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I-15 Ski Lines
For most of us, we can’t always be in the mountains. Things like work, errands, and familial obligations keep us valley-bound. This is especially true in the Wasatch front of Utah due to very limited...
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Skiing the Wasatch in May
It’s May and you know what that means, time to keep skiing! Here in the Wasatch, most folks don’t think May is a great time to backcountry ski. We disagree. If anything, the skiing is even more...
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Skimo to SkyRun
Unless you live near glaciers, there comes a time each summer when the mountains are significantly more brown and green than white. And although we’d never officially suggest hanging up your skis,...
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End of Season Gear Maintenance
Some call it the end of ski season while others think of it as just a temporary warm weather delay. Either way, during this hot time of year, ski gear needs a little love and forethought before...
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2021/22 Season Preview
It’s here! Some of us weren’t entirely convinced fall would arrive after a summer of record heat waves and near-constant smoke. But sure enough, the days are getting shorter, the nights chillier, and...
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The Danger of Early Season Storms
Please don’t snow!... yet.Come October, many skiers understandably get excited for winter and start praying for snow. But be careful of what you wish for! Early season snow in the mountains can often...
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Event: Avalanche Victim First Aid
Do you know what to expect after you perform an avalanche companion rescue? Do you know what steps to take to render first aid to an avalanche victim?At the shop later this month, we’ll be hosting...
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Strength Training for Ski Touring
If you are like most endurance athletes, you want to spend all your free time outside doing your sport. If you are a runner, you want to be on the trails. If you are a skier, you want to be skinning...
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Skimo Co Employee Preseason Rituals
This time of year is a mixed bag. By late fall, the mountains have gotten a frosting or two but there’s not usually quite enough snow to really get busy. So while we (im)patiently wait for more snow to...
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Finding the Perfect Fit: Common Boot Issues and How to Fix Them
When fit correctly, alpine touring boots provide access to pristine environments, untracked snow, and endless smiles with your partners. When boots aren’t fitted correctly, however, the results can be...
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Big Mountain Terrain with Samsara's Billy Haas
At the shop on Dec 4 at 6:45pm, IFMGA guide Billy Haas will be giving a free, in-person presentation on approaching big mountain terrain. Topics include utilizing a decision making framework, selecting...
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Setting the FKT from Skimo Co to Pico de Orizaba
Editor’s note: It must be stated that a rapid ascent of a high summit is very dangerous and not recommended. Even less recommended is traveling to Mexico for only a very short amount of time. It is...
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Skimo Race Brake Binding Rule
Brakes?! On a race binding?!For those of us who have been skimo racing for a while, this year's new brake requirement will come as no surprise. The murmurs and attempts to implement this rule have been...
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Pulling The Plug, Multiple Attempts, and Snow Left Untracked
Yet again we found ourselves at the edge of the bergschrund. Above, a beautiful, white ribbon cascaded 800 feet down the flank of a ragged granite peak in the Alaska Range. We hoped conditions would be...
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Hydrating in the Backcountry
Being dehydrated and lethargic on the skin track will slow you down. But so will schlepping around unnecessary, excessive amounts of water - or as Eric Bunce calls it, “taking your water for a walk.”...
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Backcountry Shuttle: Q&A with WBA's Jamie Kent
Not news to anyone in the area, Little Cottonwood Canyon has increasingly become a junk show of traffic and congestion these past few years. But things have only gotten more frustrating for backcountry...
View ArticleThe Voile Hyper V6: Skimo Co's People Pleaser Ski
The Voile Hyper V6 has been a staple in our lineup since its inception. Years later, it’s still regarded as a “people pleaser” at the shop because we have yet to find anyone who doesn’t have fun on...
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Skiing the Great Basin
Aside from the increasingly popular Terminal Cancer Couloir, most skiers blow through interior Nevada on I-80 as they make their way between popular, congested ski meccas - the Wasatch and Lake Tahoe....
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What's the Deal with Skimo Race Suits?
The classic, quintessential skimo race suit. Nothing says “I go fast” quite like wearing a spandex onesie in frigid winter conditions. And while many (okay, most) skiers don’t see the appeal, we’re...
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Staff Picks: 21/22 Midseason Gear Review
Now that Groundhog's Day is in the rearview mirror (let's hope Punxsutawney Phil is right when he says more winter), it’s time for Skimo Co’s employee midseason gear review! Normally we’re still skiing...
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WURL on Skis
Earlier this month, Matt Randall completed an impressive one-day push of a ski traverse that roughly mirrors the WURL - a legendary summertime scrambling route in the Wasatch. But instead of just...
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Replacing Ski Touring Liners
Whether you realize it or not, ski boot liners play a huge role in the success of your day of backcountry touring. If your initial reaction is “No way, I’ve never once thought about my liners!” then...
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Ogden Skyline Traverse Trip Report
It’s been a weird winter here in the Wasatch thanks to an unusually prolonged mid-season dry spell. But with high pressure comes stability and with stability comes the chance for creative ski days....
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Expedition Ski Repair Kit
Picture this.On the first day of your expedition, you wake to a perfect bluebird day. Looking out the tent, you watch the morning sun light up craggy peaks all around you with a warm glow. The snow is...
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Weather Whiplash: The Funky 21/22 Season
It ain’t over till it’s over but it sure has been a weird season here in the Wasatch. From copious snowfall to weeks of nada. Then near record-breaking blistering heat followed by a wet snowstorm. And...
