Berthoud Pass Backcountry Skiing

Been a long time since I have logged into this site. I got pointed here from some old climbing buddies.

Yes Berthoud Pass has nice skiing. Not only is it a great spot in Colorado, but it is a great spot anywhere. There is a lot you can do there with a great bang for you buck ratio. Climb 400 vertical feet get 1k vertical down. Hitch hiking is part of the game on the pass.

All that said, we have a continental snow pack in Colorado. It's thin in comparison to places like California, Washington, Utah. We get a lot of faceting in the snow pack which creates weak layers for snow to slide on. The avalanche danger is no joke. You should know how to recognize avalanche terrain and how to mitigate those dangers. At minimum you should be carrying a beacon, shovel, and probe along with a partner who has the same. Both of you should know how to use this gear. If the worst case scenario happens, your buddy is your only hope. If you call for search and rescue, the buried person is dead. This is just the reality of it. Even if you dig someone out quickly, there is a good chance they died from trauma getting buried. The best thing is to not get caught in the first place. Which is what every seasoned backcountry user strives for. We carry the avalanche gear every day planning on not needing it. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

If you don't know what you are looking for, a foot can make the difference in getting caught in a slide or being in a perfectly safe spot.

If you haven't already check out an awareness class. Friends of Berthoud Pass has several free avalanche awareness classes offered through out the metro area. You can check out the schedule here.

The class runs about two hours and you'll learn about the basics of backcountry travel. Avalanche mechanics, gear your carry, the basic uses, terrain recognition, and avoidance. We also offer an on snow weekend January 21, 22 that we take people out on the pass and go over what was taught in the class in the field. This is also free. Keep in mind this does not replace a formal Level 1 avalanche class, which I recommend to anyone who really wants to do this.

There are also other programs out there that serve as an introduction and some education. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center runs Know Before You Go. It is a shorter presentation and no on snow component.
KYBG Link

Backcountry skiing/riding is a ton of fun. Like rock climbing, you need to learn how to do it safely and invest in a little bit of gear. Take a little time on the front end to learn about it.

Feel free to PM me or post some questions here, I will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge.

This thread makes me really appreciate the Coastal Mountains in BC. Near freezing=stable

Bill Kirby wrote:This thread makes me really appreciate the Coastal Mountains in BC. Near freezing=stable

Not to disagree with you, but there are still problematic dangers in the coastal rangers. There are two avalanche related deaths this year. One is in California, which is most definitely a coastal snow pack, and the other is in Montana. Which can vary from coast like conditions to more intermountain conditions.

If you look at avalanche deaths for the US last year, coastal states are well represented.

avalanche.org/accidents.php…

Having a fair amount of experience riding in both coastal and continental climates, I can say different types of snow packs just bring different problems. So yes, in a lot of ways, BC coastal mountains are easier to deal with, but they are plenty tricky.

Just received this from CAIC. Take a minute to really let the numbers below sink in and consider the fact that it's ONLY December 14th. At this rate if these types of numbers continue this could be a very bad year. Always consider your family and friends when making decisions in the backcountry.

In the past 8 days there have been 22 reported human triggered avalanches in Colorado. Of those, 14 people have been caught and 4 have been fully buried. Fortunately, no one has been seriously injured or worse. Additionally, there have been 2 fatal avalanche accidents in other western states. Areas where the snowpack is similar to what we have in Colorado.

The forecast is calling for more snow and wind over the next 5 days and with that we expect dangerous avalanche conditions to persist.

This looks like a good place to post my question. I took my AIARE I class last year, and just want to do some beacon practice this year. I thought some ski resorts have "beacon parks" where you can practice beacon search, but I haven't been able to find any info. Does anyone know if such "beacon park" exist close to Denver?

killclimbz wrote: Not to disagree with you, but there are still problematic dangers in the coastal rangers. There are two avalanche related deaths this year. One is in California, which is most definitely a coastal snow pack, and the other is in Montana. Which can vary from coast like conditions to more intermountain conditions. If you look at avalanche deaths for the US last year, coastal states are well represented. avalanche.org/accidents.php… Having a fair amount of experience riding in both coastal and continental climates, I can say different types of snow packs just bring different problems. So yes, in a lot of ways, BC coastal mountains are easier to deal with, but they are plenty tricky.

I wrote the Coastal mountains in British Columbia. The avy conditions are generally much safer than Colorado. That's all. No need to pick apart my comment.

