Informative Websites

STRAVA highly detailed backcountry mapping guide, with relevant beta and three dimensional maps for hiking and ski touring adventures

Alps Insight excellent mountain sport resource guide focused on alpine climbing, trail running, cycling, hiking, and ski touring in the alps (mostly Switzerland and the Dolomites of Italy).

57Hours online adventure sport guidebook and professional mountain guide agency/directory

Mont Blanc Lines a project by climbing photographer Alex Buisse to “exhaustively document the climbing and skiing routes on the most iconic cliffs and mountains in the world.”

Animated Knots animated instructional videos on essential knots for climbing and ski mountaineering

Smileys Project fun and super resourceful site from Exum guide Mark Smiley, with great ski and climbing photography and robust online instruction

News and Videos for Ski Touring and Mountaineering by Petzl, the world’s leading manufacturer/supplier of climbing (and caving) equipment.

Samsara Experience online fitness training and coaching (and snow safety workshops) from famed Exum guide Zahan Billimoria

Online Magazines

Alpinist highly regarded climbing magazine focusing on big wall and alpine

The Ski Journal boutique ski magazine, with a focus on backcountry skiing and touring

The Snowboarder’s Journal snowboarder magazine, with a focus on backcountry riding and splitboard touring

Backcountry Magazine online magazine specific to backcountry skiing and snowboarding

Off-Piste, The Backcountry Skier’s Magazine old school boutique publication with a wide range of interesting features and valuable information

Powder a more conventional ski magazine focused primarily on alpine skiing but with relevant/informative articles

Snow Stories compelling stories from the backcountry, courtesy of the Patagonia blog

Social Media

@davejsearle Dave Searle, a highly accomplished IFMGA mountain guide based in Chamonix, France. His Instagram account is a great resource for ski mountaineering tips (and other tricks of the trade). Simple and straightforward.

@rosshewitt Ross Hewitt, IFMGA mountain guide and prolific explorer of the alpine. Among the world’s best, most enthusiastic, most fit, most accomplished skiers/ski mountaineers. Really in a class of his own.

@vivianbruchez Vivian Bruchez, IFMGA mountain guide and Chamonix local. The latest Instagram rockstar ski/climbing talent whose mountaineering exploits almost defy comprehension. If you value your life, follow only on social media!

@victordelerue Victor de Le Rue, highly skilled big mountain snowboarder, 2-time champion of the Freeride World Tour, Chamonix local, and brother of legendary freerider Xavier de Le Rue (an extremely accomplished snowboard mountaineer and multi-sport athlete. Former Olympian, surfer, kite-boarder, and 3-time champion of the Freeride World Tour).

@outdoorswithrowntree Will Rowntree, a young, humble, friendly, motivated, uber-talented IFMGA mountain guide and avalanche expert from New Zealand who spends his winters exploring (and guiding) every corner of the Chamonix backcountry, alongside an impressive subset of the region’s mountaineering superstars, who are also his friends.

@tom_grant_ Tom Grant, IFMGA mountain guide based in Chamonix, France. The Kelly Slater of the ski world. A super fit, super accomplished multi-sport athlete who is featured prominently on the FATMAP outdoor navigation app (and who writes most of its content). He is the subject in many of the photos on this site.

@codytownsend Cody Townsend, professional skier, prolific big mountain explorer. Creator/author/subject of @the.fifty.project, an endeavor to ski and document all 50 of North America’s biggest and most challenging lines. A rockstar.

@smilemountainguides Jeffery Mascaro, AMGA Rock Guide (and Alpine Guide aspirant) based in Colorado who regularly publishes highly detailed and informative instructional climbing videos on his increasingly popular Instagram account.

@marcobassot Marco Bassot, multisport athlete and ski alpinist from Italy whose Instagram account colorfly documents his incredible, death-defying exploits, mostly in the Dolomites.

@picaherry Julien Herry, highly talented Chamonix based snowboarder/mountain guide supported by Jones Snowboards, Julbo, Karakoram, Thirtytwo, Mons Royale, Samaya, Whympr, Yeti, and BCA. Surely one of the world’s best snowboarders.

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Ski Films/Videos

Jones Presents: In the Shadow of the Diable “Deep in Chamonix’s backcountry, an imposing series of granite pinnacles rises to the southeast of Mont Blanc du Tacul. Named the Aiguilles du Diable – the Devil’s Needles – they were once considered impossible to climb, let alone ride,” with Chamonix giants Pica Herry, Laurent Bibollet, Gaspard Ravanel, and Victor de Le Rue.

Painting the Mountains “Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. In Painting The Mountains, Aurel Lardy, Jules Socié, and Vivian Bruchez set off on a Patagonian adventure through the lens of Matthew Tufts. Immerse yourself in this "big wall skiing" adventure.” Incredible cinematography in one of the world’s most beautiful and wild places.

Topside, Episode 2: Chamonix Slackcountry Is Everything But Slack with Ross Hewitt and Nikolai Schirmer (Aiguille d’Entreves, Italy). For more on Nikolai’s incredible adventures and other short films, go here.

Behind the Line, Episode 1 with Xavier de la Rue and FATMAP

La Grave from The Faction Collective (incredible footage and commentary on one of world’s best ski mountaineering destinations)

La Grave, A Skier’s Journey by Jordan Manley (another one well worth watching, even if it is slightly melodramatic)

The Space Between a cautionary tale by Nat Patridge, President, Exum Guides

The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek another cautionary tale; an important story about the dangers and (un)predictability of avalanches, by Catherine Spangler for The New York Times

The North Face Presents: Lhotse A short ski film documenting one of history’s greatest athletic accomplishments and mountaineering feats: the late Hliaree Nelson, acclaimed ski mountaineer and former captain of the North Face Athlete Team, and her partner Jim Morrison climb and ski the Lhotse Couloir (the world’s highest) in 2018. Commentary by friends and fellow mountaineering legends Jimmy Chin and Jeremy Jones.

The Polar Star “The most remote classic of The FIFTY, The Polar Star is an iconic ski line. Set on the Arctic island of Baffin, the Polar Star Couloir is aesthetic, breath-taking couloir set among an island of ice, Polar Bears and towering granite walls. Joining up with Cody Townsend on his attempt to ski "The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America" is one of the world's best ski mountaineers and steep skiers, Vivian Bruchez. Though the goal of the journey is to ski The Polar Star, a plethora of steep, challenging and beautiful ski lines await in Baffin...and a lesson in just what makes Vivian one of the world's best, comes to light.”

Intention “A ski journey deep into the frozen fjords and ancient hallways of Baffin Island.” A short but beautifully shot film.

Steep The all-time classic feature-length film, tracing the legacy of ‘extreme skiing’ from its early pioneers to the daredevils of the modern era. A must-see flim!