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seriously, go to silverton

KustyTheKlown

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was going to post this in trip reports but decided that this board doesnt get the traffic to warrant sub-boards...

general thoughts - if you like steep skiing and mandatory hiking in the most no frills atmosphere possible, go to silverton. its really an amazing and unique place. i was a bit concerned about my fitness for the hiking, but i was fine, albeit a little slower than my friends who live and ski in co and tahoe. town is super cool, mountain is incredible. the pace at silverton is slower than what we are used to. you can expect 3-6 runs per day, and getting >10,000 vertical is a major accomplishment given the mandatory hiking. we skied 5 runs thurs and friday and 4 runs on saturday. 30 foot avalanche debris tunnels to access the ski area, with full size trees snapped and embedded in the debris. gnarly.

the vibe cannot be understated. everyone is an excellent skier or rider. everyone is super stoked to be there. everyone is drinking beers and smoking pot all over the place, including right at the base of the lift. there are no gapers. and best of all, there are no children anywhere. heaven.

thursday - pure spring skiing. warm corn. we skied (1) riff, (2) the cabin, (3) rope dee dope 2, (4) tiger 3, and (5) splitski.

friday - cold and snowing. the snow didn't ever really soften, but about 4" fell during the day. we skied (1) colorado, (2) the cabin, (3) tiger 1, (4) 1/4 track, and (5) delores

saturday - 4" of fresh, sunny and clear. we skied (1) heli run 2) rope dee dope 3, (3) bowling alley, and (4) RYMF>delores

heli was the best thing i've ever done in my life. so amazing. we were the third group up. they took us to an incredible steep and long 2500 vertical foot powder field. my buddy's wife brought a high end camera and i can't wait to receive her photos. magazine quality.

here's the trail map for reference to what i skied. ill post some of my photos from my phone in a reply post. waterfall thru nightmare were closed for the season (and full of big crowns). anything past rope dee dope was also permanently closed. on the other side, you could only get as far as tiger claw. billboard terrain closed for the season.

Screen Shot 2019-04-01 at 6.40.57 PM.jpg
 
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KustyTheKlown

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alissa in cabin
47678B53-2CD1-4BC8-AA0A-2A3DB53318D6.jpg
ryan pointing it down riff
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me dropping into rope 2
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ryan in rope 2
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squad
6EDAA25E-C03D-4B54-B79A-76F03FE7C284.jpg
 
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KustyTheKlown

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heli picks you up from top of chairlift and takes you to the next set of peaks across the backside
474FFEF7-6DFD-4591-8F6A-23F02C6CC256.jpg
me, after the drop
DE287B92-9871-42E4-A2D8-CB8295B7352C.jpg
alissa is an excellent skier
61CD97DE-0675-445E-B551-85BDE0D8160E.jpg
and ruthie is an excellent snowboarder. way to go chicks!
8C29C8FE-5C19-44E5-B709-9F6E7564A565.jpg
after the heli run, admiring our lines
6D2A5054-CC9A-41FF-9478-85FD71F4CE08.jpg
 
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KustyTheKlown

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alex with the beard has only been skiing for ~5 years, and he kills it
C8D94285-D2A0-4C1E-ADF8-4171ABCB4C67.jpg
abbey road hike out. i'm john.
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getting stoked on friday afternoon for a little saturday pow day
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you say the hill's too steep to climb? climb it. (rope dee dope is after the next 'staircase', the billboard is at the top, but was closed)
98B98496-F890-43B9-8479-6136FFFFBD74.jpg
i think this is in tiger 3. alissa in foreground. ryan further down.
71C613CF-4FBE-49F4-A129-FC7C685EA448.jpg
 
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KustyTheKlown

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Wow..have to see this on my computer..looks awesome..heli skiing was the best thing i have ever done...ever

yea, im already researching a full day of heli for next year. selkirk tangiers near revelstoke may be the winner. ~$1250 for a six drop day and can build it into a revelstoke ikon trip. or maybe back to silverton where you can get a la carte single drops for $180. if they do the $150 spring pass again with the $40 heli add on, i'm all over it. it also came with 3 days at smuggs (unrestricted) and 3 at mrg (weekdays only). i got 7 ski days and a heli drop for $190
 

cdskier

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yea, im already researching a full day of heli for next year. selkirk tangiers near revelstoke may be the winner. ~$1250 for a six drop day and can build it into a revelstoke ikon trip. or maybe back to silverton where you can get a la carte single drops for $180. if they do the $150 spring pass again with the $40 heli add on, i'm all over it. it also came with 3 days at smuggs (unrestricted) and 3 at mrg (weekdays only). i got 7 ski days and a heli drop for $190

Don't count on the 3 at MRG next year even if they do the spring pass again. I heard MRG's board didn't feel like they were getting many visitors driven by that partnership.

These pictures look pretty awesome though (even if I have to turn my head sideways to see half of them!)
 

KustyTheKlown

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Don't count on the 3 at MRG next year even if they do the spring pass again. I heard MRG's board didn't feel like they were getting many visitors driven by that partnership.

These pictures look pretty awesome though (even if I have to turn my head sideways to see half of them!)

yea, i think its because i shoot in square mode mostly, AZ gets confused.

i asked about the partnership last time i was at MRG, and the guy helping me (who seemed fairly senior in the organization) said it was a bum deal for them. i asked him how much revenue share they get and he said $0 and that tehy are unlikely to do it again. i told him i'd make a point to spend $ at the bar, as i always do at stark's tavern. they would drum up more peripheral spending if they didnt restrict weekends...

by the way, you can’t go 10 feet without running into a MRG sticker at silverton. respect gets respect.
 
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kingslug

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As far as skills go..heli skiing can be done at an intermediate level. I flew out of Whistler and found even at the expert level the runs were not that hard..just the best powder I've ever been on. The difference between the expert and intermediate was you get the smaller heli with only 4 people..and we skied 2 areas per run for more vertical..and the connection was the hard part.
Silverton as a whole looks pretty hard though.
Are their any "easier" areas?
 

KustyTheKlown

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Nothing remotely easy or intermediate. Silverton is exclusively for expert skiers. Patrol pulls passes if you are skiing beyond your skill. They aren’t afraid to tell you you suck and need to leave fir your own safety and others safety. Avy gear is required and you fill out a form on your first day describing your ski skills, fitness level, backcountry experience, and home resort
 

tumbler

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Nothing remotely easy or intermediate. Silverton is exclusively for expert skiers. Patrol pulls passes if you are skiing beyond your skill. They aren’t afraid to tell you you suck and need to leave fir your own safety and others safety. Avy gear is required and you fill out a form on your first day describing your ski skills, fitness level, backcountry experience, and home resort

So what did you put as your home resort? Ikon? :wink:
 
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