We’re always looking for a good experience, off-piste or on. So even though it’s only mid-September, I’ve already spent an inordinate amount of time comparing airfares to various mountainous destinations West of the great plains.
via Snowboard-Mag.com
But if you’re looking for a good off-piste experience with plenty of powder to go around, Silverton Mountain has the goods. In addition to Shaun White’s private superpipe (wow that sounds dirty!) Silverton has all sorts of off-piste slackcountry terrain serviced by a chairlift and some shuttle service which reduces the amount of actual hiking you have to do to earn those turns.
You will be accessing up to 1,819 acres of backcountry type terrain via chairlift and without the big crowds signature to other ski areas. There are no groomed runs, no cut trails, just loads of nature’s finest black diamond skiing in the U.S.A. You can expect to get in anywhere from 3-6 runs during a day (roughly 10,000+ vertical) of some of the best terrain in the world.
If we go to Colorado, I think we should definitely spend a day at Silverton doing the guided thing… a little pricier, but it’s nowhere near as expensive as hiring a heli or a snow-cat. $139 for group guided tour including lift ticket, additional $36 to rent avy gear (beacon, shovel, probe).
From the sounds of it, you can find awesome terrain within 15 minutes to a 1-hour hike, and pow stashes for as long as two weeks after a winter storm because only about 400 people per day visit Silverton.
