Backcountry
Conditions Report
Report from Saturday, May 25
Mount Russell (12,240 feet) towers above the former Berthoud Pass Ski Area in Colorado which was home to one of the first ski lifts in the state. Unfortunately, the ski area closed in 2003, but today, the pass remains a popular spot for backcountry skiing.
The approach to the Mount Russell summit is about 1.1 miles and gains around 1,000 feet of elevation. The chute’s descent has a max grade of 38% and is prime avalanche terrain. Fortunately, with spring conditions is full effect in Colorado’s Front Range, the snowpack has consolidated, opening the window for routes like the chutes off Mount Russell.
Starting the trek around 7:30 am, we took our time up the approach to allow for the sun to break through the clouds and soften up the north aspect. Reaching the summit around 9 am, we continued to play the waiting game for another 20 minutes as the sun continued to soften the north chute.
With heavy clouds rolling in from the west, we figured this might be an opportune time to make our descent. The snow coverage is still excellent on the north aspect of Mount Russell, and we dropped in with low expectations for snow quality. However, the snow skied better than I anticipated, and we had a great time linking together turns for about 500 vertical feet.
After descending the chute, we made a short boot pack up to the Hidden Knoll. From there it was a quick traverse to X Chute Right which delivered near-perfect spring conditions. Super soft turns made for some fun tracks down to the Berthoud Pass Ditch, which is essentially an access road that provides skiers a way to traverse the zone.
By now the sun was really starting to affect the snow and we decided it was time to wrap up our tour. We continued along the access road until we reached the 90s, comprising of about 500 vertical feet of soft turns leading us down to the Current Creek Trailhead.
Ultimately, today was a great day to ride terrain that I usually have off-limits due to it all being avalanche terrain. The recent freeze cycle and lack of fresh snow created safe conditions to crush this extraordinary summit and check off a route that has stared me down every time I drive over Berthoud Pass.
