Backcountry vs Sidecountry

A good article on the topic...
There is No "Sidecountry"; It's all Backcountry Riding

Good article.  I read something recently this past weekend regarding the Crystal area and the extensive amount of terrain there outside of the resort proper.  The gist of that article being that, even though the Southback area is within boundary and is avy controlled by patrol, not getting the skier compaction of typical in bounds terrain it carries avy risk beyond that of normal resort terrain, and should be respected and treated as true backcountry terrain.  And that article didn't even address the expansive terrain there in the backcountry beyond the resort borders.  The Arm at Baker is the same as the areas beyond the Crystal boundary.  Uncontrolled and dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.  True backcountry that has to be respected, regardless of the manner of entry.

I view side/slackcountry a little different than theses areas outside of resort borders.  Yes, I'd probably include the Crystal Southback area in my definition of side/slackcountry.  I also consider the Slides at Whiteface to be side/slackcountry.  What these areas have in common is that they are controlled, patrolled, accessed from a lift (even if a short hike from the lift is required), and are within resort boundaries.  Multiple runs in these areas generally require nothing more than a ski back to the lift for another go.  Those types of areas are a little different than backcountry areas that are not avy controlled, not patrolled for safety, are in non-resort wilderness land, and require extensive skinning or hiking for each run.  However, as to the point of the article, they should ALL be treated with respect.