Best back country zone in CO

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d-wiz

New member
Heading to Denver today. Will be bouncing around chasing snow for the next month. Looking for suggestions on the best 'big line' zones. Help a brother out!!
 
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Rocky Mtn National Park and Cameron Pass too but they've pretty bare I think. Haven't had a chance to go backcountry yet this season so it's just based off here-say
 
bro is right about vail pass and the san juan range if you have a sled...avy danger is insane right now though so i hope you know what youre doing...
 
best big mountain lines are for sure in southwest. Best pillowy, jibby, powder stuff is berthoud and loveland passes, if you go back pretty far.
 
Thanks for the advise... much appreciated. If anyone is up Whistler way and need advise, I'd be happy to help.

Gonna be up in Steamboat early next week. If any newschoolers are up and want to show me around I'd love it. I will provide beer!!!

Thanks
 
By "elks" i ment all of them cause they're both gnar. Vail pass is a pretty weak zone, whoever suggested that...
 
I'd have to disagree about Vail pass some pretty amazing cliff, pillow, and mini golf zones.But nothing really long and steep i guess.
 
Nothing is safe up high. Save a life and go to Silverton instead - there's nothing fun about dealing with 30+ cm of rotten depth hoar.
 
NPG is right silverton is sick check it out! if you do go don't go expecting to ski 20 runs in a day, probably more like 5, but you will get as close to a backcountry/big mountain feel as you will ever get at a ski area.
 
Skied in CB backcountry today 6-8 in of fresh, no signs of instability at/below treeline @ 30/35 degrees That depth hoar is down there though...be careful!
 
This.

This is my daily snow bible.

But seriously, CO snowpack (esp. vail/summit) is supper inconsistent and sketchy. Did some avy training the other day... pits read bad, tests read bad... just know your slope, know your exits, and know the finding ability of your buddy.
 
Been seeing the same thing, bad warming early this year and tons of rotten snow down low. Been shredding a ton of BC though, know where to go! you could get into serious trouble this year...
 
Skied Monarch Pass on Saturday, and found 65cm of sugar on the bottom. Skied 2-3' feet deep in the trees at low angle. Dug a pit facing SE at 11.7k at Berthoud Pass on Sunday, and the snowpack was god awful. Skiing above treeline or above 30 degrees in open areas and you're asking to be taken for a ride.
 
yeah dude, i skied highland's bowl on the 31st and even with the all the avy control they do there the snow was cracking/sloughing on me to the point where i had to traverse to the trees (G4 if anyone knows it) past the area I wanted to ski because i didn't feel safe skiing the inbounds line.
 
i heard a patroller at vail got into a little slide inbounds somewhere in bluesky
 
Skied Snodgrass in CB. noticed sugar at the bottom of the pit as well as a few suncrusts, and windslabs and cracking down low. Be careful and have an exit!
 
i had a slab break off on me on the north side of snodgrass, i had a good exit point tho so it wasnt too sketchy. went up and stayed in a cabin on the back side of kebler pass for new years and had over 2 feet of fresh at midnight on the first. kept to the trees and had no issues with instability while up there. it was super epic, the moon was so bright i didnt even need a head lamp.
 
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