Peaks & Passages: Season 3 explores the heartbeat of mountain life—the people who rise before dawn, dig deep, and are keeping ski culture alive. This three-part video series drops this fall; this is episode two.

Once a thriving ski area dating back to the 1930s, Colorado's Berthoud Pass closed down in 2003. It would have become one of Colorado's many lost ski areas if it weren't for a group of dedicated backcountry skiers who decided to turn the place into something deeper. These days, Berthoud Pass has become a meeting ground for backcountry skiers and riders of every stripe—beginners cutting their first skin track, hardcores chasing dawn patrol laps, and old-timers who’ve weathered decades of storms. In this second episode of the three-part video series, “Peaks and Passages,” we see where the next generation is learning not just how to access the backcountry but how to belong.

The nonprofit organization Friends of Berthoud Pass was started by a bunch of local skiers to ensure public access, promote safe and responsible recreation, and avalanche awareness. This organization has become been the steward and centerpiece of the backcountry community in this area by teaching respect, safety, and stoke in equal measure.

The group offers free avalanche awareness classes at places like breweries and Flylow’s Warming Hut to talk about terrain knowledge, snowpack safety, and group dynamics. They also have an on-snow day with knowledgeable avalanche educators to talk about navigating backcountry terrain.

“The goal is to work with the community and help foster backcountry safety and awareness,” says Jeff Shafforth, Flylow’s director of operations who’s also an active member of Friends of Berthoud Pass. This episode isn’t just about nostalgia—it’s about carrying that legacy forward, one skin track, one storm, one story at a time.