Saturday, Oct. 17, marked the third annual Backcountry Symposium, hosted by The Arts Campus At Willits (TACAW). Aspen Public Radio produced the event, with local journalist and endurance athlete Kaya Williams serving as lead producer. Williams said Aspen Valley Health stepped up as lead sponsor, with additional support from the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club (AVSC). Since its inception, the Backcountry Symposium has aimed to help educate recreationalists and build community to increase backcountry safety given the many outdoor enthusiasts who call the Roaring Fork Valley home.
This third iteration of the gathering introduced a new format, kicking off the day with options for a group run and a group bike ride at 10:30am, and allowing time for attendees to visit the annual AVSC sport swap in Willits. The AVSC swap ran from 9am to 2pm. Williams’ logic was that the outdoorsy folks most interested in the information shared at the Symposium would also want to spend part of a beautiful October day adventuring.
The actual workshops started at 1pm, with choices of Backcountry First Aid, Backcountry Safety Skills, and Bike Maintenance and Repair. Also at 1pm, local children’s author Jill Sheeley and Ute Mountaineer founder Bob Wade hosted a session about backcountry safety for elementary and middle school-age adventurers. Sheeley signed copies of books from her “Adventures of Fraser the Yellow Dog” series.
Williams said that throughout the day, attendees told her team how useful they found the events. “From its inception in 2024, a central goal of the Backcountry Symposium has been safety and preparedness,” she said. “Hearing that people actually feel more prepared is a huge win.” Other afternoon events included a presentation on managing backcountry medical emergencies by Aspen Valley Health trauma medical director and chief of medical staff Dr. Christopher Roseberry. OpenSnow meteorologist Sam Collentine shared a long-term forecast for the upcoming winter, as well as recommendations for finding powder throughout a winter.
Williams moderated a panel about healing from backcountry disasters with insights from local guide Chris Edwards, Aspen Hope Center’s Lily Larkin, Colorado Avalanche Information Center Deputy Director Brian Lazar and Mountain Rescue Aspen team member Jordie Karlinski. “A big takeaway was to show up — and keep showing up — for community members who have experienced something traumatic,” Williams said. “There’s often a flood of support right after a difficult event … but that support can dwindle over time.”
The symposium wrapped with a keynote presentation by writer and outdoorsman Paul Andersen, who shared his journey as “The Evolution of an Environmentalist.” Andersen moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1984 to work as a reporter for The Aspen Times after 14 years living and working in journalism in Crested Butte and Gunnison County. While on the south side of the Elk Range, Andersen had covered Crested Butte’s community battle against the proposed AMAX molybdenum mine, which would have taken ore from nearby Mount Emmons.
During his years in Crested Butte, Andersen learned how to mountain bike and telemark ski in addition to climbing mountains. Over the course of Crested Butte’s protests against the AMAX mine development, he met environmentalists who traveled to support the local activism. These included thinkers such as writer Edward Abbey, biologist Paul Ehrlich, botanist Stuart Mace and historian Roderick Nash. Andersen chronicled the full story in his book “The Town That Said ‘Hell No!’” which was published in March 2022.
Andersen was hired by The Aspen Times in 1984 following an interview with editor Mary Hayes and publisher Bil Dunaway; Dunaway was impressed that Andersen had mountain biked over backcountry roads for the appointment. Once he arrived in Aspen, Andersen began learning about the Aspen Institute, including the organization’s inception during the Goethe Bicentennial of 1949, when Walter and Elizabeth Paepcke enticed humanist Dr. Albert Schweitzer to the valley to speak about reverence for life and intentional society. The Paepckes envisioned building a community that elevated the cultivation of mind, body and spirit.
In the 2000s, Andersen grew more selective about his journalism work as he wrote books and helped develop programs connecting people with the environment. He introduced Aspen Institute guests to local wilderness in “Nature and Society” seminars that explored environmental and humanist thought. In 2008, he co-created a Wilderness Seminar program with former Aspen mayor John Bennett; participants traveled to and learned in 10th Mountain Huts. Andersen then founded the nonprofit Huts for Vets in 2013, leading opportunities for United States veterans to heal and build community through backcountry experiences.
Through all this work, Andersen refers to himself as an environmental preacher. “There are many environments that we traverse in our lives,” he said. “Something I find myself so grateful for is to be here, surrounded by an outdoor environment where I can immerse myself.”
Andersen closed his keynote by encouraging the audience to “Be the best kind of environmentalist you can be. Just be one.”