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Making Fresh Tracks in
the Backcountry
By Monique Cole
Whether linking hard-earned turns down a remote powder-filled
glade or gliding along a pristine wilderness trail, the backcountry
offers a more adventurous and less expensive, although also more
dangerous, alternative to resort skiing. And there are great
places to go within an hour's drive of Boulder, without battling
the ski traffic on I-70.
"The big thrill is making your
own tracks in the snow and looking around and seeing nothing
else," says Harlan Barton, Boulder resident and author of
"Peak to Peak: Colorado Front Range Ski Trails." "It's
like hiking, the outdoor experience is why I recommend (backcountry
skiing)."
DOWNHILL
Longtime skiers bored with the
controlled atmosphere of resorts, often rekindle their love of
skiing by trekking up to the top of a glacier or a backcountry
bowl for some exciting downhill. For equipment, you'll have two
major choices: telemark gear or alpine touring gear (also called
randonée). Whichever you choose, you'll also need either
a pair of skins which adhere to the base of your skis or a temperature-specific
wax to create the friction required for climbing.
"Free your heels and free your
mind" is the mantra of traditionalist telemark skiers who
use bindings which allow the heel of the boot to lift up. The
free heel permits easy climbing uphill, but requires a special
deep-knee-bend turn for the downhill. Even an experienced skier
can spend several seasons perfecting the telemark turn, but lessons
offered at ski resorts and through outdoor stores and clubs can
help speed up the process. It's easier to learn on the groomed
slopes of a resort than the varied and often difficult terrain
of the backcountry.
If you don't want to invest the time
in learning a new sport, you can buy or rent alpine touring equipment.
The special bindings allow the skier to free his heel for the
hike up and clamp his heel down to make normal parallel alpine
turns on the way down. The boots are usually plastic, like downhill
ski boots, but with more flex at the ankle.
"Alpine touring gear is getting
really popular," says Roland Fortin of Neptune Mountaineering
which rents and sells the equipment. "Some people just want
to go backcountry skiing and they don't want to learn telemark
skiing."
Once you're set up and know how to use
your gear, you'll need to know where to go. "St. Mary's
Glacier is a great place to learn how to (backcountry) ski,"
Fortin says. "It has mostly low avalanche danger and it's
only a short hike to the base of the glacier." The slope
on the right side (looking up the glacier) is fairly forgiving
for new skiers, although rocks and other obstacles will offer
challenges. A short drive from I-70 just past Idaho Springs,
the glacier can get fairly crowded on weekends.
However, a woman did die last year at
St. Mary's Glacier in an avalanche she triggered. Knox Williams,
director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC),
points out that the lower part of the glacier on the far left
side is considerably steeper and more prone to avalanches.
Berthoud Pass on the way to Winter Park
is also a popular destination. Skiers and snowboarders descend
from the top of the pass, making turns down to Highway 40 where
they get an easy car shuttle ride back to the top. However, some
backcountry skiers prefer a more secluded experience and to "earn
their turns."
Barton says that several of the tours
listed in his book offer good slopes for making telemark or downhill
turns. These include Jenny Lind Gulch Trail (when the snow is
good), Rainbow Lakes Bowl Route, the Yankee Doodle Cut-Off from
Guinn Mountain, and the Coney Flats-Middle St. Vrain Trail.
CROSS-COUNTRY
Centuries before there were
ski resorts or even rope tows, Norwegians were traversing their
relatively flat country on skis. And while cross-country
ski equipment has improved dramatically since then, the basic
mechanics have remained virtually unchanged.
Avid cross-country skiers speak of the
pure silence of a rest stop during a snowfall, of the challenges
of finding one's way through the white wilderness, of the unparalleled
flavor of a hot cup of chocolate enjoyed on the trail, and of
the physical fitness gained by propelling oneself up a snow-covered
hill. And like hiking and mountain biking, once you have invested
in the necessary equipment, the trails are free for the taking.
Cross-country skis are narrower and
lighter than downhill or telemark skis. They also have more camber,
which makes them look like a bridge, higher in the middle below
the binding, when set on a flat surface. This camber provides
greater spring as the skier pushes off to glide forward. Cross-country
skis, especially those designed for groomed trails, often lack
metal edges. The boots look more like bowling shoes than alpine
ski boots.
A great way to enjoy the wilderness
in winter, ski touring is also incredible aerobic exercise (especially
when breaking trail through fresh snow) and strengthens both
the upper and lower body. While the basic motions are simple
to learn, advanced technique comes in handy on steeper slopes
and for increased efficiency.
Lessons and rentals are offered right
in Boulder County, at the Eldora Nordic Center. Considered one
of the best Nordic ski centers in the state, Eldora offers varied
terrain, including some fairly hilly routes on its 45 kilometers
of trails. When snow permits, a local Nordic club creates a nice
oval track for cross-country and skate skiing in North Boulder
Park.
While groomed trails offer fun and a
great work-out, wilderness trails offer challenge, breathtaking
scenery and a backcountry experience. The network of trails near
Brainard Lake, off of the Peak to Peak Highway is one favorite
destination for Boulder ski tourers and is great for beginners.
The Colorado Mountain Club operates a small cabin near the lake
and on weekends offers hot drinks and a place to get warm to
members and non-members alike (for a small fee).
When the snow is adequate, the Caribou
Creek Trail near Nederland offers an easy, 5-mile round-trip
trek at a fairly high altitude with wide-open views. More advanced
skiers may want to check out the great scenery along the trail
from Glacier Gorge trailhead to Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain
National Park.
Again, Barton's guidebook is an invaluable resource for trail
information.
The relatively flat terrain of most
cross-country ski trails can give skiers a false sense of security.
Avalanches can occur on steep slopes above or below a flat trail.
And even well-tracked trails can become obscured in a matter
of minutes during a heavy snowstorm, making route-finding difficult.
The same safety guidelines apply for all winter backcountry travel.
SAFETY
Before you even think about
exploring the winter wilderness, consider this: of the 540 avalanche
fatalities nationwide since 1950, 168 (about a third) occurred
in Colorado. "Colorado has a shallower, colder, and weaker
snow cover, which makes it more prone to human triggered avalanches,"
Williams says. "We've been averaging six fatalities per
year for all of the '90s."
To increase your odds of survival, it's
a good idea to enroll in an avalanche safety course, offered
through various outdoor clubs and the City of Boulder's Adventure
Program. The courses include a field day where students learn
to assess the likelihood of a slide, travel safely, and practice
rescue techniques using equipment like avalanche transceivers,
probes, and shovels. The CAIC maintains a calendar of such classes
on its website at http://www.caic.state.co.us. Daily, and sometimes
twice daily, updates of regional avalanche conditions are available
on their hotline at (303) 371-1080.
But avalanches are not the only risks
lurking in the wilderness. There's the possibility of getting
lost, hypothermic, injured or having your equipment break. It's
always a good idea to carry a pack with avalanche rescue gear,
food and water, repair tools, extra clothing, emergency bivouac
equipment, a compass, matches, and a topographical map.
All of the risks can be minimized by
proper training and preparation and by traveling in a group.
The Colorado Mountain Club hosts many group ski tours, led by
an experienced member, during the winter. The Boulder group can
be reached at 554-7688.
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