Once an operating ski resort, backcountry skiiers and snowboarder flock to berthoud pass to shred 65 advanced to expert slopes on 1200 acres. From a former ski instructor you get real world evaluation of terrain, risk, reward, and a sense of the history of this super cool mountain. The glade skiing, deep powder bowls, and steep couloirs of berthoud pass have enough terrain to keep you busy for a lifetime. This area is not for beginners, as true backcountry conditions do exist.
The berthoud pass trailhead is located on the continental divide about 1. Christmas week brought a series of nice gifts for backcountry travellers. Usgs and usfs topos, aerial imagery, printing to geospatial pdfs, exporting to kmz and mbtiles. Trip report colorado is known for its skiing, and while the big resorts are great, colorado offers a plentiful array of backcountry skiing opportunities as well. Our aiare 1 hut trips are based out of the broome hut on beautiful berthoud pass. Some of the areas listed here cross over into neighboring counties. Mar 21, 2020 early closure of ski resorts triggers feeding frenzy for uphill touring and backcountry ski equipment. In high school, i worked at gart brothers both on larimer and the castle. Clicking into my skis at 11,307 feet on berthoud pass near winter park.
There are a myriad of reasons why the dedicated ski area atop 11,307 ft. What is left are fantastic runs for the backcountry enthusiasts. Coloradopart of the popular seriesincludes backcountry routes focused on the front. The vail pass area has backcountry skiing for all skill levels where the beginner routes are. Order the book and map now at beacon guidebooks or download and purchase the app at rakkup. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. The best time to see wildflowers at the trailhead area is from late june to early august. The terrain here offers mellow lines and gentle slopes in the hippy trees and on the dog run. The site contains a warming hut with vault toilets, interpretive information, and is open. New backcountry skiing book from colorado mountaineers offers. Drive westbound on wyoming hwy 22 from jackson, wyo. Early closure of ski resorts triggers feeding frenzy for. Dec, 2016 near berthoud pass, i triggered a small avalanche.
Backcountry skiing loveland pass guidebook is now available as an app on rakkup, and as a topographic map from beacon guidebooks. Equipment including probes, shovels and beacons are. The pass is located west of denver, and provides a high route between upper clear creek canyon to the upper valley of the fraser river in middle park to the north. Mar 26, 2020 last friday, i broke out of selfisolation to go skiing on berthoud pass, one of, if not the most, popular backcountry access points in colorado. Equipment including probes, shovels and beacons are all musts, because slides are frequent in the area. The data is generated by mountain weather stations near berthoud pass and is not compiled from official resort measurements. A former resort, berthoud is one of the newer backcountry areas that offer drops from 11,000feet. An hour from denver gets you to berthoud pass, which is roughly what it. On geissler number one, looking southwest, independence pass backcountry skiing. Powerful trip planning tools and high quality maps.
It offers a variety of summer and winter activities, including wildflower viewing. Weak ownership, scarcity of snowmaking water sources and an inability to compete with other neighboring ski areas may have all played roles. Calculated from 4 snotel sites within 9mi of berthoud pass at an average elevation of 10,880ft. Us 40 berthoud pass lv cdot colorado department of transportation. Single seats back country snowcat skiing on jones pass, colorado. Things to do on berthoud pass backcountry skiing and snowboarding. These are the easternmost mountains in the rocky mountains, and are the first to greet visitors traveling to colorado from the east. With over two decades of experience, author rob writz has delivered a book that is accessible to every type of. Map to pumphouse basin trails, berthoud pass, co this area is west and a bit south of the pass.
Berthoud pass has been a ski area with lift access in the past. City, state or zip code or airport and click on our get directions button. Once a fully functioning ski resort from 1937 to 2001, the now backcountry terrain has been stripped of chairlifts, lodges, and returned to its primitive state. Unfortunately, subsequent winds tore through the snowpack faster than sugarcrazed children unwrapping christmas morning. New backcountry skiing book from colorado mountaineers. The front range runs from south central wyoming to central new mexico. Backcountry skiing avalanche death on berthoud pass the. Berthoud pass ski area opened in 1937 and held a a reputation for premiere backcountry skiing and snowboarding. Glory is one of the most desired and easily obtainable objectives, with several thousand feet of vertical drop possible from its 10,086foot high summit down the iconic glory bowl. Here is the current backcountry avalanche forecast from colorado avalanche information center caic. New backcountry skiing book from colorado mountaineers offers guide to lines of all kinds frank and brittany walker konsella have climbed and skied all the states fourteeners. Maps of the region, aerial photographs of each ski run, and legend keys are designed to give the user the most pertinent information for riding the goods safely and wisely.
From prework dawn patrols, to car shuttling, to all day epics, berthoud pass has an adventure for backcountry riders of all skill levels. The pass rewards drivers with many sweeping views of the colorado rockies. I became good friends with herb hyna the famous director of the berthoud pass ski school. Beginners guide to backcountry skiing and snowboarding. Alternatively, one can hike to nearby james peak through the james peak wilderness. Backcountry skiing berthoud pass colorado guidebook by rob fitz for use in rakkup ios and android apps. This book highlights both iconic runs and private powder stashes. Nov 28, 2018 after years of experience on berthoud pass terrain, writz put his wide breadth of knowledge into beacon guidebooks new book, backcountry skiing. Most backcountry enthusiasts will drive to the summit of the pass and park, then hike to their desired location, and ski down. After years of experience on berthoud pass terrain, writz put his wide breadth of knowledge into beacon guidebooks new book, backcountry skiing. With over two decades of experience, author rob writz has delivered a book that is accessible to every type of skier. Please be sure to read that every day if youre a backcountry user. The defining feature of backcountry bindings is the ability to move your heels up and down so you can tour up the mountain. She writes frequently about her outdoor adventures.
