Late season backcountry skiing near Aspen? Look out for these popular pitfalls

While avalanche danger is decreasing in the Roaring Fork Valley, it doesn’t mean it’s gone, and neither are the other traps people often get caught by.

Almost all the remaining backcountry skiing this late in the season is going to be at the highest elevations, and most of that requires an extensive approach and exit over asphalt, dirt, and creeks. If you want to access backcountry terrain, ensure you have proper avalanche and wilderness training, and go out with other trained individuals. Always ensure you have knowledge of the area and the avalanche and weather forecasts. 

The idea that with late season comes steeper skiing doesn’t always ring true. Depending on the time of day and the temperature, wet avalanches are still very likely. Often people get caught in the summit fever trap where, after putting in the effort and time to reach the slope, they will decide to ski despite the apparent danger. Being aware of the avalanche danger before skiing and having the knowledge to be able to assess the snow on-site is an important skill to have in the backcountry.

“The best way to kind of reduce the threat from wet avalanche activity is to stick by the mantra: Start early, and end early,” Colorado Avalanche Information Center Deputy Director Brian Lazar said.

This still depends on the aspect of the terrain; east facing slopes get sun earlier and warm up quicker, making the chance of avalanche activity higher on east-facing slopes quicker than on the west-facing slope. You must descend earlier on an east-facing slope to avoid avalanches, whereas you might have more time if you’re skiing a north or west-facing slope. 

“If you’re going to try and ski something that’s east facing, you want to be descending by 10 o’clock in the morning,” Lazar said. “If it’s west facing, it’s not going to catch sun until 11 o’clock, so you might be able to push it to noon or even 1 o’clock.”

At this point in the season, especially once Independence Pass opens, skiers will flock to peaks like Blarney and Twining as well as the Geissler Mountains and Independence Mountain. Much of the north facing aspects along the pass — including the Fourth of July Bowl — will see more traffic especially as the season begins to progress. A lot of 14ers become skiable, including Pyramid and Conundrum. Montezuma Basin will also continue to see skiers almost as late as August as the snow takes more time to melt. The Highlands Bowl remains a popular destination, as does the backside of Snowmass Ski Area.

As the sun hits the snow, another major point of instability is cornices. What happens is snow slowly melts the bottom of the cornice, making it much more vulnerable to collapse. Special care must be taken from both below and especially on the ridgeline above the cornice. This, again, can be mitigated to some extent by starting early before the snow begins to thaw out.

“To manage the cornice threat, essentially you give them a fairly wide berth,” Lazar said. “Don’t spend too much time hanging around like underneath them. When you’re traveling on ridge lines, give the edge of the cornice way more room than you think it might need.”

Besides avalanche danger, inclement snow conditions are also a factor to look out for. Both variable snow coverage and the condition of the snow itself have to be considered. Creek crossings can become big problems incredibly quickly. Not only do skiers risk falling in with less snow, but frozen snow that you cross in the morning might not support your weight when you try crossing it again once it has warmed.

“Some places it can be several feet deep, and then 25 feet down the mountain, it can be super thin,” Sydney Leech, a backcountry skier with multiple 14er descents to her name, said. “Then you hit a shark or rock sticking out, and that’s bad.”

With the constant melting and freezing, the snow can also get crusted over and cause problems of its own.

“The snow can get rotten underneath where it has a crust on top that seems firm, but once it warms up, you can break through that crust,” Sal Malone, a backcountry skier who’s spent a lot of time in local terrain said. “That can be dangerous, too; it can make you fall in a weird, unpredictable way.”

Before you venture out, you should consider several main things. The weather and avalanche forecast can tell you what to expect in terms of conditions you’ll be facing and what aspects and areas might be safer than others. Another factor to consider is the temperature and cloud coverage the night before your adventure. Colder temperatures with no cloud cover lead to more frozen snow, meaning the snow will stay frozen longer into the day.

“What I’m watching during the spring is, what are the nighttime lows looking like?” Lazar asked. “How much cloud cover do we have? What are the daytime highs, and how much sunshine are we going to expect tomorrow? That will determine the timing of my objective.”

Some popular websites to check the weather forecast are: mountain-forecast.com and forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=39.19&lon=-106.8182

It is also important to fully read and understand the avalanche forecast for your area on the CAIC website found here: avalanche.state.co.us/.