avalanche safety · backcountry · safety · ski touring · Stowe · Vermont · Oct 23, 2026

Backcountry Safety Around Stowe: Being Prepared

Backcountry Guide

Backcountry Safety Around Stowe: Being Prepared

Touring advice from the shop on the Mountain Road in Stowe, Vermont

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On most days in the Vermont woods, the biggest risks are not avalanches. They are the steep terrain itself, the cold, the ice, and the long way out if something goes wrong. Being prepared here means being ready for all of it.

What actually goes wrong

Stowe terrain is steep and the trees are tight, so falls are serious. Hitting a tree, a stump or a hidden rock is one of the most common ways people get hurt. Conditions can swing from powder to ice in a single day, and a slick slope is far harder to manage than it looks from the top.

The days are short, so a tour that runs long can end in the dark. Thick woods all start to look the same, and storm snow fills in tracks fast. After big storms, the deep snow around evergreens can trap a skier who falls in head first. Snow bridges over brooks are not always solid. And cell service is spotty, so help can be a long way off. Getting an injured skier out of steep woods takes rescuers hours.

Dynafit Ski Crampons

When you need avalanche gear

On many days in the trees, a beacon and shovel are not the main concern. That changes in steeper, open terrain. Slides, gullies and open faces on the higher peaks can and do avalanche. If you are heading there, carry a beacon, shovel and probe, travel with partners who know how to use them, and take an avalanche course first. Find avalanche safety gear at the shop.

What we carry

Our packs look about the same on every Vermont tour: a warm puffy, spare gloves and a dry hat, a headlamp, a charged phone with offline maps and a backup battery, a first aid kit, an emergency bivy, a repair kit with ski straps and a multitool, and more food and water than we think we will need. Ski crampons come along whenever there is a chance of ice.

Habits that matter

Check the weather, and watch for big temperature swings and rain. Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back. Start early and set a turnaround time you will actually keep. In the trees, stay close enough to see each other and regroup often. Pick terrain that fits the conditions and the least experienced person in your group, and build your skills on the resort before you head out.