Bluebird Colorado
FREESKIER’s Backcountry Ski Test in 2021 was held at Bluebird Backcountry, just outside of Steamboat, Colorado, and featured a mixed bag of snow conditions—ideal for pushing our gear to the limit and deciding which products we’d eventually feature in the annual Buyer’s Guide. Over the course of two days, our group of 15 gear-savvy testers stepped into nearly 50 pairs of skis primed for touring adventures, rating and reviewing every pair based on uphill performance and downhill ski-ability.
It all began at the Muddy Creek Cabins in Kremmling, where our testers converged from all over Colorado and Utah. While the FREESKIER crew twisted screws on pin bindings, cut G3 Alpinist+ skins to size and prepped the skis for two days of touring, POC’s Cam Price outfitted the group with an assortment the brand’s newest gear set to hit shelves in the fall, including the lightweight Menix helmet designed specifically for freeride skiers, the Zonula goggle that pairs Zeiss lenses with an oversized frame for an outstanding field of view, Devour sunglasses that merge the comfort of sunglasses and protective quality of goggles and the touring-ready Dimension VPD backpack.
On Tuesday morning, with finely tuned skis from 4FRNT, Armada, Atomic, Black Diamond, DPS, Dynastar, Elan, Faction, G3 Fischer, Icelantic, J skis, Kästle, Rossignol, Scott, Völkl and WNDR Alpine ready to rock, beacons beeping and backpacks strapped up, our group split into two to explore the entirety of Bluebird Backcountry’s avalanche-evaluated inbounds terrain riddled across 1,200 acres on the Continental Divide. As one group headed up Bluebird’s eye-catching Bear Mountain to explore steep shots, tight trees and higher elevations, the other opted to see what the sweeping, undulating West Bowl dotted with Aspen trees had to offer. Despite variable snow conditions and grey skies, our collective of experienced backcountry skiers navigated both areas with style, all the while taking mental notes about each ski’s performance on the up and down. Ending the day with a bone-warming bonfire at the base of Bluebird, we shared laughs, beers and stories from the day. Back in Kremmling, we refueled with ribeye steaks, “Smuggler” burgers covered in gravy, enjoyed cinnamon buns for dessert and—of course—opted to have a few more bevvies by the fire pits before turning in for the night…
