To the uninitiated, it might seem that
Rocky Mountain National Park goes dead in the winter. While it’s true that there is no nearby resort (not since Hidden Valley closed in 1992, anyway), backcountry enthusiasts never stopped visiting. The park is a total gem—local skiers from Colorado’s Front Range know they can bank on the off-season hotel rates in
Estes Park (Rocky’s gateway town) and the stellar snow and slim crowds in these steep mountains. In the 2018-2019 winter season,
Kent Mountain Adventure Center is launching
a program in the park geared at beginner backcountry skiers. As the sport grows in popularity, KMAC recognizes the importance of proper safety and technical education for this once-niche activity. In addition to weekend splitboarding lessons hosted in partnership with
Weston Snowboards, the outdoor educational outfit also offers custom packages to guide you from the point you rent your gear to the moment you leave the park and try to decide where to eat in Estes. In between, you’ll get the low-down on avalanche safety, rescue techniques, assessing conditions, how to get uphill without a lift (a.k.a. “skinning”), and downhill techniques. The seasoned instructors know where to go for the best powder and promise it’ll be hard to return to the resorts after this experience. Anyone can sign up, but KMAC recommends participants have experience on blue runs.