In comparison it was small, but still extremely deadly. Backcountry skiing berthoud pass by rob writz front. Private snowcat backcountry snowcat skiing on jones pass, colorado up to 12 people. Jones pass guides is currently booking for 201920 winter season.
Herb was a member of the austrian national ski team, and during the. Best late season skiing in colorado with colorado wilderness rides and guides theres a reason that colorado is known as one of the ski capitols of the world. As small groups of backcountry skiers weave their ways up into the. It was a weekday, and my partner and i thought we could avoid the majority of crowds and socially distance ourselves. Please click here to view the current backcountry avalanche forecast for the front range by the colorado avalanche information center caic. Backcountry skiing avalanche death on berthoud pass. Backcountry skiing berthoud pass is now available as a book and an app. The broome hut owned and operated by the grand huts association, the broome hut replaced an antiquated cabin in the second creek basin on the west side of berthoud pass, colorado. May 09, 2019 best late season skiing in colorado with colorado wilderness rides and guides theres a reason that colorado is known as one of the ski capitols of the world. The front range rises abruptly from just over 5,000 feet west of denver to peaks over 14,000 feet.
Nov 22, 2017 new backcountry skiing book from colorado mountaineers offers guide to lines of all kinds frank and brittany walker konsella have climbed and skied all the states fourteeners. Upgrade to allaccess and receive exclusive benefits. Sams accident was sad and ive got total sympathy for his friends. Cdot berthoud pass winter park webcams coloradowebcam. Rakkup app allows users to purchase and save the berthoud pass and loveland guidebooks to your smart device. Order the book and map now at beacon guidebooks or download and purchase the app. Take your avalanche education to the next level with our oneofakind hut trips. How to pull off an epic backcountry skiing hut trip. Beginners guide to backcountry skiing and snowboarding rei. Beloved by the colorado locals, berthoud pass is the goto for a weekend backcountry session due its vast terrain.
The most in depth look at berthoud pass and its terrain out there. Order the book now at beacon guidebooks or download and purchase the app at rakkup. If youre new to backcountry skiing, theres quick and easy access to the goods on uneva peak on the north side of i70. Big thanks to backcountry access for sponsoring this avalanche education content. Youll spend three days and two nights exploring backcountry terrain on skis, splitboard, or snowshoes with dedicated aiare instructors. But hit on the right day with good terrain selection, it. The colorado central railroad company facilitated the discovery of berthoud pass when they were looking for routes over the rockies. Touring near berthoud pass on wednesday, january 3rd, i discovered many bare, windscoured. The majority of backcountry skiers use alpine touring at bindings, which allow you to lock your heels down at the top of the hill so you can ski back down making parallel turns as you would while downhill skiing. Read more about the berthoud pass trailhead viewing information. Berthoud pass, colorado spiralbound january 1, 2018 by rob writz author 5. As the sport of backcountry skiing developed here in colorado, i wrote and published in 1986 the states first modern ski mountaineering guidbook, colorado high routes, which was second editioned and substantially improved in 1991.
Storms on the 21st, 23rd and christmas day provided 3036 inches of holiday wrapping. It was like gigantic river white water waves going over terrain features. The lifts have been removed and the base lodge is being removed. The caic includes berthoud pass in their front range forecast. Early closure of ski resorts triggers feeding frenzy for uphill touring and backcountry ski equipment. For directions from where you are to where the berthoud pass skiing and boarding is locatedmeets at, enter your starting point as. The 10 best colorado backcountry skiing locations for 2020. Outdoor adventurers seek out berthoud pass for its backcountry skiing access and continental divide trail trailhead. The now defunct berthoud pass ski area is popular with backcountry ski, snowboard and snowshoe enthusiasts. Offpiste ski atlas is the essential photographic guidebook for backcountry skiing. Just outside of winter park with a mesmerizing view of the continental divide, berthoud pass is one of colorados most iconic backcountry areas. A series of short hikes up bootpacked trails leads to bigmountain ski descents directly from the parking area at the top of teton pass, elevation 8,400 feet. Awesome backcountry skiing and boarding berthoud pass ski area is now closed.
This lightweight, durable book offers up the best backcountry terrain in each location. Backcountry skiing berthoud pass paperback january 1, 2005 by jordan lipp author 5. Mar 14, 2017 trying out backcountry skiing with a great crew. The broome hut berthoud pass, co grand huts association. Vail resorts put the brakes on use of its mountains for skiers seeking turns without lifts, but independent backcountry ski shops across the state are reporting record sales. Last friday, i broke out of selfisolation to go skiing on berthoud pass, one of, if not the most, popular backcountry access points in colorado. Front range ski mountaineering has teamed up with beacon guidebooks and rakkup to put berthoud pass beta in your hands. All of the terrain in summit county should be considered high avalanche risk.
Its just a mile from highway 40 near berthoud pass. Vail resorts put the brakes on use of its mountains for skiers seeking turns without lifts, but independent backcountry ski. I was staying for a few days in one of the bc cabins near berthoud pass during a storm cycle. Backcountry skiing berthoud pass is available as a book and an app. Berthoud pass guidebook front range ski mountaineering. Winter activities include backcountry skiing, snowboarding, crosscountry skiing, and snowshoeing. With a deep snowpack and hundreds of miles of backcountry, colorados ski season lasts yearround for the most dedicated of backcountry enthusiasts. Mar 08, 20 berthoud pass backcountry skiing 35 jon butcher.
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