Oh and sorry for the thread drift... unless you plan to head to Whistler or the Duffy :)

aikibujin wrote:This looks like a good place to post my question. I took my AIARE I class last year, and just want to do some beacon practice this year. I thought some ski resorts have "beacon parks" where you can practice beacon search, but I haven't been able to find any info. Does anyone know if such "beacon park" exist close to Denver?

a basin used to have one, but i dont think they do anymore. you're best bet is to get some friends and just practice together!

aikibujin wrote:This looks like a good place to post my question. I took my AIARE I class last year, and just want to do some beacon practice this year. I thought some ski resorts have "beacon parks" where you can practice beacon search, but I haven't been able to find any info. Does anyone know if such "beacon park" exist close to Denver?

yes, keystone has one almost directly next to where you pay to get on the snowcat, i forget the name. in my experience, its the best beacon park of the Vail resorts. its tough to find if you don't know what you're looking for, which is basically a roped off area with a small yellow box by the gate. the box has a series of switches each for a beacon buried in the snow within the roped in area. flip one switch to practice single rescues and multiple switches to practice multi victim.

btw, Google knows where all the beacon parks are. and so does the snow patrol fellers.

Obviously my Google-fu is weak, but I didn't find anything. I also don't know how to find ski patrol in backcountry.
google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#safe…

Still, thanks for the info.

aikibujin wrote:Obviously my Google-fu is weak, but I didn't find anything. I also don't know how to find ski patrol in backcountry. google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#safe… Still, thanks for the info.

Breck: just north of Vista Haus using Colorado Super Chair
summitdaily.com/news/brecke…

Frisch adventure park has a free one:
summitdaily.com/news/crime/…

A-Bason has one. And Keystone has one as mentioned. What I meant about asking Ski Patrol was not for a rescue in the BC but if you are in a resort and ask them where the beacon park is, they will tell you how to get there.

I'm just grumpy because I have a cold. I'll look into the Frisco Adventure Park if their beacon park is open. I don't plan to go to a resort this year, so that may be my best option. Thanks again.

aikibujin wrote:Obviously my Google-fu is weak, but I didn't find anything. I also don't know how to find ski patrol in backcountry.

if you get hurt or need help, SAR is always there :)

aikibujin wrote:I'm just grumpy because I have a cold. I'll look into the Frisco Adventure Park if their beacon park is open. I don't plan to go to a resort this year, so that may be my best option. Thanks again.

I've went out with friends to a big field that's has a sight incline and tracked out. Everyone takes turns grabbing two beacons, put them in two packs and bury them in two different spots.

The only thing is you need some friends. You don't go out in the Backcountry alone so..

Take this avalanche map with you when you go. It lists all of the known, frequent slide paths. If you avoid those, you should be fine.

avalanchemapping.org/images…

As you may know, there is a nice warming hut at the top of the pass now where the old ski lodge once was. The runs at Berthoud were once chair lift served, but all of that old equipment has been removed now. That's what makes it such a good area.

aikibujin wrote: I also don't know how to find ski patrol in backcountry.

just tap your ruby slippers three times

Stich wrote:Take this avalanche map with you when you go. It lists all of the known, frequent slide paths. If you avoid those, you should be fine. avalanchemapping.org/images… As you may know, there is a nice warming hut at the top of the pass now where the old ski lodge once was. The runs at Berthoud were once chair lift served, but all of that old equipment has been removed now. That's what makes it such a good area.

I can't seem to find it, but I ran across a PDF last year of the snow report / avalanche history of the resort. Really good information on what slopes go and HOW they go. Like "the roll" for instance didn't go often, but when it did it ripped to the ground and there have been several fatalities there. I'll keep digging.

Found this though for you history buffs. fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr0…

It is a nice warming hut at the top but sometimes it smells a little funny.

Heading out for some hawt-laps in the AM if anyone wants to join:

adventure.gociety.com/plans…

Edit: By "anyone", I mean anyone who is psyched, level headed and has the 4 Avy essentials.

J Antin wrote:Heading out for some hawt-laps in the AM if anyone wants to join: adventure.gociety.com/plans… Edit: By "anyone", I mean anyone who is psyched, level headed and has the 4 Avy essentials.

Was out there this am and posted snow conditions to MCR if you're interested. We skiied low angle terrain on the E/SE aspect. It made for some pretty good turns.

Nice...might have to hit it up saturday if I don't go to eldora.