Waits, Joe2024-06-182024-06-182024-06-14https://hdl.handle.net/1794/2955065 pagesThe user I am designing for ski tours on courses with more distance than elevation gain. They ski in places such as the northern Midwest, Alaska, Colorado, or eastern Canada. These are all places that are cold enough to receive snow. The places this user tends to recreate are large landscapes that can feature mountains, valleys, rivers, and lakes. While the user might live near mountains or not near mountains, they seek out flatter terrain in hopes of traversing the landscape and covering long distances. Backcountry skiing is a large industry in the United States. According to the Sierra Sun, “SnowSports Industries America estimates that there are more than six million backcountry riders in the United States” (Absolon, 2023). These users are advanced to expert skiers who enjoy exploring beyond the boundary of the ski resort. The user has experience skiing and might have experience backcountry skiing in larger mountains. They follow the general trend of the growth of backcountry skiing. Backcountry skiing is the fastest growing segment in skiing (Rosalsky, 2020).en-USCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-USbackcountry skiingski toursski coursesAlaska Mountain Wilderness Ski Classicbackcountry ski equipmentTerminal Project