Rolling into bluebird, sunny skies in Jackson, WY on Thursday afternoon was a stark contrast to the previous night of driving, white knuckled, across I-80 on pure, black ice. I was welcomed into town, by the friendly folks at the Snow King resort, for the 2nd annual Arc’teryx Backcountry Academy, with a cozy spot at the base of the mountain to settle in before the big event.

The Backcountry Academy offers an opportunity for novice to experienced skiers and split boarders to explore Teton National Park and the surrounding area. Wide eyed participants, from around the globe, were lucky this year with free refills on powder the entire weekend.

The academy was kicked off with event participants, journalists, athletes and guides meeting up, around oversized bonfires to sip beers provided by Melvin brewing, and to discuss the newly deposited, deep snow. I met some of the folks new to back country skiing, while roasting gooey marshmallows around the fire. Some of the them were hesitant about getting out into the backcountry for the first time, but overall, everyone was eager to learn about snow safety, see the local terrain and test the latest in touring gear that would be available to demo at the event.

Each evening began with the same après s’mores session and an opportunity for participants to peruse the vendor village to check out the new products from Arc’teryx, Giro, MSR, Suunto, Atomic, CAMP, Weston and SCARPA. Educational seminars followed, hosted by local guide, Mark Smiley. These seminars focused on route navigation, teaching skiers how to NOT get lost in the woods.

The highpoint of all Arc’teryx Academies is what they like to call “The Photo Showdown.” As tired skiers and snowboarders relax in cozy seats at the Center for the Arts, they are treated to a slideshow of local lines and legendary features. Viewing the freshly captured photos of all the best powder stashes got the entire crew psyched for the next day’s mission.

Exum Mountain guides deserve huge credit for providing, what was likely, one of the best days in the backcountry some of these people will ever have. Join us next year for this incredible psych-stoking event and quest into the backcountry to learn about all of the things that go into making ski touring a safe and incredibly satisfying activity.