Backcountry Skiing: A Beginner’s Guide to the Sport of Covid Winter
By Brigid Mander
Nov. 26, 2020 7:00 pm ET
You needn’t be a daredevil to go backcountry skiing—just willing to clomp up a hill. Around the U.S., several new spots are easing newcomers into a sport where utter seclusion is the whole point.
EIGHT WINTERS AGO, three friends and I spent a few days in northwestern British Columbia to check out a fledgling ski area called Hankin-Evelyn, outside the old railway town of Smithers. On our first morning there, we arrived to find piles of fresh, downy snow dotted by colorful visitor signs. It was an ideal wintry scene—crisp mountain air, blue skies and a blanket of enticing powder. Even better, we noticed very few other skiers milling around. Conspicuously absent was a line snaking around the chair lift for one simple reason: There was no chair lift.
When Hankin-Evelyn first opened, in 2010, a lift-less, backcountry-only ski area was a novelty. It drew both seasoned backcountry skiers and novices eager to break away from crowded resorts but not ready to go entirely off the grid. Hankin-Evelyn is lean on amenities but it maintains warming huts, parking, and mapped, cut runs through the trees so you needn’t forge your own path.
It turns out the founders of Hankin-Evelyn were a prescient bunch. In recent years, backcountry skiing and snowboarding has become the fastest-growing segment of the industry. Nonconformists have gladly sacrificed the creature comforts of a resort for less-trammeled terrain, even if that means hoofing it up the mountain rather than hitching a ride on a lift. And even if it means wearing a backpack and carrying your own safety and rescue tools such as an avalanche beacon and shovel.
Fortunately, advances in backcountry gear have made the effort of powering yourself uphill far easier. Grippy skins that you affix to the bottom of your skis, bindings that release at the heel and light boots all make the climb essentially like any uphill hike, but you’ll be gliding rather than stomping. Most guides will lead skiers on tracks that ascend at a mere 12 to 15 degree angle. Occasionally, on certain terrain like rocky ridges or very steep slopes, you might need to “bootpack,” where you attach your skies to your backpack and climb up the hill in your ski boots.
SKIN UP, SCHUSS DOWN Vermont’s Green Mountains and the expansive backcountry terrain accessible from Bolton Valley Resort.
PHOTO:MATT TESTA/BOLTON VALLEY RESORT
This season, as Covid-19 stats escalate in most of the country and many people shun the usual tourist magnets, demand for the backcountry ski experience is soaring, say industry insiders. “We’ve seen the backcountry industry boom in the last five years, but we’re also seeing a huge surge in interest this year from the mainstream resort skier because of Covid,” said Scott Smith, a mountain guide and owner of Apex Mountain School in Avon, Colo.
Over in Summit County, Colo., Abe Pacharz, co-founder and lead guide of Colorado Adventure Guides also reports the surprising snowball effect: “We increased our offerings by 50%, but we’re already fully booked through February for backcountry courses. And I’ve never had so many requests for private avalanche education,” said Mr. Pacharz. “People are calling up saying excitedly, ‘I just bought my backcountry gear!’”
A visitor at Bluebird Backcountry near a mid-mountain warming hut.
PHOTO:SCOTT CODY
Backcountry beckons when most of America’s major traditional ski resorts have been busily implementing pandemic precautions that might test the patience of anyone who’s already had their fill of interminable grocery store queues. Restrictions on capacity, for instance, could translate into long, frosty waits for chair lifts, shuttles and trams. At Snowbird resort in Utah, the 100-person capacity tram will now only accommodate 25 riders. And at most of the Vail Resorts, among others, singles can no longer share chair lifts with strangers. That’s good news if you want to keep your distance but bad news if you’re determined to maximize your time on the slopes.
The beauty of the backcountry, or alpine touring, is that you don’t have to rely on traditional resort infrastructure. But it’s also a highly risky endeavor for the uninitiated (hence the avalanche gear and training). Public land managers—most backcountry terrain is on U.S. Forest Service land—and search and rescue teams are bracing for a busy winter. “If you’re going into the backcountry, you have got to know what you’re doing,” said Linda Merigliano, recreation manager for the Bridger-Teton National Forest in western Wyoming. Ms. Merigliano reports her district and other local entities have developed a new regional outreach program promoting safety, etiquette and winter wildlife closures to educate expected crowds.
Fortunately, a few dedicated backcountry-ski areas will help ease you into this uncharted terrain. Even some of the more established lift-served resorts, including Stowe in Vermont and Colorado’s Aspen Snowmass, are promoting alpine touring and allowing skiers to skip the lifts and “skin” uphill in designated areas. Outside of resorts, Mr. Pacharz warns that it can take a couple of years of backcountry skiing and education to become proficient enough to go without a guide. Until then, here are three lesser-known places in Colorado and Vermont where you can get up to speed and one backcountry bastion in Vermont for the more experienced crowd:
ICE PACK Colorado Mountain School, near Estes Park, offers introductory guide-led backcountry courses in Hidden Valley.
PHOTO:COLORADO MOUNTAIN SCHOOL
Bacon on the Run
BLUEBIRD BACKCOUNTRY, COLO.
After a soft opening last spring, Colorado’s first backcountry-only ski destination officially launches this Christmas Eve. It encompasses about 1,200 acres on Bear Mountain, in the north-central part of the state, and like Hankin-Evelyn, attempts to bridge the gap between resort and serious backcountry skiing. According to co-owner Erik Lambert, Bluebird aims to “help people engage in a new ski experience.” All skiers have to climb up the mountain to ski down, but unlike at Hankin-Evelyn, visitors will find a full-time staff, ski school, guides and ski patrol. Visitors can rent backcountry ski gear, avalanche rescue gear and sign up for backcountry ski lessons, as well as formal avalanche courses. Cushy lodges are notably absent but grace notes include on-mountain warming huts that serve hot chocolate and strips of bacon to energize flagging legs.bluebirdbackcountry.com
A Lively Ghost Town
HIDDEN VALLEY, COLO.
A 20-minute drive from the mountain town of Estes Park, Hidden Valley boasts a surprisingly vibrant scene, considering ski-area operations shut down in the early ’90s. Situated just inside Rocky Mountain National Park, cut ski runs remain, along with a plowed parking area and a warming hut. The terrain is popular with experienced skiers looking for an easy day of backcountry, and those still honing their skills. “It’s a great place to cut your teeth,” said Zach Zehr, manager of Estes Park Mountain Shop, which rents backcountry ski equipment. You can ski free, after you pay a $25 per day ($35 per week) per vehicle fee to enter the national park. Nearby operations like Kent Mountain Adventure Center and Colorado Mountain School offer guides and courses in avalanche training and backcountry ski techniques. visitestespark.com, kmaconline.com, coloradomountainschool.com