Bluebird Backcountry Is Expanding As Uphill Skiing Is Expected To Explode During Coronavirus

The state's first-ever human-powered, backcountry ski area hosted hundreds of skiers last spring. Bluebird Backcountry will open for the entire season in a new location near Kremmling in December. (Shondia Houtzer, Special to The Colorado Sun)

The uphill-only ski area outside Kremmling, Colorado, is expanding to 1,200 acres for its second season with an emphasis on providing a safer experience and avalanche education.

Erik Lambert and Jeff Woodward are expanding their Bluebird Backcountry uphill-only ski area into a full season with 1,200 acres on Bear Mountain north of Kremmling.

After a 14-day test season last spring drew more than 1,000 skier visits to Bluebird Backcountry’s innovative lift-free, backcountry-lite ski area, Woodward and Lambert will offer 62 days of skiing between December and March. They have reached a deal with the same ranch owner who hosted them this spring, with three times as much terrain and an area for overnight camping. 

Their season-long offering of Colorado’s first uphill-only, human-powered ski area arrives as resorts across the country announce plans to manage lift-accessed crowds during the pandemic using limited sales of day tickets and even mandatory reservations. Lambert and Woodward used reservations last year to control crowds. They’ll do the same this season, capping visits at 200 a day.

 Read the full story at ColoradoSun.com