CMC student Dustin Eldridge decided to forego a season ski pass this year and earn all his turns via his own sweat and uptrack. Here’s his take on the beauty of carving turns right in one’s own backyard. First published in Dustin’s blog, Steamboat Livin.’
This season I decided to not pay for a season pass. After doing it for a few years, I am quite burned out of dealing with the crowds and high cost to ski at Steamboat resorts. Instead, I decided to invest in splitboarding, a more rewarding style of snowboarding that gets you off the resorts and closer to nature. Hiking for fresh powder with nobody around is a satisfying way to spend time outdoors in Steamboat. A bud of mine has a home that backs up to Emerald Mountain. From their backyard we had access to some safe and awesome meadow skiing. Although it is a mellow slope, you can’t beat skiing like when you have access to it from your own home.