A wee bit of a pre-season tour (before the resort opened) on Mt Bachelor.
A question from a reader asks about the relative safety of uphilling and touring on-piste once the resort is closed for the day. In other words, let’s ruminate on after hours safety tools for the uphillist (is this a word?).
New ski tourists come to the endeavor with a mix of readiness, ambition, elevated levels of Testosterone, which might compound all this, and, yes, caution. There may be times when it is wise to have concerns about an in-bounds tour/ski,and others when it is not. Let’s run through some of the details.
Here’s the question posed by a newish backcountry skier: Is it safe to tour solo at a resort outside normaloperating hours? Do I treat this like I’m in the backcountry (e.g., always carry a beacon/shovel/probe on me)?
We’ll answer this with the basic premise that if you feel like carrying these tools is wise, you should carry them regardless of your real and/or perceived exposure to avalanche hazards. The extra weight and volume in your pack aren’t significant. The other key item relating to all this is the question states “solo.” If you are truly alone, and certain not to run into other folks in potential avalanche terrain, and here we are referring to on-piste after hours uphilling and descending, and for some reason you are caught in a slide, your safety tools, as far as we can tell, won’t come in handy. However, a transceiver in send mode will always help with rescue/recovery.) As a rule of thumb, whether you are out touring solo in the backcountry or on-piste and have a transceiver, there is no harm in keeping the unit turned on and in send mode.
Let’s return to the question and some other items to consider. Ski areas have posted rules relating to uphill travel during and after hours. For example, uphillers are restricted to certain routes/terrain/trails at Mt. Bachelor during operating hours and after hours. Further, the mountain operations uphill policy states, “Conduct yourself as though traveling in the backcountry. Avalanche and Snow Immersion Suffocation potential exists. Carry rescue equipment, practice safe travel and deep snow safety techniques and always travel with a partner.”
Snow immersion is a real threat in the trees. The inclusion of that language isn’t just for legal disclaimer purposes. We’ve also never known an uphiller, at least during operating hours, having their pack inspected to ensure proper safety gear is in tow. (Although some mighty big and heavy-looking packs are carried on the uphill route—maybe some folks are completing a prescribed Uphill Athlete workout for Denali season?)
Further dissecting the question, the word safe screams out. Any type of touring can be potentially unsafe, some more than others. In some on-piste zones, avalanche mitigation does not occur after operating hours. If the ski area in question allows travel in terrain that is even remotely prone to avalanches, or the skin track exposes one to overhead hazards, by all means, carry the safety gear: you might need help, or you might come across an accident scene and need to assist with a rescue. Even disregarding avalanche concerns, it’s after hours, anything can happen. Be prepared. Have a mindset and a safety tool kit specific to your understanding of the terrain.
We often refrain from making general, broad, and prescriptive statements, except for lightweight bindings and high-range-of-motion boots, which are preferable for touring. That said, many of us here at THR solo tour in the backcountry and on-piste after hours for fitness. None of it, on-piste or not, after hours or not, is 100% safe. But, certainly, some situations are safer than others. The big upside of going uphilling on-piste after hours is the absence of downhill skiers and avoiding the physics that are decidedly not in your favor in instances when you are skinning up and there’s a collision. Further, if you are lucky, you might find some peace and see a Sierra Fox scamper across a slope. Solo touring can be excellent.
Let’s close this out. The question said nothing of “sidecountry” or out-of-bounds-skiing. In those instances, we consider terrain outside controlled on-piste zones backcountry. We’ve seen the term “sidecountry” used by ski media this season. Our thinking here at THR is that there is no “sidecountry.” If you duck a rope, pass through a backcountry-zone-access gate, or in any way, shape, or form access unmitigated terrain from a ski resort, carry your safety tools, know how to use them, and be heads up. It is the backcountry.
After hours terrain that is groomed is likely safe terrain considering avalanches. Have a charged cell phone, and if cell coverage is spotty, a charged In-Reach type device for emergencies. Then go and get your heart rate on.
Opinions and situations we may have not considered are welcome in the comments.
