Colorado Weather Discussion Thread

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It’s an interesting idea...Ive often wondered why someone doesn’t try and do something like this at Geneva Basin or another closed ski area

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Because the demand isn't there? You can go backcountry skiing for free. You can skin up the ski area for free. You can ride an almost unlimited amount of lifts for about $600 a year.

So these clowns' idea is basically unguided Silverton with no lifts? So they provide avalanche control, bloodys and shitters? What about patrol and rescue services?

"Backcountry skiing is hard, you have to get educated and make smart decisions and stuff, plus you gotta learn how to use all these doohickies like beacons and skins. We should take our pile of money and make a hobby business that makes it easy. There are so many people that would go backcountry skiing is it were....you know...like easy".

Blevins bro, your reaching. A ski instructor with a wonder women get up teaching people how to tour up Winter Park? She thinks it's here calling? I'm sure she is humble. But hey, I'm sure you can hold court and Coffee and Tea like she is the next Greg Hill.

At some point, it ain't even skiing, let alone backcountry. A better idea would be for a ski area to set up Nordic Tracks with Dynafit attachments at the top of a closed run and then charge $100 to ski it, complete with a photographer to get the shots for the Instagram.

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Originally Posted by PeteDee

Great shots, show.

What to make of this? Forgive me if discussed elsewhere, I only check this and the 70 thread.

https://coloradosun.com/2019/05/02/b...ment-colorado/

Seems like the market is there in some form, and if it results in even a modest amount of people making better/safer decisions (or not being in a place where they can make bad decisions in the first place), then it's a positive.

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I'm always positive when people stick their dick in the wind and try to make a go of something. I'm sure it will work out in the long run. The demand is there.
Baldy mtn in breck used to be a nice quiet place to backcountry ski, hell I even lived up there, I liked it so much, we used to shred the place doing snowmobile laps, but those days are over
every REI, back country group, and guide brings the beginners up there, it looks just like a ski resort on a winter weekend these days, that's colorado circa 2019

it's funny though people quoted in the article say the same thing over and over, about traffic, crowded ski resorts, blah blah blah, but you still gotta drive 70 or 285 to reach mosquito gulch or wp? I feel for the people who live in park city or valley of the scum, they wanted to get away from the shit show that's why they live over there and now it's coming to them, you show one person they come with two friends, those friends come with five more

“We see people who are going up to Loveland Pass and just trying it out without any knowledge, kind of in the way that I just went for it when I was much younger.”

This is my all time favorite quote............... back country people love putting themselves up on a pedestal, how they are so knowledgeable, prepared, and the smartest one in the room. So they put down all the pass rats, who are just out having a good time, I laugh cause I spent so much time up on loveland without a clue or a care twenty something years ago

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back country people love putting themselves up on a pedestal, how they are so knowledgeable, prepared, and the smartest one in the room. So they put down all the pass rats, who are just out having a good time, I laugh cause I spent so much time up on loveland without a clue or a care twenty something years ago

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Dude, this is the backcountry. It is serious business. There is no place for scrubs with chain wallets and monster drinks bootpacking, smiling and having fun.

I miss the old days, hiking booters on the pass. No, we didn't have beacons, or probes, but we had some big ass shovels. Damn, I must have had a lot of energy back then, cause now the thought of building a massive kicker on the ironing board or pocahontas just makes me want to take a nap and take some vitamin I for my back.

The inbounds skinning thing is great for soccer moms looking to get some cardio, but why not just get a spin bike? Way less gear to drag around.

An any 1 class in the BC will be far more beneficial than one in the resort. People need to learn how to manage terrain so they don't have to use their beacons, but instead they'll spend a day walking around in circles looking for a beacon.

Either way, this is probably what they should do with Berthoud pass I guess. Hire a guide crew that does avy mitigation, and a shuttle driver and you got a ski area.

I know one of the guys starting Bluebird, he has an MBA from Yale, so he isn't exactly a dummy. I think there are a lot of people who are terrified 100% of the time in the backcountry that will pay for this. I think there are beginners that will pay. With the right terrain, experienced backcountry skiers might even go if there is controlled steep terrain. I would never think that people skin up resorts, but they do...

More than anything, they have to find the right area for this to work.

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Originally Posted by shredgnar

I miss the old days, hiking booters on the pass. No, we didn't have beacons, or probes, but we had some big ass shovels. Damn, I must have had a lot of energy back then, cause now the thought of building a massive kicker on the ironing board or pocahontas just makes me want to take a nap and take some vitamin I for my back.

The inbounds skinning thing is great for soccer moms looking to get some cardio, but why not just get a spin bike? Way less gear to drag around.

An any 1 class in the BC will be far more beneficial than one in the resort. People need to learn how to manage terrain so they don't have to use their beacons, but instead they'll spend a day walking around in circles looking for a beacon.

Either way, this is probably what they should do with Berthoud pass I guess. Hire a guide crew that does avy mitigation, and a shuttle driver and you got a ski area.

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When I was your age, we walked 10 miles to school ... and we didn't have shoes :eek:

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Originally Posted by goldenboy

I know one of the guys starting Bluebird, he has an MBA from Yale, so he isn't exactly a dummy. I think there are a lot of people who are terrified 100% of the time in the backcountry that will pay for this. I think there are beginners that will pay. With the right terrain, experienced backcountry skiers might even go if there is controlled steep terrain. I would never think that people skin up resorts, but they do...

