right: Sue in one of the glades on the side of New York Mountain above the polar star inn
far right: Ray in white quail gulch
Free the heels
!!!!!!!!!!! 
!!!!!!!!!!!!
Backcountry telemark skiing is what winter in Colorado is for. We still bike in the foothills when it's not snowing too hard, but the whole time we're praying for snow.
If you are willing to climb to the top under your own power, the ride down is usually knee deep powder. Even when the skiing isn't world class, there is no better way to enjoy the solitude of the mountains.
Mostly, we take day trips up Cameron Pass, west of our home, but since the mid eighties we also spend a few days a year at one of the tenth mountain trail association (TMTA) backcountry huts between Aspen and Vail. "Hut" is something of a throwback to the days that the army's tenth mountain troops trained along these trails. Even though you have to pack your food and gear in a few miles, there is relative luxury waiting at the end.
The polar star inn, where we usually stay, sleeps twenty and has a propane lighting system and cooking facilities as well as a wood fired sauna.
