Last month the New York Times ran a story called “Uphill Skiing: Subtract Crowds and Lift Lines, Add Cardio.” In the piece, Nick Sargent, president of SnowSports Industries America, said “Skinning and ski touring is the fastest-growing segment in the industry…“The numbers are small, but they’re growing exponentially.” The piece goes on to discuss Aspen’s apparent plan to make itself into the “uphill recreation destination of North America,” with plenty of designated uphill routes originating right in downtown Aspen. We’ve even covered Bluebird Backcountry, a human-powered, no-lifts resort that will open in the next few years in central Colorado (For reference, here is a list of Colorado ski areas and their policies regarding uphill trail access).
Some resorts, it seems, are looking at ways to generate revenue from the burgeoning interest in backcountry skiing among more skiers. In October, Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin announced they’d be charging $30 for a season pass to skin or splitboard up the resort’s trails, citing that they’d given out 10,000 passes in recent years to skiers looking to avoid lifts and that there’s a lot of work involved in maintaining that access. This practice—charging for uphill access, is growing, from Colorado to Maine.
Other resorts allow uphill access during off-hours. Some ban the practice entirely.
The resorts that charge skiers to skin on the property they manage often point out that the skiers may not be using lifts, but they are often using groomed trails, are looked after by ski patrol in the event of an accident, and generally enjoy amenities provided for paying lift users while on the resort property. It’s also worth pointing out that Nordic skiers are used to paying for trail access without lifts. It’s standard practice and costs a heck of a lot more to ski groomed xc trails than $30 per season.
Some skiers who chafe at the idea of a resort charging point out that if a resort is on public lands, they have no right to charge skiers for skinning up trails. The skiers are simply accessing lands they have a right to be on.
As the Times article illustrates, this is likely to become more of a concern for ski resorts and skiers in coming years, as the practice continues to grow in popularity.
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Photo: DVS
A small fee to groom the trails, provide ski patrol, and more importantly avalanche control doesn’t sound bad at all. I know quite a few new mom’s and the risk averse that do a lot of “fitness skinning” cause they don’t want to go in the backcountry. I know they would be happy to pay a few bucks for piece of mind. Heck, I’d pay a few dollars too when the avy danger is super high.
Was going to try that this year…was wondering how access was handled. I have seen plenty of runners and snow shoe folks using the hill, never saw any passes on them. As a downhill skier, I never minded them being there…in fact I always enjoyed seeing other folks enjoying themselves and the surroundings.
WildSnow just posted an article about many of these things today (intentional timing?):
https://www.wildsnow.com/27319/resort-uphill-skiing-a-right-or-privilege/#more-27319
That’s a great piece, but nope! We’ve been planning this one since Arapahoe announced their decision to charge a fee back in late October.
I have a few questions:
Do you currently have to pay an entrance pass to just be present at any results? Public or private?
What are other FS lease holder’s rights to restrict access? Ie. Camps, cabin lots, etc.
There is a fairness aspect to using benefits and amenities. Development isn’t free. And we should try not to needlessly upset the standard use of a space.
But also, resorts on public lands should respect their benefit of using the land by prioritizing public access in reasonable ways.
i would like my home hill to create a safe inbounds uphill route (currently no inbounds uphill allowed)
it’s good exercise
no avy class needed
and it reduces crowding on the lifts (given parking capped per allowed capacity)
The ski resorts are outlaying a ton of $ for operating their businesses, whether on public or private lands. Taking advantage of their infrastructure shouldn’t be “free”. There are plenty of public lands to skin on without going on resort slopes if you really don’t want to pay. If you’re concerned about safety, then either learn up, or buck up.
My local ski hill, where I am a season pass holder bans uphill travel at all times on their USFS leases property.
It would seem to be fair to allow paying users (me!) travel uphill on designated routes on public lands.
They cite liability concerns but I’ve already signed the waiver, easily modified to include provision for uphilling and associated rules.
Tahoe basin resorts are slow to catch on that this is the “new” thing to offer a differentiated experience to their guests…
I’ve discussed this extensively with the owner of my local ski hill. Along with climate change, up-hilling was the hottest topic at the Ski Area Industry Conference last year. His policy is to allow it after-hours, but wants us to stay off the freshly groomed runs (ski the trees or un-groomed runs instead). He banned it for a few days leading up to opening day this year to save the pow “for the paying customers”. Unfortunately, many ignored the ban. It’s a safe (avy-free), efficient way to enjoy skinning. Better than staying indoors on the stepper machine when the avy conditions are high, or you can’t find a partner to go with you BC skiing. The plowed parking lot is another benefit. You can skin right from your vehicle.
