Meet the snow ambassador helping visitors explore the winter backcountry in the San Juan Mountains

SILVERTON, Colo. — Colin Courtney pulls into the empty parking lot at the Andrews Lake trailhead at 8 a.m.

He unlocks a small trailer, sets up a folding table with maps and brochures, and begins melting snow to make hot cocoa and tea for visitors heading into the San Juan Mountains.

Courtney works as a snow ambassador for the San Juan Mountains Association. His job is to greet visitors, answer questions about trails, offer winter safety tips and share Leave No Trace principles with people heading out to snowshoe, cross-country ski or explore the backcountry.

This is Courtney’s third season as a snow ambassador. With a decade of experience in outdoor education and guiding, he said the role is a natural fit. He’s the only snow ambassador in the San Juan Mountains.

Despite recent storms, Colorado’s snowpack remains well below average this year. KUNC reported that the Colorado River snowpack ranked the second worst since tracking began decades ago. In the western part of the state, ranchers said the lack of moisture has made it more difficult (and expensive) to feed their livestock.

Courtney works four days a week, Fridays through Mondays, and on an average weekend, he sees about 300 people and 50 dogs passing through the trailhead. Courtney keeps a supply of dog waste bags at his table to hand out to dog owners as he explains why pet waste should be packed out. Dog feces can carry E. coli that may spread into the fragile alpine ecosystem.