Words/Photos: Scott Howard

We got a few feet of the good stuff this week and headed up to Sugar Bowl to shred. While hiking up to the summit you could see the avalanche control blast holes marking our prospective lines as safe for the taking. Lacking the commonsense items of shovel and transceivers dropping into the backcountry was out of the question for this particular powder day. Because these tools may not be commonsense to everyone Sugar Bowl Resort has launched the new Backcountry Adventure Center (BAC) to help educate and guide the public through tools and techniques of backcountry touring. How do you check for avalanche danger when hiking out-of-bounds? How do you use your transceiver if a companion get buried?

With the help of Alpine Skills International and their AMGA and IFMGA-certified guides the BAC has a full calendar of programs, outings and educational seminars, including avalanche transceiver drills in the new transceiver search center, AIARE Level 1 and 2 avalanche courses, telemark and steeps clinics, snowshoe hikes, and of course in-n-out of bounds powder adventures, riding the lifts and heading out for powder stashes and sidecountry terrain.

So if your going to be in the backcountry do yourself (and your friends) a favor by stopping by Sugar Bowl for some serious snow education.

Visit sugarbowl.com/backcountry