There’s a debate among skiers and snowboarders that, while it hasn’t blown up quite yet, is sure to continue growing over the coming seasons. The question surrounds backcountry skiing versus resort skiing, and while many people choose to do both, there are those who’ll defend one over the other no matter what. YouTuber Rise & Alpine decided to take a look at the two different disciplines, comparing the divide to that between fly fisherman and spin fisherman.
As he explains in the video, resort skiing offers high volume, groomed runs, lift access, terrain parks and the safety net of ski patrol, while backcountry skiing offers solitude, self-reliance and what he calls the purest form of adventure, along with oftentimes untracked snow and the satisfaction of earning your own turns. However backcountry skiing comes with serious risk, including avalanche danger and a need for costly rescues if something goes wrong.
Ultimately Rise & Alpine does not consider the two disciplines the same sport. He describes resort skiing as skiing “in its truest form” and backcountry skiing as closer to hiking or mountaineering. Given the choice he says he would pick resort skiing every time, citing the sheer volume of runs and the feeling of total presence that comes from repeated laps.
He didn’t dismiss the backcountry though, calling the two disciplines complementary and saying skiers benefit from having both options depending on conditions and avalanche risk. Personally I would have to agree with him. There are days where resort skiing is absolutely miserable and sticking to the backcountry is much more enjoyable, and there are days where a few backcountry laps can’t add up to the dozens of lift-served laps you can take on resort.
As for who’s more hardcore, both have the men and women who grind harder than anyone else and the people who prefer an extremely relaxed, almost lazy experience, but earning your turns and hiking/touring to the top of the run has got to be considered the peak.