The allure of backcountry riding is exploding. Whether the mountain resort industry is ready or not, people are venturing into terrain outside the groomed runs in droves. This has created an awkward situation for resorts, and much discussion within the industry has emerged as to how to best approach the issues surrounding backcountry and off-piste use.

In very broad terms, resorts are concerned with people getting lost, or caught in an avalanche outside the confines of the marked and groomed runs. While the concern is understandable, it has led the industry to shy away from dealing with the backcountry in a more organized fashion. This is unfortunate.

A more progressive approach would pursue a well-informed planning exercise that recognizes the backcountry issues, explores how people tend to use the backcountry, researches the user’s unique needs, and then subtly designs the landscape to create a safer and better environment to meet the needs and challenges of the sport. As the pursuit of powder steadily attracts more participants, isn’t it in the best interest of mountain resorts to begin to open up to the idea of exploring opportunities to cater to this adventurous group?

The beauty of using design as a means to address the issues of the backcountry, out-of-bounds, sidecountry, slackcountry, and backcountry sliding (any terrain outside of the groomed runs, for that matter), is that the experience can be subtly controlled.

Keep in mind, design will never be a substitute for educating users on the dangers and the skills needed to safely enjoy the backcountry. It can, however, be used as another tool to help in the education process. Through the creation of better environments for those new to the sport or through the creation of areas more conducive to learning, ski areas have the opportunity to create environments better equipped to stimulate backcountry awareness.

The fact is, people are steadily accessing terrain outside of the groomed runs in pursuit of a more natural sliding experience. Resorts need to acknowledge this and then begin to explore progressive ways to make the backcountry environment better and safer for its users.


WHY DESIGN?
Many mountain resorts are uniquely positioned adjacent to readily accessible backcountry, and most have the infrastructure in place to enable guests to access off-piste runs without the strenuous approach typical of traditional backcountry endeavors. As such, resorts are becoming the jumping-off point for many users to explore the powder opportunities outside of the confines of the groomed runs.

Unfortunately, without a concerted effort to create a better environment for these backcountry users, resorts are losing the opportunity to enhance awareness and create a more graduated and controlled approach to learning the necessary mountain skills.

Backcountry skiing and snowboarding involves risk and, ultimately, there is no substitute for a sound understanding and respect for the mountain environment coupled with ongoing education on the dangers involved and ways to mitigate the danger. Understanding travel and route selection, self-rescue techniques, mountain weather, avalanche phenomena and human factors will always be necessary. In fact, this knowledge must be used as the starting point in the creation of backcountry components.

Building upon this understanding, we can further increase awareness and help create a better environment for backcountry sliding by employing principles of well-informed design. Design can effectively be used as another mechanism to help mitigate some of the risk and to potentially create more pleasant backcountry experiences.

Although the “design” of backcountry areas may seem to be a contradiction, many wilderness areas have been designed, and users are none the wiser. One only needs to look at the National Parks in both Canada and the U.S., which have extensively used well-researched principles of design to subtly manipulate the landscape while ensuring ecological, cultural and social integrity remains intact. This is the beauty of good design.


HOW TO DESIGN
Contingencies in the design of backcountry areas need to extend beyond mere designation or the creation of controlled entrance points off the groomed runs. Resorts need to understand that backcountry sliders are searching for experiences that promote physical fitness, are in areas of scenic beauty, allow for the possibility of exploration, have good snow conditions, encourage socialization, and allow for opportunities to develop skills.

Beyond desired experiences, thought also needs to be given to how users travel through the landscape and what their unique needs may be. Specifically, elements such as safety, access, circulation patterns, signage, places of refuge, safer options and user-friendly egress options should all be given consideration.

Like other successful activities offered at mountain resorts, a graduated approach to backcountry is of utmost importance. Access to areas with gentler terrain and low avalanche risk will allow those new to the sport to be introduced in a safer fashion. This, of course, will not eliminate risk, but it will create better environments for awareness by allowing users to progress and learn the necessary skills in a more controlled fashion. Further, creating a graduated approach to the backcountry also makes these areas better able to cater to guided services and backcountry education courses, which ultimately will create more awareness while also creating more revenue.

There are many ways an area can create a better backcountry experience through design, although every site, depending on social and cultural norms as well as complexities of terrain and the snowpack, will have uniquely different solutions. From research I conducted at the Hankin-Evelyn Backcountry Ski Area near Smithers, B.C., here are a few relatively universal examples of ways that resorts can create a better backcountry experience through design:

• Create backcountry “runs” below tree line as a means to expand terrain choices and create safer options, especially for bad weather or high hazard conditions.

• Ensure a variety of terrain is accessible and an assortment of runs is present. This will allow a diverse range of users to enjoy the experience.

• As mentioned earlier, ensure the presence of a graduated approach to the backcountry.

• Create viable circulation patterns that consider safety, access, uphill travel, staging areas and egress components. For example, egress routes should be a reasonable width and readily accessible, have consistent downhill grade, and offer intermittent spaces where users can safely check their speed.

• Offer on-site facilities that complement the backcountry experience. Specifically, consider creating warming huts or overnight backcountry cabins. The ability to overnight in cabins is highly desirable and embraces the roots of backcountry skiing. Incorporate beacon checkers and terrain maps at key staging areas. These can be used as awareness tools.

• Have a sound understanding of avalanche terrain and the principles governing avalanche phenomenon.

• Create a simplified classification system for backcountry terrain that is easy for users to understand and readily available.

• Consider all elements of sustainability: social, economic, cultural, environmental and aesthetic.

Let’s be clear, creating a truly wilderness backcountry experience within the confines of a controlled recreation area can be tricky, and will often be highly dependent on the limitations of the terrain, snowpack and other environmental conditions. Ultimately, a quasi-wilderness experience may result. However, through good design, a resort should still be able to exude a feeling of wilderness while addressing issues of safety and meeting social, environmental and cultural objectives.

Informed design, while never being able to completely eliminate the risks involved in any backcountry pursuit, can help reduce hazards, minimize impacts and create lasting wilderness opportunities and experiences. The suggestions provided here will hopefully empower managers and planners to proactively embrace the possibilities for backcountry, while tackling the issues surrounding backcountry use. At the very least, it should spark dialogue on the subject. Powder to the people!

Prior to becoming a resort planner, Mark Hamilton worked as a professional avalanche technician at Rogers Pass, B.C. He has more than 20 years of backcountry ski experience and has been professionally certified with the Canadian Avalanche Association, the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and the Canadian Ski Guide Association. His Masters of Landscape Architecture thesis explored the design of backcountry resorts.