Plenty of Americans, especially Colorado’s contingent of passionate outdoorsy types—discovered backcountry skiing during the pandemic. They took avalanche awareness classes, read up on the basics, and got after it on the mild slopes of Hidden Valley, gnarly couloirs off Pikes Peak, and everything in between. According to findings from SnowSports Industries America’s most recent national survey, some 2.5 million Americans participated in alpine ski touring and 2.2 million participated in snowboard touring during the 2023–’24 season, most often in backcountry or out-of-bounds settings.

There is, however, an intermediate alternative between hitting the backcountry and riding a lift: uphilling. Plenty of Colorado ski resorts have designated routes you can use to bypass the chairlift and power yourself—on snowshoes or skis or a splitboard with hybrid bindings and skins—to skiable terrain. It’s a good way to try out some of the backcountry basics in a relatively safe environment (assuming you follow resort rules). Plus, “uphilling is a great cardio workout…in a beautiful setting,” says Sarah Beatty, director of communications for Colorado Ski Country USA. “It’s no wonder more and more people are getting into the sport. It is important, however, to know and follow the rules for uphilling at each resort so uphillers, resort operations teams, and others can be as safe as possible on the mountain.”

To help you get started, we compiled a list of common rules, along with resort-specific protocols.

Jump Ahead:

General Uphill Skiing Guidelines

  • Almost all resorts require a specific uphill pass, which must be carried in a resort-specific armband or on a visible lanyard. You’ll likely need to sign the resort’s uphilling waiver as well, either in-person or online.
  • Some resorts charge a separate fee for the uphill pass (often a portion of the total goes to support a local nonprofit like Routt County Crisis Center or Mountain Rescue Aspen), while others include an uphill pass complimentary to season passholders. Either way, you likely still need to get the requisite armband or lanyard, which may carry with it a small additional fee. Remember: An uphill pass usually doesn’t grant access to the lifts, so read the policy’s fine print.
  • Resorts generally have designated uphill routes, so check the trail map and specific webpage for details. Remain on the designated routes for your own safety. During resort operating hours, stay to the far side of the designated run (some resorts even specify right or left) since downhill traffic has the right of way—and a lot more momentum.
  • Be aware of blackout dates as resorts may restrict uphill access during busy times like the holidays. Resorts also reserve the right to close uphilling for avalanche control, snowmaking, or other mountain activities. And they may make changes to their uphill policy (or even stop offering it altogether) at any time. Always check the resort’s website or call the specific hotline before gearing up to go.
  • It’s up to you to keep yourself (and those you’re traveling with) safe. Ski patrol and other emergency services may not be available to uphillers, especially if you’re ascending outside of the resort’s operating hours. Respect all ropes and closures and give grooming, snowmaking, and other equipment a wide berth. Headlamps and high-visibility clothing are recommended at all times and essential during ascents in low-light or predawn conditions.
  • Some resorts limit modes of uphill travel: While skinning is permissible in most cases, snowshoeing, fat biking, and hiking on foot may not be. And just in case your cousin from out of town suggests it: Don’t bring a sled.
  • Well-behaved dogs (under voice control) are welcome at some resorts. Well-behaved owners must pick up their waste.
  • As an uphiller, you’re still considered a skier under the Colorado Ski Safety Act. Know “Your Responsibility Code” and stick to it.

Resort-Specific Policies for the 2024-’25 Season

Arapahoe Basin Ski Area

Photo courtesy of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area/ Ian Zinner
  • Cost: Uphill season passes can be added to a current Arapahoe Basin season pass for $29; otherwise, $109.
  • Route(s): During operational hours, uphillers must stick to the eastern edge of the High Noon run between the base area and Black Mountain Lodge. There’s also a longer route in the trees. Outside of operational hours, guests can take any of the open green or blue routes on the front side below Black Mountain Lodge. Want to reach the summit? Use Dercum’s Gulch or Grizzly Road. More details here.
  • Dog policy: Dogs are welcome at A-Basin outside of operating hours.
  • Special sauce: Hoof it to the top of the Lenawee Express for awe-inspiring, 360-degree views out over Summit County. (Even prettier when you’ve earned it, as it were.)

