These tours are a full day of backcountry skiing or riding, including a lunch stop along the way. Your tour will take you through beautiful aspen glades, open meadows, and treeless ridgelines. Your day will be spent surrounded by the majesty of the wild and rugged Elk Mountains. Be prepared for a day of hard work, as skinning in the backcountry at altitude can be quite tiring to those not acclimatized to this type of activity. Once finished with the climb, the real fun begins! Your guide will guide you down untracked pristine powder runs; carving turns down open bowls, through beautiful and serene glades, and across open meadows. You and your group will enjoy a descent through famed Colorado powder from 1,000' - 3,000' + depending on conditions and destinations.
You will meet your guide and the rest of the group at the local gear shop (The Alpineer) at a predetermined time set by your guide. Here you will get outfitted for the day and get acquainted with your backcountry gear. From here your guide will orient you to the use of your skis/split-board, skins, beacons, boots, bindings, etc...
Take lots of pictures, make even more turns, and savor the feelings of a day spent carving turns through virgin backcountry powder runs.
Locations:
Crested Butte Area: Come ski Crested Butte's legendary backcountry terrain. Surrounded on 3 sides by accessible terrain, Crested Butte has long been known as a backcountry haven. Choose from such local favorites as Red Lady (a 5 minute drive from town and and awesome vantage of the West Elks' from the top), Coney's (easy access and relatively freindly skin track--one lap or two?), and Snodgrass Mountain (unparalled views of Mt CB and the East River Valley). Come sample what most people in this town moved here for!
Monarch Pass: Monarch Pass is located between the Salida/Buena Vista area and Gunnison known for it's high elevation (11,312 ft) and it's heavy snowfall. A great venue for people in the Arkansas Valley and beyond, skiing passes starts you off with only a short skin to the top, then creamy dreamy turns to the road, then slap those skins back on to get to the top of the pass.
Berthoud Pass: This is one of the most accessible passes to people living in the Front Range. Located between I-70 and Winter Park, Berthoud has a long skiing history including the earliest public ski area in Colorado, CU snowboarders building kickers off the road, to Nederland hippies touring up with original seal skins. Whether you are a 'gansta skier', a throw back wool-wearing telemarker, or somewhere in between, Berthoud offers a new backcountry skiing or riding experience.
