By McKenna Harford Backcountry territory can be alluring for many skiers, riders, snowshoers and snowmobilers for its freedom, lack of crowds and beautiful views — and in Grand County there is no shortage of spots to check out.
A new website, GrandBackcountry.com, created by the Grand Lake Chamber and the Winter Park-Fraser Chamber, hopes to introduce more people to the county’s backcountry and educate recreationists before they head out.
“Our motivation for building the website was to make sure we’re giving people the opportunity to get info about having an adventure,” said Catherine Ross, executive director of the Winter Park-Fraser Chamber. “Also just to give people an idea that they don’t need to be afraid of it. We wanted people to understand that they could just try it.”
Ross said the new website was inspired by a recent increase in interest in backcountry adventures.
According to the Snowsports Industries America, nearly seven million skiers and riders explored the backcountry in the 2016-17 season, up 15 percent from the previous season.
She said the goal is to “expose people to all of the other great things there are to do in the winter besides downhill ski.”
“The purpose of the grant was to get people to come and visit just for backcountry adventures or extend their stay,” Ross said.
“To us this is an important part of what there is to offer here.”
The website includes information on multiple different ways to explore the backcountry, where to go and how to prepare. It was funded using two grants from the Colorado Tourism Office and the Grand County Colorado Tourism Board.
The website will continue to be updated and Ross said she hopes other experts or enthusiasts will add organic content.
Following the rising interest in backcountry activities, is the increased sales of backcountry gear. Snowsports Industries America found that alpine-touring equipment, which is often used for backcountry activities, saw sales grow 13 percent in the 2016-17 season.
Debbie Muenster, owner of Icebox Mountain Sports in Fraser, said her store has seen growth in their backcountry gear rentals. Muenster said the store recently expanded its fleet of rental skis to meet the demand.
“We used to bring in a fleet of solely backcountry skis, that would pertain more to the people going to Berthoud, but now we have a fleet of a couple different kinds of skis that a lot of people are using at the ski area,” she said. “So they’re not as wide underfoot, they’re a lot lighter, a lot easier to use.”
She also said bindings that can be used in both backcountry and resort activities have been popular.
While recreationists are free to explore backcountry areas like Berthoud Pass, Rocky Mountain National Park, Jones Pass and more, many of the resorts in the county also allow guests to adventure in their backcountry terrain through uphill access.
For example, during ski season, Winter Park Resort allows uphill access — meaning hiking up the mountain on skis instead of riding the lift up — on all of the trails …read more
Via:: Post Independent