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Thread: Bear Creek-Telluride
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02-20-2019, 05:08 PM #26Best regards, Terry
(Direct Contact is best vs PMs)
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02-20-2019, 05:08 PM #27Access 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.
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02-20-2019, 05:09 PM #28
Here are some more maps
http://tellurideoffpiste.com/bear_creek/
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02-20-2019, 05:12 PM #29
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
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02-20-2019, 05:14 PM #30
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.
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02-20-2019, 05:28 PM #31
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02-20-2019, 05:31 PM #32
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02-20-2019, 05:33 PM #33
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02-20-2019, 05:36 PM #34I dunno what the culture there is like
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02-20-2019, 05:38 PM #35
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.
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02-20-2019, 05:42 PM #36
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02-20-2019, 05:45 PM #37
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02-20-2019, 06:02 PM #38
Man, this is just one seriously tragic event.
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02-20-2019, 06:03 PM #39
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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02-20-2019, 06:13 PM #40
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.
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02-20-2019, 06:32 PM #41
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
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02-20-2019, 06:43 PM #42
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02-20-2019, 07:03 PM #43
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
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02-20-2019, 07:08 PM #44
Bear Creek-Telluride
Best regards, Terry
(Direct Contact is best vs PMs)
SlideWright.com
Ski, Snowboard & Tools, Wax and Wares
Repair, Waxing, Tuning, Mounting Tips & more
Add TGR handle to notes & paste 5% TGR Discount code during checkout: 1121TGR
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02-20-2019, 07:10 PM #45
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02-20-2019, 07:24 PM #46
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
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02-20-2019, 07:32 PM #47
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
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02-20-2019, 08:05 PM #48
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
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02-20-2019, 08:16 PM #49
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
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02-20-2019, 08:47 PM #50
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=7LQtdT1xSHoGravity Junkie
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