Backcountry Symposium 2026

Aspen Hall-of-Famer and award-winning journalist Paul Andersen has spent a lifetime loving and learning from the outdoors — then sharing that experience with others, through his Huts for Vets nonprofit, wilderness programs for the Aspen Institute, and extensive writing on the natural world. In this keynote speech at Aspen Public Radio’s third annual Backcountry Symposium at TACAW, Paul reflected on what it means to advocate for our environment and appreciate our surroundings.

Avalanches. Injuries. Unexpected medical events. After a disaster in the backcountry, we tend to focus on what happened and what went wrong. But in the hours, weeks and months that follow, survivors and responders still have to heal. At Aspen Public Radio’s third annual Backcountry Symposium at TACAW, Aspen Hope Center Chief Clinical Officer Lily Larkin, LCSW, Aspen Expeditions guide Chris “Sunshine” Edwards, Colorado Avalanche Information Center Deputy Director Brian Lazar, and Mountain Rescue Aspen team member Jordie Karlinski reflect on how we can care for our community in the aftermath of trauma — and how outdoor leaders can balance “lessons learned” with sensitivity to victims and survivors, moderated by freelance journalist Kaya Williams.

Maybe you’ve seen the Super El Niño hats — and stickers, and t-shirts and hoodies and headlines. But what does this change in global weather patterns really mean for our winter in the valley? At Aspen Public Radio’s third annual Backcountry Symposium at TACAW, Open Snow Chief Operating Officer and meteorologist Sam Collentine gets into the forecast for Aspen Snowmass in the 2026-27 ski season and shares tricks to find powder this winter.

At Aspen Public Radio’s third annual Backcountry Symposium at TACAW, Aspen Valley Health’s trauma medical director Dr. Christopher Roseberry offered a primer on field trauma evaluations.