The High Route

There’s a familiar phrase that describes something that’s "a mile wide and an inch deep." At The High Route, we take the opposite approach in our editorial vision. We delve deep—really deep, or a full kilometer for those who prefer metric—into the unique mountain culture of backcountry skiing. Our focus is on human-powered descents across snowy terrain. We want to explore how to access those thrilling runs, share best practices, and ensure you make it back home for more adventures in the mountains. Our passion is backcountry skiing, and we’re excited to celebrate it with you. You can look forward to in-depth gear reviews, candid opinions, and a bit of fun as we embark on this journey together. To be open about our inspirations, we draw motivation from the Escape Collective, a newly established cycling site. (Seriously, check them out; they’re doing great work.) They emphasize a philosophy of being everything to a select audience rather than just something to everyone. We resonate with that idea. Supported by the backcountry community, we know exactly who we’re writing for. The driving forces behind The High Route are Adam Fabrikant, Billy Haas, Sam Hennessey, Gavin Hess, Alex Lee, and Jason Albert. This connection means that your support is crucial to our success. If you have questions about our mission, feel free to visit our FAQs, where we elaborate on our goals. If you don’t find the answers you need, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]. As for our name, The High Route is inspired by the famous haute route, known for its breathtaking high traverse through the Alps during winter. Our motivation comes from the beauty of moving through the mountains. More than anything, our name reflects a spirit of exploration, adventure, and the thrill of the unknown. While the name The High Route might come off as a bit lofty, our intention is not to be preachy or self-important. Rather, it serves as a reminder that our editorial mission is rooted in viewing our community as partners, not just as potential traffic sources for clicks and revenue. We acknowledge that we will make mistakes along the way, but we’re committed to learning from them, and we hope you’ll support us as we grow. Thank you for visiting The High Route.

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Review: Rossignol Escaper 97 Nano

1 week ago | the-high-route.com | Jason Albert

More than a single niche: Rossignol’s Escaper 97 Nano proves it can be many capable things all season long. Here we are—mid-April. And as the temp swings between highs and lows, we are in firm-to-soft snow season. Corn is here. Which, in part, was a key use case for hopping on and using, for three months when conditions were apt, the Rossignol Escaper 97 Nano. Let’s jump into use cases here.
Review: La Sportiva Kilo

2 weeks ago | the-high-route.com | Jason Albert

La Sportiva’s Kil0 touring boot is up to the task of big-distance and high-vert tours where the turns are as important as the uphill effort. Let’s begin this final review with a small survey where N=2. Skimo.co, under their “touring” subheading for boots, lists over 50 different boots. Cripple Creek Backcountry under “ski mountaineering” boots filters out nearly 40 boots.
Veneers of Nuance

3 weeks ago | the-high-route.com | Jason Albert

I’ve done a bit of low-key traveling this winter to far more complex and objectively hazardous zones than mine here in Central Oregon. While complexity regarding terrain is and can be on the menu, it’s my experience that it’s easy for me to avoid tough-to-read terrain altogether around Bend.
Straight to the Point: Tahoe, Your Skin Tracks Are Too Steep

3 weeks ago | the-high-route.com | Kyle Neddenriep

As old as time—how steep, or not steep, to set the skin track? In this Op-Ed, it seems Tahoe might have a too-steep problem. If you’ve spent any time walking uphill on skis in the Tahoe Basin, you’ve likely experienced the following: backsliding on a freshly set skin track, a desperate pole plant at a blown-out kick turn, the creeping realization that ski crampons might be your only hope of topping out. It’s a familiar struggle, and the culprit is always the same.
On fixing a BOA - The High Route

1 month ago | the-high-route.com | Jason Albert

The BOA lacing system went commercial in 2001, the brainchild of Gary Hammerslag, an engineer/inventor/snowboarder based in Steamboat. The first BOAs were integrated into snowboard boot designs produced by K2 and Vans. (FWIW, Jeff Spicoli, and his Vans came before the BOA.) I’m certain alternatives are out there, but regarding snowboard boots and tensioning systems, BOAs and multiple-BOA snowboard boots look pretty ubiquitous in the marketplace.
Adam in the Cold—Strategizing for the Brrrrrrrrrr - The High Route

1 month ago | the-high-route.com | Jason Albert

Some days are colder than others. We checked in with cold-weather denizen Adam Fabrikant to get his take on managing lower temps and keeping the stoke for making turns. Cold temperatures are relative. Is it a humid cold? A dry cold. Somewhere in between. Is the wind howling? And sure, although daylight savings time flipped us into body-clock disarray, it’s still winter for a few more weeks. And it will be winter again here in the Northern Hemisphere next December 21st.
Review: Patagonia’s Nano-Air Ultralight Full-Zip Hoody

1 month ago | the-high-route.com | Jason Albert

Patagonia’s Nano-Air Ultralight Full-Zip Hoody is active insulation you can be active in. Which, ironically, is not true of most active insulation. As a touring piece, it is highly praised. I’ll be jumping right into a full-blown review of the Patagonia men’s Nano-Air Ultralight Full-Zip Hoody. (NAUL for short.) This is a soft shell. This is active insulation. And, as the naming convention puts it, it has a hood and a full zip, just as I like it.
Powder: You know it When you Ski it

2 months ago | the-high-route.com | Jason Albert

We are all likely particular about snow. Although we are lucky to be skiing or riding anything at all, powder snow often rules them all. But when it comes to powder, how dense is too dense? Our skis or snowboards are extensions of our sense of touch. As such, we can tell many things about the snow as we tilt toward the fall line—imagining our first and second or third turns. Before that, you’ve skinned to the top and poked a pole to probe snow depth.
A Worthy Watch: Painting The Mountains

2 months ago | the-high-route.com | Jason Albert

We’re here for a film review. Over the weekend, I watched Painting The Mountains a few times. The film, for those new to it, in part, documents Aurel Lardy, Vivian Bruchez, and Jules Socié and their second descent of the Whillans-Cochrane Ramp on Aguja Poincenot in 2023. For readers of The High Route who come for the ski mountaineering, I think you’ll find this film rewarding. The skiing is very steep and exposed.
This is not a Cage Fight: Skorpius and Kilo

2 months ago | the-high-route.com | Jason Albert

Let’s take a closer look at two promising boots, La Sportiva’s Skorpius CR II and the Kilo. After reading the back and forth regarding the La Sportiva Kilo and Skorpius CR II (and 1st iteration Skorpius)…it’s time for a closer look. I suppose the first item up for debate, or to at least ground truth, is weights. The two boots, perhaps designed as a means for different ends, are similar in weight.