Backcountry Magazine 129 - The Exploration Issue

Even in an age of hyper connectivity, the world still holds untracked ranges—if you know where to look. The Exploration Issue presents far-flung locales that boast unique cultures and untouched peaks for those willing to make the journey. Spain’s Pyrenees Mountains, an often-overlooked range, fosters independent spirits, steep, lines and remote traverses. Then, a quiet valley in Italy’s northern Piemonte region cracks the code of crowd control, and ski mountaineer Jan Reynolds travels to the Pirin and Rila Mountains of Bulgaria to explore knife-edged no-fall zones and the welcoming communities far below. On the Cover: “[I took this photo] just moments before the clouds engulfed us, parting temporarily to allow in the sun and afford us beautiful views of Austnesfjorden below,” photographer Ming Poon says of the weather window that provided the opportunity to capture skier Christina Lustenberger arcing a turn high above the Norwegian fjord below. The duo had traveled to Norway’s Lofoten