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  1. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by BFD View Post
    so is that the Tempter house in the crown photo? Very bad luck. My thoughts to his family and friends.
    I think it is. It's the only structure on that side until Giuseppe's.
    Best regards, Terry
    (Direct Contact is best vs PMs)

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  2. #27
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    Access to backcountry from the Telluride Ski Resort is available only through specific gates in the resort boundary. Any skier or snowboarder who is caught exiting the boundary illegally will lose their pass, and could be subject to criminal charges.
    https://www.tellurideskiresort.com/t...ountry-safety/

  3. #28
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  4. #29
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    kind of weird that someone would publish maps like this if the entry is not legal from the resort. I imagine not many people are skinning these lines. Especially the one involved here.
    off your knees Louie

  5. #30
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    I believe this is Colorado law (illegal to exit a ski area anywhere other than marked access points) but I very well could be wrong about that.
    My experience is that different ski patrols may or may not enforce certain areas of their boundaries very strictly.

    I'll also add that Bear Creek is a giant mess of USFS land and privately held mining claims, which has contributed to the contentious history of skiing there.

  6. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by BFD View Post
    kind of weird that someone would publish maps like this if the entry is not legal from the resort. I imagine not many people are skinning these lines. Especially the one involved here.
    I dunno what the culture there is like, but here people access steep terrain directly adjacent to ski areas via skinning/booting/whatnot all the time (Birthday Chutes, Wolverine Cirque / Tuscarora / Sunset, Silver Fork, etc etc)

  7. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by mall walker View Post
    I dunno what the culture there is like, but here people access steep terrain directly adjacent to ski areas via skinning/booting/whatnot all the time (Birthday Chutes, Wolverine Cirque / Tuscarora / Sunset, Silver Fork, etc etc)
    For most of the year, that sort of behavior would be considered somewhat suicidal in places like the Bear Creek drainage. Due to the generally nightmarish snowpack.

  8. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by adrenalated View Post
    I believe this is Colorado law (illegal to exit a ski area anywhere other than marked access points) but I very well could be wrong about that.
    I believe that it kinda of depends. My verbiage is probably wrong but there are two kinds of boundries, one that you can exist legally and one that gets you in trouble with the federales. They are frequently shown differently on the area maps.

  9. #34
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    I dunno what the culture there is like
    The culture is different have anything I am aware of anywhere. It is a big part of what makes Bear Creek what it is and there is a ton of history. I knowledgeable local could add a lot of insight.

  10. #35
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    Condolences to the deceased's family and friends. This is a horrible tragedy.

    To clear up a few questions, here is what it was like when I lived there:
    -The gates are the only legal access points
    -Ducking ropes to get into lines like Tempter and others not easily accessible from the gates is common, even tolerated.
    -Most Bear Creek skiers use radios tuned to the same frequency, I don't think this is official, it was always word of mouth.
    -Skinning/booting up any of these lines is unheard of
    -Almost all of these lines funnel out onto Bear Creek Trail. It is not uncommon for people to hike/snowshoe this trail. There is some ice climbing access as well.
    -These lines see a lot of traffic. Lift-accessed descents of up to 3,000+ vert, on the leeward side of the mountain, exit straight back to lifts
    -The place always kind of scared me. Still does.
    It sucks to suck.

  11. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by DolphinSki View Post
    Condolences to the deceased's family and friends. This is a horrible tragedy.

    To clear up a few questions, here is what it was like when I lived there:
    -The gates are the only legal access points
    -Ducking ropes to get into lines like Tempter and others not easily accessible from the gates is common, even tolerated.
    -Most Bear Creek skiers use radios tuned to the same frequency, I don't think this is official, it was always word of mouth.
    -Skinning/booting up any of these lines is unheard of
    -Almost all of these lines funnel out onto Bear Creek Trail. It is not uncommon for people to hike/snowshoe this trail. There is some ice climbing access as well.
    -These lines see a lot of traffic. Lift-accessed descents of up to 3,000+ vert, on the leeward side of the mountain, exit straight back to lifts
    -The place always kind of scared me. Still does.
    thanks that is a good summation
    off your knees Louie

  12. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles View Post
    I believe that it kinda of depends. My verbiage is probably wrong but there are two kinds of boundries, one that you can exist legally and one that gets you in trouble with the federales. They are frequently shown differently on the area maps.
    I think you're correct, I just found a copy of the newest version of the Colorado Ski Safety Act, and it does appear that it's dependent on whether or not the adjacent landowner has closed the land. My mistake!

  13. #38
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    Man, this is just one seriously tragic event.

  14. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by DolphinSki View Post
    Condolences to the deceased's family and friends. This is a horrible tragedy.

    To clear up a few questions, here is what it was like when I lived there:
    -The gates are the only legal access points
    -Ducking ropes to get into lines like Tempter and others not easily accessible from the gates is common, even tolerated.
    -Most Bear Creek skiers use radios tuned to the same frequency, I don't think this is official, it was always word of mouth.
    -Skinning/booting up any of these lines is unheard of
    -Almost all of these lines funnel out onto Bear Creek Trail. It is not uncommon for people to hike/snowshoe this trail. There is some ice climbing access as well.
    -These lines see a lot of traffic. Lift-accessed descents of up to 3,000+ vert, on the leeward side of the mountain, exit straight back to lifts
    -The place always kind of scared me. Still does.
    Before 9 was in place and I was more of a dumb ass, I dropped in a few times from somewhere between 6 and Bushwacker. It was dicey and I was lucky with the chances I took, but back then it was a trip skate skiing out of Bear Creek to the Last Dollar for beers at the end of the day.

    Bear Creek from below seems high use now, but impressed me as a sketchy place to be in high avalanche danger due to all of the stuff sliding from both sides. Ajax slid twice the other day.

