Nope, it’s not April fools — a flood took out a bridge on the east side of Indy, and it’s closed till further notice. Talk about having your spring backcountry skiing plans dashed! Not all is lost, however. Now the trick anywhere in Colorado is to look for roads that give you good access to snowline. Many of the moderate jeep trails can be good for this, such as the Pearl Pass road in the Elk Mountains. Also, Pikes Peak and Mount Evans roads should be totally open this weekend, and I’ll bet there are still good turns to be had up on Red Mountain Pass in southern Colorado.
And not to be too regional — it’s reported that corn season in the CA Sierra has been excellent for backcountry skiing, and Mount Shasta always looms on the mental horizon of any committed backcountry skier or snowboarder.
As for backcountry politics: Now is when we need the Backcountry Skier’s Alliance, to ask CDOT to open the Independence Pass Road for recreation on the Aspen side. Anyone listening?
Meanwhile, an ATV or small motorcycle would work well for travel on the gated and paved Independence Pass Road that we the public have paid our hard earned tax money to maintain and open. As far as I know, using an ATV on the “closed” Independence Pass Road is legal. Please let me know if you find out any different.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
