Not ready to stop resort skiing? Go uphill

Not ready for ski season to end, but balking at dropping large for a final weekend on crap snow? You don't have to--not if you're prepared to ski uphill. (Yeah, yeah--backcountry skiers do this all year, but this is an elegant solution if you don't want to worry about wearing...

By Ted Alvarez

April 16, 2010

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Not ready for ski season to end, but balking at dropping large for a final weekend on crap snow? You don't have to--not if you're prepared to ski uphill. (Yeah, yeah--backcountry skiers do this all year, but this is an elegant solution if you don't want to worry about wearing an avy beacon.)

Some resorts let you skin uphill sight unseen, but in a disturbing trend, a few have sought to ban uphill travel. Tiny Sunlight ski resort, out on the Western Slope, came up with a middle way: they let you skin uphill provided you register for a free hiking pass.

Lou Dawson over at WildSnow worries that resorts might start charging for uphill passes, but as long as it's reasonable, I could get down with it.

Here's a starter list of a few resorts and their uphill-travel policies:

Sunlight: Free pass
Crested Butte: Free pass
Breckenridge: skiers must start before lift-running operations
Vail: Open, provided skiers follow guidelines
Winter Park: Not allowed after the end of ski season.
A-Basin: Allowed.
Eldora: Not allowed
Loveland: Allowed

When in doubt, call the resort for info. Happy skiing--there's only a bit left.

Ted Alvarez

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