Backcountry Ski Adventure in the San Juan Mountains

Embark on a backcountry skiing adventure in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, learning avalanche safety, snow science, and winter survival skills while skiing under expert guidance. Stay at Red Mountain Lodge and practice reading terrain, managing risk, and traveling safely. Participants also contribute to cooking and cleaning duties. Open to those who can ski blue and black runs, this Winterim fosters outdoor leadership, teamwork, and resilience.

Day 1

….And we’re off! The Backcountry Ski Group had a great first day. After a thorough gear check to make sure we’re prepared for our epic ski adventure, we had an awesome zoom call with Joel Gratz, founder and owner of OpenSnow, the legendary weather forecasting app. We had a fascinating discussion about forecasting with Joel and he was kind enough to give us the detailed pinpoint weather outlook for our trip. Good news…there will be powder! We spent the afternoon taking a beautiful hike up Mount Sanitas to get the blood flowing. We shove off for Ouray, Co bright and early on Sunday Morning! Student and teachers are very excited.

Day 2

The 7 hour drive to southern Colorado was smooth and uneventful; some might’ve even called it “fun”! We arrived in Ouray, aka “The Switzerland of America” around 3:00p and went straight to the San Juan Mt Guide shop where we were fitted for our alpine touring ski equipment. We then checked into our hotel before heading for the healing waters of the Ouray Hot Springs where a warm soak was just what the doctor ordered. We shared some hearty laughs over a delicious meal at The Gold Belt before retreating to our hotel to get some rest. Up and at ‘em early tomorrow morning as we head up Red Mt. Pass to begin our high altitude adventure. Woo Hoo!

Day 3

The crew was up early this morning to meet the guides at the shop in town. We picked up our skis and had an awesome class covering the nine different types of avalanche problems, before making the trek to the summit of Red Mt. Pass. With instructions from our guides, the group made the short ski tour to Red Mt Alpine Lodge, our amazing new home for the next 4 nights. Tucked into the forest at 11,000 feet, this place is truly spectacular. We quickly dropped some things at the lodge before heading out for our first climb and ski of the trip. We headed back to the lodge after a fun, but windy, run where the students quickly settled in over some cards and many laughs. After a delicious dinner, more games were played and many more laughs were had. Everyone will sleep well tonight. Looking forward to the forecasted snow tomorrow!

Day 4

It was a stellar day in the Red Mt. Pass backcountry with our intrepid crew. After a delicious pancake breakfast we stayed in the lodge for great class on avalanche forecasting and route planning. The students were engaged and asked some great questions. We then put on our layers and headed out into the storm! As we started skinning the wind was whipping and the snow was blowing sideways. The group handled it like pros and by the time we reached the top of our climb the wind had calmed and the sun came out! Our hard work was rewarded with glorious powder turns under a bluebird sky. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending how you look at it) the sun was only temporary and the snow picked up again shortly after that. We put our climbing skins back on and headed back up the mountain. About 1,000 vertical feet later with the valley far below us, we got ready for the downhill again. With heavy snow falling, we were treated to deep fluffy powder turns all the way down. The smiles, laughs, and general stoke left us all grateful for this awesome experience. We headed back to the lodge with giant grins on our faces and cozied up to the fire with tons of new stories to share. Can’t wait to do it all again tomorrow!

Day 5

It was another phenomenal day for the backcountry ski group! Our winter wonderland continued today as we woke up to chilly morning and a foot of new snow! After reviewing the avalanche and weather forecast, we headed out into the cold for an amazing class on companion avalanche rescue. Our knowledgeable and talented guides walked us through the process step by step and led us through several mock burial scenarios. The students were awesome and were totally engaged despite the cold temps. Following the class we headed inside for lunch and to make a plan for the afternoon. Half of group decided on a shorter skiing objective near the lodge and to build a jump, while the others opted for a longer tour back up the mountain in search of the fresh snow. The sun came out and both groups were treated to incredible snow. Gnar was shredded and pow was slayed. To say it was incredible would be an understatement. Although our bodies are tired, we are excited for one more amazing day of skiing in this powder skiers paradise!

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