For the next few weeks, The US Forest Service is accepting public comment on a new proposal that will govern the future of recreation in the White River National Forest. These include some serious quality of life upgrades including trailhead restrooms, increased parking spaces, and connector trails.

The plan also includes an enormous and unnecessary expa…

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REI’s decision to end its “Experiences” division had a devastating impact on the outdoor industry. If you didn’t know: for decades, you used to be able to walk into an REI, or “Recreation Equipment Incorporated,” and book skill classes or guided excursions. Earlier this year, REI decided to scrap this program, laying o…

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The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative is poised to release their 2024 use report, which gives us a great snapshot of trail access and hiking habits. As local governments tinker with paid permits and access restrictions, this data gives us a good look at whether those policies are helping — or harming the outdoor community.

When organizing all my past research to prep for this year’s installment, I realized I was on hiatus when last year’s numbers came out. In the interest of completeness, I’ve decided to do a quick breakdown of the missing numbers, search for new trends, and set us up to better understand the upcoming data.

The Big Picture

Colorado’s 14ers have come full circle, with 2023 garnering the exact same number of hiker use days1 as 2015 — the first year for which accurate data is available. Since the COVID-era boom in outdoor recreation, these visitor numbers have fallen well below the previous baseline.

What’s less clear is whether COVID (and the response to it) reversed the growth hiking community’s growth, or if it was simply an outlier in the overall trend.

When I first started crunching the trail use numbers, we didn’t have a lot of data points to paint a clear picture. Now, we’re starting to see some longer-term trends over close to a decade in time.

To complete this article, I’ve boiled down 9 years of trail use data into just a few nifty graphs. As always, I want to make the data transparent and available to you. All of the raw numbers can be found below in one convenient PDF:

Colorado Hiker Use Days Raw Data

497KB ∙ PDF file

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I’ve also linked my three previous iterations of this report, in case you’re curious about how my analysis has held up over time:

• 2022 — Quandary Collapse

• 2021 — The “Not Trails”

• 2020 — The Alpine Amusement Park

The Nitty Gritty

This year’s numbers raise some interesting questions, which I hope to be able to answer in the coming weeks. The first example is a kind of herding trend. Colorado’s most popular peaks started off roughly equal in terms of popularity, before clear favorites started emerging.

Now they’re back almost exactly where they started, with the exception of the DeCaLiBron loop. But due to the land use quagmire surrounding this particular trail, I don’t think this is a reliable data point.

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Facing massive backlash, Utah Senator Mike Lee is pulling his plan to sell federal land from the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.”

While the immediate threat to public land is over, Lee is very clear that he intends to try again later. Let’s take a look at his statement on the withdrawal:

Over the past several weeks, l've spent a lot of time listening to me…

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The year is 2040, and you’re excited to take your son on his first ever camping trip.

You’ve been waiting for this day for a long time — and I mean a LONG time. It’s taken half a decade to get your $500 timed entry application to Citi Bank National Park and Preserve, the sole square mile of undeveloped land in the entire state.

Packing is a cinch! Since A…

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In a monumental win for affordable access to snow sports: Panadero Ski Corporation has inked a 40 year deal with Huerfano County, to continue operating Cuchara Mountain Park as a community ski hill.

If you’re not familiar: Cuchara Mountain Park was a resort that had a brief tenure in southern Colorado, before shutting down.

For the past several years, a dedicated group has been working to restore the property, bring back lift served skiing, and secure affordable access to the sport. Quandary Magazine has been covering this effort for the past several years. You can catch up on past coverage here:

Quandary Magazine

Podcast #13: Reviving an Abandoned Ski Resort with Will Pirkey

Snow sports have been trending in a direction that’s more affordable in the long term. But it’s done at the expense of a much higher financial barrier to entry for new riders. The Panadero Ski Corporation is working to change that.To support independent writing and get access to interviews, stories, and original reporting on the outdoors: subscribe to C…

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4 years ago · 14 likes · 8 comments · Cole Noble

The short version is: After helping the county buy the property, Panadero Ski Corporation — or PSC — spun off of the Cuchara Foundation in 2019 to laser-focus on reviving the base area, and restoring Lift 4. This has proven to be an absolutely monstrous task. Chairlifts are complex pieces of machinery, and this one has sat unused and in the elements for close to a quarter of a century.

It’s a little like opening Pandora’s Box — or Panadero’s Box if you want to be clever about it: each step of progression reveals hitherto unknown problems, which PSC has to fund raise for, and fix.

The mechanical issues — which we will revisit later in this article — are only one challenge facing the organization. Arguably more significant has been the instability of year-to-year operation agreements.

The Long-Term Problem

Board member Ken Clayton explained that when the county first approached PSC about running the park, they were essentially placed in charge for a year, with the possibility to renew. And while that original agreement has been extended several times, this was never a guarantee.

