The country's first-ever "human-powered" ski area is set to open in the lift-free backcountry near Kremmling.

Starting on February 15, you can head up to Kremmling, Colorado and try out the "test season" of the new Bluebird Backcountry project. The ski area will feature 1,500 acres of snow-filled glades, gear rentals, a mountain warming hut, trails and ski patrol. Basically, everything you're used to seeing on the mountain, except the lifts.

As uphill and backcountry skiing are exploding, a pair of entrepreneurs, Eric Lambert and Jeff Woodward, have spent 18 months hosting test events and searching Colorado for the perfect place to build a ski area.

Lambert said this to the Colorado Sun:

“People are ready to get away from the crowded resort experience. They are maybe a little bored with traditional resorts. Part of going outside in the winter is this special experience you get communing with nature and it’s hard to do that at a crowded resort. That’s a big part of what people are seeking in the backcountry: more solace. They are looking for the soul of skiing.”

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