Backcountry

I called up Doug Chabot, the director of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center, to basically ask, “What the hell is happening?”

Japan's Rishiri Island is one giant mountain. The views would be great if you could, you know, actually see.

Some rise, some fall, some climb, to get to terrapin. Exploring the mighty Chugach on foot offers much more than massive vert.

Sled skiing with the guys who owned Sweden’s powder before the Vikings had horns.

At Whitefish’s Ridge Mountain Academy, gap-year students build big-mountain skills— for college, for life, and for the sheer fun of it.

With 1.2 million acres of terrain and a vertical of 5,500 feet per run, the Tordrillo Mountain Lodge is hard to beat. And kings and corn summer sessions will make any skier wish they were there.