Backcountry Skiing & Off-piste Skiing
Backcountry Skiing is done in a meagerly inhabited rural area with slopes or downhill tracks or areas of densely packed snow, commonly called pistes. Mechanical means of ascent that are fixed are naturally not available such as ski lifts.
Due to the very high risk of avalanche situations, Backcountry Skiing can really be considered as one of those hazardous sports. Oftentimes too, a trip entails excessive exhaustion from the climb itself along the steep terrain. Ski touring, Ski Mountaineering and Extreme Skiing are often related with Backcountry Skiing.
When at a certain point in a skier’s experience that he realized and felt the urge to try and get off the beaten track and away from the well-groomed monitored and maintained pistes of ski resorts—certainly he is feeling the call of wild Backcountry Skiing. It could be said that the most memorable experiences on the snow come from a Backcountry Skiing trip—the excitement of untouched powder, the beauty and solitude of the mountains and the radiant feel of achievement and self-reliance. Indeed, a skier with extreme desire for more adventure may find pleasure in Backcountry Skiing. But then again, one must be conscious of his limitations and skills and shun those over-ambitious feel.
Backcountry Skiing is often used interchangeably with Off-piste Skiing. Though both are snow sports, they are not identical in scope but certainly similar in several ways. In fact, the difference relies solely on the usage and etymology of the terms. Backcountry Skiing is more commonly used in North America and refers to Skiing, which is generally not near marked slopes at all, nor can they be accessed through ski lifts. Backcountry Skiing can also be done in long trips, normally lasting several days, and done through snow camping. There are also a number of mountain huts available.
On the other hand, Off-piste Skiing refers to any Skiing that is a few meters away from marked trails and slopes. It embraces skiing in unmarked or unpatrolled areas, which could either be in the backcountry frequently surrounded by trees in pursuit of what is popularly called powder, which is newly fallen snow. Off-piste Skiing may also be done inside the ski resort’s boundaries.
Backcountry Skiing is a term applied to refer to all the types of Skiing which are performed in the wilderness, where there are no pistes, no lifts, no patrols, no lodges or other forms of comforts. Technically, Backcountry Skiing is more of the back to the basic Skiing—just the skier, his gear and his environment. Though almost synonymous to Off-piste Skiing, Backcountry Skiing is for the more advanced skiers—entailing high level of skill and knowledge in Skiing before leaving the safe environment of snow resorts.
Basically, Backcountry Skiing and Off-piste Skiing are both expressions, which specifically define the kind of Skiing being done. In fact, there are no substantial distinctions between the two—except mainly on the etymologies of the terms.
|
|
|
|
For a complete list of all discount coupons with our merchants, subscribe to our Discount RSS Feed: 
|
|
Basics & Backgrounds
Chinese
Dutch
Home
Print Article
Email Article
Comment on Article
Write New Article
Search Articles
