The rug was pulled out from underneath people, in a sense. “You could see the writing on the wall last March and April.” Numbers of skiers and boarders getting into backcountry terrain grew substantially this season. “To reflect on last spring, it was the barometer to how the winter was going to be as far as interest and density was concerned,” says Craig Gordon, forecaster for the Utah Avalanche Center. Skiers were taking to the backcountry to salvage their seasons in the same way those in quarantine were stocking up on toilet paper at Costco. Those without adequate equipment cleaned out local shops in search of beacons, shovels, probes, and touring gear.
The Colorado Department of Transportation blocked off roadside parking with snowbanks to mitigate traffic and the State Patrol gave out tickets to illegally parked cars. In a three-day period between March 27 and 30, 2020, the Utah Avalanche Center reported 30 human-triggered avalanches throughout the state. With over two months of viable ski season left across the western United States, skiers flocked to backcountry access points in ravenous hordes. When the Covid-19 pandemic shut down ski resorts in March 2020, skiers were left with two options: either hang up the skis or find a different way to access the snow. Get access to everything we publish when you
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