The fastest growing trend in Alpine skiing is all about ditching the very thing that built the sport: mechanized lifts.
Climbing up mountain slopes, once a niche activity practiced only by a hard-core few to access the backcountry, is everywhere in snow country these days.
Uphill skiing — better known as skinning or alpine touring — involves adhering nylon material, known as skins, to the base of skis, enabling skiers to ascend without sliding backward. New bindings that hinge at the toe for going uphill and lock at the heel for the downhill are also used, as well as lighter boots whose ankle hinges for the uphill and locks for the descent. The appeal is a combination of cardio fitness, the satisfaction that comes from ascending on your own power without the purchase of a lift ticketand, for those in the backcountry, connecting with nature and escaping the ski-resort crowds.
“Skinning and ski touring is the fastest-growing segment in the industry,” said Nick Sargent, president of the trade association SnowSports Industries America. “The numbers are small, but they’re growing exponentially.”
In a sign of the activity’s economic importance, this October, Aspen, Colo., completed a multi-year planning initiative to position itself as the uphill recreation destination of North America. Elsewhere in Colorado, two alpine ski tourers and Dartmouth graduates plan to build the first lift-free, human-powered ski area in the United States.
“We see this area becoming a hub for uphilling, not only as a draw for users, but for the industry itself, as a test center,” said Steve Skadron, the former Aspen mayor who spearheaded the effort.
Aspen’s uphill recreation and economic plan calls for enhancements to virtually every aspect of uphilling there. Downtown itself would become the hub for uphill activities, with improved signage, access, safety information, trails, beginner terrain and conservation measures.
Although skinning — both on skis and on snowboards — is a central focus of the initiative, uphilling can also include hiking, running, Nordic skiing and mountain biking.
As the activity goes mainstream, enthusiasts are increasingly using ski areas to skin up and ski down, largely for the convenience and safety. Resorts are wrestling with ways to embrace the growing numbers, designating uphill and downhill routes, rules and hours to avoid run-ins with the lifts-using clientele and mountain operations. Some, such as Jackson Hole Mountain Resortand Taos Ski Valley, forbid the activity for safety reasons, chiefly avalanche danger and possible run-ins with grooming equipment. Others, such as Aspen Highlands, allow uphilling every day, all day.
Sales of alpine touring equipment (skis, boots, bindings) have soared in the past decade, increasing nearly 400 percent, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm. Sales of backcountry safety gear (avalanche beacons, probes, shovels, skins), used by backcountry travelers (skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers, snowmobilers) have increased more than 800 percent during the same period, NPD reports.
“Everyone now in these mountain communities has both setups, one for the lifts and one for skinning,” said Doug Stenclik, the owner of the Cripple Creek Backcountry ski shops.
Eight years ago, after taking note of the steady growth in backcountry gear sales, Mr. Stenclik opened his first Cripple Creek store in Carbondale, Colo. Business boomed, so he opened a satellite shop in Aspen four years ago. This season, Cripple Creek teamed up with a guide service so customers can buy gear and organize an outing all in one shop.
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