Show up at a place like Teton Pass, in Wyoming, or the base of Mount Superior in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, and there鈥檚 a good chance you鈥檒l run up against packed trailhead lots and skin tracks that look like highways. Backcountry skiing has become a sport for the masses. In some ways, that鈥檚 good news: more people are out enjoying the winter wilderness. But in other ways, there are real dangers involved, including avalanches (although have attributed last season鈥檚 spike in human-triggered avalanches to expert skiers and riders, not novices).
It鈥檚 also becoming less of a quiet, peaceful experience out there. 鈥淚鈥檓 torn, because all of my favorite low-angle early-morning tours are overrun by people, but that鈥檚 how I got educated, talking to folks and checking things out,鈥 says , an ambassador for WeGotNext, a nonprofit that seeks to support underrepresented communities in the outdoor space,聽and an avid backcountry skier who lives in South Lake Tahoe, California.
We鈥檝e rounded up some tips on how to get started safely and ways to find terrain that鈥檚 both easy to reach and navigate鈥攂ut won鈥檛 be overly crowded. The world is big, after all, and there鈥檚 plenty of room for us all.
Know Before You Go
If you鈥檙e brand-new to backcountry skiing, there are a few things you need to know before you head out, like essential gear (see our most recent recommendations here).聽You should also get up to speed on avalanche training, where to find your local avalanche forecast, and what safety equipment is a prerequisite. Starting at is a good bet鈥攜ou can get your forecast, search for avalanche-safety courses near you, and .
Let鈥檚 say you鈥檝e acquired all the recommended backcountry safety gear鈥a beacon, shovel, and probe. That鈥檚 great, but do you know how to use it? Look into educational offerings that鈥檒l help teach you to to pack and wear these items, as well as make smart decisions on things like route finding and avalanche mitigation.
Equally important is who聽will be joining you on your backcountry adventure. 鈥淗aving a good partner is key,鈥 says Colorado-based professional skier Chris Davenport. 鈥淭hink: Is this person going to make good decisions and save me if things go wrong? If the answer is no, rethink who you鈥檙e going with. It also speaks to intentionality: What鈥檚 your intention when you鈥檙e up there?鈥
Davenport is also a big proponent of choosing terrain based on the conditions: slopes 30 degrees and over are more likely to see an avalanche, so selecting low-angle terrain聽can help reduce your risk. 鈥淚 find I can ski in the backcountry all winter by managing terrain and by not exposing myself to terrain that can get me into trouble,鈥 Davenport says. 鈥淒on鈥檛 feel like you need to step on the gas.鈥
Hiring a backcountry ski guide can help you locate better-quality and stabler snow, make safer decisions, and even set the skin track and kick turns for you. near you who鈥檚 certified by the American Mountain Guides Association. Their rates will likely be higher, but even if you just go out once with a guide, you鈥檒l be more prepared to head out on your own afterward.
Find a Backcountry Area That鈥檚 Close By
Do some homework on the backcountry ski zones near you or wherever you鈥檙e traveling. If there鈥檚 a ski resort in the region, there are places to go backcountry skiing, too. With a little digging, you can locate spots that are lesser known but still offer good terrain. By using online, or its smartphone app, you can select your region and search for backcountry ski maps that include details like slope angle, snowfall data, and navigation. (Gaia GPS is owned by the same parent company as 国产吃瓜黑料, and Gaia GPS Premium is now included with an .)
Or go old school and buy a guidebook to backcountry skiing in your region: has detailed, thoroughly reported guides to many popular areas that鈥檒l clue you into specific routes unavailable via an internet search, as well as zone-specific guides. We also like this for Utah鈥檚 central Wasatch Range.
Another option that yields results is simply popping in to a ski shop or a post on local social media groups to ask for tips and favorite zones. Folks might just be willing to divulge the sweet spots. WeGotNext鈥檚 Choo gave us one of her go-to areas: 鈥 is close to South Lake Tahoe, and you can follow a snow-covered road part of the way up. From the peak, there鈥檚 high angle terrain that can be dicey. You can ski all the way to the lake and skate back to the parking lot.鈥
Ski to a Hut That鈥檚 Easy to Reach
Skiing from a backcountry hut inherently means you鈥檒l have more empty terrain to yourself, since you鈥檙e starting from an area that鈥檚 not accessible by car. But if you鈥檙e looking for approachability, consider that not every hut is the same, nor the trails to get there. Some require long, steep climbs, while others are closer to their parking area and can be accessed in a mile or two.
Vermont Huts鈥 (from $300), which sleeps up to six people, requires skiing in or snowshoeing more than a mile, but once you鈥檝e arrived, a bounty of backcountry ski terrain beckons from the door, as well as cross-country skiing on the Catamount Trail.
In Washington, (from $235) has nine off-the-grid cabins near the Stevens Pass ski area, and staff will shuttle you in via snowmobile鈥攏o hiking in with your gear necessary. From your cabin, you can ski-tour on your own or opt for a guided outing with help from a snowcat.
Colorado has heaps of huts, including the diverse array of , but they can often be hard to book due to high demand. Anna鈥檚 Cabin, an聽 (from $363) outside Leadville, can sleep up to eight people and requires a 1.8-mile ski tour to reach, a distance that鈥檚 doable for most entry-level backcountry skiers. The gentle slopes behind the cabin make for great easy ski laps.
Look for Former Ski Areas
Former ski resorts make for great entry-level backcountry touring areas, because the slopes have already been graded and gladed and ample parking is usually available. Colorado is full of so-called ghost ski resorts, like the now shuttered , which opened in 1955 in Rocky Mountain National Park, closed in 1991, yet remains popular with backcountry skiers these days.
Or take , site of a once popular ski area on Colorado Highway 40 en route to the Winter Park ski resort. It had its heyday in the 1930s and 1940s but closed in 2003. 鈥淏erthoud has some good low-angle, easy terrain and fun gladed skiing,鈥 Davenport says. 鈥淥n the west side of the pass, there鈥檚 one skin track that services all the terrain, so it鈥檚 straightforward to park and climb up.鈥
In 1981, a group of skiers opened what was then called Panadero Resort, in the southern Colorado town of Cuchara. It eventually became Cuchara Mountain Resort, but the place shut down in 2000. Now it鈥檚 , a public park at the site of the old ski hill. The former day lodge has a new life as a winter warming hut, and people are coming here to backcountry ski.
, in Maine, was never actually a ski area but a proposed development once seriously considered as an Olympic ski venue in the 1960s. Today it鈥檚 an underrated spot for ski touring on the East Coast and one of the state鈥檚 highest peaks.
Or Just Stay In-Bounds
Here鈥檚 the thing: you want to go backcountry skiing, but some days, the snow or avalanche conditions or the weather or just life鈥檚 schedule can get in the way. In those cases, you don鈥檛 have to give up on getting outside. offer in-bounds uphill access, which means you get the feel of the backcountry鈥攜ou鈥檙e earning your turns, after all鈥攂ut not the risk of being in uncontrolled terrain.聽鈥淔ind anywhere with good parking and ski hills with uphill availability, like in Jackson, Wyoming,鈥 says pro skier Max Hammer. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a way to eliminate some of the factors that make backcountry skiing frustrating to begin with.鈥