“It made it very difficult for us to raise money, commit to hiring people, you know, get the community behind us with those one year agreements, not knowing if we would be there the next fall,” Clayton said. “One of the one of the positions in the original grant was a mountain manager… We couldn't hire that person until we knew that there'd be a mountain for them to run.”

With an uncertain future, even simple operational matters such as advance season pass sales were difficult to manage. “It wasn't the right thing for us to say if we didn't know we would be there in 25 and 26,” Clayton said.

The “Luxury” Option

Through no real fault of their own, Panadero Ski Corporation has fallen years behind their original projections. During the first follow-up story (this is the 3rd,) PSC told Quandary Magazine it was hopeful Lift 4 could pass a Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board inspection, purchase insurance, and start lift served skiing before the end of 2022.

Quandary Magazine

Update — The Quest to Revive an Abandoned Ski Resort

CUCHARA, CO — July 21, 2022…

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4 years ago · 14 likes · 2 comments · Cole Noble

While they’ve come a long way, this milestone still has not come to pass. In the meantime, some members of the community came to see Cuchara Mountain Park as a vehicle for regional tourism.

According to Clayton, the county was strongly urged to start a conversation with a company called Buckhorn Ridge Outfitters. The outfitter submitted a county plan to create what it described as a “Luxury resort guest experience,” including personal concierge services, and the development of solar-equipped “luxury tiny lodges.”

An important piece of context is that Cuchara Mountain Park has a rough history with real estate development. In an earlier discussion, former board member Will Pirkey described previous operators as development-centered, rather than ski-centered. In other words: their business model was more geared toward selling premium real estate around the park than the rider experience itself. Pirkey partially attributed CMP’s initial closure to this very factor.

Also worth bearing in mind: CMP essentially operates in a ski desert. The next closest place to get your turns1 is two hours away — in New Mexico. Skiers in Atlanta Georgia have closer options.

Compare this to Colorado’s I-70 mountain corridor, where you can find 12 ski areas clustered within a two hour drive from Denver.

The concentration of major resorts pictured above can easily support a large hospitality industry. This is not the case in Huerfano County, where Clayton says many tourist-dependent businesses actually close up shop for the winter season. With CMP serving visitors, that’s slowly changing.

“Since I have had a house up there, there have been no restaurants open from New Year's to Memorial Day. This year we had a restaurant that stayed open on the weekends, because we were bringing enough people up there to actually have business,” Clayton said. “There's lodges up there now that have that have year round occupancy because of people coming up to ski.”

Carrying Capacity

While this trend is promising, many of these local businesses still have significant vacancy.

When weighing in on both PSC’s stewardship, and the Buckhorn plan, multiple residents raised concerns about overloading the market with offerings, when existing businesses are still struggling to hit full capacity.

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“The Panadero Ski Corporation has done an excellent job providing year round activities for Huerfano County. At this time we have a restaurant ate the Cuchara Mountain Park. There are many lodging opportunity available right at the Cuchara Mountain Park through Aspen Leaf Condos and homes on the loop. In addition to lodging in Cuchara at the Lokal Hotel, Bachman and Associates and the Bed and breakfast. None of them are at full occupancy now.

Additional lodging is not needed. Adding additional restaurants may cause all restaurants to fail including the new ones.

Currently there is not enough customers to allow full time restaurants to operate now. Perhaps in the future when visitors increase adding lodging and restaurants would be feasible. At this time I would let our current lodging and restaurants have the ability to become viable year round.”

—Chlide2

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“Our family has donated to the Cuchara Mountain Park with the understanding that it will be protected and preserved for the community - not developed for housing or private interests!

There are already hotel and home rentals available in the area that are under used and this proposal will negatively impact our local existing businesses.”

—Rebecca

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Some neighbors also expressed resistance toward entering the luxury market, where CMP would likely be competing for clientele with the state’s multitude of much larger, oftentimes world class ski destinations.

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“The beauty of this park is that it is the result of volunteers, local donations and a grass root effort to create a year round park for the people of Huerfano County as well as visitors to the Cuchara Valley.

Panadero Ski Corporation has been a great steward of the Park and has attracted skilled members who have been critical in the rehab, reconstruction and operation of the Park and ski hill. They know the community, the mountain, the weather and the culture here in Huerfano County. Their proposal is measured and realistic and has focused on community access and year round operation. Continuing to partner with this organization makes sense to me.

Buckhorn Ridge Outfitters proposal is aimed at high-end/luxury accommodations and services. They offer no evidence that there is a market for this kind of service in Southern Colorado.”

—Brad

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“I have young kids and what intrigues me about Cuchara is the affordability, access to the outdoors, and ability to enjoy USFS land. Don't turn this into another resort with expensive lodging, Colorado has too many of these. We need family friendly places that are affordable.”

