I went solo skiing today at Keystone, which was honestly the best way I could have spent it. The snow was good, especially later in the day, the sun was out, and considering it was a weekend, it wasn’t crowded at all.
I have been feeling more confident this season as things improved, and decided to go explore the back country. I did some research the night before, so I gave myself a window into how to do it well, and safely.
Back country skiing, or skiing outside of bounds, isn’t popular. For one reason, you have to know what you’re doing, and everything is at a minimum black. It’s also somewhat more dangerous, no patrols and no grooming means that the snow is wild, and major obstacles are unmarked. But the biggest reason as to why it’s unpopular is that it requires some hard yakka.
From the top of the lift to the start of the run, it’s a 45 minute walk. In snow boots. Holding skis and poles. Up hill. By the time I was at the start line, I needed a good five or so minutes just to catch my breath and bring my quads back to life.
The rewards are there though. You get consistent powder runs, because only those who walk get them. Plus you make buddies on the way. Rule 1 is never ski alone out back, so I ended up going down with two cool cats who knew a trick or two. Finally, there is something pretty neat being at the top of the summit. The views are top [see below].
Like most things in life, returns are diminishing, so I was one and done on the back country. 1 run per hour is a bad ratio, and the thought of climbing up again wasn’t for me.
But I’ll definitely be hitting up more runs outside the gates this season or next.
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