The essence of backcountry skiing is the ability to be totally self-sufficient in the winter wilderness. This is where all of your skills come into play. If you can camp in the winter, you can camp anywhere. The quiet, the solitude, and the beauty are unequaled in all but a few sports. Winter camping can be some of the most fun you can have if you know what you are doing. Every year there are warmer sleeping bags, stronger tents, and more efficient stoves. But you still have to know how to use them!

Image captions (looking at small icons on the left):
Top left: Buddhist temple in Kathmandu, Nepal taken during exercise research expedition to Everest Base Camp. Vivesphoto.

Top right: Vignettes Hut, Haute Route. Vivesphoto.

Middle left: It looks heavy but it’s mostly sleeping bag. Vivesphoto.

Middle right: North Face VE-25 dome tent. Notice how the ski bottoms face inward so the tent guy lines won’t be cut by ski edges. Vivesphoto.

Bottom left: Typical hut accommodations on the Tenth Mountain Hut System, Colorado (Jackal Hut shown). Vivesphoto.