—Josh

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The Affordable Skiing Unicorn

Respondents also made it clear: affordability matters. The age of the omni-pass has been a boon for high frequency riders. But it’s also made starting the sport cost-prohibitively expensive for a lot of families.

In a previous article, Quandary Magazine priced out the cost of getting on the slopes for the first time. The cheapest price without comprising on safety equipment was $312 for a single day. This was based on rental, ticket, and lesson rates from Loveland Ski Area.

At other non-locally owned mountains in the area, this would cost several hundred dollars more. Scale this cost up to an average family of four, and we’ve gone past the point of affordability for many.

Quandary Magazine

Snowboarding or Skiing on a Budget

Some snowboarders and skiers zip down the mountain wearing thousands of dollars in equipment. That price tag can be intimidating to someone looking to break into the sport…

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4 years ago · 11 likes · 4 comments · Cole Noble

At Panadero prices, you could take your child riding for an entire season for the cost of a single day lift ticket at many other Colorado resorts. This makes the hill a bit of an affordable skiing unicorn, something that both neighbors, and the broader ski community seem eager to keep.

Members of the public voted more than 90% in favor of making PSC the sole operator for the next 40 years.

“It wasn't a shock to us, it was it was more to just say, ‘hey we hear you, we now understand and realize that the intent was for this to be a public park for everyone to enjoy, not a luxury development…’ and that was how it was sold to the commissioners,” Clayton said.

Huerfano county’s multi-decade agreement also bans the development of onsite hospitality — such as the aforementioned luxury tiny cabins — for the entire duration.

Quandary Magazine has reached out to Buckhorn Ridge Outfitters about the rejection of its proposal. At time of publication, they have not responded with comment.

For PSC, the agreement makes long-term planning possible, solving a host of strategic problems that have hindered their mission.

“By getting a 40 year agreement, it basically allows us to plan the future of that park, plan fundraisers, plan camps for kids next summer, stuff that we never knew that we could do because we never knew if we'd be there.”

Below the Paywall:

• PSC’s updated timeline for when Lift 4 will be back in service

• A breakthrough in funding for park upgrades and amenities

• Will Cuchara Mountain have lessons available for beginners?

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Then again, the superb-quality spring skiing Loveland delivered is largely what’s been keeping me from writing these past few weeks. We’re now in a productivity sweet spot between the lifts stopping, and the trails thawing. In this brief off-season, I’m doing my best to catch up on production.

Loveland is doing the same in its off season. The ski area now has approval from the US Forest Service to upgrade Lift 7. If you haven’t been: this one’s a short shot up the bunny hill in Loveland Valley, which is the mountain’s beginner zone.

“This new lift is all about creating a better experience for our guests,” said Rob Goodell, COO and Senior Vice President of Clear Creek Skiing Corporation. “By giving beginners more space to get comfortable loading, we're helping families and new skiers feel confident from their very first run. It's an investment in the future of skiing and riding at Loveland.”

The new Leitner-Poma quad will still be a fixed grip, but will double the seating capacity. It’s a nice quality of life upgrade that will let families ride together up the bunny hill, mostly to the benefit of beginners and first-time riders. After all, most Loveland visitors move on to the much larger basin as soon as their skill level allows.

Still, the chair upgrade is providing a great opportunity to own a historic piece of the resort. Season pass holders are eligible to buy the old chairs, before construction on the new lift begins. Since the chairs are in short supply, Loveland is staging a lottery to determine who gets to buy one.

Entry Requirements & Things to Know

• You have to have your 25/26 season pass, which you can get here

• Chair price will be $650

• While multiple passholders from the same household can enter, there can only be one winner per household

• Winners have to pay and pick up their chairs between Monday June 2nd, and Thursday June 12th

• Winners are responsible for transporting their own chair

• Winners can’t transfer their chair to someone else

• You don’t get to pick the chair number

• Registration is open through Tuesday, May 27th

• Winners will be notified by May 30th

Enter the Lift 7 Lottery

Construction on Lift 7 is set to wrap up in time for the 2025–2026 winter season.

Loveland also plans to regrade and reshape the Zig Zag trail for the upcoming season.

Looking farther ahead to the 26/27 season: Loveland is planning to upgrade the parking lot to better accommodate guests during busy powder days.

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Loveland Ski Area — an excellent spot situated atop I70’s Eisenhower Tunnel — was kind enough to share the above video.

It’s hard to tell from the snow stake, but it looks like they got at least a foot.

This latest round puts Loveland over the 300” mark for the 24/25 season. And there’s still a good amount of season left to go. Loveland Ski Area is scheduled to stay open through Sunday, May 11, 2025.

At time of publication, the snow is still coming down. Highway conditions along the mountain corridor have been difficult with CDOT reporting multiple closures, spin outs, and traffic trouble along I70.

