U.S. Forest Service to reopen Gold Hill Backcountry Gates access into Bear Creek

After five years, many meetings, much wrangling, ongoing litigation and continued pressure from the Telluride Mountain Club and other user groups, the U.S. Forest Service is re-opening the Telluride Ski Area’s Gold Hill Backcountry Access Gates on Friday, March 14, 2014. 

After years of ongoing discussions between the USFS, the Telluride Ski Area, private landowners, the San Miguel County sheriff’s office, and the Telluride Mountain Club, the USFS has come to the conclusion that their closures did not achieve the objectives they had hoped for. They would rather have people using specific access points than dropping ropes wherever and whenever.

NOT ALL THE ORIGINAL ACCESS POINTS WILL BE RE-INSTALLED.  Due to their proximity to private property, some gates will not return. Instead two will be put back in place tomorrow. The Telluride Mountain Club will be making a map of the new locations as soon as we have all the info.

One of the USFS’s main points in the closures was to fulfill their “good neighbor” policy to adjacent landowners.

The Telluride Mountain Club would like to remind skiers and boarders to be respectful of private property, of other user groups and to ski safely. Remember there are lots of us using this terrain and there is a very good chance that other parties are both in front and behind you.

Keep your party moving and keep an eye on the movements of others while skiing. THIS IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT ON THE BEAR CREEK TRAIL. Downhill traffic must yield to uphill users. Ski outside the trail to help widen it, make your presence known when rounding blind corners and CHECK YOUR SPEED!!

Let’s all be Good Neighbors and use this terrain safely and respectfully.

Oh yeah, AND RIP SOME TURNS!

Cheers from your Telluride Mountain Club!
(Are you a member?)