due to fears of people forcing liquids and therefore succumbing to hyponatremia. They instead recommend hikers to drink when they’re thirsty (even though that’s compromised in winter), and/or to drink consistently at breaks.

Consider bringing hot tea or cocoa in a thermos and sipping whenever you take breaks.

Keep Your Drinks From Freezing

Wide-mouth water bottles like Nalgenes are more resistant to freezing than narrower bottles or bladders, which have more surface area exposed to the cold. If your bottle is uninsulated, fill it with warm water and store it in your pack upside-down. That will ensure that any ice forms at the bottom of the bottle rather than freezing the lid shut. You can also add some DIY insulation: cut a strip of foam from an old sleeping pad and duct-tape it around the bottle.

hikers in a blizzard with low visibility

Most of the time, navigating in winter is harder than navigating in summer. Snow can obscure landmarks, terrain features, and even the trail. Fog and blowing snow can also snuff out visibility, making it impossible to orient yourself.

Before setting out on a snowy hike, brush up on your foundational navigation skills first. Then, download a navigation app like Gaia GPS. Use it to plot your route, set waypoints to mark the parking area or any campsites, and download topo maps for offline use. That way, if snow or fog rolls in over the trail, you’ll still be able to follow your route and get an idea of the terrain ahead.

If you decide to hike in snowy, foggy, or unpredictable weather, always record a track. That way you’ll be able to retrace your steps, even in zero visibility.

Weather and Conditions Overlays to Help you Prepare

These top-recommended map sources will take your trip planning and preparedness to the next level.

Snow Depth Overlay

Snow depth overlay over Salt Lake City

Check the approximate depth of the existing snowpack to make educated decisions about necessary gear and preparation.

24-, 48-, and 72-hour NOAA Snowfall Forecast overlays

Snowfall 24-hour forecast over Seattle

Keep an eye on upcoming snowfall to help inform your gear choices and to predict the likelihood of avalanche and tree well hazards.

24-, 48-, and 72-hour NOAA Precipitation overlays

24-hour Precipitation Overlay over Mt Hood National Forest

Use rainfall forecasts in conjunction with temperature forecasts to predict icy conditions and to pack the right layers. Rain can also be a factor in avalanche likelihood.

Slope-angle shading overlay

Avalanche-savvy skiers and riders can use the slope-angle shading overlay to help inform their analysis of avalanche terrain.

Base Maps for Winter Travel

ESRI World Satellite imagery

Satellite imagery over Half Dome in Yosemite National Park

Get an idea of expected tree cover and other landscape features with advanced satellite imagery.

Gaia Topo

Gaia Topo over Yosemite Valley

Stay on-trail even when it’s under snow with Gaia GPS’s proprietary worldwide topo map. Gaia Topo also includes labeled backcountry huts and ski runs in many areas.

Essential Winter Hiking Gear

hiker traversing snow ridgeline on a sunny day

As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong gear. You can stay warm, dry, and comfortable in any weather—even heavy snow and strong winds—if you’ve packed the right equipment.

Winter Hiking Apparel

A proper layering technique is at the crux of ensuring a comfortable winter hike. Opt for wool and synthetics, which dry more quickly and retain some warmth even when wet, over cotton, which can sap heat from your body when damp. Make sure you have plenty of moisture-wicking and waterproof layers to choose from in case of temperature swings. Remember to remove layers before you start sweating (damp clothing will leave you feeling clammy and chilled) and add layers to trap heat when you stop for breaks. It’s easier to stay warm than to get warm.

You can find more information and best practices on how to layer for winter hiking in this in-depth article.

If you’re expecting icy, snowy, or wet conditions, make sure you have shoes with built-in waterproof liners (often Gore-Tex). Boots are better than low-tops in snow. If there are more than a few inches of accumulation, add gaiters to keep it from getting into your boots. Also, be sure to pack a hat and gloves.

Flotation for Snow Travel

For loose, unconsolidated snow that’s more than several inches deep, consider snowshoes, or nordic—they’ll help you float on top of the snow rather than sinking in. While sinking knee-deep into snow (known as “postholing”) is a great workout, it will leave you sweaty and exhausted, reducing the mileage you can cover. Plus, being dehydrated, damp, and low on calories can leave you a candidate for hypothermia.

Traction for Winter Conditions

If you expect packed snow or icy conditions, bring some form of traction to prevent slips. Often, it’s smart to bring both traction and flotation, as snow conditions can change drastically throughout a hike as tree cover and wind activity change.

For packed snow or less challenging terrain (think flat trails or rolling hills), you can often get by with chains or spikes that bungee over your shoes. These are available at most outdoor stores.

