The bootpackers of Crested Butte

“Doing God’s work”

By Kendra Walker

Crested Butte Mountain Resort is world-renowned for its uniquely steep and rocky terrain for skiing and riding. And every winter, the resort would not be skiable without the dedicated efforts of Crested Butte Ski Patrol and a unique group of individuals helping prep the mountain for the masses.

“We’re a class A avalanche ski resort,” says CBMR ski patroller John Hickey, referring to ski areas known for extensive, often expert-level terrain and significant avalanche risk that require robust management and safety measures. “Our snowpack here is very complex and we have a lot of avalanche-prone terrain,” he says.

As a result, ski areas with extreme terrain like Crested Butte sometimes require more avalanche mitigation beyond typical ski patrol operations and explosives.

That’s where the bootpackers come in.

Bootpacking is the art of “stabilization by compaction,” says Hickey. “It helps break up the existing weak layers of the snow in the snowpack so we don’t have an avalanche later.”

The CBMR packers walk or ski down through the mountain, compressing layers deep within the snowpack. “We’re targeting starting zones of known avalanche paths,” says Hickey. “We’re trying to break up the weak layers and stir up the facets. The breakdown and disruption, and then compaction of the snow layers makes for a more strong and stable snowpack for the rest of the season.”

According to Hickey, packing at CBMR started back in the 1970s. Originally, ski patrol did it themselves and then in the ‘80s they brought in volunteers, rewarding them with ski passes for their efforts. These days, bootpacking is an official employee position at CBMR in which a packer must fulfill 60 hours of bootpacking.

But the job is no ordinary walk in the woods.

Hickey says packers must be extremely skilled skiers capable of moving safely through CBMR’s very rocky and steep terrain, often with very little snow. Bootpacking involves long days on the mountain in the elements and the work can be extremely strenuous. Everyone is required to pass a test in order to be a packer, and they must wear beacons while out packing on the mountain. 

“These have to be expert skiers,” Hickey says. “They have to be able to take their skis on and off in rough, dangerous terrain. They have to be able to get through cliff zones and rocky zones.

They have to know how to kick-turn and be smart about taking lines. They are often in places on the mountain that are greater than 45 degrees.”

Hickey says CBMR has a team of 25 bootpackers this season. “Some have been doing it for 20 years,” he says. “It’s become an elite crew, we try to have only the best of the best. They are all very savvy skiers and they’ve definitely become a tight-knit crew spending their days walking down the mountain.”

One such packer is Ryan Sutton, who first started bootpacking at CBMR during the winter of 1997-1998.

“A friend told me about bootpacking and I thought it would be a good way to get to know the mountain. I grew up skiing at Monarch and I wanted to learn this mountain as well as I could,” says Sutton on how he first got into it.

On a packing day, the packers bootpack a full day on the mountain from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a lunch break.

“The process of bootpacking starts with the patrol going out and making sure the terrain is safe enough for us to bootpack in,” Sutton says. He explains that the bootpackers meet at patrol headquarters before each morning and afternoon shift to discuss what terrain they will be packing that day and which patrol will be with them. “We also discuss safety measures i.e. snowpack, ground hazards, what to be aware of in the zone we will be working that day. Before we leave patrol headquarters for either shift, we do a beacon check and gear check.”

He continues, “Once it’s safe enough for us we ski pack, bootpack, Z-pack and occasionally S-pack. These processes compact the snow, and break slabs and layers within the snowpack to further mitigate the chance of avalanche. They also make for better skiing when the terrain is open to the public,” says Sutton.

“Besides the consolidation of the snowpack, the most important thing in bootpacking is communication and working as a team. Moving as a team and communicating what needs to be done is important for the safety of the team, and the two patrol that are with us as we work.”

There are many aspects to bootpacking that keep Sutton coming back every year. “My favorite thing about bootpacking is getting to know the mountain and where the good, or bad, snowpack is. I like the camaraderie of the team, along with the patrol. I also like working toward a common goal of getting the mountain open safely, and as quickly as possible with the snow conditions for that year,” he says.” I come back every year because I truly enjoy the job, I enjoy the people I work with, and the snowpack is different every year, so the job is different every year. By that I mean, where we pack is dependent on where the snow is on the mountain that season.”

Bootpacking often takes place early in the season to prepare certain areas of terrain for the public, but it is entirely dependent on the storm cycles, says Hickey. “You never know when we’re gonna pack. It’s a really small window from when we get snow, to getting them on terrain packing and then opening it up to the public. If we have a huge storm and the packers can’t penetrate into the weak layers, then we use more explosives to test those areas.”

Although he enjoys packing most everywhere on the mountain, Sutton says one of his favorite areas is Phoenix Spellbound, because it has the most acreage and the most difficult terrain on the mountain.” He recalls back when the North Face Lift had first opened to the public. “Phoenix Spellbound was not open yet and I was the only bootpacker to show up that day due to the opening of North Face. The snow safety director at the time wanted to get some traffic into Phoenix Spellbound before it opened, so two patrol, Ethan Passant, Jeff Troyer and myself spent the morning skiing back there. It felt like I was on a private ski tour for three hours. In the afternoon more people showed up, and we did bootpack. Nowadays we have to have five people show up in order to go out and pack anything, so I guess I was lucky that day.”

Most winters the packers are done by mid-January once most of the mountain has opened. Hickey confirmed the packers are done for this season, and reiterates his extreme gratitude for their efforts.

“They are doing God’s work,” Hickey summarizes. “Without the packers, this terrain would not open as early and as safely as it does. If you see one, thank them,” he says. “Their work is really good and really important.”