The Spring 2025 SWE Close Out
While you may be riding an ocean wave, or some form of volcanic tube, SWE totals have decreased. High spring is here. And summer, soon, too.
Category: Mountain Dispatches
Mountain Dispatches
The home for topical news, travel-related pieces, significant descents, and more in-depth reporting here at The High Route: Mountain Dispatches is where we distill the noise into longer and short-form pieces related to our experiences in the backcountry.
You can find specific Mountain Dispatches here: News, Significant Descents, The Fact Finding, and Travel.
If you have a story or podcast idea for us, contact editor@the-high-route.com. Check out our pitch guidelines if you’d like to pitch a story or photo essay.
Black Diamond’s Parent Company Announces Sale of Pieps
Clarus Corporation, owner of Black Diamond and Pieps, announces the pending sale of Pieps amidst CPSC/Department of Justice litigation.
Uncertain Times Means Uncertain Prices
We go into the hills for many reasons. One is for an escape. And so we beg forgiveness for intruding on an aspect of your escape. Here’s a story on tariffs and pricing and the gear you may or may not be thinking about.
The Alpha SL: Prototypes to Production with Arc’teryx’s Chris Hodgetts
With Arc’teryx launching their new Alpha SL pack featuring Aluula Graflyte—a lightweight fabric with some interesting properties that may push pack design boundaries—we checked in with Chris Hodgetts, the brand’s Design Director for Hardgoods and Accessories, to explore how the legacy brand iterated and scaled production of the Alpha SL.
Primordial Good Fortune
Black holes and backcountry turns has this ski tourist contemplating all the electric moments while descending back toward the valley.