Aspen Mountain

  • Cost: Complimentary to all Premier Passholders; otherwise, $69.
  • Route(s): Uphilling is permitted before 9 a.m. and after 4:45 p.m. Take America’s uphill course. More details here.
  • Dog policy: Dogs are prohibited at Aspen Mountain at all times during the operating season.
  • Special sauce: The route ascends Little Nell—why not end the day with some Little Nell fun, say a Reboot Body Therapy treatment at the Spa at the Little Nell?

Aspen Highlands Ski Resort

  • Cost: Complimentary to all Premier Passholders; otherwise, $69.
  • Route(s): Uphilling is permitted between 5 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Take Jerome Bowl to Park Avenue to Memory Lane all the way to the Merry-Go-Round Restaurant. More details here.
  • Dog policy: Dogs are welcome at Aspen Highlands before 8 a.m. and after 4:45 p.m.
  • Special sauce: Try going “creek to peak” by skinning from the Aspen Highlands base area (situated near Maroon Creek) to the tippy-top of Highlands Bowl—a nearly 5,000-foot gainer.

Beaver Creek Resort

  • Cost: Free (no pass or armband required)
  • Route(s): Users must call the mountain’s Uphill Access Hotline—(970) 754-5907—for conditions, routes, and safety information prior to access. Uphill travel is permitted on designated routes from 30 minutes after the lifts close until 15 minutes before the first chair starts spinning. More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Designated uphilling routes lead to Beaver Creek’s fine dining cabins Allie’s (Italian fare) and Zach’s (Alsatian cuisine). Just be sure to book your reservation in advance.

Breckenridge Resort

Uphilling at Breckenridge
Uphilling at Breck. Photo by JP Douvalakis, Breckenridge Ski Resort
  • Cost: Free (no pass or armband required)
  • Route(s): Users must call the mountain’s Uphill Access Hotline—(970) 547-5627—for information prior to access. Uphill travel is permitted on designated routes from 30 minutes after the lifts close until 15 minutes before the first chair starts spinning. More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: With six different potential starting points (including two options right from town), uphilling at Breckenridge is like a choose-your-own-radventure.

Buttermilk

Uphilling at Buttermilk in front of Pyramid Peak.
Uphilling at Buttermilk in front of Pyramid Peak. Photo by Jordan Curet
  • Cost: Complimentary to all Premier Passholders; otherwise, $69.
  • Route(s): Uphilling is permitted between 5 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Take one of three runs: Main Buttermilk, Tiehack, or West. More details here.
  • Dog policy: Dogs are welcome at Buttermilk before 8 a.m. and after 4:45 p.m.
  • Special sauce: Join a Full Moon Dinner and your evening uphill trek will end with bites and bevvies.

Copper Mountain Resort

  • Cost: Complimentary for Copper Season Passholders and Ikon Passholders, though you must have the designated yellow armband. The armband costs $5 if you don’t have one from a previous year. Uphill season passes, including armbands, are $79 for non-passholders.
  • Route(s): Copper offers two before- and after-hours routes (permitted use from 5 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.) and six daytime routes (permitted use from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., except for the Union Meadows route, which closes at 2 p.m.). Be sure to review the mountain’s uphill policies before setting out. More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Try uphilling under the tutelage of a pro with a private uphill tour, which includes gear rental (uphill touring skis or a splitboard) and guide-led ascent.

Crested Butte Mountain Resort

  • Cost: Free (no pass or armband required)
  • Route(s): Users must call the mountain’s Uphill Access Hotline—(970) 349-2345—for information prior to access. Take Warming House Hill to Lower Keystone to Upper Park to Yellow Brick Road to Paradise Bowl. No uphill access is permitted above Paradise Bowl. In early season, uphill access may only be permitted to the junction of Peanut and Lower Keystone. Uphilling begins at 4:30 p.m. and must end by 8:45 a.m. More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Fuel up ahead of a late-afternoon ascent with a slice of Spicy Honey pizza from legendary Highlife Crust and Crafts.

