​Noah Howell Speaks on Avalanche and Backcountry Safety

Noah Howell is coming to Jackson to speak at the Avalanche Awareness Night on 12/5. Noah Howell photo.

For nearly the past two decades, Noah Howell has been perfecting the craft of mountain travel on skis. Born and raised in the Wasatch, Howell has focused his career on climbing and skiing in high and snowy places, everywhere from the Tetons to Alaska. Along the way, he picked up a camera, and directed 10 years’ worth of Powderwhore Production films, documenting these exploits into the greater ranges of the world. These days, he has focused his efforts back into adventure ski mountaineering, ticking off massive first descents and slowly chipping away at his goal of skiing all 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America.

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This week, on Thursday December 5^th, Howell will be the keynote speaker at the Avalanche Awareness Night at Jackson Hole’s Center for the Arts. The event has a suggested $5 donation to Teton County Search and Rescue and features talks from local avalanche experts and backcountry community members.

Anyone who makes an early donation to TCSAR at this link will receive free beer from Snake River Brewing at the event. Additionally, the event will feature a huge live auction to benefit the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center, with a silent auction already active here. 

We caught up with Howell to hear a little more about his vision for backcountry skiing and the importance of avalanche education in our ever-growing sport.

TGR: You’ve somehow figured out how to become a career ski mountaineer, can you tell us a little more about what you’ve been up to the last few years?

Noah Howell: Well, I’m from the Salt Lake Area and call the Wasatch home. I’ve been into skiing - particularly ski mountaineering - for a really long time, but really most of that time was taken up by making ski films for 10 years at Powderwhore Productions. After I gave that up, I re-focused on more personal projects in the adventure skiing and expedition realm. These last few years, I’ve spent a ton of time up in Alaska, which is really my favorite place in the world to ski. I finally finished the triple crown – Denali, Hunter, and Foraker – and completed a dream descent on Mt. Foraker’s Archangel Ridge this past Spring.

TGR: You’re also the “other guy” currently chasing the 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America, right?

NH: Ha! I have no idea who Cody Townsend is, never heard of him. All jokes aside, I think what him and Bjarne are up to is awesome too. I skied a few of the lines many years ago before the book was even written, and then slowly started skiing a few more of the trickier routes like Cooke City’s Patriarch and Giant Steps Couloir in the Sierra as time went on. When I picked up the book again a two years ago and knew I had hit the halfway mark, I figured I might as well try and get the rest done too. It’s nice that many of them are close to home in the West, like Utah, Idaho, and the Tetons. Even though it’s still highly unlikely and improbably that all of them will get skied, I kind of let some word out about my project.

Heading towards the Archangel Ridge on Mt. Foraker. Noah Howell photo.

TGR: What has been your favorite line on the project so far?

NH: Baffin Island, for sure. There’s no place like that on the planet. The size, the couloirs, and the remoteness make that place just otherworldly. The Polar Star Couloir is just insane! The walls just go on forever above you, it feels like they roof over and just enclose you completely, it’s just an amazing line. Baffin is the full package: being in the Arctic, camping on sea ice, polar bear tracks, everything.

TGR: Since you’re giving a talk on avalanche awareness, what’s your background professionally with the matter?

NH: I’m not an avalanche professional, in that I don’t go out and forecast or work for an avalanche service, but I definitely spend much of my time traveling through the backcountry, but have always tried very hard to stay on top of my game in terms of knowledge and education. I have extensive experience with all kinds of scenarios, including with film crews and in the big mountains in a ski mountaineering setting.

TGR: With more and more people heading into the backcountry every season, what’s the importance of an avalanche awareness event to you?

NH: I think it’s a good thing that more and more people are interested in attending events like these. It means that people understand that were not playing tennis, that this is a different activity, where people’s lives can be lost. We can say that, but until you’ve had a close call or experienced that, it still just seems like fun and games. So this event teaches intro to backcountry skills, and I kind of try to scare people. I think it’s hard in this activity, because it’s all fun and powder until it goes wrong, and then it’s horrifying. Take a sport like climbing, for example. where the fear of falling is there constantly, because you can see the consequences of a fall immediately. In backcountry skiing however, that same 30-degree slope you really want to ride could also be the one that kills you. The avalanche, before it happens, just looks like a fun line to ski. That’s especially true transitioning into the backcountry from a ski resort, where everything is mostly taken care of. For me, it’s about getting folks to transition properly so we can all do this safely.

Roped up ascending Mt. Foraker. Noah Howell photo.

TGR: Have you ever gotten into trouble in the backcountry yourself?

NH: I’ve torn my ACL in the backcountry and was able to get myself out. I got HAPE up on Denali last year, and was able to ski out. Luckily, I’ve never been buried myself or had to dig a buddy out, which is *knock on wood* probably one of the things I’m most proud of.

I’ve put myself into some weird dynamics, especially with filming situations, where you put yourself further towards the edge that normal, and I think that’s helped me develop this mistrust of people and snow. And I’m ok with that. If someone says “it’s good to go,” I think, “hmm, okay, maybe. I won’t risk my life on it, but thanks for sharing.”

You’re really dealing with a really complicated formula. The equation is different every time with conditions and snow changing constantly. It’s really hard, but you can be smart about your choices.

A different kind of steep Alaska skiing. Noah Howell photo.

TGR: Do you have any tips you would share about making smart choices?

NH: You’ll have to come out to the talk to hear those!

No, but in all seriousness, I think there are general guidelines out there, but you’ll end up breaking them. In terms of tips, it can be as simple as keeping your group size small. I see a lot of these big groups out there, and it’s really hard to communicate and keep focus on what’s going on. On top of that, know who you’re with and know what they bring (or don’t bring) to the group. If they’re not a good communicator, that’s fine, but ideally they’re the kind of person who thinks along the lines of “let’s go see” as opposed to blindly committing to something.

TGR: Do you have any goals this upcoming season?

NH: There’s some big local stuff that’s never been done that I’d like to get on, or do at least do in a way that hasn’t been done before. I’m planning on heading to Canada to try and ski some of the Classics up there, I’ve never skied any of those. Finally, it’s back up to Alaska, either to the Wrangells or into Central Alaska in the springtime. 

About The Author

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stash member Max Ritter

I manage digital content here at TGR, run our gear testing program, and am stoked to be living the dream in the Tetons.