Exploring great backcountry terrain often goes hand in hand with the threat of avalanches, but with careful route planning and rational terrain management, dangerous slides can largely be avoided. Before you head into the backcountry, brush up on how to use the best maps to identify avalanche terrain and plan the safest routes.
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Knowing how to read a topographic map is the foundation to any backcountry adventure. Through the use of contour lines, topo maps bring a 3-dimensional element to a 2-dimensional paper map, allowing 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 mountain
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Lighten your backpack with these top tips from ultralight backpacker and gear reviewer Adventure Alan. Read more about how he uses the “free three” technique to reduce his pack weight without spending a dime on expensive gear.
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Battery drain stinks, and often hits the hardest at the most inconvenient times. Countless factors can threaten the life of your phone battery, like cold or blazing hot temperatures, or even how many apps you’ve recently used. Whether you’re out for a 3-night backpacking trip, casual day hike, or a few hours on the slopes, there’s no escaping the inevitable drain. Whatever your adventure looks like, these tricks will help you save the juice in your phone and keep Gaia GPS up and running longer.
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Overlanding has taken the outdoor industry by storm, and for good reason — the goal is to get as far off the beaten path as possible. Get started by learning what an overlanding route looks like, the type of vehicle and equipment you’ll need, and tips for planning your first trip.
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Solo backpacking can be the ultimate meditation experience. You can travel at your own pace, view beautiful scenery in solitude, and really get the chance to tune into your environment…
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Gaia GPS is proud to partner with the experts at Avalanche.org to bring you the new Avalanche Forecast layer. Now, you can get official, up-to-date avalanche forecasts for mountain zones…
Learn how to photograph the night sky, including star trails and the brilliant Milky Way, with these five pro tips from landscape and action photographer Scott Sady. Sady covers the fine details of gear recommendations, how to find the best location, and editing tips, so you can get the best results.
The team at Gaia GPS collaborated to build this three-season gear list for multi-day backpacking trips. Get an inexpensive scale and weigh everything before deciding what to pack. Websites like…
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…