The Sawtooth Mountains are a range of jagged remoteness with that become a starting point for backcountry skiers when the snows of winter arrive. Eddie Bauer First Ascent Guide Erik Leidecker tells us what it takes to set up his ski touring yurt that sits in the middle of some of the best wilderness ski terrain in the lower 48.

By Erik Leidecker “Is today the day?” Drew asked as he arrived at the base of Muscle Beach. “It’s wet,” I said. “I just walked around the corner to look.

Story by Erik Leidecker On May 4, First Ascent ski guides Zach Crist, Kent McBride and I completed a seven-day ski-traverse of the Boulder and White Cloud ranges in central Idaho.

Last year, First Ascent ski guides Reggie and Zach Crist, along with Lel Tone, Tom Wayes, Lynsey Dyer, Kent McBride, Erik Leidecker, and Lexi duPont covered lots of ground and shredded tons of powder from Tahoe to Alaska.

For a second consecutive year, the First Ascent team—including guides Erik Leidecker, Zach Crist and Chad Peele—will be a sponsor at Ouray Ice Festival at Ouray, CO, Jan. 6-9, 2011.

Erik Leidecker is an IFMGA certified mountain guide, First Ascent Ski Guide, Operations Manager for Sun Valley Heli Ski, and co-owner of Sawtooth Mountain Guides (SMG). In this Q&A with Remote Medical International (RMI), he talks about his experience and why continuous training is critical for guiding.

As we mentioned last month on the Born Out There blog, Eddie Bauer and First Ascent are sponsoring the Teva Mountain Games, the nation’s largest celebration of mountain sports, lifestyle and music, featuring top professional and amateur athletes from around the world.