Echo Mountain

  • Cost: Day Use Uphill Access passes are available for $20.
  • Route(s): Follow designated uphill routes marked by a yellow diamond with a black arrow. Routes are only available during standard operating hours from 10 a.m to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends. More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Echo Mountain earns the title as the closest ski area to Denver (just 36 miles). Pre-work workout, anyone?

Eldora Mountain

The sun rises over the Indian Peaks on a cold morning at Eldora. The corduroy is frozen into place, and the jumps in the terrain park are huge.
The sun rises above the Indian Peaks, illuminating the terrain park at Eldora. Photo by Maren Horjus
  • Cost: Complimentary for Eldora Alpine Season Passholders and Ikon Passholders; otherwise, $99. Make sure to purchase your pass online before heading to the resort.
  • Route(s): Uphilling at Eldora is only allowed Monday through Friday. Choose from four different routes: Daytime Frontside Route (permitted use 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Early Access Route (permitted use 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.), Pipeline Route (permitted use 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and Backside Route (permitted use 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Come solo, bring a friend, or ask your whole posse to partake in uphill events scheduled throughout the season. Check the Eldora Events page for updates.

Granby Ranch

  • Cost: Free
  • Route(s): Uphill access allowed anytime on East Mountain. Take East Ballroom to Rods Way to High Roller or Kicking Horse from the bottom of the lift to High Roller and Summit Glade. Uphilling is not allowed during night skiing activities. More details here.
  • Dog policy: Dogs are welcome outside of lift operation hours.
  • Special sauce: On Fridays and Saturdays throughout winter, skiers can head out for an afternoon uphill session before celebrating their hard work with a cold one and live music in the 8350 Lounge.

Hesperus Ski Area

No uphilling allowed this year. (The entire resort is closed for the 2024–’25 season.)

Howelsen Hill Ski Area

  • Cost: Free (no pass or armband required)
  • Route(s): During non-operating hours, uphill access is permitted everywhere in the ski area. During operating hours, choose between taking the Lower Hobo Park XC trail up Mile Run and exiting the ski area onto Blackmer Trail or parking at the Blackmer trailhead in the Fairview neighborhood (instead of the ski area base). More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Fuel up pre-ski with a Honey Stinger Waffle (made locally in Steamboat Springs), available at the Outrun Snack Bar.

Keystone Ski Resort

  • Cost: Free (no pass or armband required)
  • Route(s): Users must call the mountain’s Uphill Access Hotline—(970) 496-4033—for information prior to access. Uphill travel is permitted on designated routes from 30 minutes after the lifts close until 15 minutes before the first chair starts spinning. More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Feel the burn right from the get-go with a trip up Keystone’s main uphill route, River Run face. Celebrate that steep climb with a cuppa joe and lemon-blueberry scone from Steep Brewing and Coffee Co., located in River Run.

Loveland Ski Area

  • Cost: Included in cost of current Loveland Ski Area Season Passes; otherwise, $50.
  • Route(s): Uphill access is permitted before 8 a.m. and after 4:30 p.m. via Route A, which goes to the top of the Ptarmigan Lift. Uphill access at Loveland Valley is not allowed. More details here.
  • Dog policy: Dogs are allowed before and after operating hours at Loveland.
  • Special sauce: Parker the Snow Dog, Georgetown’s honorary mayor, thinks Loveland is top dog when it comes to uphilling with a four-legged friend.

Monarch Mountain

  • Cost: Complimentary for current Monarch season passholders; otherwise, $59 per season.
  • Route(s): Uphilling is allowed 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. During pre-operational hours from 6 to 9 a.m., take Little Mo Route; during operational hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., take Barrel Loop, Pano Route, or Mirk Route; during post-operational hours from 4 to 10 p.m., guests may take other trails not marked as closed. More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Hit the skin track early, and then spend the rest of the day cat skiing (experts only).

