Just because the lifts stopped running on April 19th doesn't mean you can't still ski there...you just have to work a bit harder at it. Witt and I decided that we'd try backcountry skiing in what would normally be in-bounds terrain. Unfortunately, the ski area had already plowed the dirt road that leads to the summit, meaning we had to step across dirt (and climb a deep snow cut on the edges) a few times, but otherwise it was still skiable. The strangest part was how deserted everything was...it was like a ghost town! This is the first time I've ever skied at Keystone without worrying about running into someone!
Brian, just past one of the plowed roads
Witt climbs one of the road cuts made by the plow The first road that was plowed didn"t have much snow on either side, so it wasn"t too hard to cross. The others, however, had lots of ice block debris everywhere and sheer ice walls on both sides, making the hike (and descent) an interesting challenge.
One of the road cuts in the snow
Nearing the top
Witt enjoys lunch
This is what Keystone looks like when no one's around
Yay! Brian's ski traacks don't look terrible next to Witt's
Looking down at the River Run village, our skin tracks, and Witt's tracks
Witt's and Brian's tracks at the bottom of the slope
