Find the freshest, lightest, and deepest snow for your next winter adventure with the Snow Stations (Daily) map. This map taps into hundreds of remote SNOTEL and Canadian weather sensors to show just how much snow fell over the last 24 hours in mountain zones around the west. The map also provides water density readings to give you a sense of whether the new snow stacks up light and dry like Montana’s famous cold smoke or wet and heavy like Sierra cement. Get the Best Discount on Premium with Outside+ No more trial-and-error in driving up to the pass or trailhead to hunt down the best snow co ..read more

How to listen: iTunes | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox Avalanches killed 37 people in the U.S. last winter, making it the most deadly season in modern history. Why was 2020-2021 so dangerous and how can we avoid avalanches this winter? Get the answers to these burning questions in our new winter safety series, dropping on the Out and Back podcast today. In this four-part series, avalanche forecasters expose the factors that played into last season’s tragic fatalities. Tune in to hear the details of one of the most chilling avalanche acci ..read more

How to listen: iTunes | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox Get up to 50% off Gaia GPS In this episode of the Out and Back podcast, Shanty and Mary catch up with Luke Smithwick — one of the most prolific ski mountaineers and guides in the world. Smithwick is 200 lines deep into his Himalaya 500 skiing project — a mission to highlight 500 of the most unique and beautiful backcountry runs on the world’s highest mountains. With more than 75 Himalayan mountain expeditions to his name, Smithwick unravels the mystery of skiing in places like Tibet ..read more

Beyond the boundaries of ski resorts, untouched powder and the promise of adventure beckon skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, mountaineers, and hikers into the backcountry. However, traveling in the backcountry is not without risk—25-30 people die in avalanches each year in the United States alone. Last season, an exceptionally weak snowpack in many popular backcountry zones has contributed to an increase in avalanche danger and fatalities. While avalanches are undoubtedly hazardous, they tend not to occur randomly. Backcountry travelers can largely avoid avalanches with careful route plann ..read more

Knowing how to read a topographic map is the foundation of any backcountry adventure. Through the use of contour lines, topo maps bring a 3-dimensional element to a 2-dimensional paper map. Topo maps allow you to visualize the rise and fall of the land and “see” the depths of canyons, the location of boggy meadows, and the height and shape of mountains. But, make no mistake about it, learning to read and understand topographic maps takes time and practice. Whether you’re new to topo maps or a seasoned wilderness navigator, this article will help explain the basic features found on topo maps ..read more

How to listen: iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox Get up to 50% off Gaia GPS Winter looms with promises of bluebird skies, powder stashes, and possibly record crowds in the backcountry this season. We’re excited to kick off the first episode of our winter backcountry series on the Out and Back podcast with Colorado’s Summit County Rescue Group Mission Coordinator Charles Pitman. In this episode, Pitman runs through some of his best winter safety tips. He also gives us the temperature of what the upcoming backcountry ski season looks lik ..read more

Devin Lehman is the Product Manager for Gaia GPS. Join him in planning and going on a backcountry ski tour, and to learn how to use Gaia GPS for your winter backcountry excursions.  I’m a backcountry snowboarder who happens to work in tech. It’s a lame joke I’ve told coworkers over the past decade. (And it’s a joke that needs no explanation to my coworkers at Gaia GPS.) So when winter swung into central Oregon and the avalanche forecast looked promising, I jumped on the opportunity to tour Mount Bachelor with some friends before opening day. Here’s how I did it, from start to finish. Get ..read more

Discover backcountry ski zones, snowmobile trails, and trails for every winter activity with our new and improved Gaia Winter map. Complete with world-wide ski resort maps plus nordic, fatbike, uphill skiing and snowshoe trails, Gaia Winter serves as the go-to map for winter travel. We’ve updated it to make it even more useful for your adventures. Just like our original Gaia Topo, Gaia Winter comes with industry-leading clarity and download efficiency. Download the map for your entire state so you can always have a map on hand, even when you lose cell service. From backcountry ski zones to sn ..read more

Winter hiking offers the ability to test out new skills, push your physical limits, and experience a landscape transformed by either snow or an open tree canopy. Plus, in many places you will have the trails all to yourself, making winter one of the best times to seek solitude in nature. However, the same things that make winter hiking special also introduce unique considerations for preparedness and safety: colder temperatures, empty trails, and shorter days reduce your margins for error. Snow can also impair visibility and obscure navigational handrails. In this article, you’ll learn how ..read more

Gaia GPS is proud to partner with the experts at Avalanche.org to bring you the Avalanche Forecast layer. Now, you can get official, up-to-date avalanche forecasts for mountain zones in the U.S. directly from the map on your phone. Plan safer winter backcountry travel with quick and easy access to avalanche danger ratings from the National Avalanche Center and the American Avalanche Association. Link to complete avalanche reports from professional snow safety scientists in your region. Whether you’re backcountry skiing the couloirs or snowmobiling into the back bowls, add this must-have feat ..read more