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Volcano Season - Gear List and Staff Recommends
Volcano Season.It’s an ambiguous, yet well understood, term for a pilgrimage that many North American backcountry skiers take part in every late spring as they flock to the Pacific Northwest’s...
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Near and Far: Finding The Less Trafficked Wasatch Drainages
I have an upper limit on how many times I will ski the staples of the Central Wasatch every year. I’ve grown tired of that moment when, looking back towards the two main roads in the Wasatch, I think,...
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90mm Free-touring Skis
We’re not sure if the ski industry is responding to basic market signals or if it’s run by a shadowy cabal that dictates what the cool kids will be skiing for the next couple of seasons. Either way, a...
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Race-Plus Boots Galore!
Here at Skimo Co, we spend a lot of time discussing ski touring boots. They’re important—potentially the most oft-used gear a backcountry skier will own. Plus, there are huge consequences if you get it...
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2022/23 Season Preview
The calendar says it’s time to kick off another ski season; unfortunately, this one is starting on a somber note. Ski mountaineering legend Hilaree Nelson triggered a small avalanche in an extreme...
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Not to Touch the Earth: A Ski Traverse of the Wind River Range
In the thick of it.It is always hard to imagine skiing in the depths of summer. I sat in my car at a mountain biking trailhead this week, summoning the gumption to peel my sweat-melted pants off and...
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Introducing Faction Touring Skis
Faction Skis? At Skimo Co?!Yep, starting this 22/23 season, we are carrying select Faction Skis via the La Machine series. For many, Faction understandably elicits thoughts of huge gap jumps, freestyle...
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2023/24 Season Preview
With the aroma of pumpkin latte in the air and the first dustings of snow having been sighted (and skied) in the higher elevations out West, the time has come for our annual season preview. While...
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Alpine Touring Boots - How to Choose
It's a fairly intuitive statement to say backcountry skiers enter the backcountry to ski. What isn't as intuitive, however, is the individualized experience each of those skiers seeks to gain from...
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Backcountry Skis - How to Choose
With the increasing number of backcountry skis available, selecting the best one for the task can feel daunting. Like in many professions, there are specialized tools designed for specific tasks. The...
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Avalanche Rescue & Snow Science Gear List
Whether you just signed up for your first avalanche course or are looking to take your snow science nerdiness to the next level, having the correct tools for the job will allow you to get the most from...
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Red Line Traverse
I wish to acknowledge the Western Shoshone, Eastern Mono, Western Mono, and Northern Piute peoples, their elders past and present, their future generations, and all Indigenous peoples that have called...
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Waxing Skis - the Basics, the Details, and Everything in Between
Part art form and part science, waxing a pair of skis often feels shrouded in mystery. Considering the consequences of a botched wax job range from ruined skin glue to ruined skis, it's no wonder why...
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Ski Expedition Planning with Matt Randall
Why go on a trip/expedition in the first place?Maybe you have skied in the same zones for years and are looking to branch out (I’m looking at you, Wasatch powder hounds!). Maybe you would like to...
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Pakistan Exploratory Skiing
The Hunza District of PakistanIf you've ever thought about Pakistan in the context of ski mountaineering, you've most likely thought of the Baltoro region, which lies in the Shigar District in the...
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Contrived Adventures on Mt. Whitney
Have you ever considered doing a multi-pitch alpine rock climb with ski gear and skiing back down? If you said “No, that sounds dumb,” you are right! Not ones to shy away from dumb stuff, Garrett...
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Subscriptions for the Backcountry
Whether replenishing race skins worn out from a season of hard racing, guaranteeing a supply of wax in the perpetual battle against friction, or ensuring you're adequately supplied with your favorite...
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2024/25 Season Preview
After another eventful trip around the sun, we find ourselves waking up to crisp mornings, mountains teeming with color, and the smell of pumpkin spice. These signs mean one thing: October has arrived....
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Telemo Co: Telemark Skiing for the Backcountry
Once upon a time, leather boots and telemark bindings were the only efficient way to ski in the backcountry. This beloved discipline started to fall by the wayside due to innovations in alpine touring...
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Ski Technique for the Backcountry
The mention of backcountry skiing often conjures mental images of talented skiers slaying big lines in wild places. These images are probably based on a previously viewed twenty-second scene filmed...
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Considerations for Skiing Lightweight Equipment
I’ll be the first to admit I swore never to ski lightweight gear. I’m 200 pounds and an 8-year PSIA Level II ski instructor used to titanal skis and 140 flex boots. But the siren song of speedy...
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Backcountry Ski Mount Points
Choosing skis can be a daunting task. There are many brands with many models to choose from. How are they different? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Which of them will work with your...
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Bolivia - Part 1: Friendship Firsts
The 90% humidity causes me to gasp like a fish with too much water. Where the hell am I? The short answer is Cartagena, Colombia, in late June. Two duffles loaded with ice axes, ropes, crampons, and...
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Bolivia - Part 2: The Honey Badger and Golden Retriever
The next morning, we woke casually, made water, and slowly headed up Wila Llojeta. In the Southern Hemisphere, the directions are flipped. Since we were skiing a southwestern face, we were not worried...
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How Risk Perception Shapes Our Time in the Mountains
The Risk Paradox: Does Experience Make Us Safer or More Vulnerable?For many years I have spent a lot of time thinking about risk in the mountains. What is risk? How can a person minimize risk? How do...
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