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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Articles

Uncertain Times Means Uncertain Prices

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

We go into the hills for many reasons. One is for an escape. And so we beg forgiveness for intruding on an aspect of your escape. Here’s a story on tariffs and pricing and the gear you may or may not be thinking about. Even the most diehard head-in-the-sand backcountry tourists among us must know, I’m certain, that tariffs will cause prices of most (all?) goods to increase. A few dynamics are at play.
Review: Tahoe Trail Tools’ Heel Up! for Marker Alpinist

3 weeks ago | the-high-route.com | Andrew Ross

For those with Marker Alpinist bindings, and suffering from heel riser breakdown, Tahoe Trail Tools Heel Up! riser could punch your ticket to binding longevity, smooth riser function, and higher risers. The Tahoe Trail Tools Heel Up! riser performs as advertised: it increases Marker Alpinist riser heights by 12mm in both medium and high modes, making the binding easier to tour on steep skin tracks. It was as easy to install as the manufacturer claims; if I can do it, you can, too.
Timing the Corn Cycle: Seeking a Better Understanding

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

Sometimes all the variables align: timing the corn cycle right can make ski touring in spring all that much better. Impatience is a thing. As discussed with a partner on a recent ski tour, we agreed that impatience could ruin an otherwise fine day of spring touring. Here’s one scenario. You get up at 3 AM. You headlamp through breakfast and coffee and much of your approach. There’s the sound of chainmail across the snow (ski crampons) and then a creamsicle sky to the east.
Bringing Crampons along for the Splitboard Journey

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

This article is about crampons for splitboarders and two individuals’ experiences on their respective paths. Because we delve into crampons, which go on the feet, we’ll also discuss hardboots and softboots. However, there’s no going to the mat here. We’ll leave the debate over splitboarding footwear for another time. On one hand, we have Daniel Crist, a dedicated SLC-based splitboarder (and hardbooter) who is nearing the completion of his AMGA Ski Guide certification as a splitboarder.
Review: Rossignol Escaper 97 Nano

1 month 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

1 month 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

1 month 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

1 month 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

2 months 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

2 months 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.