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Planning a Safe Backcountry Ski Tour: Avalanche Awareness and Navigation Basics

Planning a backcountry ski tour requires more than just picking a destination—it’s about managing risks, understanding avalanche hazards, and navigating with precision. This guide breaks down essential tour planning steps, from interpreting topographic maps and slope angles to incorporating avalanche forecasts and timing strategies. Whether you’re new to the backcountry or honing your skills, this article will help you create …

22/23 BIPOC Backcountry Scholarship Recipients

We’re grateful for the opportunity to lift up the voices of this year’s Voile BIPOC Backcountry Scholarship recipients. But first, we want to thank everybody who shared their essays with us. Thank you for trusting us in this space as we work toward promoting diversity in the industry. We know this scholarship is not a solution, but we have seen …

Crusing La Grave

BIPOC Mountain Collective: Diversity in Backcountry Skiing & Riding

Backcountry brothers and sisters. Welcome to the Tele Mike V-Team Vlog. Today we’ll chop it up with the BIPOC Mountain Collective, Vibe Tribe, and Hip Hop artist MC Ric Riggler who pulled together their collective efforts to collaborate on a film project about backcountry skiing and riding in the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community. One may ponder, “Well …

2022 Wandering Trails Scholarship Recipients

It’s always difficult to select winners from among so many incredible applicants, but we’re proud to announce Devin Gaan (Grand Prize) and Song Seto (Runner-Up) as the recipients of the Wandering Trails Scholarship for Women in the Backcountry. We’re giving a round of applause to the brave athletes who shared their stories with us. Thank you for trusting us to …

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Guided Ski Tours in Utah with Inspired Summit Adventures

During Part 1 of our virtual interview with long-time Voile ambassadors, Shaun and Weston Deutschlander,  we chatted about their relationship with Voile, as well as the history behind their guiding business, Inspired Summit Adventures. Their experience as professional skiers and guides coupled with their outgoing and perceptive personalities has resulted in top-notch customizable education and backcountry experiences. They offer a …

Women in the Mountains. Photo by Emily Sullivan

Women in the Mountains

Women in the Mountains feature photo: V-team ambassador Emily Sullivan (left) and Melis Coady (middle right) on an all-female basecamp patrol on Denali. Photo by Emily Sullivan. As International Women’s Day approaches, I’ve been reflecting on the distinctive experience of being a woman who lives for the mountains. I often think about the challenges women face in the outdoor community, …

Embracing the Alaska Factor

We flew in under a grey-blue ceiling to the most spectacular playground I have ever seen. On the Pika Glacier, rock buttresses rise like sharks’ teeth from the valley, their ridges separated by perfect ribbons of snow that plunge into the glacier below.