At Front Range Ski Mountaineering, we have had a multi-decade love affair with Cameron Pass. The backcountry skiing ski mountaineering at Cameron Pass have been highlighted on our website for nearly ten years. Why do we love it so much? Is it because of the deep snow pack? The expansive backcountry ski terrain gained through a variety of roadside trailheads, deep forest tours, and snowmobile access? The isolation from the rest of Colorado? Yes, to all of the above and many more reasons. Located 65 miles from Fort Collins up a windy and long canyon, “Cam Pass” gets a fair share of snow from northwest-trending storms that favor Steamboat. When the ‘Boat is having a good snow winter, so is Cameron Pass.
This is also why we are excited to see this season’s release of “Backcountry Skiing Cameron Pass” by author Rodney Ley. We couldn’t think of anyone better than Rodney to educate you on the the gospel of Cameron Pass. He first skied Cameron Pass in 1972, and founded the Never Summer Nordic Yurt System in the Colorado State Forest. He was CAIC’s avalanche observer on Cameron Pass for several years as well. For 30 years Rodney was the director of the Outdoor Program at Colorado State University, further exploring the Cameron Pass region with the students.
The book covers a great range of backcountry ski and snowboard opportunities. These include low-angle tours and terrain for safer winter skiing, all the way to steep mountain faces that are better saved for spring when the snow pack has consolidated. Rodney’s book also guides us through ski terrain in Colorado State Forest, where you can leverage the yurt system for overnight trips or hut-to-hut tours.
You should get the book, so where can you buy it? Backcountry Skiing Cameron Pass” is available at the finest outdoor and mountaineering stores on Colorado’s Front Range, and also available online direct from Beacon Guidebooks.