The Steep Gullies are uncompromising, unapologetic, and unlike anything else you’d see within a rope line. Driving up from Keystone, you can catch a glimpse of the once back-country terrain and see the rocky chutes funneling down the mountain.
Back in 2017, our team claimed the Steep Gullies as a part of our footprint to offer this unique and technical zone safely for the Summit County & wider ski community. But with that, we faced a puzzle: it’s nearly impossible to do avalanche mitigation by hand in such remote, tight chutes. To manage the terrain pod, our mountain operations team designed a one-of-a-kind explosive delivery system. The free-standing systems uses a network of cables suspended over the 8 Gullies in a web to remotely trigger avalanches before a patroller even has to enter the couloirs. Thanks to our mountain operations and patrol teams, skiers and riders may enter some of the most challenge in-bounds terrain in the state of Colorado with confidence.
The Steep Gullies offer you boundless exploration, new routes with each entry, and a lifetime of skiing and riding. As-advertised, the Gullies feature expert-only terrain consisting of steep, narrow, and rocky chutes. Skiing or riding it requires serious skills and commitment, followed by a 20-30 minute hike back to the base area.
Creative Direction: Shayna Silverman/Whitney Henceroth
Principal Cinematography: Lucas Herbert
Additional Cinematography: Curtis DeVore
Editing/Animation: Lucas Herbert
Skiing/Riding: Caroline Bonin, Reid Litwiller, Helena Robinowitz, Mike Nathan, Svea Irving
2 Comments
Cool! Thanks for keeping the run safe!
One word to describe – Epic! We were just there and so glad to have decided to go for them. Thank you for overseeing this terrain! If there were ever ski runs where we had to challenge ourselves and fully hone our skills, Steep Gullies were it. Extreme caution was necessary mainly at the entries. Then once we got in the skiing was among the best we've experienced. And once the hike out was completed it felt even more like a sense of accomplishment.