pico: hike up long trail, board down ski trails?

[kdk1610]

has anyone on this site ever done this at pico? is it allowed? will the ski patrol "detain" you for not having a lift ticket? should i try before or after regular ski hours? is this trespassing? you get the idea....

also, anyone ever hiked up/skiied down any adirondack ski areas? (like west or gore)? i hiked up/skiied down gore after it closed for the season about 15 years ago...very nice!

thanks in advance,

dave

 

[blacknblue]

My brother and I have done it at Pico before the LT re-route in the area. I don't remember the details, but there was nobody around at the summit, so it was either after hours or early in the year and the lifts weren't running to the summit.
I've hiked/skied both Killington and Pico and never had a problem; especially if you use the LT/AT, I would be shocked if they gave you more than passing glance.

 

[dug]

Can't speak specifically about Pico, but I've never had a problem skiing down a trail without a lift ticket if I've hiked up it. It's a lift ticket, so if you don't use the lift I've assumed it was legal.

 

[David Metsky]

There's no blanket rule for ski areas. Even on National Forest land, the terms of leases and management policies vary quite a bit. It may well be within their power to kick you out if you haven't purchased a ticket.

However, most areas won't have any reason to stop you if you are skiing downhill. They may (and some do) object if you are skinning or hiking up the downhill ski trails, but if you're accessing via the LT you're probably fine. If you are on tele gear, make sure you have safety straps. I haven't heard of any problems with Pico.

 

[Mattl]

I have a co-worker that does it all the time, we were actually going to do it yesterday, but it was rather cold in the morning..-23...But he says just hiking a short way up the AT then skiing down is great, I wouldn't mind. I think ski areas general charge for using the lifts. -Mattl

 

[MichaelJ]

I'm not a lawyer, but I'll make a guess here that it's not so much about paying for the ticket, it's about the fact that it means you've played along with the lawyers by purchasing the ticket and agreeing to the liability terms. That means that if you're skiing the slopes without a ticket they probably consider you to be trespassing and if anything happens as a result, it's totally your fault.

I'm also guessing this is why some areas have "use tickets" that allow you on the slopes but not the lifts.

Doesn't necessarily mean they'll chase you off the slopes, of course.

 

[bubba]

MichaelJ has it right. Remember, they are lift tickets and you are not taking their lift when you hiked up. The property may be private, but it is used by the public, so you're just there using it as others... but you are trespassing, and liability is what it's all about at ski areas these days.

We skied down Killington in January and there weren't any signs saying that we couldn't do it. There weren't any signs that said we couldn't grab a lift mid-mountain, either

I'm around ski areas all the time. If you are acting safely, you probably won't be bothered. Even though Dave mentioned that they may not appreciate someone skinning up - I've snowshoed up often and have a friend who skins up for his first run to stay in backcountry shape (he has a pass, though).

Go for it - it's a blast. It's interesting to hit the public area after being in the woods all morning prior. It's a mental adjustment, but a damn fast way off the mountain!!

 

[jmegillon149]

I would check with the mountain, some places have "lift" tickets, some have "mountain" tickets. At Waterville, people hike Tecumseh, and ski down the resort side all the time. I did this once, but had a ticket (season pass), and then preceded to ride the lifts the rest of the day - which was actually a great way to spend the day.

If you plan to go one run and done, then whats the real risk, since you'll be packing up at the bottom anyway.