K2 and the Commercial Exploitation of a Deadly Peak K2 is the second-highest mountain above sea level, with an altitude of 8,611m/28,251ft. However, it is known to be more difficult to climb than Mount Everest. Unlike Everest, K2 is not located in the Himalayas but further north at the Chinese/Pakistani border in the Karakoram range, making the climate colder and the snow deeper. Its steep faces and extreme weather […] Climbing Julia Schneemann | August 14, 2023 2 Comments
The 9 Most Frequent Dangers in the Mountains, and How to Avoid Them As enchanting as the mountains maybe, they are far from forgiving. ย Some dangers are external, like avalanches, wildlife, and massive storms, and some are internal, ones you cannot see coming, like altitude sickness, getting lost, and hypothermia. You must alwaysย standย guard while on top of the world if you’dย like to make it back down. ย Below you can learnย about the nine most […] Spencer Miller | December 15, 2022 5 Comments
Why This Ski Season Has Seen More Fatal In-Bounds Crashes This season has been off to a rocky start in many ways. Many resorts have been dealing with the lack of snow across the nation, as well as an increase in fatal crashes. Ski resorts all across the country have been in a drought. This winter has been exceptionally dry of late, and on top of it, areas have seen […] Crash Aunika Skogen | February 15, 2022 14 Comments
Backcountry Popularity Increases Avalanche Danger Interest in backcountry skiing and riding has grown exponentially since March 2020, when ski resorts across the country stopped turning their lifts, despite massive storms, due to the pandemic. It has continued into the 21/22 ski season after last year, when many resorts implemented reservations. With ever-changing Covid-19 restrictions across the country, many skiers and boarders have been searching for […] Avalanche Aunika Skogen | December 1, 2021 2 Comments
Three Mountaineers Missing in K2 Winter Attempt At 28,251′, K2 is the second-highest peak in the world. The peak is notorious for its stature, death rate, short season, and difficulty to climb. The “savage mountain” claims the lives of 1 in 4 climbers who attempt it making it the 3rd deadliest mountain in the world. Until January 16, 2021, the peak had never been climbed in the […] Climbing Dominic Gawel | February 11, 2021 0 Comments
Is Colorado Really One of the Worst States to Drive in? Colorado was ranked as one of the worst states to drive in the United States according to a 2021ย WalletHub report.ย The report ranked Colorado as the 41st best state to drive in making it the 10th worst state to drive in. Colorado scored 52.71 out of 100. The report details categories and methods to score each state. Each state was […] Industry News Dominic Gawel | January 22, 2021 3 Comments
Deadly Days: What is an Avalanche Cycle? In the snow industry, we hear the words “avalanche cycle” thrown around quite a bit.ย The term clearly relates to snow safety and avalanche danger, but what exactly does it mean? How does it form? How long does it last? What are avalanche cycles? First, we must understand some basic snowpack science. There is one main thing to remember as it […] Avalanche Clay Malott | January 7, 2021 0 Comments
Free Avalanche Beacon Training Park Near Vail, CO White River National Forest and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) just installed a new beacon training park just off of the I-70 near Vail, CO. The new training park gives backcountry users a free and convenient location to practice avalanche rescue. Users need to provide their own avalanche rescue equipment: a beacon, shovel, and probe. The training park is […] Avalanche Dominic Gawel | December 26, 2020 1 Comment