Today
Sunny skies during the morning giving way to clouds and a few showers late. High 67F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..
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Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Low 33F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Updated: April 6, 2021 @ 11:43 am
Esquí salvaje (sin colas ni telesilla) en las montañas de Colorado lavanguardia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lavanguardia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Lifts-off
Sales of ski-touring equipment are booming
W
HEN AMERICA’S newest ski resort opened on December 31st, Bluebird Backcountry was uniquely adapted to social-distancing measures because it lacked one thing that every other ski resort in America has: lifts. There were no queues to stand in, worrying about your neighbour breathing on you. Instead of shuttling ticket-holders up the mountain by gondola, lifts and other mechanised means, the new resort made skiers and snowboarders slide up the mountain before gliding down.
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Bluebird is part of the growing interest in backcountry skiing (or, in European resorts, “ski touring”). Not long ago, off-piste skiing was frowned on in most of the United States. Your correspondent remembers ducking under ski boundary ropes in search of untracked powder, only to have the ski patrol threaten to ban him from the resort. But even before the pandemic, backcountry skiing w
Courtesy Doug McLennan/For CPR News
Bluebird Backcountry, north of Kremmling, is dedicated entirely to the backcountry experience with no ski lodges or restaurants, or even lifts. This photo shows Bluebird Backcountry near Rabbit Ears Pass on Jan. 23, 2021.
A single skier smiled as she glided her way down an ungroomed slope, toward a group of small, temporary buildings and people huddled around fire pits. It was one of the busiest days ever for Bluebird Backcountry. Just over 150 backcountry skiers dotted the rugged terrain a fraction of the numbers seen at Colorado’s glitziest resorts.
Bluebird, which opened nearly a year ago before COVID-19 was ever detected in the state, seems tailor-made for pandemic skiing. That’s gotten the attention of a lot of new customers, many who are new backcountry converts.