Touring Colorado's Newest Ski Area: NO CHAIRLIFTS!
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
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Today we're visiting one of the most unique ski areas in the country: Bluebird Backcountry.
Bluebird Backcountry is a ski area with no chairlifts, it's a totally human-powered, backcountry-oriented resort. We are about 45 minutes from Steamboat right now, couple hours from Denver, right by Rabbit Ears Pass, if you're familiar with that, so maybe an hour and a half from Breck, due north. So fairly accessible for us and a really good opportunity for us to come check out really what has turned out to be quite a cool project that these guys have started here. It's really the only ski area of its kind. You can tell it's very bare bones. They lay in skin tracks for you. There's ski patrol here, there's gear rental, and sort of basic set of amenities.
But for the most part, the way that this resort was designed and conceived was to be an introduction to the backcountry. So if you're someone that skis in the resort a lot, curious about the backcountry, this would be a really great place to come rent some gear, test it out. See if you even like it, see what you think about the uphill atmosphere, and really get outside and try something new.
So from my understanding, the idea behind this resort was there's a whole group of new backcountry skiers that are looking to get in the sport or lightly interested, but there a there's a cost ceiling, and there's a level of experience and knowledge you need to get out there. So they built this place to provide an outlet for that. It's a place for people to come and try new gear. It's a place for them to come take avalanche courses. You can take lessons and really just get a feel for what backcountry skiing and ski touring is all about without a lot of the danger.
For an area to learn, I think this would be phenomenal. If I had someone in my life that came to me and said, "Hey, I want to learn how to tour or go ski backcountry." I would definitely send them here. A, the AIARE 1 and AIARE 2 courses that run here are in a really great environment, super controlled. There's not a lot of people around, I think it's probably a good place for that. But also after you took your AIARE 1, you can come back here and really ease your way into it. When you're skiing the backcountry, things can go wrong, right? You can break your leg. If you broke your leg here, there's a ski patroller, the snowmobile a mile away. So in terms of just a controlled environment, I think it's a really unique opportunity in that sense.
Last year, this was in a different location. Two years ago, they did a beta test in Summit County on Mosquito Pass that I was actually a part of. And I just didn't remember until now, but they had basically set up a small tent, a grill and were inviting people to come and basically test out this concept. And the idea was, if you come to Mosquito Gulch at this time we'll have light food for you and we'll have a guy taking you around and you can give us feedback on doing that. So seems like they had enough takers in the beta test and enough people last year that they realized, "Hey, we could do this with some cool or cooler terrain." And that's where Bear Mountain came about.
So I think this particular area, I mean, especially for Steamboat, Steamboat is not known for having great terrain. I'll say not steep certainly. So to have them out like this with this terrain is really, really cool.
What a great concept. I met a guy at Powdermountain in Utah who skinned every run and never road a single chair. He was 64 years old. I was blown away.
RIP Bluebird it was so fun!
That's a great idea, as someone who's getting older, that would be a great place to fulfill my skiing wants!
Nice video, I'm familiar with bluebird living near & helping set up prior. Everyone of staff seemed extra friendly, motivated, helpful and certainly not doing for money but to promote the backcountry.
Wishing all there a great season!
Definitely agree!
Great idea
Awsome concept, good luck with it. I have cross country skied on Rabit Ears Pass many times. Most of the forest service trails, Walden Peak, etc. I'll be in Steamboat in Jan. and Feb. 2023. I might try to check you guys out.
Looks amazing! I'm a lifelong boarder who is looking to venture into the backcountry next season. How little snow we had this year has made me look at it more seriously. I'll definitely make a few trips out here next season just to see if it's actually something I enjoy before buying myself gear.
Thanks for the video. Information on this resort is sparse.
It's worth checking out for sure!
This is amazing
Nothing better than X Country, but you can clearly see that search and rescue will be one of the major piggy back industries as it expands.
Probably a good place to go to avoid dentists from TX.
I have a friend from Texas who is a dentist, but he is a snowboarder so I'm reconsidering our friendship
Texans own more Colorado land than y’all...and we avoid the local mongoloids except when absolutely necessary. We’re tolerant, but do not suffer fools gladly. Be very careful !