For those of you in Denver: drive safe. For everyone else, I hope you enjoy the view!

I hope you enjoy this article, and your subscription! Thanks again for participating.

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Summer was synonymous with a simple routine: swe…

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The Colorado Fourteeners Initiative clocked the lowest number of hikers on 14er trails since 2015 — the first full year they’ve been reporting the data. The comeback story is Bierstadt clawing back its number one spot from Quandary by sheer attrition:

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The year is 2030, and the flakes are flying. You shoot our a flurry of texts to rally your riding buddies, but none of them can sneak away from work to enjoy the powder laps.

You scroll through the snow reports at t…

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**Second Edition**

How to Use this Guide

Increasingly, popular destinations are requiring permits, fees, or imposing some kind of parking restrictions on visitors. This is an alphabetized list aims to categorize them, and provide you with an easy…

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Accessing the outdoors is getting more difficult and crowded. More people have gotten interested in exploring, but there’s a limited number of places to do it.

As Rep. Katie Porter of California phrased it during a recent hearing on overcrowding: “You can get more pie, or you can divvy up the pie.”

Most local governments an…

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Your snowboard is one of the most expensive purchases you’ll make as a rider. Getting “this year’s model” from big brand manufacturers can easily cost you $500-600. But if you’re willing to put in a little time to do your homework, you can shave hundreds off those prices.

I’ve only Bought a Brand New …

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DENVER, CO — November 30, 2022

Monarch Mountain will open for the 22/23 season on Thursday, December 1st. Monarch depends completely on natural snowfall to open. The ski area says the recent storm brought enough coverage to open 4 of its 7 lifts:

• Caterpillar

• Tumbelina

• Panorama

• Pioneer

Opening runs have not yet been announced. The Re…

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America’s most popular trails are dealing with a crowding problem. We’re moving into a strange era of lottery systems, tickets, and assigned visiting times to go out and access nature. But do these measures work?

In “The Alpine Amusement Park,” I explore a controversial crowd control model being deployed in Colorado, evaluate whether it actually works, a…

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LAKEWOOD, CO — October 4th, 2022

The race is on to open for the 22/23 ski season. Copper Mountain says temperatures have been consistently low enough to begin snowmaking operations.

The resort is preparing to host early-season race training, in about two weeks. The U.S. Alpine Ski team is expected to arrive in November, ahead of their upcoming World Cup S…

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The 14ers — mountains over 14,000’ tall, if you didn’t know — are very crowded. The community has been quite divided over what methods should be used to help protect these alpine environments.

To get a better idea of what the best path forward may be, I spoke with Doctors Catherine Keske and John Loomis. Their research1 on these peaks is the bedrock beneath a lot of conservation decisions that shape our recreation experience today.

They have fascinating perspectives that I’ve tried to boil down for you in this article. To start, I need you to at least entertain an idea that may sound ridiculous on its face:

The 14ers aren’t trails, at least not in the conventional sense.

The Rundown:

• Just because a trail can hold a certain number of hikers, doesn’t mean it should

• You already pay to hike 14ers. Paying a bit more could actually increase the total value you get out of the experience

• Are 14ers more like ski resorts than hikes?

• Mountain towns depend on recreation for tourism dollars, but many of these places now suffer from “over-tourism”

• Getting people to choose other peaks for hiking, is a fool’s errand

I showed you this graph a few weeks back, marking a huge drop-off in the number of people climbing Colorado 14ers:

In 2021, there were 112,000 fewer use-days on these popular peaks. Meteorologist Chris Tomer and I wrote a team-up article breaking down the data from the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, or CFI, and made some predictions about what this means for next season.

Cole's Climb

Finding Where the 112,000 Missing Hikers Went

Subscribe now, for more free original reporting, interviews, and resources about the outdoors! At this point, the news is out. If you’re active in the outdoor community, you’ve probably seen that 14er use plummeted in 2021, according to a report from the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative…

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4 years ago · 8 likes · Cole Noble and Chris Tomer

Sometimes though, hard data doesn’t tell the full story.

2021 saw a massive crackdown on illegal — and frankly dangerous — parking along Steven’s Gulch. As a result, way fewer hikers tackled Grays and Torreys Peaks that season. According to CFI: around 10,000 fewer visitors showed up. Problem solved, right?

Not so fast.

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CUCHARA, CO — August 25, 2022

The saga of Cuchara Mountain Park gets an exciting new entry: a potential partnership with Colorado Ski Hall of Famer Chris Anthony.

I’ve been keeping close tabs on the effort to revive this long-a…

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At this point, the news is out. If you’re active in the outdoor community, you’ve probably seen that 14er use plummeted in 2021, according to a report from the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative.

This week, I’m teaming up wi…

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