Backcountry Skiing or Ski Mountaineering?

I'm pretty sure the NF gullies on Hood have been done on skis. Still super impressive though. Click to see photo of the gullies <br><br>Definitely ski mountaineering!<br><br>Edit to add: It's always neat to hear about Chad Kellog -- I didn't realize that in addition to being a super impressive speed climber he was also a steeps-loving snowboarder!

The reason skiers haven't done the steepest lines in the Cascades is that the snowboarders have scraped off all the good snow!

<br><br>Based on the little I've read and heard about, I stand behind my assertion about snowboards. In Europe people have done amazing things on them. Quite possibly the steepest descents yet done in the Northwest have been done on snowboards (1992 North Face of Mt Hood by Stephen Koch, 1998 Success Glacier Couloir on Mt Rainier by Edgar and Kellogg). <br><br>A single board with a single edge, under control of an expert, is a powerful tool. Snowboarders can also descend toe-in with two real ice tools (instead of wimpy whippets) giving them the ability to scratch their way down really sketchy stuff if they want to. This is well established in Europe.<br><br>I think skiers in this country underestimate the snowboard as a tool for steep descents.<br>

<br>You could very well be right, I'm just commenting on what I've seen between me and my friends; a poor skier vs a poor snowboarder on somewhat firm slightly steep terrain. It seems that the lateral stability missing on a snowboard becomes an issue on harder, steeper snow at low speeds. Of course, what really matters is who's skills are better. <br><br>But what do I know, I've never been on a snowboard.

Although I've never heard this division used before, according to our Cham guide:<br>- backcountry skiing = skiing along on trails in the woods<br>- ski mountaineering = involves above-treeline navigation<br>- ski alpinism = ascent involves technical climbing