Author Archive

Pro snowboarder saved by Float

Exciting news- we have another confirmed airbag save, this time coming out of our own backyard near Montezuma, Colorado.
Meesh Hytner, a pro snowboarder, was riding near the Snake River drainage on January 25th and triggered a substantial (R2D2+) avalanche that took her tumbling to the valley floor below. She was able to deploy her Float 30 avalanche airbag shortly after the crown broke, allowing her to remain on the surface of the giant slab as it broke out above her.
We had a chance to catch Meesh’s story firsthand when she dropped by the BCA booth at SIA. “I felt like I was riding a mattress down the stairs,”… Read more

Whirlwind of a week: BCC / Salt Lake / OR

Another season of tradeshows has begun, and as always, it’s busy for us. Busy in a great way though- our new products coming out next season have been well received and are generating some buzz.

Before it all began though, I decided to come out for a few days to see what all the whining was about with the Wasatch snowpack. I must say, even though it wasn’t phenomenal, if you knew what aspect to get on it was pretty good, and it certainly wasn’t as bad as Colorado has been…

The first day entailed a nice long tour up Silver Fork and over onto Flagstaff, with some deep and… Read more

Indian Peak Pits

Engineer Adam and I got out this past weekend to trek around in the Indian Peaks, and while the snow turned out to be a pretty awful blend of thin crusts and styrofoam, the sun and limited wind still provided us a chance to hunker down and study some snow.

The pit showed three semi-distinct wind layers of varying depths but with similar densities and grain types throughout (pencil hardness/wind-packed rounded grains). Our compression test resulted in a Q2 sheer at eight hits from the shoulder (CTH) on a middle layer. Unfortunately this deep wind drift was not indicative of our line at all, which consisted instead of shallow pockets of snow… Read more

KGB Productions brings ‘Wyoming Triumph’ on tour

Our friends to the north at KGB Productions have been hard at work on their latest epic flick, Wyoming Triumph, and it looks to have paid off. Check out the short video below for some avalanche avoidance refreshment, then make sure to come see Wyoming Triumph when it comes through your town (full dates below). BCA will be at the Boulder showing on December 1, be sure to stop by and check out our new gear!

Heads up: this video contains explicit language

TOUR DATES:

ALL SHOW TIMES ARE 7:30PM UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
ALL TICKETS ARE $10

SAT OCT 15 JACKSON HOLE, WY PINK GARTER PLAY HOUSE
Benefit: www.treefight.org
THURS… Read more

First-Annual Eastern Snow & Avalanche Workshop (“ESAW”)

Here’s a guest blog from Jonathan Shefftz on the first annual Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop in New Hampshire. Jonathan lives in western Massachusetts, where he patrols at Northfield Mountain and Mount Greylock. He is an AIARE and National Ski Patrol avalanche instructor, diehard rando racer, and “beacon geek of the East.” When he’s not searching out elusive freshies in Southern New England, he works as a financial economics consultant.

Snow? Check. Mountains with above-treeline terrain? Check? Avalanches? Check. Avalanche fatalities? Check (unfortunately). USFS forecast center? Check? Avalanche safety courses affiliated with NSP, AIARE, AAA, and even CAA? Check. Professional AMGA mountain guides? Check. Multi-agency and volunteer SAR teams? Check.… Read more

BCA Float Airbags Get CE Approval, Land in Europe

BOULDER, CO (October 19, 2011) – Avalanche equipment manufacturer Backcountry Access (BCA) has received coveted TUV and CE certification for its popular line of Float avalanche airbags. Available in North America since 2009, these will be the first US-made avalanche airbags ever exported to the lucrative European market.

The company went through an exhaustive two-year testing cycle to obtain European (“CE”) certification from the renowned German testing agency, TUEV-Sued. In addition to a battery of lab tests, the requirements included at least ten live deployments in real avalanches. BCA used dummies as “victims” and was assisted by several ski patrols who triggered slides for the company on high hazard days.… Read more

Catalog Eye Candy

Just got our sweet new ski/snowboard and snowmobile catalogs in, check ‘em out!

Gallery:

download the full catalogs: skier/snowboarder  snowmobiler… Read more

Arsenal and Bomber Shovel Rundown

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRpXqhccmB0&feature=share']

Enjoy this quick shovel rundown from our product manager guru, Eric Moore.… Read more

TGR’s Almost Live sneak preview: Daron Rahlves charging Alaska lines (with Float 18)

The Backcountry Access (BCA) Float 18 avalanche airbag is seen in action on the likes of Sage Cattabriga-Alosa and Daron Rahlves in this trailer for Teton Gravity Research’s “One for the Road” feature film which drops September 15.

July turns in Spruce Canyon

“You’re skiing? Where? There’s still snow? You’re crazy!”

The gawking tourists at the park were in full bloom this past weekend as we hiked past on our way to the snowfields. As we got deeper in their numbers tapered off and we eventually broke free from the trail altogether and were on our own.

With loaded packs, Jonny, Moski and I ascended towards Spruce Canyon, a remote area none of us had been to before. We were warned by a ranger of the dense “impassable” trees there, but it they turned out to be manageable.

We set up camp just below treeline beneath Spruce Pass with great views of the… Read more