Aspen – The bright yellow sign lettered in red could not have been more blunt. On a subliminal level it registered both “caution” and “stop.” In the here and now reality of consciousness, it read simply, “This is your decision point. The backcountry can be dangerous. Proceed at your own risk.”
Brian McCall made the decision to place his leather-palmed mitt right in the center of it, gave the sign a push, and opened the spring-loaded gate leading to the wild side of Aspen Mountain’s ski area boundary. I decided to follow.
As a point man on our out-the-gate adventure, McCall, a certified guide with renowned outfitter Aspen Expeditions and the head of the new Roaring Fork Avalanche Information Center, has some trustworthy credentials. Considering that his boss, Aspen Expeditions founder Dick Jackson, was also on the journey, the decision to ski past the resort ropes seemed sound indeed. Besides, that’s where all the snow was.
“This is a fairly unique tour,” said Jackson, who has been conducting guided ski tours through the gate in conjunction with the Aspen Skiing Company and U.S. Forest Service for nearly a decade. “This is almost a European template of off-piste skiing, where we go up the mountain and out the gate. Although in Europe, there might not be any uphill involved once you get off the lift.”
In all likelihood, in Europe there won’t be an actual gate, either. But here in Colorado, the backcountry access gate is not only a reality but an increasingly popular attraction among adventurous skiers and snowboarders. And according to Boots Ferguson, a 30-year legal adviser to the Aspen Skiing Company, the concept originated here.
“The Aspen Skico view has always been that unless we owned the land on the other side of a boundary, we did not have the authority to close it. And we didn’t want to,” Ferguson said. “Instead we thought it appropriate to create gates where people were most likely to exit, with the information right there so that people know what’s going on.”
While backcountry access gates have long been a contentious issue for U.S. ski areas, their increasing use is undeniable. Nine years ago, White River National Forest employees tallied about 3,500 skiers hiking to an access gate leading from Vail Mountain to the uncontrolled slopes known as the East Vail Chutes. In 2004, the Forest Service counted 7,000 hiking skiers and snowboarders leaving the resort for the same steep slopes. Over the course of a 140-day ski season, that’s 50 skiers a day.
Unlike at Aspen, most of Colorado’s backcountry access gates don’t come with guides. There is no registration and no one to check whether you have all the appropriate equipment (beacons, shovels, probe poles, partner, etc.), ability and know-how needed to navigate often deadly routes. What they do provide – beyond a disclaimer – is a ticket to freedom from resort rules, in-bounds crowds and groomed snow.
The decision to seek that out is yours. So is the liability.
Here are a few of Colorado’s classic backcountry access gates, and an idea of what you might find on the other side of the boundary line:
Aspen Mountain
At the top of Ajax, behind the gondola terminus, is the gate to Richmond Ridge, a 12-mile crease in the Elk Mountains offering a variety of ski terrain. Most skiers stick to the northeast aspect, returning to the front side of the ski area or taking the 3,000-vertical-foot plunge to the valley floor.
“It’s mellow, for the most part, but there’s still plenty of stuff that can get you into trouble,” Jackson said.
Among the potential trouble spots are lines down the areas known as McFarland’s and Harris’, named for those caught in avalanches on the slide-prone faces. Between them are mellower powder pitches shared by cat skiers from Aspen Powder Tours that connect to a trail leading to the Walsh’s area of Ajax. Bring skins and expect to head uphill at both ends of the tour.
For guide service or avalanche education courses, check with Aspen Expeditions at 970-925-7625 or www.aspenexpeditions.com.
Vail
Known for unstable snow conditions, the out-of-bounds area known as East Vail is littered with large cliffs and steep chutes. Yet the access gate atop Chair 22 in Mongolia Bowl remains among the most heavily traveled OB routes in the state. That’s because the lines are long (ski lines, not lift lines) and, when the snow is safe, it’s as good as it gets. Local knowledge of routes is key, because there are plenty – from the notoriously slide prone King Arthur’s face to the twisted chutes of Water Tower – and you might find yourself having to hitch from Interstate 70 back to town.
On the opposite side of the resort, the famous Minturn Mile is significantly less dicey and avalanche danger is minimal. Gates atop Ptarmigan Ridge in Sundown Bowl and Game Creek Bowl see tons of traffic on weekends, dumping skiers in the town of Minturn, about 7 miles from Vail. What the route lacks in vertical it makes up for with an exciting luge ride through trees, over creeks and around rocks. Just be sure to show appropriate trail etiquette or be prepared for an earful from the locals while you wait for a ride at the Minturn Saloon.
Mary Jane
When the Jane’s bumps get too burly, forget the ballyhooed Cirque and visit the little-known Zero Creek drainage. A legal gate can be found at the end of Swede’s Ridge, accessed by the Timberline chair. Do not be tempted to cut the rope on a skier’s right early and drop into the drainage – just wait for the gate. Once through it, prepare for super tight trees, deep powder and some rocky options for the hucksters. Avalanche danger is reduced in the dense trees, but terrain traps are abundant. Stay with the fall line out the gate for a good 1,300 vertical feet of fluff down to U.S. 40, where it’s best to have a driver waiting. U.S. 40 drivers are often more reluctant to stop than the Colorado State Patrol, which is known to chat with board-toting hitchhikers.
Telluride
Telluride’s infamous Bear Creek Chutes deliver outstanding expert skiing with nearly 3,500 vertical feet of steep and sketchy terrain that funnels into town.
The access gate was closed by the Forest Service in 1992 after several local skiers were killed in the Bear Creek drainage by the volatile San Juan snowpack. A few years ago the gate was reconfigured, forcing backcountry skiers to hike a bit to reach the legal backcountry access point. Cut the rope and myriad dangers ensue: You could ski into another party below you and incur the wrath of fellow backcountry skiers who are careful to avoid endangering each other; you could lose your Telluride skiing privileges for two years and go to jail; you could end up off-line in Temptation Bowl, a permanently closed area where avalanches are common and deadly. Just do the hike.
There are several options once through the gate, and local knowledge is essential. The 12,800-foot Ballard Mountain – directly across Bear Creek from Gold Hill – offers dizzyingly steep and narrow lines through cliff bands, some terminating atop massive crags.
Don’t follow ski tracks willy- nilly or you may find yourself wishing you were carrying a climbing rope.
Arapahoe Basin
All the out-of-bounds lines start at the backcountry gate atop the Norway lift, near the Lenawee patrol shack.
Stick close to the ridge along the boundary rope to access the Beavers or Steep Gullies, north- facing chutes threaded between cliff bands to U.S. 6, where a deft thumb will come in handy. This is steep, avy-prone terrain and should not be attempted before consulting the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (http://geosurvey.state.co.us/avalanche/ or 970-668-0600).
Staff writer Jason Blevins contributed to this report.
Staff writer Scott Willoughby can be reached at 303-820-1993 or swilloughby@denverpost.com.