Additional Winter Hiking Essentials

Whenever you need traction or flotation, you’ll also need ski poles. (Hiking poles will work for bare or icy ground, but not for snow; the baskets on ski poles keep them from sinking in so far that they become unusable.) The poles will help you propel yourself up hills and stay balanced on slick or uneven ground. Goggles or wrap-around sunglasses can also be smart to protect against wind or blowing snow.

Tools For Advanced Winter Travel

An ice axe and crampons can assist you in exploring steep and icy terrain. It’s best to take a snow-travel clinic with a local guide service to learn how to use an ice axe and crampons. A guide will be able to help you practice these skills in a safe environment until they become second nature.

Backcountry skis are an efficient way to travel longer distances in unpacked snow.

Mountaineering, ice climbing, and backcountry skiing often involve exposure to avalanche terrain. We recommend avalanche safety courses as part of your training for these activities. Learn more here on the Education page at Avalanche.org.

Winter First Aid

Jagged, snowy mountain peaks with tent in foreground

Wilderness first-aid is a complex topic, and it’s best administered with complete knowledge from a trusted source. Before you head out on your next big trip, consider taking a hands-on wilderness first aid class, many of which can be completed in just a weekend. The education could save your life.

Here’s a list of reputable course providers:

These courses will teach you more about cold-related injury and illness, but here’s a refresher of some of the most common winter medical emergencies:

Hypothermia

Prevention
Hypothermia occurs when your internal body temperature dips below 95°F. While it’s more common in sub-freezing temperatures, it can also occur in temperatures as warm as 50°F if your clothes are damp and there’s a bit of wind. The bottom line: Always bring plenty of layers, including a windproof and/or waterproof layer, when you head outdoors. Do everything you can to keep those layers dry.

Symptoms
Some of the signs of mild hypothermia include:

  • shivering
  • rapid breathing
  • fatigue
  • impaired speech or coordination.

More serious hypothermia can cause additional symptoms:

  • severe confusion
  • extreme drowsiness
  • low or irregular heartbeat
  • cessation of shivering without any significant warming

Treatment
If you or your hiking partner starts to exhibit symptoms, stop and treat the condition right away.

  1. Put up a tent or find another shelter.
  2. Remove any wet clothing from the affected person, and have him or her layer up with all the spare dry clothing you have.
  3. Have the person sit or lay on a sleeping pad, and wrap him or her in a tarp or sleeping bag. Skin-to-skin contact can also be useful in rewarming.
  4. Give the patient sugary snacks and plenty of fluids (heat warm water or make tea or cocoa if you can). Don’t venture back out until the person is completely warm.
  5. If he or she doesn’t start to warm up, is exhibiting signs of moderate to severe hypothermia, or isn’t able to take in food or water, call for rescue.

Frostbite

Prevention
Frostbite—and its precursor, frostnip—most often affects the fingers, toes, ears, nose, and other extremities left exposed to the cold. Prevent frostbite by keeping your hands and feet warm and dry, and ensuring good circulation by wearing properly fitting boots and gloves. Always pack a hat and extra gloves, and wear a scarf or balaclava in very cold temperatures.

Symptoms
Signs of frostnip include:

  • excessive redness or paleness
  • numbness
  • a tingling or burning sensation

When the lack of blood flow has gotten more advanced, frostbite sets in. Symptoms of frostbite include

  • skin that’s both pale and hard to the touch (it may have a waxy appearance)
  • blisters
  • a purple or black hue in more advanced stages

Treatment
Rewarm frostnip immediately. Do not rewarm frostbite in the field unless you’re absolutely sure that you can prevent refreezing, which can cause even more damage. Always avoid rubbing frostbitten tissue, as that can intensify injury as well. Instead, try to prevent further cooling, and get to help immediately. If help is more than a few hours away, read more about rewarming in the backcountry. Wilderness medicine is often complicated, so we always recommend getting professional training before administering any advanced first aid — see the section above on Hands-On Wilderness First Aid Training.

Snow Blindness

Prevention
Snow blindness is essentially a serious sunburn to the eyes, often caused by light reflected off snowy or icy surfaces. Always wear polarized, UV-blocking, full-coverage sunglasses, goggles, or glacier glasses in snowy conditions, even when there’s not full sun.

Symptoms
Symptoms of snow blindness don’t typically set in until hours after the injury has occurred. They include pain, redness, and, of course, impaired vision. Some describe the cornea as feeling scratchy or gritty, like “having corn flakes under your eyelids.” In extreme cases, total but temporary vision loss occurs.

Treatment
Snow blindness usually clears up on its own, though it can take one to three days. Keep your eyes closed and bandaged as much as possible during this time.


*Note: Always consult with a medical professional or seek qualified training before undertaking any medical treatment on your own. Always call for rescue or professional help if symptoms seem serious and you’re unsure of how to proceed.

