Backcountry Magazine

Winter has a way of revealing itself differently to those who move through it on skis. Where others see cold and unnecessary effort, skiers and photographers see possibility: texture in the snow, light bending off a ridgeline, the immeasurable joy in a soft, untracked slope.

The 2026 Photo Annual is a collection of those moments captured across latitudes and longitudes, ranges and cultures. From the slopes of Alaska to the shores of Antarctica, the powder clouds of Japan to the alpine of the Alps, the sunny slopes of Utah to the depths of B.C., these images trace winter on skis all over the world.

So, if a picture tells 1,000 words, there’s a lot to absorb in this issue.

But there’s plenty to read, too. Essays on mountain town overuse and immigrants finding their way into the backcountry; articles on the U.S. Army’s latest arctic investment and the fall of WNDR Alpine; photo essays on activism in Norway and adventures in Washington; and profiles of two influential photographers, Re Wikstrom and Scott Rinckenberger. That’s not all, but you’ll just have to grab a copy to read the rest.