By the skins of your skis

Most ski resorts close in early April, not because the snow has melted but because the skiers and riders have disappeared. Once the lifts stop turning, all that snow is just sitting there, free for the enjoying. 

All it takes is a willingness to climb up a hill before you slide down it.

Adding removable "skins" to the bases of telemark or all-terrain (AT) skis allows you to walk up the hill with your skis on. At the top, you take off the skins and ski down, just like you would if you'd ridden a lift. Originally made from seal pelts, skins these days are high-tech synthetics. I use GlideLite STS skins from Black Diamond. 

Telemark and AT skis essentially are lighter, more flexible downhill skis. The boots and bindings are what are different, allowing your heel to raise so you can move in the natural walking motion of cross-country skiing. AT bindings allow you to lock you heel down so you can make alpine style turns coming downhill.

But I’ve always admired telemark skiers, and wanted to learn to learn that elegant technique. 

My friend Bruce Harrington is the real deal when it comes to telemark skiing. Much of what I know about free-heeling, Bruce has taught me. And Bruce isn’t about to let a little thing like no lifts keep him off the snow.

Yesterday, we met at Gunstock, a beautiful alpine ski resort. Gunstock closed on April Fool’s Day, which seems appropriate given the amount of snow they still have on their slopes (and the heavy snow that fell a few days later). There was even a light coating of new snow, enough to show the tracks of deer, turkeys and squirrels clearly.

Bruce was taking an hour or two from his work day to get some real exercise, not a bad model for the rest of us to follow.

Skinning up a mountain is a terrific workout, on par with climbing with a heavy backpack. You sweat, even if it’s cold. You also grin like an idiot because what you are doing is out there on the edge of absurd, and so much fun.

It took us about 45 minutes of steady climbing to reach a saddle near the top of the mountain. The actual summit was socked in with fog, severely limiting visibility. So we stopped short of the summit, took off our skins, stowed them in our backpacks, and skied down.

As we neared the bottom we saw another “skinner” with a backpack and a big grin getting in condition for summer hiking, We also saw a woman on cross-country gear getting in a few last kicks-and-glides.

All that beautiful snow, free to play on! So much more fun than moping around waiting for spring that isn’t here quite yet. 

Skinning safely

Normally, when you ski at an alpine ski area, Ski Patrol is right there to take care of you if you get hurt.

If you go skinning up a closed area, you are on your own. So play it safe.

Rule #1: Go with a buddy or make sure someone knows where you’ll be and when you plan on returning.

Rule #2 : Skin up what you ski down. Here’s why: a few days ago, I skinned alone up “Duster,” an intermediate trail at Pats Peak. At the top I decided to ski down “Twister,” a steeper black diamond. One turn in, I realized my mistake. Where Duster was in the morning sun and soft, the shaded Twister was frozen ruts, icy and dangerous. I stopped, climbed back up and skied safely down Duster.

Rule #3: Take the skiing easy. Skinning up a hill gives you enough bragging rights without having to show off on the way down.