TR: Silverton Mountain 2020 - Bluebird, Bootpacks and a Bell 205

Silverton Mountain - 2020

Our group's annual pilgrimage south, including mag Hawkgt, kicked off last month to the one and only Silverton Mountain. Here's some stoke from one of my favorite places in Colorado.

The trip started with warm up laps at Powderhorn. It was our first visit to this hill, and we were quite impressed with the terrain. It reminded me of a pint sized Steamboat, except with ~50 people on the mountain.
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Ouray Hot Springs is becoming a mandatory pit stop before the crawl over Red Mountain Pass.
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-7F awaited us at the base, and the sun was in no hurry to climb above Cement Creek. After the safety talk, we boarded the rickety double to the much warmer summit
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The Pyramid, Grassy & Butter Bowl in the distance. Single heli drops will take you to this zone.
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Although the bluebird skies were welcome, the area hadn't seen big snowfall in two weeks, and it became obvious that conditions would be a mixed bag. Silverton is never really 100% open, as the terrain rotates daily, and we feared slim pickings within the ropes. Luckily, our guides were able to find some great snow all over the mountain.

Our opening run was the right side of Cabin.
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It was time to hike, and we headed to Mandatory Air. This line usually is open until the crux, where you traverse to Waterfall Ramp or Two Smokes. This time, we scored big and gutted the run top to bottom, a rare treat! This is most challenging line I've ridden there.

Mandatory Air crux
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Working our way through numerous twists & turns
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Looking back at Mandatory Air
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After lunch, we headed to Rope #2. Rope -> Dope seems to provide some of the best conditions on every trip.
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Our final lap was on the right side of Sunset
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On day two, we went with 3 run heli package. With minimal wind, clear skies and low avalanche danger, it was a great time to fly. This year, they are flying the yellow A-Star and the "Party Bus", which comfortably sits 10 people.
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Our crew at the top of Cabin, awaiting the pickup
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For our first run, we hit Grassy Bowl. Conditions were better than expected, even on the south aspects.

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The lower face provided the best turns of the trip, especially in the NW facing trees.
L-R is Hanging Valley, Dope Chute, the Billboard, Rope 4-1, Nightmare and Mandatory Air
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The second run took us near the summit of Bonita Peak. When you get out of Velocity Basin, it's a whole new world:
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Our final run was the Meatball Couloir, which brings you back to the exit road.
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Much like Grassy Bowl, we found the best snow on northwest aspects
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I don't break out the GaperPro often, but when I do, it's usually here:
https://youtu.be/3BqbEnAnmU4

While the crew retreated for beers & brats, I took a few more laps and hit Raff Cliffs, Teabag Squeezer and Chainsaw.

Silverton continues to deliver the goods year after year, and I always return from this trip with a wide grin.
The mountain is in great condition, and the unguided season should be excellent. Get down there if you can!
:yourock:

Nice report. It's the anti-Ikon.

Great report. Really want to get down there this spring.

Im sure I’ll get mixed answers, but during unguided season, can you easily route find down lines off the lift or within 15 mins of hiking? Or is it easy to get cliffed out?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The SnowShow

Im sure I’ll get mixed answers, but during unguided season, can you easily route find down lines off the lift or within 15 mins of hiking? Or is it easy to get cliffed out?

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Depends on your common sense; it you point it towards the gNaR, your will find gNaR; if you ski the obvious fun lines, fun will be had.
The most prone cliff zones include Mandatory and Waterfall and some stuff off the Billboard, but if you're smart and follow tracks in those zones, you'll be fine.

Ski Riff, Raff, Cabin, Stooges (Larry, Moe or Curly), Colorado, 100 Acre Woods Thread, String, Fiber, Dolores, Splitski, RMYF, liftline, bowling alley, tiger 1-5, Corner pocket, concussion, concussion woods, dead elk, Simmons, sunset and the cliffs are obvious.

https://silvertonmountain.com/wp-con...verton-map.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The SnowShow

Great report. Really want to get down there this spring.

Im sure I’ll get mixed answers, but during unguided season, can you easily route find down lines off the lift or within 15 mins of hiking? Or is it easy to get cliffed out?

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0-15 minutes of hiking will get you to Tiger Main/Mandatory and all lower routes.
You can have a great time hitting standards like Tiger 1-5, Tiger Main, Cabin, Colorado, RMYF, etc.
The cliffy stuff is most prominent between Vodka Shots & Raff

Thanks [emoji106][emoji106]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The SnowShow

Great report. Really want to get down there this spring.

Im sure I’ll get mixed answers, but during unguided season, can you easily route find down lines off the lift or within 15 mins of hiking? Or is it easy to get cliffed out?

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You'll be fine. I have enjoyed unguided immensely more than guided at silverton. There is something about someone telling you where to ski and the ridiculous powder farming that turns me off. One particularly ridiculous run, our guide had us traverse beyond a face filled with untracked powder to get to a face filled with sastrugi that we were required to ski. I don't think ill be back again for guided.