More than anything, they have to find the right area for this to work.

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This is an "inversion" of the climbing gym model. Folks who "graduate" from climbing gyms can have high level athletic skills but are clueless as to how to move safely through the mountains (and are clueless about their cluelessness).

With this model, it's a stepping stone to navigating the backcountry. I've poo-pooo'd lots of things that ended up having huge appeal. Hell! I think Facebook is stupid. Shows you how much I know ;-)

... Thom

So many questions, I don't really understand the business model and it sounds like that is TBD

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I think there are a lot of people who are terrified 100% of the time in the backcountry that will pay for this. I think there are beginners that will pay.

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Agreed, however my opinion is that education and critical decision making can mitigate so much risks. Backcountry skiing in Colorado is a fickle mother fucker. Sensible tours in sensible terrain on days with manageable avalanche hazard can do so much to reduce risk. I don't see how or why you need to pay to go to a skin access only fun park.

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Originally Posted by shredgnar

I miss the old days, hiking booters on the pass. No, we didn't have beacons, or probes, but we had some big ass shovels. Damn, I must have had a lot of energy back then, cause now the thought of building a massive kicker on the ironing board or pocahontas just makes me want to take a nap and take some vitamin I for my back.

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those were the days
spending hours out there building kickers and launching into what might be considered an avalanche zone but the snow was always soft

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More than anything, they have to find the right area for this to work.

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Well, yeah. Profitable businesses are more about execution than an idea. So you'd either need what? 300" of average snowfall, private or FS/BLM lease, day tripable from the city, mechanized access. So basically you need to create a new ski area without lifts or lift ticket revenue. Good luck with that.

It idea of having it be part of a ski area permit area is interest. Like Highlands Bowl or parts of CB or Vasquez Cirque or the cat terrain at Copper. Oh wait, we already have that.

How I get it. You pretend your in the backcountry but you are at the ski area. You could even hire a guide that coach you on how to ski in the backcountry.

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Originally Posted by shredgnar

Either way, this is probably what they should do with Berthoud pass I guess. Hire a guide crew that does avy mitigation, and a shuttle driver and you got a ski area.

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That was a thing remember? Like, 2001-2003, Berthoud Powder Guides

well I"m glad we are figuring out their business model for them and pointing out all the shortcommings and positives as well as the direction they are heading
I"d just call it "skiing for punters"
meanwhile I"m wasting a saturday morning working on my failing busienss model

In other news...skiing is just excellent right now. The Jane is open for another week.

"I miss girls skiing in bikinis. Now guys wear short shorts and girls wear furby costumes"

"Growing up that would have got your ass kicked, now it probably gets you laid"

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Originally Posted by fastfred

meanwhile I"m wasting a saturday morning working on my failing busienss model

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I wonder why?

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Originally Posted by Summit

That was a thing remember? Like, 2001-2003, Berthoud Powder Guides

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Yeah but they had a cat didn't they?

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Originally Posted by shredgnar

Yeah but they had a cat didn't they?

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Yes but I think that you could still buy shuttle rides if I remember...

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Originally Posted by Summit

That was a thing remember? Like, 2001-2003, Berthoud Powder Guides

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You can't ride here without a pass.
Yeah, I remember

Anybody skiing MJ today? PM me to meet up if you want.

You could pay the Powder Guides for a shuttle ride? I don't remember that. We were pretty much on their shit list however as we were the kids poaching the cat roads on our snowmobiles. Were those the best days at the pass? Maybe. Did the Powder Guides throw bombs? Can't remember that either.

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Originally Posted by Summit

That was a thing remember? Like, 2001-2003, Berthoud Powder Guides

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I remember. It was fucking amazing. Wish that they were able to keep it going, but they ran it into the ground.

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Originally Posted by Evil E

I remember. It was fucking amazing. Wish that they were able to keep it going, but they ran it into the ground.

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I was supposed to ski with the BPG during that massive '03 March storm. They canceled our day (understood) then I never got a chance to get it rescheduled before they went Tango Uniform. Opportunity lost. :(

I did my Avalanche Level 1 with BPG. Great class and we rode snowcats to access, shuttle busses for return. $250 class! Volkl VPro, Alpine Trekkers, Ortovox F1. I feel old.

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Originally Posted by Summit

I did my Avalanche Level 1 with BPG. Great class and we rode snowcats to access, shuttle busses for return. $250 class! Volkl VPro, Alpine Trekkers, Ortovox F1. I feel old.

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You are old. NTTAWWT.

I still have my F1 Focus.

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Originally Posted by Evil E

I remember. It was fucking amazing. Wish that they were able to keep it going, but they ran it into the ground.

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That is false. The cat op existed to buy the Brazilians time before they had to clean up their mess.

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Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles

That is false. The cat op existed to buy the Brazilians time before they had to clean up their mess.

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whatever it was called, the few years they fired up the lifts in the early 2000s was a badass time for us front rangers. Lift access to rush chutes all day long? Yes please. Consistent bus shuttles up the pass all day? Yes thank you very much. Party atmosphere in those buses was a blast. They were WAY ahead of their time. It was a lot like silverton is now, except you didnt need a guide.
Maybe someone should bring back the berthoud badass series? ;)

Yesterday in the Park. We hit it a bit too late, and turned around where Dragon's Tail and Dragon's Tooth converge at the outcrop.

Good workout, and and a few hundred vert of survival skiing in setting concrete.

From the outcrop, looking across Tyndall Glacier ...

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