BACKLINE magazine 2021

Last winter was special. The widespread closures of ski areas due to the Covid pandemic introduced many novices to ski touring; “local instead of global” was the order of the day due to the impediment of travel. As hoped and expected, this reduced the number of ski accidents in the ski resorts – in Austria, as an example, from an average of about 6,000 per winter to about 700. In this context, it is very interesting to note that despite the boom, the number of people injured on ski tours rose from an average of about 500 to a moderate 600. Good news for the ski touring industry. But perhaps more bad news for die-hard ski touring enthusiasts? Do we have to fear mass crowds wherever we go?

The question is legitimate, but the answer can only be given in the years to come. The fashionable tours will probably shine – as they have for years – even more rarely with solitude. The situational reflection on what lies on one’s own doorstep quickly clarified for many who prefer to seek solitude and untracked slopes how to solve this “problem:” those who know their local mountains very well know where to go on a good day to find their very own, intimate Valhalla. A wealth of experience that can only be built up over years and which is also treated very confidentially by those “old dogs.”

Newcomers to the sport are well advised to follow one or the other experienced mentor. Not on Instagram, but in their real, deep tracks in the freshies. That these mentors were extremely important even for a top star of the backcountry scene like “Hoji” can be read – among other great stories – in this issue. Venturing into deep pow with more knowledge and confidence: pragmatic and practical. If you can find any.

I wish you a snow-blessed and safe winter. And heartfelt gratitude to all who have made this eleventh issue of BACKLINE possible.

Yours,