Copper Mountain volunteer boot packers stomp trails to reduce avalanche danger and conserve snow
December 26, 2023
Boot packing crews at several Colorado ski areas spend early season weeks burrowing through steep powder to stabilize snowpacks
COPPER MOUNTAIN — The hardy skiers shoulder their skis and wade into the waist-deep powder atop the steep Patrol Chute in Spaulding Bowl. Reed Ryan, the ski area’s snow safety boss, warns the crew of looming avalanche hazards.
“We may hear some whumpfs. We may see some cracking. That’s fine. That’s what we are here for,” he says as the line of boot packers begins stomping down one of the steepest lines at Copper Mountain.
They plug their ski boots deep into the snow, mixing the powder on the top layer with the sugary facets closer to the ground. When they’ve trampled Patrol Chute, they move over to the next. It’s a grueling day for the unpaid volunteers.
“But it’s fun and outside and so beautiful and I’m hanging with great people,” says John Murtha, a 48-year-old from Frisco who is finishing up his second year boot packing at his home hill.
