Backcountry Magazine

FEATURES:

The Space Between
Classically, hut-to-hut traverses belong to the Alps and Canada, not New Hampshire’s frigid and windy White Mountains. But local legend Andrew Drummond saw potential for a grueling, 45-mile linkup through some of the range’s most unforgiving terrain, connected by a series of winter huts. His three-day traverse found plenty of expected adventure and setbacks but also revealed something deeper: a wind-forged community of caretakers and fellow travelers, and a newfound appreciation for his own backyard.

You’ve Gotta Have Moxie
Internationally certified mountain guides Sheldon Kerr and Kristin Arnold never planned to start their own guide service. But, after a career of working for other people—some of whom took advantage of Kerr and Arnold’s skillsets and time—the pair were ready to run their own show. Enter Moxie Mountain Guides, a new type of guide service with an emphasis on listening to their clients, paying their guides fair wages and working with underrepresented groups in the outdoors.

A Quiet Place
Villa Cerro Castillo offers a rare treat in Patagonia: the potential for steep and deep roadside skiing. But its most salient feature may just be what isn’t there. Tucked into a remarkably undeveloped corner of Chile, tiny villages throughout the Aysén region have spent three decades beating back dams and logging projects. Now, as guides pitch steep lines to the outside world, the area may offer a blueprint for protecting landscapes while still encouraging recreation.