March 29, 2008
Hi Folks,
Telluride Ski Resort, in partnership with the US Forest Service, has an "open gate" policy. We have a backcountry access gate at the top of Gold Hill (Bear Creek access) and another one in the saddle before Bald Mountain (Alta access) which allows the public to exit the ski area boundary closure and venture into the backcountry - while assuming the inherent risks of skiing in areas that do not receive any avalanche control work and are not managed by our ski patrol.
An open gate policy is not to be confused with skiing under a rope or past a closed sign - both of which are illegal. To access the backcountry one MUST go through a designated gate only. There is signage at the gate which informs you that by going through the gate you are assuming the risks associated with skiing outside the permit boundary and rescue may not be possible in the event of an injury or avalanche burial. The ski resort has no obligation to perform a search and rescue in the backcountry and we will not put patrollers at risk to perform search and rescue work in dangerous avalanche conditions.
For those who are educated, experienced, and prepared with the proper equipment (backpack, shovel, avalanche beacon, probe, climbing skins, ski mountaineering equipment, extra clothing, food, water, cell phone, etc.), the backcountry can be a wonderful experience (at the right times).
We certainly would not recommend heading out into the backcountry with out significant experience, a partner familiar with the terrain, and lots of savvy. Knowledge and awareness of snow stability is also critical. There are times when the backcountry snowpack is naturally stable and other times when it is suicidal to travel in the backcountry. Additionally, super strong skiing skills are obviously necessary due to all sorts of variable conditions and the extreme terrain encountered.
I thought I'd show a few pictures of one such area adjacent to Telluride Ski Resort. It's an area called Bear Creek. I recently was guided into this area with some of my partners from the ski patrol and mountain department - on the right day in terms of snow stability.
Above is a picture after exiting the backcountry gate at the top of Gold Hill proper. This is looking Southeast toward San Joaquin Ridge (left of center). After climbing the peak, some people actually ski the slot through the cliffs on the left. Gold Hill chutes 6 - 10 which we recently opened to the public (see prior blog), are down the right side of the spine (right of center in this picture). When skiing Gold Hill 6-10 a person must leave the permit area, hike this spine, and then re-enter the permit area into the chutes.
Above is a pack of guys at the top of Gold Hill. On this day, some are going to drop west into Gold Hill 6-10; others are going to drop east into the backcountry terrain of Bear Creek.
As an aside, Palmyra Peak is in the background in the picture above. As you may recall, Palmyra Peak is some of our new extensive hike-to in-bounds terrain which is controlled for avalanche, managed by ski patrol, and is accessed by hiking from the top of Chair 12. We're all quite proud of this new terrain which opened to the public this winter. It's truly "Unmatched in North America" if you're an expert skier.
Above is backcountry terrain in Bear Creek called Delta Bowl, which is on the east side of Gold Hill. This is serious avalanche territory as no bombing takes place in this drainage.
Above is looking into the Graveyard. It's called that for a reason. People have been killed by avalanche in Bear Creek as no avalanche control work is performed.
Above is a picture that shows the back side of Palmyra Peak and Lena Basin.
Above is a picture of veteran pro patroller Peter Inglis looking at upper Bear Creek. The terrain is absolutely massive.
Above is my favorite picture of the group I toured with last week. We all wanted to get a handle on this area. Pat Ahern, Director of Ski Patrol, Jeff Proteau, VP - Resort Operations, John Knowles, Ex. Director of Trails, and Peter Inglis, Assistant Snow Safety Supervisor and I enjoyed a perfect afternoon in Bear Creek.
Scoping things out from Delta Bowl.
Above is a shot of Peter Inglis coming down through the Wedding Chutes.
This picture above shows Nellie (the hanging bowl upper right). You can see the cliff traps and the avalanche debris fan down below. The smaller treed area (stripped down due to avalanches from above) on the lower left is called E-Ticket. This again is the east side of Gold Hill.
This picture above is a little different angle of E-Ticket.
Above is a picture looking down Bear Creek into the Town of Telluride. You end up skiing all the way to town. Route finding gets tricky because there are waterfalls, cliffs, etc. This is another reason why it's so important to go with someone who knows the area.
I hope this blog has served to educate the public on the risks and rewards of backcountry skiing around Telluride.
Please feel free to post a comment. All you have to do is click on "comments", scroll down to the bottom, fill out the dialog box, then hit "submit". We're always interested in hearing your thoughts! - Dave
Hi Folks,
The ski patrol department has been working on changing rope lines and signage and is planning on opening Gold Hill chutes 6 through 10 to the public this Wednesday, weather and conditions permitting!
To ski these chutes, you have to go through a back country gate at the top of Gold Hill proper (assume personal responsibility), then re-enter the permit area through gates/rope openings into GH 6 - GH 10 (when opened by the patrol). The chutes will not be open continually so check for current information on the signs before you make the hike.
The expert-only chutes go down below the skyline saddle in this picture and dump into Palmyra basin below.
Below is a picture that shows the chutes a little better:
This picture below is looking down Gold Hill 9:
Please give a big "THANK YOU" to the ski patrol for their great work! Ski and ride this terrain with care - enjoy!
Feel free to post a comment by clicking on "comments" and filling out the dialog box. - Dave
March 1, 2008
Telluride Ski Resort is Unmatched in North America on many levels.
We are very fortunate to have the best in-bounds, avalanche controlled, hike-to terrain of any ski resort in North America. This is not an exaggeration.
Bald Mountain, Black Iron Bowl and Palmyra Peak have differentiated Telluride from all other ski resorts in North America. Where else can you ski giant, steep, long, wide terrain like this which has been controlled for avalanche and is managed by the ski patrol? Nowhere.
Above is a picture of Palmyra Peak and part of Black Iron Bowl (lower right). This spectacular in-bounds avalanche controlled hike-to terrain opened just this season and has been a huge hit with the experts. It's mind-blowing terrain.
Above is a close up (as much as my camera would zoom) of Palmyra Peak as seen from the top of Gold Hill. If you look closely, you can see people standing at the top - ready to descend.
Above is a picture of the west side of Gold Hill as seen from the top of Palmyra Peak. The west side of Gold Hill is currently closed but we are analyzing how we might open parts of it in the future.
Above is another picture of the west side of Gold Hill as seen from the top of Bald Mountain.
Above is the north side of Gold Hill, otherwise known as San Joaquin Bowl. When Telluride Ski Resort builds the San Joaquin lift up to the top of this peak (hopefully soon), the summit of Gold Hill will be easily accessed. You see, the San Joaquin lift will get you most of the way up to the summit of Gold Hill, via the north face. Getting to the actual summit of Gold Hill will be a simple and short walk from the top of the new lift.
As an example, above is a picture looking DOWN into Gold Hill #9, which is a chute on the southern end of the west side of Gold Hill. The west side of Gold Hill could offer numerous expert chutes like this for future hike-to in-bounds terrain.
Currently, when a person goes through the backcountry gate at the top of Gold Hill there is a boundary closure (rope line) that prevents people from skiing back into the ski area down the west side of Gold Hill (chutes 1 through 10). Please continue to abide by our rope closures at Gold Hill and everywhere else. This is critical. Just because this terrain may be suitable for skiing in the future doesn't mean you should duck a rope and ski it today. If we do open parts of this area in the future it will require additional avalanche control work. Don't put yourself or our ski patrol staff at risk!
I'm working with the fine folks in our excellent ski patrol department to explore policies and procedures which may allow us to safely open parts of Gold Hill in the future. Time will tell. We're interested to hear your opinions - please feel free to post a comment or question. Thanks for your input! - Dave