Word
Only to find their kids littering on the mountain. Truth is these places cater towards spoiled adolescents.
@@drwho5437 What are you talking about? "These places"? This is the only place of its kind in Colorado at the moment. Rarely will you ever find an adolescent skinning up a mountain, and especially rare would be an adolescent from Texas skinning up a mountain. But if you did actually see this anomaly skinning up a trail I highly doubt that kid would be a litterbug
Went last year for a few days and the concept is cool but, most of the good terrain gets skied out quick. The rest is pretty flat and also the really good stuff you have to go guided. If you have no friends and want to start BC this is a good place, but its remote location makes this rough for a day trip and at the end of the day you could find better terrain all over Colorado closer to where most people live regardless of where you come from. Did have a season pass, wont be getting another one, likely wont come back unless im staying in the boat and not skiing rabbit ears area.
This was our experience as well.
But like if it was your first time touring, would you reccomend? Im getting into it this season when Im back in Breck.
This is a really cool way to promote your goggles 10/10 if you guys keep making good content I’ll buy the gogs just to support the content
Great review
This looks like most of the terrain at steamboat ski area and the surrounding NF. Nice snow, but basically flat.
This is Genius ! Just beaking into the sport... in Denver for the winter , gonna check it out...
Go to Mt Bohemia in the U.P. check that place out.
So great❤
Sad news, Bluebird closed their doors permanently this summer.
it's a cost floor, not ceiling. There almost no ceiling to speak of
Haha, woops. This is correct.
i met one of the owners of this place on a lift at copper once
Be cool if stagecoach did this and opened. I like the low (ish) entry costs to open a venue like this.
Totally agree.
Imagine hiking to still ski through someone elses tracks 🤣
Are you able to bring a snowmobile and do laps with that?
No thanks. Too much work. But you all enjoy the hell out of it.
Why would you pay for backcountry
I think they explained it early in the video. It’s mostly for people new to the backcountry. This is a more controlled way to get into the backcountry.
Yep, exactly.
To have a ski patrol safety net basically
So... pay $40 to bc ski? Sucker born every minute I suppose.
Is this on private property then? Or on forest that someone permitted? And also controlled makes it sound like you control for snow safety.
It is private land that they are leasing from the owner. They do avalanche mitigation work, but no bombing.
Sweet. Now I just need to not live in……nj
So I can go here, pay money to hike and sweat my ass off to get a run or two? You guys can sell ice to Eskimos!
Ha - no stress if it isn't your cup of tea. It can be a killer - and most importantly, safer - way to dip your toes into backcountry skiing though!
Break down that poem. It means something
Backcountry skiing should be hard to find. That’s the whole point. Keeps the kooks out.
Too bad they had to close down.
This place will be out of business in 5 years or less.
No good terrain near Steamboat? Guy has obviously never heard of Buffalo Pass.
We have sled skied all over buff pass, that comment was in the context of having steep terrain. Which, relative to Summit, it does not.
Ok so an interesting idea for sure, no shade intended but let me play devil's advocate here for a sec... Since there isn't much options for decent somewhat steeper out of bounds riding around Steamboat, doesn't this just create another money barrier to access as well as remove what used to be free backcountry access to the average person? I like the idea of working yourself safely into the backcountry setting but as if skiing/boarding wasn't an elitist thing already, now I have ppl trying to charge me to walk out into the what used to be free backcountry? And ppl wonder why the industry is in a bad place
There was no backcountry access here prior to Bluebird. It is private land that they are leasing. So, if anything, you now have access to more BC terrain than you did before Bluebird existed.
Unless it's free who cares. Many free mountains to skin up for free
skinning up Free mountains for free, wow genius!
Looks like fun terrain but a terrible business plan, no way I m paying for something I can do for free on USFS land.
Definitely not for beginners 😂
Totally for backcountry beginners! That was the main idea behind the creation of Bluebird.
So its like backcountry but you pay someone money? Neat... NOT!
It's a well known and well used place to go skinning, but now we have to pay to access the terrain? The main attraction of going Backcountry is free access. I can see the day when we'll have to pay for any convenient access to our national Forrest. Disgusting.
No. There was actually zero skinning here done before Bluebird, as it was entirely private land before Bluebird leased it and opened it to the public.