Backcountry Preparedness

I know most of us have had it happen, the dreaded mechanical breakdown. It was a beautiful, sunny day with tons of fresh powder, so our crew headed to the mountain to play. We were all having a great day and then…my sled went down.

Everyone suggested that we leave my sled where it was for the day and that I should double with my husband, Darrell, for the day - squirrel style. The snow was deep and getting heavier as the sun was getting warmer. I knew that neither Darrell nor I would have any fun doubling and it would most likely turn into a stuck fest. So, I told my crew to not worry about me, go ride and I would just stay with my sled and hang out for the day. No big deal at all, I’m totally prepared. Of course, everyone was hesitant and a little worried that I would be alone and cold all day, but I insisted that I had everything I needed in my DSG Backcountry Pack to stay warm, comfortable, hydrated and well-fed. We decided to tow my sled back part of the way to make it slightly less daunting of a task at the end of the day and so we wouldn’t run out of daylight in case something went wrong. The whole crew packed a trail in front of my sled to make the tow a little easier, but it was still a struggle when Darrell hooked up to my sled and we tried to go. There were many stucks and even the slightest incline made it nearly impossible for us to make it up.

After about an hour, we finally decided it would be best to let the snow set up for the day, which would make it easier to pack a trail later in the day, so my crew suited up to go shred some snow for a few hours.

I was sitting in a fairly open spot with only a few trees around and, of course, as soon as everyone left the wind picked up and clouds started to roll in. I dug in my DSG Backcountry Pack for my little Ziploc bag of fire-starting supplies. A lighter, one small piece of newspaper and a tampon to dip into my fuel tank. I gathered some “witch’s hair” and small, dry twigs from surrounding trees, then took the saw out of my shovel handle to cut some bigger pieces of firewood. Anyone who has ever tried to light a fire in the snow knows how challenging it can be. Once I had a good amount of wood, big and small, I started the fire beside a tree, on the opposite side of where the wind was blowing from. Only having one piece of paper, I knew I had one shot and had to make it count. I had a good fire going within five minutes of my crew leaving. With my saw, I fell a dead tree nearby and cut it into two-foot pieces. Having a good saw with you is so important. If you don’t already carry one, I highly recommend getting one! Keeping a fire going with only small twigs that you can break off trees is very difficult as it will burn them faster than you can collect them.

Once my fire was blazing, I took out my shovel and started clearing snow between the fire and the tree well to make myself an area that was completely protected from the wind. When it started to snow, I was comfortable and dry, protected by the snowbanks beside me and the tree’s branches above me. Wearing the right gear can mean the difference between being warm and comfortable or cold and miserable. I always carry an extra layer of DSG Outerwear's base layers in my pack for situations just like this one, though I didn’t need them. I was wearing a pair of D-tech base layers, a Performance Fleece Zip-Up top, my DSG Monosuit. and Versa gloves which kept me warm, dry and comfortable as I sat in the snow.

It was incredibly peaceful to sit there by the fire, watching the snow fall. I was content where I was, though of course I would have rather been having fun with my crew (whose sleds I could hear faintly in the distance). I decided to get my knife out to carve a stick to roast a hot dog on. I had just finished cooking up my second one when my crew returned.

Everyone was happy to see how comfortable I had made myself.

While seven sleds packed a trail for us, we hooked my sled back up to Darrell’s and started to make our way out. It was tough. There were many stucks and we often had to take more than one run at hills. Without the help of my entire crew, we would have left my sled behind.

After what seemed like hours, we finally made it back to the packed trail. The snow started getting slushy as we descended the mountain. I tried my hardest to stay out of the direct spray of slush from Darrell’s track, but it made it pretty hard to see and breathe at times. I was glad when we arrived back at the trucks. And, despite being showered in snow and slush for over an hour straight, I was warm and dry under that layer of ice thanks to my DSG gear.

Thank you to my incredible husband and the rest of my awesome team for getting us off the mountain safe and sound, and for always keeping a smile on my face no matter the circumstances. Don’t worry, be happy!