In backcountry, skiers take bigger risks for thrills

The three friends had already taken one backcountry run, reveling in the fresh powder, when they ducked under the rope at Arapahoe Basin. They instinctively headed for a steep - and untracked - part of the mountain.

They knew the risk of avalanche was high: It was the day after a big snowfall, and the new powder was sitting heavily on weak layers. But the lure of snowboarding down a virgin precipice was more than they could resist. So Jason Waite and Dan Pedrow watched as Mike Bennett did three perfect turns - and then vanished in a tsunami of snow. He was later rescued, only because he was wearing a locator beacon.

Mr. Bennett's rendezvous with danger a couple weeks ago is far from unusual. While backcountry enthusiasts have long skied a fine line between adventure and insanity, the number of people willing to take a risk for the ultimate thrill is growing. New technology and an X-games mentality are creating a generation that often seems to put adrenaline before rational thinking.

In recent weeks, the tension between risk and reward has been especially acute in Colorado backcountry: The sudden accumulation of up to seven feet of snow has made nearly everything in Summit County - historically the nation's most avalanche-prone area - even more dangerous. One longtime backcountry skier, Michael Means, says it's the worst he's seen in the 27 years he's lived here.

Fortunately, the deaths from avalanches so far this year have been down: The four fatalities in Colorado and 23 in the US are slightly below average. Indeed, for many people, the idea of embarking on a venture that could end so tragically has been an effective deterrent.

And yet for many backcountry skiers and snowboarders, the thrill of a powder descent outweighs all else.

"It's never safe," admits Mr. Waite, during a break from his job at a ski-rental shop last week. "But if you have to ask why do it, you can't understand. It's for the tranquillity of the moment. It's so peaceful. But it's also about the heavy adrenaline rush, because it is so dangerous."

The phenomenon has only gained momentum as skiers' equipment has been able to negotiate higher levels of performance. Fat skis, well-designed snowboards, and ever more powerful snowmobiles are making it possible for more and more people to tackle the riskiest slopes.

"It's pretty easy to ski a 40- or 50-degree slope if you're a good skier with modern equipment," says Doug Abromeit, director of the Forest Service National Avalanche Center in Ketchum, Idaho. Snowmobilers, meanwhile, use their machines' extra juice to "highmark," a risky practice that entails driving as high up a steep slope as possible. "Because we can do it, human nature is to go ahead and do it," says Mr. Abromeit. "I think that's the biggest cause of [increased fatalities]."

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