Telluride, Colorado is currently dealing with a serious public lands access issue that if handled properly—with your help—may set a precedent that both protects our rights as recreationalists and prevents this issue from occurring elsewhere in Colorado and throughout the West.
Bear Creek basin is a backcountry area that offers some of the most spectacular ski and snowboard terrain in the Rockies. On December 8th, U.S. Forest Service district ranger Judy Schutza closed three backcountry gates adjacent to the Telluride ski area that access the popular drainage. The closure was a response to a request by land developer Thomas Chapman of the Chapman Group (a.k.a. Gold Hill Development Corp.) and another private landowner nearby, north of Chapman’s claims. Chapman’s group owns a contiguous strip of three mining claims that start in Delta Bowl and run down to the bottom of the drainage. The other landowner owns the nearby Nellie claim.
Please help us in our attempt to regain access to public land in a constructive and respectful manner. The Forest Service needs to hear from as many of us as possible in order to better understand the highest and best use of our high-country environments. If we can educate our government and other establishments to backcountry usage, it will have far broader impacts than that just of Telluride.
I, along with many others, have written a letter to the Forest Service, and it is our hope—on behalf of the American Alpine Club, Telluride recreationalists, Winter Wildlands Alliance, the Telluride Mountain Club, and the Access Fund—that you might take a few minutes of your time to help protect access to our many spectacular mountain environments.
The ultimate purpose is to show public opposition to the Forest Service closures.
This Action Alert on the American Alpine Club website will give you detailed instructions on where and how to make your voice heard.
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/pt/actionalert
Our freedom in the hills is at stake.
For more in-depth reading on this issue, check out writer Tim Mutrie’s lastest blog on-line for Powder Magazine:
http://www.powdermag.com/features/onlineexclusive/trouble-in-telluride/
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From an Outsider
"From an Outsider" is a blog based on life in the field: Kim Havell's writing spans her interests in people, gear, skiing, climbing, mountaineering, running, and general addiction to outdoor pursuits. With a passion for travel, and a thirst for exploration, Kim combines her love for the outdoors and the mountains into her expeditions and adventures, sharing the journey on Outside TV. From the backyard in Colorado & Utah to the greater global sphere, she will reveal her personal experiences and lessons, documenting the joys and challenges of pursuing your dreams.
Follow Kim:
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About Kim Havell: Kim is an athlete who thrives in the mountains. From Telluride, CO, she is currently based in SLC, Utah. She has skied on all 7 continents, with 1st descents on 4, and adventured in over 50 countries. During her travels, she has climbed and skied big peaks in the Himalaya & the Karakorum, the highest mountains across the US, with 1st descents both at home and abroad including in the Arctic and Antarctic, and filmed with various entities like Powderwhore, Salomon Freeski TV, and Sweetgrass Productions.
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