This event was recorded on October 5, 2024, at TACAW, produced by Aspen Public Radio.
Lou Dawson is a renowned mountaineer who has been exploring backcountry spaces in Colorado and beyond for decades. In his new memoir, Avalanche Dreams, Dawson shares a tumultuous coming-of-age journey, steeped in the counterculture revolution of the 1960s. Amidst the towering peaks of Colorado, Lou discovers an enduring love for alpine sports: scaling cliffs, topping summits, skiing powder snow. However, as the avalanches fall and lifestyle choices veer, his pursuit of adrenaline becomes a poignant struggle for meaning in a culture where nothing succeeds like excess.
Chris Davenport is well known as one of the world’s most accomplished big-mountain skiers, a two-time World Extreme Skiing Champion and a pioneer in ski mountaineering. Ski The 14ers tells the story of Davenport’s epic adventure through stunning photography and first hand trip reports of Colorado?s most spectacular mountains and ranges.
As more people access the backcountry, learning how to safely and responsibly spend time in these spaces is a critical part of being prepared. On October 5, Aspen Public Radio and TACAW proudly presented this inaugural Backcountry Symposium to convene local and visiting backcountry enthusiasts.
Beginning with a Resource Fair of area organizations and businesses working in outdoor education and adventure, the day included a series of panel discussions and presentations exploring the backcountry, sharing key resources and tools for understanding the season ahead and the demands of these spaces, with lots of storytelling and some of the history of going backcountry in our region.
Save-the-date: The 2025 Backcountry Symposium will take place on Saturday, May 16, 2025 with a focus on hiking, climbing, biking, and rafting in our community's most remote places.
