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Silverton for old guys in their 50's

Vince

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Every year we go on a guys ski trip. Never been to Silverton. We call it the "do it while you still can trip". My question is how much walking and hiking is involved? The skiing looks good. Its the walk I'm concerned about......a few years ago I walked at Aspen Highlands. From the drop off point of the snowcat to the top of Highlands Bowl (not even, the peak just before the actual top) Thought I was gonna die. Took about a 10 minute rest and skied it......I think the walk I described is the amount of walking I would like to do in total for a whole day...….Any advice from anybody who has been? We would only ski here one day.
 

Hawk

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The amount of Hiking varies depending on what your guide chooses to do but your run selection will become pretty limited without say 10 to 15 minute hikes. That being said, it really depends on how many days. If you are only doing 1 or 2 days then you might be fine. See the map:
http://silvertonmountain.com/mountain/trail-map/
I have never been up to Billboard but they say it is about 45 min. This from a guy who lives at elevation. I was told that if you can get up to about that point it opens up a ton of terrain. I was only there one day so I did not see that much. The other thing about Silverton is there are some really gnarly places depending on conditions. I bet with the right guide and a little training you would have a great time.
 

jimk

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I'm an old flatlander in his 60s. Never been to Silverton, but have visited most other major ski areas in CO. I love CO, but when visiting I struggle with high altitude hikes. Some of it is psychological, some of it is physical. For example, I've skied Aspen Highlands three days in the last four or five years. Each time I went into Highland Bowl once or twice, but always did the early drop-in, not far above the cat ride. I just didn't want to trash myself going to the summit and not have any gas left in the tank given the rare opportunity to experience all the other good lift-served stuff there. I love Arapahoe Basin, but in the handful of times I've skied it I have not done the East Wall hike for same reason. Besides being dang steep, don't want to get trashed and miss all the good and challenging lift-served there. Obviously, if you stay at altitude for a full week or more the hikes get easier later in the week as your body adjusts. It sounds like you have a good plan to do lift-served skiing for a few days, then take a day off to rest/relocate and then try Silverton? In that scenario, I think you would have a good time. As Andrec said, you'd benefit from a little cardio work beforehand. And considering Hawk's comments, this is for your satisfaction, not to meet some quota. If you get to Silverton and feel tired after a few runs, take a break and dial it back. Sometimes a pause and maybe one cold beer:) sets you up for good and relaxed effort later on the same day.

Surprisingly, in recent years I have found Breckenridge to be a good place to get a taste of high altitude hike-to Colorado skiing (and I mean high - 13k feet). The hike-to terrain above Peaks 6 and 8 is about a third of the hike of Highland Bowl and the payoff is pretty fun with some neat chutes and bowls that often hold excellent snow. I enjoy a day doing one of those hikes, then recharging batteries on all the lift-served stuff below. There is also good off piste terrain served by Horseshoe t-bar and lots of tree skiing by E-chair lift. Sorry, didn't mean this to be a promo for Breck, just thinking out loud about how I as an older flatlander mix in some hikes in CO without wrecking my day. I've also done a lot of skiing at Snowbird and Alta in recent years and the fact that the hiking there takes place at 10-11k feet instead of 12-13k in CO makes a big difference especially if you don't have a whole week to hang around and adjust to altitude.
 
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Been to Silverton once a couple of years ago on the first day of Spring unguided so not familiar with how groups are formed. My guess is with your group of friends you will be able to fit in with others of your fitness level. There is a good amount of terrain without hiking up to Billboard-out towards Cabin on the map. Think groups typically do 5 or 6 runs in the guided season so there is only so much hiking.

Save it for near the end of the trip when you are more acclimated. Drink plenty of water and lay off the alcohol.

It is a unique ski mountain and if you are in the area you should go.
 

crank

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I have never been, but a group of my ski buddies were there a few years ago. They really did not like that the guide dictated your line - snow farming. EG: No you can't ski that line you have to make the next sets of tracks over here.

In my mind a series of 10 - 15 minute hikes are easier than one longish one. My salad days wilted long ago. Hiked Highlands Bowl a couple of years ago at age 59 and it took me about 45 minutes. I also rested at the top for about 10 minutes.
 

raisingarizona

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Every year we go on a guys ski trip. Never been to Silverton. We call it the "do it while you still can trip". My question is how much walking and hiking is involved? The skiing looks good. Its the walk I'm concerned about......a few years ago I walked at Aspen Highlands. From the drop off point of the snowcat to the top of Highlands Bowl (not even, the peak just before the actual top) Thought I was gonna die. Took about a 10 minute rest and skied it......I think the walk I described is the amount of walking I would like to do in total for a whole day...….Any advice from anybody who has been? We would only ski here one day.

A good day at Silverton is pretty darn tiring. Once the front side drainages are tracked out the never ending mogul runs are more tiring than the hiking above 13k.

You can often join a group that does less hiking and is of lower skill levels but the hiking gets you to the bigger high alpine stuff that imo is quintessential to the Silverton experience.

I’d suggest throwing down for a day of heli skiing. If the snow is good it’s totally worth it.

