bindings have performed well
and are relatively easy to use with
some directions,” he said. (See the
sidebar on “Backcountry Binding
Tips” on page 8.)
Saxman pointed out that AT gear
brings with it a liability concern—about setting the bindings
properly. It might be more difficult
said. Utah’s current fleet includes
108 pairs of alpine skis, 54 snowboards, 80 pairs of Nordic touring
skis, and 80 pairs of snowshoes.
Jones said interest in cross
country skiing and snowshoeing
seems to be holding steady--neither increasing nor decreasing.
Splitboards are becoming popular
awareness of the need for basic
avalanche education.
Whitman has seen the same
thing. Their program aims to
buy new transceivers every two
or three years. They now have
15 Backcountry Access (BCA)
Tracker 2s, “after sucking as much
life out of our outdated Ortovox
Photo by Whitman College Outdoor Program
for a smaller school to manage,
he said. Jones noted, “Getting
into alpine skis is a major commitment, and therefore likely not
for all programs,” adding that ski
maintenance and testing equipment can cost more than $10,000
to get started.
Skiing has seen a consistent rise
in popularity, over snowboarding,
for the past few years, but both
are still in high demand, Jones
as rental options, because they
are simple to buy and maintain,
Saxman said. However, Sheedy
noted that it’s difficult to manage
splitboarders on the same trip as
regular skiiers.
Avalanche Training and
Equipment
For backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, and mountaineering,
Saxman said there’s a greater
aore.org | [email protected]
M2 and F1s” as they could, said
Lish Riley, rental shop manager
at Whitman College’s Outdoor
Programs. “They were a massive
improvement both in functionality
and ease of use.” Riley explained
that the Tracker 2 is a digital
3-antenna model, which gives a
fuller and more accurate signal
that is easier to follow. “These are
really easy for beginners to learn
on and feel confident using,”
she said, although they have one
7