Resort restrictions may unleash a flood of new users into the backcountry next winter
When ski resorts closed in March due to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, many skiers would not be deterred from getting their turns. With unused season pass days snatched away, they took to the backcountry to get their skiing fix. Out-of-bounds dabblers and novices joined the dedicated backcountry skiers and showed up at trailheads in droves.
With the influx of backcountry traffic came trailhead crowding and parking issues, skier-triggered avalanches, new strategies from avalanche centers, and more than a little outrage from those choosing to abstain from the backcountry.