If you can tie this trip in with maybe a day or two skiing Purg and two days at Telluride your gonna have a sick trip. Make sure to stay a night or two in Silverton. It’s a totally different experience than any other ski town that I’ve had. I love it there.
 

raisingarizona

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I’d s tick to flatlands, bbq, white sketchers and rounds of golf via cart

Sleazy daytime television, weekends filled with your childrens sports events and shopping with the lady, yard work etc!
 

mister moose

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There's 3 kinds of conditioning needed to ski at high altitude - muscle and aerobic training and 0² conditioning. By being in good shape and training at sea level, you muscles will be ready for a lengthy climb. You're still going to be wheezing for air at altitude. I know of no way to prepare for that in the flatlands. When I was living at 10,200 I found I still would get winded hiking, but go farther between stops and recover far faster than friends living at lower altitudes. No matter how much you train, you'll still need frequent rest stops. How much training are you realistically going to do to ski there for one day?

And how good a powder skier are you to reap the benefits? Factor that in. You're going to get one shot at choosing the line, and skiing the line. There can be surprises.

My advice, though not dependable, is find yourself some good lift served. Jockey for the storm. Trying to hike to above timberline terrain on sea level lungs has limited rewards compared to a powder day off a lift. (or a sno cat)
 
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raisingarizona

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Just sign up for a day of heli drops if fitness is a concern. I think if you have a group of five it's only around a grand each for the day. That's a hell of a deal, I'd call it poor mans heli skiing and if you hit it right it's as good as anywhere really. Well, maybe not AK but real close!
 

snoseek

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Split the trip up and ski some stuff at telluride maybe
 

jaytrem

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How many guys do you have? If it's enough to make up a whole group you might feel less pressure to keep up. The place is very laid back, definitely more about the quality of runs compared to the number of runs. Beside the climb at the top there us also a good chance you'll have to hike out to the road at the bottom. On a couple runs the bottom was a lot more work than the top. Basically at the top your probably following an existing tracked out climb, not so at the bottom. Worst case you can sit out a run. Depending the group and amount of hiking you'll probably get 5 or 6 runs. Fresh snow means less hiking for good stuff but also possible delays due to avy work. Also once again the tougher hike at the bottom.

Also it's a good idea to plan to arrive from the south, much better chance the road will be open. We had to drive all zee way around. Ideally ski at purgatory the day before. That's a place you can still find untracked lines at the end of the day.

As Warren Miller said, you should go this year, else you'll be another year older when you do. I agree, and I'm quite sure you'll have a great time and meet lots of cool people. It's a unique place for sure, and definitely worth a visit.
 

Scruffy

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Just sign up for a day of heli drops if fitness is a concern. I think if you have a group of five it's only around a grand each for the day. That's a hell of a deal, I'd call it poor mans heli skiing and if you hit it right it's as good as anywhere really. Well, maybe not AK but real close!

^ this! Just drop the coin and have at it. Life is too short.
 

Vince

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Thanks for the input. We would have 6 - 9 guys. Not all would want to go to Silverton. We have some half day experts. This would be on the last of a 4 or 5 day trip to Telluride. Heli would be hard to organize. We went to Jackson Hole two years ago and tried to line up cat skiing at Grand Targhee and by the time we all agreed it was booked. Which leads to my next question. Do we need to book in advance? Are there any shuttle buses from Telluride?
 

deadheadskier

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I rarely ski bell to bell anymore. I'm usually pretty content after 5 hours unless it's a powder or great spring day or I bought a day ticket. Its rarely fatigue that is the reason for quitting. I'm just ready to relax at the bar and socialize a bit. I don't need to ski 6-8 hours to be fulfilled. Part of that probably has to do with skiing places that have minimal lines. I can bang out more vertical at Wildcat in 4 hours than people get all day skiing the more resort oriented and crowded destinations.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app
 

jimk

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Might have to change thread title to: silverton for cheap old guys

June 28, 2018…. In what must be the best deal ever in Skiing, Silverton Mountain is now offering $39 Heli Skiing, an exclusive Private Mountain Day, and 42 FREE DAYS with its Season Passes!

Silverton Mountain is rolling out a big expansion to its $149 Unguided Season Passholders for 2018/19.

The upcoming spring unguided season at Silverton Mountain will now begin at its earliest time ever on March 21, 2019 and run Thursday-Sunday through April 14, 2019.

That is a 166% increase in available ski days to the unguided season and yet the early bird Spring Unguided Pass price remains unchanged at only $149.

The $149 Spring Unguided Season Pass (early bird purchase price) includes the spring unguided season at Silverton Mountain, plus an exclusive private mountain day on March 20th, a $39 heli drop, 42 Free Days at partner resorts across the US, $89 guided Skiing*, and discounts on premium draft beers throughout the season. Partner resorts include some of the best “core” ski areas, as the corporate ski industry landscape continues to homogenize by the day.

On Wednesday, March 20th, season passholders will have exclusive private access to the mountain for a day of Skiing before opening the unguided season to the public beginning on March 21st.

Silverton Mountain will be open Thurs-Sun (including Monday, Presidents Day) during the entire guided and unguided season. Silverton Mountain is slated to open with heli skiing available November 24, 2018. Guided season will begin December 27, 2018 and Unguided season starts March 21, 2019.
Only a very limited number of early bird $149 Unguided Season Passes will be sold for the 2018-19 season. Until August 1s t (or when the very limited supplies run out), you can purchase your Unguided Pass for only $149 (regular price $499). * $89 guided skiing discounts are on standby basis.

http://silvertonmountain.com/big-new...018-19-season/
 
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