Why Colorado Ski Patrollers Walk Over Early-Season Powder

The 'boot pack' method, requires people to boot pack across a ski slope in order to compact snow. In avalanche terrain, the compacting of snow increases snow stability by reducing potential slide layers to form. Boot packing across a slope essentially applies the same logic as 'skier compaction' in backcountry terrain. It also preserves some of the snow. Rather than bombing and waiting for a slope to slide into a pile of concrete-like, unskiable debris, boot packing just compacts and preserves existing snow, save for what ends up in your boots. 

Apparently, I've been living under a rock because despite growing up skiing in Colorado, I've never seen this method. But a bit of research and a quick ask of the rest of the POWDER team (our gear editor, Max, has actually done it before), and it turns out this is pretty darn common.

Ski areas, specifically in Colorado, which has a notoriously unstable snowpack, will utilize not only patrollers, but members of the public to help stomp down their slopes. Copper Mountain, just down the road from Keystone in Summit County, is another mountain that started using the system in 2015. The first year, they had only 20 people signed up. As of 2023, that number had grown to 75 and had a long waiting list. 

Further south, Aspen Highlands, Crested Butte, and Silverton Mountain all use the system as well. Some of these mountains offer volunteer boot packers lift tickets or a pass for a certain number of days of work. At Aspen Highlands, 15 days of boot packing earns you one of their $3,000+ passes. A great early season workout and a free pass? Not a bad deal.

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