Adirondack Backcountry Skis 1970s-90s

First descents of the region's steepest and most remote lines happened along with the evolution of skis. First skier of all of the 46ers Ron Konowitz recounts his experience with his main skis from the 70s until today. Alpine touring skis were rarely used as the Adirondacks, which have long approaches with a lot of ups and downs, telemark was, and still is better suited in this terrain. Ron was a member of the "Ski to Die '' club and began skiing drainages with the Karhu XCD GT narrow ski over 200 centimeters long. He and the others used leather boots and a three pin binding. He also used the Atomic Tourcap, one of the first cap skis. Narrow skis were light and allowed for long bushwhacks deep into the Adirondack High Peak Wilderness. The number of people backcountry skiing in the region has grown from a handful of people in the 80s to hundreds in the 2010s due to better equipment. Vermont and New Hampshire's White Mountains continue to offer more open and trimmed terrain for backcountry skiing so user numbers are 10x higher there. The Adirondacks long and up-and-down approaches make it a niche segment for skiers who can tolerate the terrain and tighter trees.