Most excellent!

Nice TR!

very nice TR of the current offerings at Silverton!
I gotta get back there.

I have fond memories of my one day there back in 2007(?).
A Thursday before Fri-Sun Avy I course at Sliverton Mtn School.
I was rolling solo and got put in a group of randoms, and it worked out ok.

I remember starting out on Splitski,
then a Cabin run
Billboard to Pope Chute to Dope face
Finished with a Tiger Main
There may have been another one in there that I can't remember.

Interesting weekend (Dolores LaChapelle's memorial service).
Ed LaChappelle was in town and spoke a few words to our avy class the last day.
Ed passed away that next week, heart attack while skiing pow at Monarch, I believe.

"After the heli laps, I took a few short laps off the chairlift"

I call bullshit!!! hatch is a climbing machine, he closes the chair everytime on site. i cant keep up, i am however, warm and toasty in the tent with a cold beer.

once again hatch, great trip, great crew. SO much fun when you can max out a group with guide and bird.

we need 4 more for a full day bird....... jus saying

i'll add some shitty iphone pics when get a chance

Excellent!

I'm thinking of taking my daughter there next season. The three heli drop package has my attention. she would love that.

Here too:

silvertonmtn
FREE Unguided skiing!!!!!

Buy your 2020-21 Spring Unguided Pass NOW and you can ski for FREE for the 2020 Unguided season!

Plus 24 days at partner mountains with the amazing new additions of @sugarbowlresort @monarchmountain @arapahoe_basin AND just when you thought it can't get better we are including a $39 heli run to Grassy or Butter zones if you book by May 31 (then the price increases to $59). *some black out dates at partner mountains.

Early Bird pricing $199

https://silvertonmountain.com/shop/2...season-passes/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skiracer88_00

You'll be fine. I have enjoyed unguided immensely more than guided at silverton. There is something about someone telling you where to ski and the ridiculous powder farming that turns me off. One particularly ridiculous run, our guide had us traverse beyond a face filled with untracked powder to get to a face filled with sastrugi that we were required to ski. I don't think ill be back again for guided.

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Me too.

Guided has its pros and cons. It’s certainly not for everyone.

To get the best experience , there are ways to stack the odds in your favor. Full group of 8, building rapport with guide, being patient and full of stoke, following instructions to a T, etc.

Ultimately, if you want to ride their phenomenal terrain in mid winter with <100 people, you do it on their terms.

My only experience has been with guided. I get that people are frustrated, but ultimately I also get why they do it in order to make the best experience possible for the largest number of people. Their methods makes sure people showing up on Sat or Sunday have the opportunity to ski at least one mind blowing run of good snow. If a bunch of Frangers like myself show up on Sat in midwinter only to ski cut up snow up top to avalanche gullies below, they'll only ever make 1 trip down there in their life. They won't come back and the whole operational model will die.

As Hatch says -- if you want a good guided experience its about setting it up for yourself. Full group. Listen and do what the guide asks. Be physically fit. Demonstrate you can ski anything at anytime. And go on Thursday and Friday.

These days I go solo guided and sometimes with a few friends. We used to go unguided before my kids had much homework.

It's a blast, best ski experience in NAm IMHO.

Just don't pee on the boot pack.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hatchgreenchile

Guided has its pros and cons. It’s certainly not for everyone.

To get the best experience , there are ways to stack the odds in your favor. Full group of 8, building rapport with guide, being patient and full of stoke, following instructions to a T, etc.

Ultimately , if you want to ride their crazy good terrain in mid winter with <100 guides and guests , you do it on their terms

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I skied three consecutive years there about a decade ago, and did exactly this. Year one, we had five...and luckily the other three were solid. The next year we had 10...and had our same guide plus a tail guide...got up some bigger stuff. Third year, eight, same guide and even more fun. Each year got progressively more awesome as our guide knew the core of our group and knew where he could take us by ability, fitness, etc. And yes, to get midwinter avy-controlled steep pow it's rare to find a place like this. Glad I did those years there way back when.

Couple adder pics ......

The crew is 8 now, 3x frangers, 2x summit and 3x from behind the zion curtain. Non mag buddy and I went via Monarch. 4" reported, 7" in 24, dam fun hill.
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hiking sucks.... but the wind blown into Mirkwood was well worth the bitching.
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Mandatory choke
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Lining up for rope 2.0, hatch eyeing up rope 2.5 in center
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The crew
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You can arrested skiing there.

Nice TR. Hit the spot this morning!

Brilliant

Phenom.

RopeDee Ramp:

https://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram...1b&oe=5FFD4D60

photo by doebedoe

Rope 1 right above you (?) Rope -> Dope is one of my favorites runs in CO.

Good share, I'm looking forward to returning in January & March.