    I'll bet the 'ducking rope tolerance' will change after this. This sucks on so many levels. Since it's known to be 'tolerated', the liability for this tragedy may get very complicated.
    Best regards, Terry
    (Direct Contact is best vs PMs)

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  15. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles View Post
    The culture is different have anything I am aware of anywhere. It is a big part of what makes Bear Creek what it is and there is a ton of history. I knowledgeable local could add a lot of insight.
    I've always felt that Granite Canyon at JHMR was extremely similar. Both are easily accessed and dangerous sidecountry that leads you right back to the lifts. And in both of them, you're acutely aware that anyone or anything starting a slide while you're exiting may hit you. Maybe it's just me though.

  16. #41
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    The picture of the chute with a house at the top is not Tempter, which is a little farther up Gold Hill. As far as I know it is not legal to ride it from the ski area but is a popular poach by locals. If I remember correctly a long time local boarder was killed in a slide on Tempter when he ducked the rope a year or two ago. There was a TGR thread on it at the time. I also think the area directly below and perpendicular to Tempter that the skier was skinning up is known locally as the Death Chute, which is skiers' left of the Wedding Chutes. I heard it got it's name many years ago when 5 skiers skinning up died in a slide (maybe Tempter) coming off the side of the ski area buried them, so Tempter is historically deadly from the top and bottom.

    Years ago (before the Gold Hill Lift) they had a modified rope policy that allowed you to drop into Bear Creek from off of Bushwacker. There were many great lines that ended in cliffs with the only decent exit shot being by the old Contention Mine site. After a few years they abandoned the policy and closed everything off except a few gates. I don't think Temper was ever legal, but it has been somewhat of a right of passage for may short time "locals" over the years.
    Gravity Junkie

  17. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mudfoot View Post
    The picture of the chute with a house at the top is not Tempter, which is a little farther up Gold Hill.
    I dunno, sure looks like Tempter House at the top and the landscape/elevations verify with Google Earth.......avy started at 11,800' and ran 2,000' to valley floor. Is Tempter House not at the top of Tempter?
    Old's Cool.

  18. #43
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    II probably was not particularly clear, but the point I was making is that the tight chute right under the house is not Tempter, which tops out just a little farther up See Forever, although the slide in the picture is on the skier's left side of the Tempter "run".
    Gravity Junkie

  19. #44
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    Bear Creek-Telluride

    Quote Originally Posted by Mudfoot View Post
    II probably was not particularly clear, but the point I was making is that the tight chute right under the house is not Tempter, which tops out just a little farther up See Forever, although the slide in the picture is on the skier's left side of the Tempter "run".
    Is Tempter Chute across from Electra/Happy Thought? Seems like Wedding Chutes are roughly across from Electra and skier’s left of Revy.


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    Best regards, Terry
    (Direct Contact is best vs PMs)

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  20. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mudfoot View Post
    II probably was not particularly clear, but the point I was making is that the tight chute right under the house is not Tempter, which tops out just a little farther up See Forever, although the slide in the picture is on the skier's left side of the Tempter "run".
    Gotcha.
    Old's Cool.

  21. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alpinord View Post
    Is Tempter Chute across from Electra/Happy Thought? Seems like Wedding Chutes are roughly across from Electra and skier’s left of Revy.


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    As far as I remember, yes. We used to ski up to the rope and look for tracks before dropping into happy thoughts or hiking further up Gold Hill.

    Way too many locals got comfortable ducking the rope on Tempter even with other legal access points open. Not sure why the skier was coming up the way he did from Bear Creek, may he RIP, so sad.

    Gabe died up in that area a couple years ago. San Juans have always been sketchy, always made me nervous when my ex was out.

    Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

  22. #47
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    curious where the info came from that the skier was skinning up something called the Death Chute. I would think if you were skinning up something called the Death Chute you would turn your beacon on even solo.
    off your knees Louie

  23. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by BFD View Post
    curious where the info came from that the skier was skinning up something called the Death Chute. I would think if you were skinning up something called the Death Chute you would turn your beacon on even solo.
    I don't think the victim was skinning up any chute, it sounds like he was on the valley floor trail heading in towards the Bear Creek falls area when the slide came down through one or more chute from his right. I think Mudfoot may have been thinking of the Graveyard, which is farther up behind the falls. A somewhat aged timeline of Bear Creek access is about halfway down the page here: https://www.telluridenews.com/the_wa...1acccc290.html

  24. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by phishstx View Post
    I don't think the victim was skinning up any chute, it sounds like he was on the valley floor trail heading in towards the Bear Creek falls area when the slide came down through one or more chute from his right. I think Mudfoot may have been thinking of the Graveyard, which is farther up behind the falls. A somewhat aged timeline of Bear Creek access is about halfway down the page here: https://www.telluridenews.com/the_wa...1acccc290.html
    Thanks that was my take from the CAIC report. That is a good timeline. Also saw this article https://www.powder.com/stories/bear-creek-back-open/ that brings the timeline up to date. New down here find the history interesting.
    off your knees Louie

  25. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by phishstx View Post
    I don't think the victim was skinning up any chute, it sounds like he was on the valley floor trail heading in towards the Bear Creek falls area when the slide came down through one or more chute from his right. I think Mudfoot may have been thinking of the Graveyard, which is farther up behind the falls. A somewhat aged timeline of Bear Creek access is about halfway down the page here: https://www.telluridenews.com/the_wa...1acccc290.html
    Thanks for correcting me. I was thinking of the "Graveyard" which is farther up the valley above the falls. Heard that story about 20 years ago and my aged memory is not what it used to be. Tempter comes out below the falls.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LQtdT1xSHo
    Gravity Junkie

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