Off-Piste: Skiing & Snowboarding in the Backcountry

Backcountry skiing is not a new phenomenon – hardy souls were doing it back in the day on equipment that would make you wince – but in recent years it has been enjoying something of a resurgence. More and more people are leaving the convenience of the lifts behind and heading out into the hills in search of adventure and fresh powder.

While the aim of skiing and boarding will always be to go downhill fast, people are increasingly realising there is fun to be had on the way up too. Scotland’s six ski resorts are small, and when the conditions are good it doesn’t take long for them to get crowded and the lift queues long. This is where backcountry comes into its own.

Backcountry skiing allows you to leave the crowds behind and carve your own path. The beauty of backcountry is you can ski or board anywhere where there is decent snow and you don’t have to go far to find it. Arthur’s Seat, the Pentlands and even hills in the Borders have been popping up on backcountry forums in recent years. There’s a wealth of options to be had, you just need to put in a bit of legwork.

Resorts work on the principle that you only go up in order to come down, but backcountry enthusiasts are challenging this traditional view. They tend not to differentiate the climb from the descent – it’s all part of the experience.

Al explains: “Getting to the top of the hill is as much part of the day as dropping in and descending. Whether you use skins on your skis, hike with your board or use a split board, it’s physically really hard work. But I think that’s half the appeal – it means you spend longer out in the wilderness and the sense of achievement when you do finally reach the top is exhilarating.”

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“You spend longer out in the wilderness and the sense of achievement when you do finally reach the top is exhilarating” – Al Conroy

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This different approach to snow is gaining momentum. In the last few years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of books, forums and internet sites dedicated to the genre. But as the popularity of ski touring has increased, so has the number of accidents. There have been a number of lives claimed by Scottish mountains this winter, all well publicised by the British media.

It’s easy to forget that Scottish mountains offer all the same dangers as their bigger, more famous counterparts in the Alps and North America. In fact, Scottish mountains are notoriously dangerous on account of this country’s wildly unpredictable weather. Only experienced skiers and boarders should be heading off-piste, and even then, no one is completely immune to the risks involved.

The Scottish Avalanche Information Service provide an invaluable service with daily monitoring and forecasting of conditions all over Scotland, and you shouldn’t even thinking about venturing out without checking this first. You’ll need to take a probe, a shovel and transceivers as well, so if you do find yourself in trouble, you’ve got a fighting chance of making it out on the other side.

But despite the dangers, it’s easy to see why getting into Scotland’s backcountry remains the dream for so many skiers and boarders. Floating down virgin powder is the holy grail of snow sport, and when you couple that with the scenery you encounter along the way, it’s a very appealing recipe indeed.

Al adds: “That’s what makes touring special for me – it allows you to see views and gain experiences you would otherwise never achieve. I find that level of remoteness is really important, especially in Scotland where you can find patches of world class skiing where nobody has been before. Lift access skiing gives you a fun day out, but when you get used to the greater outdoors and feel you can handle yourself in a winter mountain environment, those lifts can leave you feeling a little constrained. For me, if it’s a choice between resort or backcountry, backcountry wins hands down every time.”