Keystone Acess Gate

[creative nickname]

Felt like skiing crappy conditions yesterday and went to key-rock. I saw a sign for a back country access gate. The only thing I could find on the interweb was on skinet.com (http://www.skinet.com/skiing/resorts/keystone) and wasn't too helpful. Talked about Independence mountain and "cliff bands, cornices, and glades" (oh my)

Anyone know anything about it?

[willmtbike4food]

Here's a larger version of that map: http://www.powdertravel.com/ski_area..._trail_map.jpg

As for what lies beyond, can't comment - I haven't skied there since they've opened the gate. Always wondered what the point of one would be though, as I thought the land was protected by law (I think for some Pika or something)?

[creative nickname]

Looking at the quad map, it seems that you can ski out to montezuma road but I am not sure about the rivers/creeks in the area and if they are crossable to get out to the road. Hoping one of us has skied back there before and could enlighten us on if it is worth it.

[catfishjon]

it is pretty cool terrain. (it is steeper than anything inbounds although that is not saying anything) it is a long haul out there from the lifts. you can ski down to zuma if you know where you are going.
FYI there is not an actual "gate".

[reidhresko]

way thin right now back there on the way out to zuma. and, yes it is a long tour w/ a fair amount of skinning from keystone. also, there are a few choice spots that are now off-limits with the keystone cat tours. i have skied back there a bunch and honestly, most days that this area is good, you can find the same snow/terrain with less work. plus, must set up shuttle.

[catfishjon]

way thin right now back there on the way out to zuma. and, yes it is a long tour w/ a fair amount of skinning from keystone. also, there are a few choice spots that are now off-limits with the keystone cat tours. i have skied back there a bunch and honestly, most days that this area is good, you can find the same snow/terrain with less work. plus, must set up shuttle.

just curious, what areas are off limits?

[powder_prophet]

Nothing is off-limits that is cat terrain. You can hike and ski all of it. What is off limits is just down valley from independence bowl, like the main gut line of Independence proper, which does get skied fairly regularly without consequence and is a great run when the snow is good (the only really great alpine ski in the Keystone area! Legit, though "off-limits"). As well, if you ski the trees off the right side boundary of Spring Dipper, which are fun tree runs though pretty flat, they are technically off-limits if you continue down valley to the Zuma road (which is a terrible idea, so it doesn't even matter).

The backcountry gate accesses some decent terrain off the backside. It can be a fun ski down through the old Sts. John town and down to the road. Nothing too incredible, but a fun adventure nonetheless. There are some easily avoidable, but very touchy avy zones up there. The shallow snowpack makes for extra sketchy pockets. Be careful.

[creative nickname]

The trees near spring dipper are off limits as a sensitive wildlife area. The topo looks nice down to st. John but definitely would have to park a car there as I dont think there is much traffic to hitch hike back to the parking lot.

If anyone is interested in trying later this season let me know. I'll bump the tread maybe after the new year to see if anyone wants to make a run at it.

[treeskier]

has anyone tried the catskiing operation there?

[Name Redacted]

Top is good, lower trees are a lot of work getting out of.

[summit]

YOU MUST ACCESS FROM NORTH PEAK. ACCESS FROM THE MAIN PEAK IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED.

The whole point of side country is that it is supposed to be easy access to good terrain. Keystone is difficult access to shitty terrain. It's a 2.5 miles skin from the lift to the access gate, then skin another 1-2mi to get to:

1. 500ft mid angle avi chutes that often have cornices. Then you get 2000ft deadfall or tiny tree choked gullies that often facet to the ground. Cover is usually thin down low and windloaded up high. (This is the worst part of the county to get messed up in short of the Wilderness)

2. Low angle yawn that is covered with sled tracks until you get a 2 mile long road. I mean low angle as in 600ft per mile for 3 miles.

Either way, it's a lot of work including a car shuttle for a lot of boring lines that are usually sketchball. I skied there a lot with Reidhresko until we both realized that 99.99% of the time you can get a way more and better skiing for less work and risk by going out any other gate in the county: A-Basin, Vail, Breck, Beav, Loveland. Shit, road laps on Loveland Pass or Vail Pass are better that Gapestone.

Copper's gate is cooler because at least you eventually get to Janet's Cabin.

