Spring skiing has arrived!

Thanks to all of you who have joined us for avalanche cours­es, back­coun­try ski cours­es, and guid­ed days out in the moun­tains this win­ter! The ski guide crew at Mad­ness is lov­ing the abun­dance of pow­der days this sea­son! While we are still find­ing stash­es of cold pow high in the moun­tains, the snow­pack is quick­ly tran­si­tion­ing to spring and we’re already find­ing corn on south faces. It’s time to get after it!

With the start of spring, we have been step­ping out into more adven­tur­ous ter­rain and are excit­ed about con­tin­ued explo­ration over the next few months. We have per­mits across much of the state and local knowl­edge to show our guests the best stash­es we know. If you want to get up in the high peaks this spring, you should check out the back­coun­try ski fun­da­men­tal course this win­ter, or this spring there are ski moun­taineer­ing cours­es, crevasse res­cue cours­es, and guid­ed Mount Bak­er ski descents; and then there’s world clas­sic ski tours across the globe. 

And here’s a cou­ple of new things for you to con­sid­er if you’re look­ing for a back­coun­try ski/​snowboard get­away with some crea­ture com­forts. We’ve teamed up with the Alpine Lakes High Camp for guid­ed tours from cab­ins high on the east­ern slope on the Cas­cades. Learn more here.

And if you want to get your back­coun­try split­board game on, check out our new course that’ll set you up for some rides this win­ter and some descents in the spring. Much like the goals of our back­coun­try ski course, you’ll learn the things need­ed to get out on your own, pick up some new skills, and have a blast while doing it!

We’d love to have you join us, but if you’re already get­ting out there with your friends we hope you find the pow­der, great turns, and enjoy a safe trip. As MM guide Stephen Heath commented, ”

“More and more peo­ple are look­ing out­side of the resort to the free­dom of the back­coun­try. But the cost of entry is much more than just buy­ing new gear. Knowl­edge and expe­ri­ence is required to make sound deci­sions and to know where to go on a giv­en day. It can be over­whelm­ing and scary when you head out on your first ski tour. My advice is to invest in your­self; hire a guide, take an AIARE course, take the time to learn how to use your gear and how to nav­i­gate in the mountains.”

But, if you’ve tak­en the steps Stephen men­tions here are some resources to help with your plan­ning. Take a look and of course we’re hap­py to help out too. Hap­py rest of the win­ter to you!

• North­west Avalanche Center
• Recre­ate Responsibly
• Win­ter Safe­ty Tips