State Of The Backcountry

The annual Ice Axe Expeditions Antarctic Ski Tour is ready for lift off! Guides and guests will gather in Ushuaia, Argentina this week where we’ll stretch our legs on the prime terrain of the Martial Glacier before setting sail for ...

In the last week of summer in California, I went skiing. Twice, actually. And to be honest, it was pretty good. Both sessions were off Carson Pass in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Kirkwood, and the conditions were a nod ...

It was another incredible summer trip to winter in South America this August. Every trip to Portillo in Chile is memorable, but catching the resort turn on with cold smoke powder is something else. Here’s an instagram RG from @mtnhub: Things ...

The winter has come and gone, but I will never forget supporting Ario this past February on his mission to support permanent protection for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Here’s a piece I wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle’s SF ...

Lots more to come from our trip, but overall we had a successful expedition in skiing a previously unskied line from 20,084ft while also seeing lots of potential for future human powered ski touring. Here are a few recent social ...

Luke Smithwick is the owner and lead guide for Himalaya Alpine Guides. He has been exploring off the beaten path portions of Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Tibet for years. Luke and I met two years ago while I was ski guiding in ...