I would rather not be limited to an official uptrack, but instead adhere to the Skiers Responsibility Code, which requires that you remain visible from above and not obstruct a trail. That's what I try to do when I'm skinning.
Of course I would prefer this freedom as well, but I'm not convinced that it's realistic in the long term. My concern is that it leaves a lot of room for the new or negligent to create incidents and bring negative attention to skinners. If someone who doesn't know the terrain starts up a climb and finds that they aren't as clear of downhill skiers as they should be, are they going to promptly get out of the way, descend, and start over somewhere else? Or are they going to try to finish it off because they're already half way up and don't feel like figuring out an alternative? Is there even a good place for them to transition?
This is sort of where we're at now except that the absence of a publicly visible policy keeps many/most people from trying to skin when the resort is running, so incidents are at a minimum. I suspect that if the ski area tomorrow printed a policy saying "skinners are welcome wherever, just be responsible and use your best judgment", there could quickly be a big mess.
Am I being too cynical?
