Colorado ski resorts adjust uphill travel rules for skiers on way up
By Jason Blevins
The Denver Post
Uphillers – Images: Steve Lipsher / Summit Daily News
KEYSTONE — Headlights beam through the swirling snow as the 5 a.m. ski-area social hour kicks off.
The dogs are a yipping tangle as a gaggle of underdressed skiers click into their skinny skis and start climbing Keystone’s perfectly groomed River Run trail.
By dawn, more than 50 skiers are climbing Keystone ski area, hugging the treeline as growling groomers comb the fresh snow.
“I call it my Stairmaster with a view,” said Breckenridge mayor John Warner, who first started skinning up his home hill 24 years ago and still logs 80 pre-dawn mornings skinning up Breck’s groomed trails. Read the rest of this story…
Also..
Breckenridge to restrict uphill skiers
Breckenridge Ski Resort officials are asking for cooperation from a rugged, growing breed of skiers
By Robert Allen
Vail Daily
BRECKENRIDGE, Colorado — Breckenridge Ski Resort officials are asking for cooperation from a rugged, growing breed of skiers who prefer hiking to riding ski lifts, as the resort undergoes base-area construction and balances business operations with after-hours access.
Dozens of so-called “skinners” flocked Thursday to Breckenridge Town Hall, where resort officials discussed restrictions, rules and revamped parking plans.
Enthusiasts frequently snowshoe, ski — with the aid of climbing skins — or hike uphill before skiing back down during early morning and late-evening hours. It’s a popular practice on Aspen-area ski slopes, as well, particularly at Buttermilk. Read the rest of this story…
