Beyond the tracks

At Rogers Pass in British Columbia, the snow is fluffy and deep, up to the waist in places.

And save for the scattered footprints of a lone squirrel, the powdered floor is pristine and unmarked by the trails of others. It is untouched territory. No man’s land.

You can’t whip out the BlackBerry and update your Facebook status from this point.

And the feeling that follows, of shredding the mountainside — literally forging your own path — is like nothing else in the world, according to Greg Franson.

“You’re getting a true wilderness feeling by being out there,” he said wistfully from Colter’s Coffee Shop in Kalispell.

Franson and wife, Shelly, run BlueBird Guides, a backcountry ski touring company based in Whitefish with a branch office in Golden, British Columbia. The company isn’t much older than a year, but Franson is an expert when it comes to ski touring — the sport where you have to climb before you ski.

He strapped his first skis on at age 4, ski-raced through his entire youth and then took on the exacting training of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. At 37, he’s got more than three decades of experience behind him.

“When I was in my 20s I didn’t know what the heck I wanted to do for school and I just fell in love with the mountains,” he said of his decision to go after backcountry ski certification. It took roughly four years to complete, but the certification makes him qualified to ski and survive the best and worst the mountains can produce.

With BlueBird, Franson takes groups to Canada nearly every weekend from early December through late April. While the two- and three-day trips into Rogers Pass are his most popular, he also offers more intense week-long adventures into the Wapta Icefields and Mount Columbia.

Ninety percent of BlueBird’s trips are anchored in Canada because the higher elevations there draw more storm snow, which means better depth and better skiing. Canada also has a well-established ski culture and industry dating back decades.

“There’s nowhere like it in the lower 48 as far as access and mountains,” Franson alleged.

But what Franson is most proud of are his BlueBird Mountain Workshops.

Designed for experienced backcountry skiers with some knowledge of avalanche safety, the workshops teach participants how to apply what they’ve learned in their avalanche course to the mountain.

“I’m offering a little bit of the training I went through,” Franson said. Much of this training is relegated to those enrolled in an ACMG certification program and is not readily available to the public. During the workshops, which are held at Rogers Pass, Franson teaches how to quickly assess snowpack stability and terrain subtleties as well as rescue protocol and risk management.

“There are a lot of people in the valley that have level one [avalanche training] experience, but lack the confidence to use it,” Franson said of his motivation in launching the workshops.

On the other hand, there are some who think an introductory level class is enough to make smart decisions despite lack of actual experience.

“It’s almost worse than if they have no training at all,” Franson said. He encourages serious skiers to take an American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education sanctioned course through Whitefish Backcountry (www.whitefishbackcountry.com) before embarking on one of his workshops.

“Avalanche terrain is ski terrain,” Franson said. “That’s where you ski ... it can be a really fine line.

“Avalanches are something you’re constantly dealing with and trying to avoid, while also trying to get the best possible skiing in,” Franson said.

As athletes have become bolder, so too has skiing. Franson said the sport has changed significantly over the past decade as younger skiers are taking on runs that have never been skied before.

It’s all about pushing limits and that’s what BlueBird Guides is there for. With Franson’s knowledge and skill level, he and his guides can help even experienced backcountry athletes tempt new ground.

The company offers private guides for those who want to plan their own ski traverse.

Hiring a private guide can mean the difference between having a substandard week and an epic one if a storm hits or weather is otherwise tricky, Franson said. It’s all about providing trust and confidence, something even experienced skiers need.

Bringing an expert like Franson — who’s likely skied the terrain several times before — along on a trip increases the margin of safety. Aside from risk management, BlueBird Guides are well-acquainted with rescue missions, helicopter owners and others who can make all the difference if injury occurs.

National Geographic estimates that in the case of an avalanche, only 20 to 30 percent of victims will survive even 45 minutes of snow cover. BlueBird Guides are equipped to deal with such a situation.

“What really is important is coming home to your family at the end of the trip,” Franson said. “It’s just safer skiing.”

To learn more about BlueBird Guides, visit www.bluebirdguides.com.

Reporter Erika Hoefer can be reached at 758-4439 or by email at ehoefer@dailyinterlake.com