October 2025

a man looks into a snow pit to determine the safety of the snowpack

Avalanche Awareness 101: Temperature

Why Temperature Matters Temperature is one of the most easily observable variables in the backcountry, but also one of the most overlooked when it comes to avalanche risk. Unlike complex snowpack tests or hard-to-read terrain features, temperature is something anyone can track with the right mindset and tools. For skiers and snowboarders who want to […]

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Big Changes Are Coming To The Spearhead Traverse

The Spearhead Traverse is a horseshoe-shaped loop in the alpine environment connecting Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. While you can take the Peak2Peak gondola for a short ride in the sky between the two mountains, “The Spearhead” is an epic, multi-day (for most) journey that is not for the faint of heart. The route itself spans

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Take The Survey To Shape The future Of Backcountry Education

Let’s Shape Our Backcountry Education Programming Together Alpine Islands has always been about collaboration. We are a club, and by that definition we are only as strong as our membership. So while we are still working out the logistics of programming and what a membership entails (without going too nuts right out the gate), we

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Feature image for the yes sender xtrm snowboard review with a snowboarder in the forest discussing the board.

YES. Sender XTRM Snowboard Review: This Thing Pops!

Every snowboard has a story worth telling. Because somewhere, someone with a vision set out to have a board that can help us ride better, or shred faster, or jump higher. We’ve seen the rise and fall of mainstream hype towards snowboarding so even the larger companies know that it’s pointless to make mass-produced garbage

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