The backcountry terrain around the town of McCall, Idaho, is truly quite remarkable. There are great areas for touring, great areas for cat skiing, great areas for gate-accessed backcountry terrain (through the Brundage Mountain ski lifts), and great areas for snowmobiling. But those activities shouldn’t always intermix.
Backcountry skiing in an area with snowmobilers can wind up pretty dangerous, or at least pretty not-fun. Snowmobile tracks that are more than a day old wind up tough and icy, and wind up as a brutal booby-trap for skiers and snowboarders. So the town of McCall, the National Forest Service, and Brundage Mountain have worked to provide specific, non-motorized zones for backcountry skiers. With that, they’ve introduced the concept of the 4 R’s of Responsible Recreation, and while this video is tailored to recreators in and around McCall, it really can apply to any winter recreators across the country.
The Four R’s of Responsible Recreation are as follows:
- Respect other users
- Respect regulations
- Recreate safely
- Resist the urge
Not a bad list to keep in mind while out enjoying the mountains. If we all do our part to stay safe and responsible, we can all continue to have a great time while taking advantage of great snow.