Winter's never over, it's just hiding. April 11th, Silverton TR.
Got to go use up my boot-packing day and ski with some good friends. Woke up in Durango to a fresh 6" in town and was a little sketched as to the road conditions going over to Silverton, but no such luck the snow line broke at about Purgatory and dry roads were to be had for most of the drive.
Got to the area and found there only to be about 2" on the Valley floor and 4-5" up top, but was psyched anyways, the morning clouds cleared away on our drive and it was bluebird.
Divided into groups and lucked out to get Mike as our guide, an old friend I grew up with. We had four in our band, and met two Danish guys and a guy from Sun Valley. Everybody seemed to be at the same level and had experience in the BC, the three that we had been paired with had been up the day before with another guide.
Run1
We headed up first, out of the groups and gathered on top, to discuss our plan, we quickly popped out and strapped up skiis and boards and headed up the North facing Ridge to Log Cabin. I was lucky enough to get to be the first guided group of the year into the area, so knew we were getting into the goods early.
A short hike and we dropped into about 8-10" of fluff making nice turns down a perfect pitch, everybody getting ear to ear smiles with each additional turn. Watching each other, everyone could see we were matched well and wouldn't have problems waiting for others. Maybe.
This run chokes into a narrower chute , we hit the right side in untracked pow and hooted and hollored most of the way down. Almost 2/3rds of the way down one of the Danes bindings, was giving him trouble. The rental track (tyrolia rental's) wasn't engaging the heel so it would release easily when he would pressure it. One of my memebers, Hank, went down to try and help, cleaned it out a bit, and got him on his way, it wasn't too long, but a departue nonetheless.
Run 2
We returned along the road to meet the shuttle and headed back to the lift. The dane who was having problems, changed out his skis and we were back up top in no time.
We next went to Mandatory. A less-than leisurely hike brings you around the knoll off to lookers right of the ridge atop the lift. After getting some rays along the way we set-up and dropped into the right most side of madatory. Nice pow again , and some open turns before we set down into the gulley below.
(Video below)
Mandatory chokes down into a very narrow and steep section, of which I cannot remember the name. Anyhow, earlier in the season a rope was placed to help sidestep when the chute wasn't so full. Mike tells us to sidestep if necessary and descend to the left side of the chute below a rock outcropping. He is fairly pointant with the fact a fall would be quote "very bad" here.
Mike suggests I can go first and set up below. I take about three nice hop turns, and then I come to a stop mid hop, I can't bring my skis around, they are going way slower than the rest of my body, I have just found the not so deeply buried rope.
I was swinging around to my left when the rope caught, my body wanted to continue downhill but I fought against it, mostly with my head against my shin and stopped when the rope became taunt.
SPROING! It pops up twenty feet above me in front of the group so they can watch while I am noosed by it. I stop and see the rope wedged between my binding and ski and move uphill to take off the pressure, and release the rope.
Mike "hey, you found the rope, we've been looking for that!" I'm trying to play it cool besides the fact I could have been the next contestant on Human Pinball.
Everyone else descends, no problems, just me. We head back to meet the van and get back to the lift again, even more excited than the first run.
Run 3
We head back and Mike asks us if we are up for a bit of a hike? We all ante up and set off for the lift. We knew we were in for a good one, but to as how far, we weren't sure. Up top Mike points out Tiger Claw, the highest peak that is skiable from the front side of the mountain, "up there" he says, "up there?" we reply. The hike is a pretty good jaunt with the last leg being pretty damn steep, your using half of our poles, and snow is up high on the sides of the bootpack. The group poushes on like mules on old mining trails, one after another, except for me and another. I'm getting my ass kicked by altitude, I grew up not too far from here, but recent trips for work at elevation of 2,000 feet or less isn't helping me any at 11'500 and above. My frind ops for staying below the chute and dropping in, I clammer on behind, sucking air like a fat guy trying to get the last of a Big Gulp.
The group on top of Tiger Claw
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic22015.jpg
Me, sucking air.
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic22016.jpg
The drop in is sweet, a nice small bowl that wras to your left and opens into a bigger bowl on your right. I am the last to go and have watched everyone lay down nice flowing lines. I scope a small section, that has remained untracked to my right, I drop on the small cornice and make my first turn, RIPPPPPPP, rocks, fack! I'm skiing on one leg trying to get the weigh off the ski that I just contacted with the rocks, I bring it around and salvage a few turns. I keep my edges, so I'm happy and we continue on.
Main tiger is big wide bowl, the storm the week before however has made some terrain changes. A wide swath of avie debris sits on the skiers right, covering about 1000 feet across and nearly 350ft in length, we traverse one by one and get to the left of it, to find untracked powder, this is a long, straigt, fall-line, shot, and I can't remember the last time I had that many pow turns one after another. Eventually we get further down the drainage, and Hank the telemarker of our group is fading at the bottom, thighs burning he decides he's done at the bottom, too much hiking he says.
This is directly below Tiger Claw in Main Tiger, in the left of the photo you can see the avie debris, and the left side of the bowl where we skied. Nice angle check in addition, Tiger claw is a bit steeper.
http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic22017.jpg
Run 4
The group loses a member but heads back up for another run. mike opts for taking us along the traverse by liftline and then into the trees skiers right, I hope we are going were I think we are going. We make our way through the trees andcome to a bootpack straight up the hill. I've been this way before I know where it leads, but which way. This bootpack takes you around the looker's left side of the mountain to the peak visible from the pick-up point at the bottom of the backside.
If you look at the pic below, this run is the leftside of the inverted V, Log Cabin is the next major Chute, and you can see it's avie potential in the picture.
http://www.silvertonmountain.com/alb.../aac.sized.jpg
We drop into a large meadow up top that quickly starts to thicken with pines, the pitch is as perfect as the snow and all fatigue from the previous runs and hikes wear away with a few turns.
We make our way right through various chutes with tight, steep gullies, rock outcropings, and log features, this is like a park, just au-natural, and so much fun. Evryone, drops small cliffs, logs, and gets some nice technical skiing in on our way, down, this by far the best run all day.
We head back to the parking lot and get the last trip back to the area, there's no more time for today, but no one is complaining. All three of my comnpanions agree that this is the best day of the year so far, adn it's April 11th, who would have thought?
Video (links on eengoedidee, free site, just log in, no spam)
Dee-Dee dropping in on the top of Mandatory, check the grin.
http://www.eengoedidee.nl/videoz/dow...9TM228AABkwEjg
Moi, further down Mandatory.
http://www.eengoedidee.nl/videoz/dow...tTM228AACNcEhk
Andrew in Tiger Claw
http://www.eengoedidee.nl/videoz/dow...dTM228AACNcEhw
Dee-Dee in Tiger Claw
http://www.eengoedidee.nl/videoz/dow...9TM228AADNsEhE
Myself, pussyfooting around Tiger Claw.
http://www.eengoedidee.nl/videoz/dow...NTM228AAEHZEec
Hopefully Tim, the guy from Sun Valley, will send me some more stills.
ps, case you didn't know, Silverton Rocks.:D :D
