Show Don’t Tell

Amidst the Northeast’s tangled second-growth forests, glade skiing comes at a premium. Show don’t tell is a glade skiing maxim. For Andrew Ross, his three year quest to find ski-Nirvana raises some interesting questions about scarcity and secrecy.

We backcountry skiers have our own code of ethics. Some of our rules are common no matter what mountain range you call home. You know–basic courtesies, like don’t posthole the skintrack. And don’t pee in it, either. While these are all good guidelines to live by, here in New England we hold one rule sacred above all others: Show. Don’t tell.

You’re already familiar with this rule if you’ve explored the Northeast on skis at all beyond the boundaries of its resorts. It’s in the air. You can’t stumble your way into even the most obvious side-country lines without a local admonishing you, “Don’t tell anybody.” Or “Seriously, man. Close friends and family only.”

If you’ve got a secret powder stash, there is only one morally acceptable way to share it with others: take them there personally. Under no circumstances are you to simply tell someone how to get there without actually going along yourself. It is especially taboo to post any of the following online: detailed trip reports, GPX tracks, and photographs or videos containing recognizable landmarks that might allow nosy outsiders to home in on your secret spot.

If you do blow up someone’s secret zone on social media, you might garner a few thumbs-up from the uninitiated, but the backcountry veterans who have been skiing there since you were serving up pizzas and french fries on the bunny slope will soon let you know that you’re out of line. Diplomatically, of course. It’s best just to follow the rule.

Show. Don’t tell.

Lest you think we denizens of the New England backcountry are greedy or unwelcoming, think about how small and wooded our mountains are, and consider how impoverished our typical winter snowpack is. Even if only a tiny fraction of the millions of skiers who live in the Northeast get wind of a new, easily accessible zone, it won’t be long before we love it to death. Good backcountry skiing is a scarce resource around here. It must be protected. 

See? We’re not greedy. We’re conservationists.