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Show B-8 The Park Record Continued from B-7 State aims for safety Post your best shots on Instagram with the hashtag: #ParkCityPics and we’ll put the best ones in The Park Record! Fey likes the way the campaign is organized, with a focus starting before people head into the backcountry, then attention to how to behave while in the backcountry and finally a spotlight on how to minimize the impact of recreation. “Before, during and afterwards,” Fey said. “We want people out there to be safe, aware and respectful of their surroundings.” Fey’s office has spent several years bringing together businesses and groups that all work within the broad realm of outdoor recreation. Colorado’s outdoor recreation office was among the first in the nation, sparking a growing recognition of the economic, cultural and political power of conservation and recreation. The partnerships formed in the Colorado safety campaign could linger beyond this season, Fey said, perhaps as a vehicle for protecting public lands and improving access to the outdoors. The new Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative — signed by Polis on Oct. 30 at the opening of the new Fishers Peak State Park — aligns state agencies in a mission to balance recreation and conservation. And Fey hopes the safety program galvanizes the winter backcountry community around a common message of education, safety and preparedness. “We have all these agencies doing really complementary work and this illustrates how strong our shared strategies can be going forward,” Fey said. “I hope this becomes a standard for how backcountry users prepare for their trips and prepare themselves personally, and really step up and represent the best of their industry.” The U.S. Forest Service also has been involved in shaping the messaging for the new Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, December 12-15, 2020 campaign. “This is not just a Forest Service issue. This is a Colorado issue,” said Don Dressler, who manages the Forest Service’s ski resort program in the Rocky Mountain Region. “Really, this is all hands on deck.” Dressler is working with resorts on revised uphill policies that allow skiers a chance to climb on snow without exposure to avalanche risk in the true backcountry. He’s working with outfitters and guides to accommodate increased avalanche education. For example, Dressler said, the agency is expanding permits to allow midweek education classes as well as weekends and looking at “non-traditional” locations for avalanche educators to host clinics and on-snow events. “Everything is on the table,” he said. Changes to uphilling at ski resorts In March, when Polis ordered all ski resorts to close, skiers scoured backcountry ski shops and started earning their turns, many flocking to the snowy slopes of the shuttered resorts. As crowds grew, most ski areas quickly closed down uphill access. “So much was unknown in March and April,” Dressler said. “We were building the plane as we were flying it. Now we know a little bit more and we recognize that outdoor recreation has a lot of benefits for mental health and physical health during the pandemic and we are looking for ways to maintain access to the outdoors in partnership with our resort partners.” Resorts are beginning to announce uphill policies and most are asking users to pay a fee. Some resorts, like Steamboat and Winter Park, are donating portions of that fee to local search and rescue teams. Resorts that have long-established uphill rules with designated routes and a robust community of climbers — like Aspen Snowmass — are continuing to allow pretty much unfettered uphill traffic. But most resorts are limiting uphill access with new rules that prohibit skinning during operating hours and often requiring special passes. It’s hard to have a one-size-fits-all uphill policy for ski resorts, Dressler said. “It’s very site specific,” he said. “Uphill access and downhill at a busy ski area does not mix well. But we have heard the public and we understand they are looking at opportunities to get outside and use the national forest so we want to work with permit holders to make sure we can do it safely.” Even modest restrictions on uphill travel are being warily eyed by search and rescue teams. Skinning on groomed runs helps skiers develop technical skills before venturing into riskier terrain. Skinning at a resort is like a climbing gym; a safe place to practice. “Maybe one of the unintended consequences of the limitations is that it might send more people into the true backcountry,” said Andy Wiener with the Routt County Search and Rescue, where Steamboat ski area last week announced a new uphill policy that prohibits skinning during operating hours and requires users to obtain a $20 pass. “I understand it could potentially avoid problems with people skiing down, but it’s going to drive more people over to Buff Pass and those other areas where it’s easier to get into trouble.” Colorado Parks and Wildlife counted record traffic at its state parks this summer, which is reason to celebrate, Truitt said. But at the same time the state’s parks saw a record 32 drowning deaths, up from the previous high of 24 last year. And winter recreation in Colorado’s mountains carries greater risks than summer play. “There are so many downsides to 2020 and the pandemic and what it’s done, but one of the really positive things that I hope we continue to see is people connecting to the outdoors. In our darkest hours, nature showed up,” Truitt said. “Our hope is that if we can get people to just take some small steps, we can really reduce the potential danger and increase their outdoor enjoyment.” The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported news organization dedicated to covering the people, places and policies that matter in Colorado. Read more, sign up for free newsletters and subscribe at coloradosun.com. |