Section 5 of 6
Named North American scenes, resort skinning policies, and the avalanche-education institutions that frame backcountry access.
5 pieces · all sections
Lead piece
Describes Mad River Glen in Vermont — its single fixed-grip chairlift, its cooperative ownership structure, and the specific character of its free-heel skiing community, drawing on the area's own published history.
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The Places
Contrasts the free-heel skiing cultures of the Wasatch Range (centred on Salt Lake City and the proximity of Voile and other makers) and the Teton Range (where 22 Designs operates in Driggs) — the terrain, the communities, and the gear preferences each scene favours.
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The Places
Profiles the Chic-Chocs range in the Gaspésie as a distinct free-heel destination — the terrain character, the access model, and the Quebec telemark community that has formed around it.
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The Places
Surveys how North American ski resorts have formalised uphill-access policies — the range of permit and pass structures, the terrain restrictions most commonly applied, and what the policy shift means for free-heel skiers using resort terrain as a skin track.
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The Places
Describes the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) and the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA) as educational institutions — their course structures, published curricula, and the certification pathways each offers, without guidance or instruction.
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Four markers, west to east. Salt Lake City and the Wasatch fall within one marker, as do Driggs and Teton Pass.
Geometry: pack map kit