WINTERSPORTS -- As lift-assisted skiing resorts struggle, more skiers and splitboarders may be taking off on their own.
USFS predicts backcountry skiing to increase 106% over next 3 decades
The National Ski Area Association reports that skier visits to resorts are down about 10 percent since the 2010-11 ski season, but Snow Industries Association reports that backcountry gear sales for equipment used by skiers and snowboarders to access summits under their own power, are up 10 percent over that same period. That suggests that more folks are choosing to make the climb under their own power and ski the backcountry.
--Durango Herald