Powderhorn Mountain Resort

  • Cost: Complimentary to regular Powderhorn Season Passholders; otherwise, $19 for a day pass or $59 for a season pass.
  • Route(s): During operating hours, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., remain on hiker’s (or uphiller’s) right of Dude, Tenderfoot, Red Eye, Maverick, and Greenhorn to the bottom of the Wonderbump race course; outside of operating hours, from 4 p.m. to 9 a.m., remain on Bill’s Run. More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Uphill on Grand Mesa, the world’s largest flattop mountain? Yes, please.

Purgatory Resort

No uphilling allowed. Bummer.

Ski Cooper

Editor’s note: These are Ski Cooper’s regulations for the 2023-’24 season. The ski area has not finalized its uphilling policy for the 2024-’25 season yet. We will update the below info as we learn more.

  • Cost: During operating hours from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., guests must have either a Cooper Season Pass or Cooper Day Pass. Complimentary access available between 4 p.m. and 7:30 a.m.
  • Route(s): From 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., take one of three designated routes, following the yellow and blue uphill route signs. From 4 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., uphill access is allowed on all trails except those that are closed and those on which grooming operations are taking place. More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: In the early 1940s, the brave soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division trained on this terrain before going to fight in World War II.

Snowmass Mountain

  • Cost: Complimentary to all Premier Passholders; otherwise, $69.
  • Route(s): Uphilling is permitted between 5 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Take one of five routes: Two Creeks, High Alpine Restaurant, Sam’s Knob, Elk Camp, or Campground. More details here.
  • Dog policy: Dogs are welcome at Snowmass before 7:45 a.m. and after 4:45 p.m.
  • Special sauce: Skin the Sam’s Knob route up to the top of the Big Burn area where there’s a chocolate chip cookie at Up 4 Pizza with your name on it.

Steamboat Ski Resort

  • Cost: $39 per person
  • Route(s): Uphilling is allowed before 9 a.m. or after 4:30 p.m. via four routes. Uphill access from Wild Blue Way to Shortcut to Vogue is unavailable during night skiing operations. More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Sign up for Cody’s Challenge, a randonee (skimo) race that’s set for April 5, 2025. Pro racers, first-timers, and everyone in between are welcome.

Sunlight Mountain Ski Resort

  • Cost: $10 for a day pass or $50 for a season pass.
  • Route(s): Take either the easier green route or the more difficult orange route. More details here. (Editor’s note: The link is expected to be live soon.)
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Earn your turns, then soak aching muscles in Glenwood Hot Springs, convenient to I-70 on your return.

Telluride Ski Resort

  • Cost: Free
  • Route(s): Uphill access is allowed along the Sunshine (Lift 10) Pod from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., except for Sundance Trail. Uphill traffic is permitted to the top of Lift 10 and no farther. More details here.
  • Dog policy: Dogs are welcome from 4:30 to 10 p.m.
  • Special sauce: Uphill a different way: Telluride allows fat bikes from 4:30 to 10 p.m., as long as you follow the uphill policy.

Vail Ski Resort

  • Cost: Free (no pass or armband required)
  • Route(s): Users must call the mountain’s Uphill Access Hotline—(970) 754-1023—for information prior to access. Only available after hours from 4:30 p.m. to 8 a.m. More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Head uphill on a full moon for stellar views of the Gore Range. Did someone say, “Date night?”

Winter Park Resort

  • Cost: The pass is free, but you must ​​purchase a $25 armband.
  • Route(s): Uphill access is permitted from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. on specific trails open that day (or, in the case of early-morning access, open the day before) within the Winter Park, Mary Jane, Parsenn Bowl, and Vasquez Ridge areas. More details here.
  • Dog policy: Dogs are welcome 4 to 7 a.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.
  • Special sauce: Check out one of the guide-led moonlit uphill events.

Wolf Creek Ski Area

  • Cost: $5 for an annual uphill pass
  • Route(s): Uphill traffic is allowed from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. during operating hours. Take Kelly Boyce Trail, but remain on the side of the runs. More details here.
  • Dog policy: No dogs allowed.
  • Special sauce: Head up the Kelly Boyce trail to replenish lost calories with gourmet pizza, homemade soups, and more at Raven’s Roost.