Teens in the backcountry
Chris Mayers dropped into Corbet’s Couloir at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort when he was 5 years old.
The run is on the top of most expert skiers’ bucket lists, but it’s just a stepping stone for most of Jackson Hole’s youth.
“I’ve ridden every run, every lift, every single mogul on that mountain,” said Mayers, now 18.
Riding inbounds wasn’t enough for Mayers, nor is it for most of the kids growing up in an area with such incredible terrain.
Skill-wise the kids can hold their own, but there are other components crucial to backcountry skiing — knowledge and experience. Teen education is a topic that is on the minds of people who work to keep others safe in the backcountry.
“If we’re going to teach kids to ski these lines so young we also have the responsibility to teach these kids the skills that go along with that,” said Amy Golightly, associate director of Teton County Search and Rescue.
Mayers started venturing into the backcountry with his older brother when he was 13. He participated in avalanche awareness workshops and took an Avalanche 1 certification course in high school. He took a multiweek National Outdoor Leadership School backcountry skiing and winter camping course as well as a Wilderness First Responder course.
“The more knowledge you can gain in the backcountry the more you have,” he said.
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