My home mountain currently allows uphill access for free on designated routes (and there are a lot of them!). It’s awesome and a lot of people (myself included) take advantage of the policy. But I wouldn’t mind seeing them charging for day use if you don’t already have a lift access season pass or having an “uphill only” season pass for a reasonable fee.
Free parking, free bathrooms, free places to warm up, free grooming, free avalanche mitigation, free patrol… someone is paying for all that stuff. There are plenty of “free” uphill options (backcountry) without all the amenities the resort offers if you don’t wanna pay for them.
I’m an on-piste and Nordic season pass holder and a 30 year veteran of backcountry/ski mountaineering. If the point of uphill skiing is to get away from lift lines and busy areas why do people want to skin on groomed trails? Because it’s easier than breaking trail? Because there’s no need to acquire backcountry skills? At my local area skinning has become a scene to be seen. uphill snowshoers were the precursors to uphill skiers at ski areas. This too shall pass. I’d vote for being able to skin before/after the mountain closes on designated trails that don’t have winch cats and snowmaking. A safer situation if you can’t get out during the daylight.
I don’t understand why anyone would skin during day operations either. I haven’t seen any of that at my local hill. Early morning or evening make sense because it’s good before or after work exercise. Also, depending on storm timing you might get “first tracks” on the way down. Pre-season it gives backcountry skiers a safe place to get their quads in shape for the season. Most ski areas are easy to drive to, and have little if any avy terrain.
My local hill is of national forest land and doesn’t allow uphill access (they also run a cat-access operation and I think they try and preserve fresh conditions for that) but I’m curious about the legality of barring access for certain uses.
Otherwise, I’m all for paying a small fee for the ski patrol and avy watch, especially on private resorts.
The biggest danger is entering the backcountry without the awareness of prevalent avalanche conditions and confidence with your equipment. Use resort time to get comfortable with you AT gear, and take an avy class or two get the foundations of understanding avy conditions.
So many mountains to use that gear in surrounding the ski hill. Ban it and HELP them to utilize the gear it for what it was designed for….they’ll appreciate you for it in the long run……seriously :)–
I think paying is very reasonable and at rates mentioned in the article! What you pay in the access fee you gain by having dangers removed, ski patrol etc – also would you still need to carry a beacon, shovel, probe, etc in a more front country scenario?
My other question, having not skinned at a resort – do those going up hill stay way to the side? how are they not a risk to those going down in the middle of the hill. Just curious how it all works in reality.
It seems to me that most, it not all, skiers would be adamantly opposed to snowmobiles ripping around a ski area, but by the public land argument I should be able to take my snowmobile out for a rip at a ski area because it is my land. I think this is probably why special use permits exist – the permit holder gets some amount of rights to regulate how the land is used.
As for the practical aspect: with the number of uphillers increasing, it seems prudent for ski areas to designate routes for the safety of uphill and downhill skiers. I guess whether or not they charge can be up to the resort.
My local ski hill on USFS land allows 24 hour access to a very small area and during business hours has a designated uphill route. All this is free. All in all it seems pretty fair to me. I wouldn’t mind paying a small fee for the services I use (parking, restrooms, grooming, patrol, etc.) I would like to see them allow expanded 24 hour access.
I think public vs private land plays a role; obviously, private land/owners can shut it down. Public land should be unrestricted. Also, if banning during lift service hours for safety, than early morning and late evenings should be at your own risk. If your ultimate goal is backcountry touring, I think that there’s benefit to training and getting used to your setup by skinning the resort.
This remind me of when the ski resort I spent my gromming years (90’s) at had a “no kicker” policy. Patrol would find our jumps and knock them down!
A small fee for uphill pass seems reasonable. Avalanche mitigation is the plus, as well as quick vert. for training purposes. This is the primary purpose I think most people are traveling uphill on a resort. One does not get to “ski the resort”, riding lifts etc. without an actual pass…it is often an efficient way to squeeze in some vert, in relatively safe terrain.