The ultimate uphill skiing event is the Imperial Challenge, which includes a six-mile bike ride, a 3,000-foot skin/hike up the mountain and a ski down to the finish line at the base of Peak 8.
Who said Vail’s ski season is finished? The chairlifts are no longer turning at Vail or Beaver Creek, but, as we can see, there are still powder turns awaiting those willing to work for them.
- The first thing you need to ski uphill is a pair of telemark or AT skis (regular skis with bindings that lock and unlock and boots to match).
- The second accessory you need is a pair of skins – straps that stick to the base of your skis so you don’t slide backwards when you climb.
- The third and most important item would be a solid pair of lungs.
As some of us recently discovered during a hike up Vail Mountain, skiing downhill all winter doesn’t necessarily condition a person for hauling oneself up the ski runs in the springtime. Oh yes, if you want to know exactly how out-of-shape you are, skinning up the mountain is a sure-fire way to find out.
Although crews have begun pushing snow off of Vail’s service roads, we found a nice, untouched line up the Cat track leading down to Cascade and then up the slopes of Pride. Let us warn you that it’s slow going, especially on the steep areas, where we found it easier to hike up making our own switchbacks rather than straight up the steep pitch. If new snow has fallen, we recommend climbing up a snowmobile track or even someone else’s downhill line. Those uphill steps are much easier when you’re not loading up your skis with extra weight in snow.
Finally, if you’re skinning up Vail, Beaver Creek or anywhere in the backcountry and are planning on skiing down a steep area of with a vertical of 25 degrees or more, make sure you prepare for avalanche dangers.
Happy hiking!
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