[RXPXSkier]

has anyone tried the catskiing operation there?

a few years ago. it was 5 bucks a ride that gets you closer, but for better stuff you had to hike more. Happened to be there on a day that it snowed and wasnt busy. overall was it worth it? if you dont wanna walk yes.

[Pat]

I think he's asking about Indy and Bergman Bowls, not North and South Bowls.
Their KAT operation is pretty nice, but a lot of it depends on who is in your group. As with nearly any snowcat operation you only go as hard as your group's worst skier.
We had some great runs, but nothing better than many backcountry runs I've had. The nice part about it is you ride up in a warm/comfy snowcat and they serve you a really nice lunch at the yurt. If you approach a day with them as an overall experience, and not just go for a day of hard-charging, you'll have a great time.

[treeskier]

Thanks for the info Pat. I will be back home for the holidays and toying with the idea of trying Keystone or Steamboat snowcat operations if the snow is worthy.

[Pat]

The snow on Buff Pass will almost surely be superior to that of Indy Bowl. And I don't know what the lunch etc. would be like with Steamboat Powdercats. I've skied both areas and know there are snowmobiles you'll be competing with on Buff Pass. You'll have fun either way, though.
I'd be inclined to go to Steamboat if I knew the worst person in the group is a great skier.

[j o n o]

Last week I hiked the up and beyond the path that the 5$ snocat took and noticed interesting terrain on the back and leeward side of wapiti peak/north bowl.
It looked like steep wind loaded chutes formed into a cirque. I did not venture to the edge of the cornice so I could not see very far down these chutes. At any rate, these were very unKeystone like terrain features.
Has anyone skied or know about this area?

[Pat]

I think he's referring to the stuff towards Breck, not Montezuma/St. Johns.

[powder_prophet]

Hes definitely not refering to Little Taos. He's talking about the bowl around the backside of South Bowl. If you traverse all the way aorund to the Tele trees area, you can drop the rope to the left and it opens into a big open bowl. Good pitch, good skiing, avy prone, and kinda a brutal hike back out. You have to skin back up to the South Bowl runout or else you'll end up on Tiger road in the middle of nowhere.

Little Taos is the super steep area just below the open stuff on Indy Bowl. Legit steep-ass terrain that is currently closed, but the patrol want's to get it open, they're just trying to get the avy control dialed. Keep your eyes on it in the next year or so, it may open at any time if the snowpack of good.

[catfishjon]

Last week I hiked the up and beyond the path that the 5$ snocat took and noticed interesting terrain on the back and leeward side of wapiti peak/north bowl.
It looked like steep wind loaded chutes formed into a cirque. I did not venture to the edge of the cornice so I could not see very far down these chutes. At any rate, these were very unKeystone like terrain features.
Has anyone skied or know about this area?

The area you described as a cirque is actually called "The Cirque". I have never skied it due to avy danger. I do not know anyone that has.

[catfishjon]

Hes definitely not refering to Little Taos. He's talking about the bowl around the backside of South Bowl. If you traverse all the way aorund to the Tele trees area, you can drop the rope to the left and it opens into a big open bowl. Good pitch, good skiing, avy prone, and kinda a brutal hike back out. You have to skin back up to the South Bowl runout or else you'll end up on Tiger road in the middle of nowhere.

Little Taos is the super steep area just below the open stuff on Indy Bowl. Legit steep-ass terrain that is currently closed, but the patrol want's to get it open, they're just trying to get the avy control dialed. Keep your eyes on it in the next year or so, it may open at any time if the snowpack of good.

I think he is talking about the backside of North Bowl, not South Bowl. The back of South bowl is called Vega.

[marshalolson]

little taos is 400 feet of sugar with a few small rocks scattered around. hardly worth the 2 mile skin there, and the 30 minute skin back up and out.

[bertrenolds]

If you are thinking about cat skiing on buff or vail think again! Rent a sled or find someone with a seld and do your own thing, we lapped the cat on buff pass, a cat goes 10mph tops, a sled goes as fast as you are willing to go, do the math.
I'm gonna try skinning independence bowl, but I'm gonna skin back out, while keystone actually has snow this year it is still not as much as other areas since a doughnut hole is located right over keystone. I imagine I will find mediocer snow and probably a few core shots. It's to bad keystone gets bitch slapped ever time it snows otherwise I would actually ski there more, could be some pretty fun tree runs on a pow day.