Want to experience Colorado's finest snow, away from the crowds and away from expensive lift tickets? Come join us this January and learn to cross-country ski and prepare for the backcountry. The Colorado Mountain Club's Denver Group presents you with an excellent opportunity to learn a new winter sport or to reacquaint you with an old one. In December, we start with a lecture on such subjects as safety, avalanche awareness, and selection of skis. In January, we offer three full days on snow with lessons geared to your level of skill and endurance. Each year we have students who range from folks who have skied for years to those who have never stood on skis. You will be in a small class, often less than ten students with two instructors, taught by Club volunteers who, annually, enhance their own skills through lessons from local Professional Ski Instructor Association instructors.

The first on-snow day is held at a Summit County Nordic center where you will become comfortable on skis and learn basic flat track and uphill techniques. The second is spent at a Nordic center, in the backcountry on easy trails or at a lift-assisted area, depending on group skills, learning basic downhill techniques. Finally, the day students look forward to; a trip into the backcountry to apply your newly learned skills and advance your technique.

We are now offering an advanced level class for a limited number of experienced skiers who are ready to explore off-trail, or are striving to ski at a CMC Mod III ski tour level, or desire to eventually enroll in the Telemark School.  The class is designed to teach students efficient techniques to ski multiple types of terrain, i.e., more difficult trails, off-trail, downhill skills for variable snow conditions, and powder.  Instructors will review applications prior to accepting students into the advanced section and students need the basic ski skills and physical conditioning to function at a moderate ski tour level. (This section was formerly known as Advanced Backcountry Ski Touring.)

As with all CMC schools, the Backcountry Ski School is open to CMC MEMBERS ONLY. See our Membership page for becoming a member on-line, or see Membership Application for an application form for the Denver Group of the CMC which you can print out and fax in.
Tuition includes the lecture, three days of lessons and a trail pass for the first day. Where else can you find this value in today's ski market? Don't have skis? Don't worry. We will tell you what to rent and where to rent them.

For more information and an application for the Backcountry Ski Touring School, (formerly referred to as the Cross-Country Ski School,) and the section on backcountry, off-trail ski skills, please visit http://www.cmc.org/events/eventdetails.aspx?EventID=1115.