Telluride cancels backcountry guides

There’s bad news for Southwest Colorado’s sidecountry skiers. Property disputes have forced the Telluride Ski Resort to cancel its backcountry guide program in the Bear Creek drainage. Whether the disputes will lead to the closure of Telluride’s celebrated backcountry gate remains to be seen.

In the old days, skiing Bear Creek from the ski resort meant ducking a rope and breaking the law. The rugged, off-piste area was considered too dangerous to open to the general public, as evidenced by avalanche deaths in 1986, ’87 and ’89. However, a vocal “Free Bear Creek” campaign prevailed, and in 2000, the Forest Service opened winter access from a gate at the top of the ski area. The agency argued that people were skiing Bear Creek anyway, and the gate steered them toward safer routes. Last spring, the Forest Service went one further and encouraged Telluride to provide guides to manage the growing use of the area.

“Telluride Ski Resort believed it was providing a much needed public service, which would help people learn to safely navigate the area,” said Resort CEO Dave Riley.

However, private property owners in Bear Creek have thrown a wrench into the program. Last year, rogue developer Tom Chapman assembled more than 40 acres of mining claims in Bear Creek and is using the property as leverage against the ski company. Chapman has made a career of assembling private land within national forests, wilderness areas and national parks and threatening to develop them. In one case in the mid-1990s, he began building a luxury log cabin on a remote parcel in the West Elk Wilderness. He then persuaded the Forest Service to swap it for 105 acres near Telluride that he later sold for more than $4 million. Chapman, along with claim owners Irene West and Ron Curry, are now playing hardball with Telluride.

“Certain owners of mining claims, Irene West, Tom Chapman and Ron Curry, have not accepted our offer to provide insurance and indemnification agreements in return for access privileges across their property,” Riley said. “They literally would not return emails or agree to get together to discuss a solution.”

The ski resort contends that the Chapman mining claims do not prohibit “fall line skiing” in Bear Creek. However, the West mining claim does create a barrier as there is no way to travel down through the drainage from the upper basin without crossing her property.

“Irene West sent me a letter last spring asking the ski resort to stop the guide program which crosses her property,” said Riley. “After that, she stopped communicating with us. Tom Chapman coordinated a survey of her property, so it is reasonable to assume they have been in contact with each other.”

Riley noted that the impasse puts responsibility for Bear Creek back on the Forest Service. He added that the landowners may have inadvertently killed sidecountry skiing in Bear Creek.

“It would not surprise me if the next action is for the Forest Service to close the Bear Creek backcountry gates, based on the private landowners’ position. It’s clearly a possibility,” Riley said.

Meanwhile, the Telluride Ski Resort is moving forward with the concept of the“Delta Lift” in upper Bear Creek. The lift would remedy the conflict with the private lands as there would be no reason to ski down through the bottom of the drainage. During a recent online survey, 84 percent of respondents were in favor of the idea.

Safehouse and FLC Cycling team up

The Fort Lewis College Cycling Team and Southwest Safehouse are partnering to take down domestic violence. During the Dec. 4 finals of the local cyclocross series, FLC riders put on purple wristbands to represent hope and strength for victims of domestic violence. The women’s team led a procession of riders around the track prior to the race, and each member rode for a woman in La Plata County who has been a victim of domestic violence.

“This type of community support helps to bring awareness to a systemic issue that happens to individuals in every community, regardless of age, economic status, race, religion, nationality or educational background,” said Renee Adam, program manager of the Volunteers of America’s Southwest Safehouse.

Domestic violence is not “someone else’s problem” in La Plata County, which has a high rate of reported domestic violence cases. Through September of this year, the Southwest Safehouse provided 3,037 nights of shelter to 95 women and children. Counselors at the Safehouse responded to 357 crisis calls, 1,584 informational and referral calls,  501 advocacy and support calls, and 514 counseling calls. Eleven women and nine children lived at the Safehouse during the month of October.

People in need can call the Safehouse 24/7 Crisis Line at 259-5443 or Alternative Horizons 24/7 Hotline at 247-9619.  

Black Hawk judge affirms bike ban

The fight to return pedal power to Black Hawk, the Front Range town that recently branded bicycles as illegal, has suffered a defeat. Last week, Black Hawk’s Municipal Judge denied a case brought by three bicyclists that the Black Hawk ordinance is invalid.

Citing safety concerns, the Front Range town made cycling through town limits illegal earlier this year and promptly started issuing tickets to riders. City Manager Mike Copp explained that there simply was not space on Black Hawk streets for both bikes and cars. Gambling is legal in Black Hawk, and town leaders also made the move in part to accommodate that tourist market.

Cyclists immediately cried foul. The closure cuts off the only link between the Peak to Peak Highway and the Central City Parkway, a popular Front Range bike tour. In addition, Bicycle Colorado noted that the highway in question is a public road, and Black Hawk has no jurisdiction over the thoroughfare.

On Aug. 18, three cyclists ticketed for riding in Black Hawk appeared in court and pled not guilty based on an invalid ordinance. At the hearing, the defense attorneys moved to dismiss the charges and submitted a legal brief arguing that the bike ban violates state law and is unconstitutional. In an order released last week, the judge explained that he did not see the case in the same light and upheld the bicycling ban.

Black Hawk maintains that cyclists are still welcome in the city, as long as they walk the ¼ mile through town before.

Tad Elliott takes Yellowstone win

Durango native son Tad Elliott may be “the next prince of U.S. distance skiing.” The professional Nordic skier and mountain biker claimed victory in the coveted opening of the ski race season at West Yellowstone.

On Nov. 26, Elliott outgunned top racers from the U.S. and Canada to claim a 14.5 second victory over Lars Flora in the 15km freestyle. “I felt awesome today,” Elliott told FasterSkier after the race. “Our skis were really good. It is always nice to have the confidence in your equipment.”

Flora told the magazine that he had no problem finishing second to the Durango skier. “Tad, he is always going to skate strong at altitude. To be that close to Tad, that is good,” Flora said.

– Will Sands