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Smithwick shoulders his skis while wearing a helmet and reflective googles.
AdventuresBackcountry SkiingGaia GPSOut and Back PodcastUser Profiles

Backcountry Skiing in the Himalayas with Mountain Guide Luke Smithwick

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

How to listen: iTunes | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox

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In this episode of the Out and Back podcast, Shanty and Mary catch up with Luke Smithwick — one of the most prolific ski mountaineers and guides in the world. Smithwick is 200 lines deep into his Himalaya 500 skiing project — a mission to highlight 500 of the most unique and beautiful backcountry runs on the world’s highest mountains. With more than 75 Himalayan mountain expeditions to his name, Smithwick unravels the mystery of skiing in places like Tibet, India, and Nepal.

“It’s truly a Wild West. It’s just very remote. We take several flights to get out there from Katmandu and then we go with horses up to the snow line,” Smithwick says of one of his expeditions in the Himalaya. “The skiing starts at around 11,000 feet and goes up to 18,000 or 19,000 feet. The snow is really good. And I just love the people out there. It’s like a different world.”

Smithwick explains why the Himalayas could become the next all-time backcountry ski destination. Tune in to find out what it takes to get on one of Smithwick’s guided Himalayan ski mountaineering trips, learn about his mission to ski 500 classic Himalayan descents, and get his take on the best zones in this colossal mountain range.

Learn more about Smithwick on his personal Instagram page or his Himalaya 500 page. Check out all the 2021 skiing and climbing expeditions that Smithwick plans to offer through his company Himalaya Alpine Guides.

Episode Highlights: A Ski Tour of the Himalayas with Luke Smithwick

3:00: Smithwick describes how he uses Gaia GPS to navigate in the Himalayas.
5:50: Learn why you might not have heard about Smithwick before. Hint: he’s been too busy skiing and climbing.
7:50: Smithwick has racked up 70 to 80 expeditions in the Himalaya over the last two decades.
8:30: Luke climbed Everest in 2011, but find out why he’s not focused on the classics.
9:40: The Himalaya 500 project highlights beautiful skiing with hopes to bring more people to the range in winter. The 500 lines get into everything from steep couloirs to glades, and the snow can be light and deep.
15:00: The Himalayas could become the next backcountry ski destination — Luke says it really is that good.
17:50: There are only a handful of ski areas with lifts in this giant mountain range.
20:00: The experiences with the different cultures along the way really become the best part of the trip to the Himalayas.
22:10: Hear how Smithwick got hooked on these massive mountains.
25:00: Smithwick explains local customs and how to be a respectful traveler through these Himalayan mountain communities.
33:00: COVID brought Smithwick back to the United States, and he’s settled down in Idaho, near Jackson Hole — and he even got a Husky!
39:00: The hearty local people draw Smithwick back to the Himalayas.
41:00: Smithwick says the effects of climate change have taken hold of these smaller communities and he describes the impacts.
47:00: Take a ski tour in the Himalayas with Luke Smithwick; all you have to do is sign up.

Special Valentine’s Day Episode: How the Outdoors Saved a Marriage

Necota and Sonya hold hands while walking on a leaf-covered trail in the forest.

A decade into marriage, Sonya and Necota Staples hit a crossroads. They needed to learn how to communicate better — or risk their relationship entirely. The couple stepped outside their comfort zone and turned to the outdoors. Fresh air was all that was needed to put them into an entirely new and better place in their relationship.

“Camping and off-roading were really almost the antitheses of the lifestyle that we were leading,” Necota says. “There’s nothing wrong with art and going to galleries and things like that. We still love those things. But going camping and off-roading allowed us to explore something different and be able to see each other within our relationship in a completely different way.”

Tune in next week for this special Valentine’s Day episode of the Out and Back podcast. Hosts Shanty and Abby get the Staples’ full story about how “glamping” and overlanding outside their home city of Atlanta and beyond saved the Staples’ marriage. Sonya and Necota share their heart-warming story while also passing along insight to couples looking to strengthen their own relationships. The Staples dig into how they combine their love for “the finer things in life” with nature, and their passion for bringing the outdoors to communities that may feel like they don’t belong there.

The Staples share their lighthearted yet honest tribulations and triumphs on their website Staples InTents, youtube channel Staples InTents, and Instagram handles StaplesInTents and BlackPeopleOffroad.

Last Episode: Backcountry Ski Gear with Big Mountain Skier Sophia Schwartz and Sean McCoy from GearJunkie

A skier stands at the top of an icy couloir.

If you’re wondering what kind of backcountry ski gear to buy this season, you’ll want to listen to our last show with big mountain skier Sophia Schwartz and Sean McCoy, editorial director of GearJunkie. A multiple top-ten World Cup finisher and the 2013 U.S. Freestyle champion, Schwartz begins the episode describing her transition from the mogul course to the backcountry glades and couloirs. Her gear, she says, was less than optimal. She’s learned a lot since.

