Last weekend, we climbed up Nak at the Coquihalla to ski it. A few times. There were also some snowshoers there. They apparently didn't want to break a trail. So they used ours, and wrecked it. So we made another one on the second lap. Then they came down, used our new one, and wrecked it too.
Besides for safety, there aren't a lot of 'rules' in the backcountry and that's for the better. I don't like people telling me what to do either. But that doesn't mean there shouldn't be any etiquette.
The quintessential nature of the backcountry is of self-reliance. When you go into the backcountry, you should be prepared to take care of yourself, fend for yourself. That means, be prepared to rescue yourself, get stuck out there by yourself, and to blaze trail for yourself. Not prepared to do that? Go somewhere else. There are resorts, lodges, guides, and trails that cater to exactly those folks.
These were those folks - for all intents and purposes, lost without the skintrack and not going very far if they had to do it for themselves anyway.
These were those folks - for all intents and purposes, lost without the skintrack and not going very far if they had to do it for themselves anyway.
Now, I realize that someone else's trail is often the path of least resistance and, if it's there, I use it too. But skintracks and snowshoeing trails are two different animals - one is for skiing; one is for walking. I'm not going to ski all over your trail, and you shouldn't walk all over my track. I also won't cut any overhead slopes on you or spray you in the face with blower pow. Deal?
There's plenty of room in the backcountry to go around.
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