tags:
travis rice |safety week
For many parts of the West, this years snowpack has been unstable, unpredictable, and at times, just downright scary. A pretty heavy snowfall in November followed by a bit of a drought created a weak layer here in the Tetons. As snowboarder Travis Rice puts it, when you're riding in bounds, you can get a false sense of security when you're able to ride wherever, not to mention ski patrol having your back. But stepping into the backcountry is a whole different animal. With similarly unstable snowpacks affecting Montana, Utah, and Colorado as well, Rice encourages people to play it safe, and have a good time inbounds or make conservative choices while riding the backcountry. Those inviting, untracked, steep faces? Not actually a great idea right now.