Schwartz teams up with McCoy to chat about what’s good in the world of backcountry ski gear. They discuss everything from avalanche airbags to climbing skins to repair kits. Tune in to find out which boot they both love to ski at the resort and in the backcountry.

Watch Sophia Schwartz’s new movie Jack of All Trades to see her master a double backflip, take on Jackson Hole’s super steep “Trifecta,” and shred the Grand Teton. You can also follow Schwartz on Instagram to get a sense of what’s going down in the backcountry around her hometown of Jackson, Wyoming.

Meet the Hosts

Andrew “Shanty” Baldwin

In 2019, host Andrew Baldwin completed a southbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. After five months on the trail, Baldwin returned home to pursue a career in voice acting. A friend of the Gaia GPS company, Baldwin was a natural choice for hosting the Out and Back podcast.

In each Out and Back episode, Shanty strives to bring you conversations with people who spend an extraordinary amount of time outdoors. Listen in as Shanty taps into each backcountry expert’s superpower so that you can take their knowledge and experience with you on your next adventure.

Mary Cochenour

Mary smiles while lying down and resting her head on a rock. She's wearing a purple jacket, gloves, and a black buff around her ears.

Mary is the Out and Back podcast producer and a writer and editor at Gaia GPS. Before joining Gaia GPS, Mary worked as a lawyer, newspaper journalist, ski patroller, Grand Canyon river guide, and USFS wilderness ranger.

When she is not in the office, Mary works as a guide for Andrew Skurka Adventures in wild places around the west, like Rocky Mountain National Park, Yosemite, and the Brooks Range in Alaska. See some of Mary’s adventures on Instagram. Also, read her tips on how to plan your first solo backpacking trip and listen to her scary story about being stalked in the wilderness by a sketchy man.

Abby Levene

Abby smiles through a face caked in snow and ice.

When she’s not busy writing and editing content for Gaia GPS, Abby Levene can be found trail running, biking, and skiing around her hometown of Boulder, Colorado. In 2017, Abby broke her wrist eight miles into her second ultra. She went on to win the race, and has been hooked on the sport since. She’s passionate about using her graduate education in environmental journalism and her love for playing outside to tell stories about the issues, people, and places of the outdoors.

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AndroidApp UpdatesBackcountry SkiingGaia GPSiOSNew Features

Know Before You Go with the Avalanche Forecast Layer

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

Gaia GPS is proud to partner with the experts at Avalanche.org to bring you the Avalanche Forecast layer. Now, you can get official, up-to-date avalanche forecasts for mountain zones in the U.S. directly from the map on your phone.

Plan safer winter backcountry travel with quick and easy access to avalanche danger ratings from the National Avalanche Center and the American Avalanche Association. Link to complete avalanche reports from professional snow safety scientists in your region.

Whether you’re backcountry skiing the couloirs or snowmobiling into the back bowls, add this must-have feature to your avalanche safety toolkit. Updated every 30 minutes, this map is available online only. Be sure to check the map before you head out the door or leave cell service.

Avalanche Danger Ratings and Daily Forecasts

The Avalanche Forecast overlays on top of your favorite backcountry map to show you the color-coded North American Avalanche Danger Scale for your region. Crafted by avalanche forecasting experts, the danger scale spans five categories, from low to moderate and all the way through extreme danger, letting you know the risk of potential avalanches on your planned route.

Look for a time and date stamp on the map, showing exactly when the region’s danger rating expires. Tap the shaded areas on the map to access more information, including travel advice and a link to the official forecast from the snow safety scientists at the local avalanche center.

Regions with a daily forecast will show “no rating” until the forecasting center issues the rating for the day. Because winter backcountry conditions change constantly, this layer updates every 30 minutes and is available for online use only. This layer is only active during the avalanche forecast reporting season set by the avalanche centers in the mountain west.

Use the Avalanche Forecast Layer with your Favorite Maps

I computer monitor displaying the avalanche danger rating for an area on the topo map.

Add the Avalanche Forecast layer to your quiver of backcountry ski maps for a more complete picture of winter conditions in the backcountry. Use the layer in conjunction with the newly updated Gaia Topo, the USGS topo map, satellite imagery, Snow Stations (Daily), Snow Depth, and Snow Forecast layers to gather more information and make safer decisions in avalanche terrain.

How to Get the Avalanche Forecast Layer

The new Avalanche Forecast layer is available with a premium membership. To add the layer to your maps, open the Gaia GPS app, tap the layers icon, and select “Add map layers.” Go to “Feature/Weather Overlays” and select Avalanche Forecast.

This feature is available on the Gaia GPS website and both Android and iOS. Download the Gaia GPS app today and start planning your next winter trip to the backcountry.

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