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Backcountry skiing used to mean hazardous conditions and buddying up in case of emergency, but ski resorts have increasingly begun to offer backcountry experiences without the dangers of doing it on your own out of bounds.

Usually when skiers and ‘boarders think backcountry, they think no lift access. Some think of Loveland or Berthoud passes, but those are out-of- bounds areas, without avalanche control or patrols, said Nick Bohnen- kamp, spokesman for Colorado Ski Country USA.

“It’s ‘ski at your own risk,”‘ he said. “When you ski backcountry, there are a lot of variables that come into play to do it safely. The benefit of resorts providing inbounds backcountry access is as long as you feel confident skiing the terrain, everything else is provided for you – the avalanche-controlled terrain and the ski patrol.”

Many of Colorado’s ski resorts are now offering inbounds backcountry via hike-to terrain and Sno-Cat operations to access hard-to-reach powder terrain. Some are guided tours, and others even allow intermediate skiers and ‘boarders to participate. Most hikes are within 10 to 40 minutes and ski right down into the main resort and lift areas.

Resorts are not seeing huge dollars from the backcountry options but are providing a service they say has a following.

At Monarch Mountain last year, the Sno-Cat operation served 1,100 people, which raised more than $220,000. Other resorts did not have numbers on how many use their hike-in or Cat operations.

Costs for Sno-Cat skiing can range from free at places such as Copper Mountain to $400 a day with Steamboat Powdercats. Monarch charges $230 a day for high-season Sno-Cat skiing.

Hard-core backcountry enthusiasts say what the resorts offer is not really backcountry at all and is still resort skiing, said Brian Holcombe, executive director of Backcountry Snowsports Alliance.

“Backcountry skiing in a lot of places is being seen as sexy and as being a way to chase better snow, so a lot of resorts are trying to capitalize on that,” Holcombe said. “It’s an easy way to open new terrain without having to put in a lift.”

Backcountry skiing is defined by areas that are skiable but not within the confines of a developed ski area, Holcombe said. These areas include easy-to-access roadside areas or farther-out hike-in slopes and mountains.

Several Sno-Cat operations take skiers and ‘boarders to out-of-bounds areas, including the San Juan Ski Co., with access to 35,000 acres of the West San Juan Mountains. Steamboat Powdercats works under special-use permits from the Bureau of Land Management and Routt-Medicine Bow National Forest to access 10,000 acres.

The only heli-skiing operation in Colorado is Helitrax, based in Telluride, which ferries skiers and ‘boarders from various locations across the state to out-of-bounds areas.

Better gear and skills

The growth in backcountry options by resorts has been spurred by the expanded gear and backcountry equipment on the market, ski officials say.

“The equipment has made it easier to enjoy the backcountry, and I think as people’s skills have gotten better, they are looking for more challenge,” said Greg Ralph, director of Marketing at Monarch Mountain.

Backcountry gear sales at have spiked 500 percent year over year since 2005, according to Bohnenkamp.

“The gear sales alone are a testament to the number of people experiencing backcountry,” he said.

At Monarch Mountain, where Sno- Cat tours have been ongoing since 1991, Mirkwood Basin is also hike-in and provides 130 acres with a 1,100-foot vertical drop. This is also the third season Monarch will offer Elation Ridge as part of its backcountry.

“It’s definitely needed; we get a lot of natural snow up here, being as high as we are, and you have the demand from the upper-level backcountry skier,” Ralph said. “It’s nice to have access to the backcountry and the thrill of the backcountry without too many of the threats.”

Behind the groomed lines

Across Colorado, resorts have responded to the desire of skiers and snowboarders to go farther behind the groomed lines and lifts.

Copper has provided a free Sno-Cat shuttle to Tucker Mountain for seven years. Crested Butte offers the most inbounds double-black-diamond skiing in Colorado. Loveland offers a very popular hike-to access to 100 acres at the top of the Continental Divide.

Telluride opened the Black Iron Bowl recently, and the resort is now offering skiing and ‘boarding of Palmyra Peak. Winter Park has the extreme terrain Vasquez Cirque, a 30-minute hike from the access gate.

At Keystone, the Sno-Cat operation was started as a test program in 2003, said Amy Kemp, spokeswoman for the resort.

“We found it was extremely popular and went through approval to get Sno-Cat approval,” she said. “We’ve seen that there is an increased demand in this terrain.”

Keystone Adventure Tours, which offer the Sno-Cat experience, were created the following year, with rides to Bergman Bowl and Erickson Bowl. Independence Bowl was added last year and increased Keystone’s hike-to and Sno-Cat terrain to 1,138 acres.

A full-day Sno-Cat tour at Keystone is $199 and includes lunch, lift ticket, avalanche-beacon rental and powder-ski rental. The KAT also offers one-way $5 unguided shuttle rides to the Outback Bowls.

At Copper Mountain, Tucker Mountain offers 273 acres and 1,200 vertical feet of high alpine back bowls from the Otto Bahn trail. ‘Boarders and skiers can hike to Tucker Mountain, but Sno-Cat rides are offered as well.

The service began seven years ago, and in the ’05-06 season Copper added a second 12-passenger Sno-Cat to the operation because it was so popular.

“Copper is very proud that we can continue to offer the Tucker Mountain Sno-Cats as a free experience,” said Lauren Pelletreau, spokeswoman for Copper Mountain.

Last year, Colorado Ski Country’s Bohnenkamp compiled a list of the inbounds options in Colorado. There were more offerings than he thought.

“It’s nice to have a variety there and why many resorts are keeping their hike-to terrain,” he said, “because there is a certain group of skiers who cherish the inbounds hiking experience without the danger of being out of bounds.”

Elizabeth Aguilera: 303-954-1372 or eaguilera@denverpost.com

What it costs

Costs for some backcountry ski outings: