Silverton Revisited

[shera]

Bootpacking at Silverton last fall was hard, hard work. On the first day the chair was on wind hold. The parade of skiers hiking up the lift line warmed the heart at least. Mostly local people, but a few of us came from here and there for the honor of tromping down the couloirs we had skied in deep powder the year before. The snow was already deep, about a foot of fluff on top of a two inch slab covering a couple of feet of hoar. The stuff that slides are made of. Crotch deep when you're stomping it down. Fan out with your crew and step hard because it's important to break all the way down through the crust. Extract your leg from the hole and do it again. Keep those skis high on your back so they won't trip you up. Finally get down to the aprons and put on the skis for some very sweet, well earned face shots.

Two days of rewarding labor, especially for a backcountry skier. A hell of a workout, powder turns, the chance to meet many like-minded people, and a day of guided skiing later on, all for the purpose of making those sweet steep pitches safe for the season. Participating in the workings of the most amazing ski area in the country is a priviledge not to be missed, if you're up to the challenge. Silverton is truly a mountain of challenges and rewards for anyone that loves skiing in the west. The San Juan mountains satisfy the eye and the heart in a way no other place can. And Silverton is the centerpiece, bridging the gap between the inbounds skiing offered at Telluride and the backcountry lines that stretch out in every direction as far as the eye can see.

Coming back to Silverton in the springtime to cash in on the bootpacking days brought back fond memories of winter days of deep fluff and nights in a sleepy little mountain town, peopled with a skeleton population of local folks and visiting skiers. Skiers that come for the skiing, not the shopping. The shops are closed, boarded up for the winter, the owners and their tourist customers having gone to Arizona for the joys of RV life. Only the essential remains - warm beds at off season rates, really good food at the handful of restaurants that stay open, and a bar with a very comfy sofa and some mellow dogs. The hot springs down the road at Ouray and Ridgeway rekindle the fires within at the end of a big day.

Everyone you meet is a skier in the truest sense of the word, there for powder turns on steep pitches. Powder snow is the drug that builds you up instead of tearing you down and Silverton's owners, Jenny and Aaron Brill are the dealers with their mountain providing the fix. Not the tease of the powder run that comes in the first hour at a regular area. And not the short vert and low angle pitches of so many snowcat operations. At Silverton you get as much as you can handle and then some. For inbounds and backcountry skiers, the chance to ski powder all day long with a lift assist of 2000 feet is truly unique. Top to bottom sustained steeps and a lot of snow all winter guarantee good times. The avalanche blasting, bootpacking, and safe travel protocols provide peace of mind in mountains that can be as dangerous as they are beautiful.

Getting the most out of a day at Silverton means getting the most from yourself. Personal fitness and acclimatization to the high altitude go a long way. A month of solid workouts before a trip and then a couple of days of activity at elevation such as skiing inbounds or snowshoeing provide an edge. And bring your fat skis - they are mandatory on western steeps. Fortunately the area can hook you up with some Big Stix 106 skis that turn on a dime and provide the stability and float you'll want to charge down the mountain. Jen and Aaron will sort you into groups based on your skiing and hiking experience and hustle you out the door by 9:30 am, a tall order when you've got 80 people to gear up with beacon, shovel, probe, and crash course in snow safety. So come early and come rested and fed. If you do your part, you'll be rewarded with thousands of feet of the precious steep and deep. As much as you can handle.

You'll also want to bring a good attitude. Backcountry skiers learn very quickly that patience and a happy smile make all the difference in the mountains. Silverton may deliver a lunch, but you need to provide the comraderie. Whether you come with your own crew or are looking forward to skiing with new friends, the way you deal with the various challenges you will surely encounter should leave you proud of yourself. The Silverton guides are wonderful role models and following their leadership is straightforward. They set the standard for the hiking you'll do after the chair gets you past 12,000 feet. They set the standard for turns down the mountain, many of them making deep dropped knee telemark turns that leave you awestruck with their grace, beauty, and strength. But most of all they set the standard for having fun, making the most of the unique and special time you will have if your mind is open to it. Buying them a beer at the bar and slipping them a $20 doesn't seem enough at the end of the day, but it is a pleasure to have the chance to give something back to these amazing skiers.

Silverton has become an integral part of my life as a skier and I'll be back there every year. I'm not worried about whether I come early or late in the season or when the last snow fell, because I'm confident that I'll find what I'm looking for. Terrain, snow, physical challenge, and good vibes. No frills, all thrills. After hiking a few days for corn turns in the San Juans, going to Silverton last Sunday was a suiting finale. Even with the chair ride, three runs was all these legs could manage. Three runs of high altitude edgeable chalk, then silky corn on the sunny sides and creamy powder on the north exposure. Great stuff. The area is closing its winter operations this coming weekend and going back is so tempting. Steak cookoff, microbrew fest, music, and a snowpack that still covers the mountain top to bottom just can't be beat. Skiing corn or powder is the only question, to be answered by mother nature. A bikini or a down jacket? Maybe some of both.

[teledave]

Nice read SheRa! I was just wondering where you'd been lately after I read an old thread about you leaving the board earlier today. (Thread from 2002 over on PowMag)

[CaddyDaddy77]

Hope you shared that with them also. Great write up.


I heart Silverton.

[Buster Highmen]

Nicely done. How conveyances do change.

[shera]

Originally posted by Buster Highmen
Nicely done. How conveyances do change.

Sometimes I think you are too clever by half. Three quarters even...

[Buster Highmen]

I prefer the transcendent and irrational descriptors. Like pi and e.

[Cornholio]

M, I'd send that to Jenny and Aaron... it's a fun read and I think they'd appreciate it.

[Cornholio]

Originally posted by Buster Highmen
I prefer the transcendent and irrational descriptors. Like pi and e.

Fine, then: You're too 2^1/2 by half.

[Buster Highmen]

Originally posted by Cornholio
Fine, then: You're too 2^1/2 by half.

That's irrational, but not transcendent since it's the root of a polynomial.

[Cornholio]

It is transcendent, but it's not transcendental.

X^2-2=0.

Plus, with Jesus running around here today, I wanted to be careful with the transcendent stuff.

[Odin]

Perhaps a koan?

Obedience

The master Bankei's talks were attended not only by Zen students but by persons of all ranks and sects. He never quoted sutras not indulged in scholastic dissertations. Instead, his words were spoken directly from his heart to the hearts of his listeners.

His large audience angered a priest of the Nichiren sect because the adherents had left to hear about Zen. The self-centered Nichiren priest came to the temple, determined to have a debate with Bankei.

"Hey, Zen teacher!" he called out. "Wait a minute. Whoever respects you will obey what you say, but a man like myself does not respect you. Can you make me obey you?"

"Come up beside me and I will show you," said Bankei.

Proudly the priest pushed his way through the crowd to the teacher.

Bankei smiled. "Come over to my left side."

The priest obeyed.

"No," said Bankei, "we may talk better if you are on the right side. Step over here."

The priest proudly stepped over to the right.

"You see," observed Bankei, "you are obeying me and I think you are a very gentle person. Now sit down and listen."

[Buster Highmen]

Originally posted by Cornholio
It is transcendent....

X^2-2=0.

Is not. Is not. Is not. And you're a poopy head.

[mr_gyptian]

sounds like it was well worth it. That mountain changed a lot of my attitude towards skiing. I've hiked and skied down plenty of stuff in CO before, but the Silverton experience took it to a new level.

btw, this is not a knock against Silverton, but did anyone else's crash course in back country safety amount to a beacon check?

[powstash]

I too HEART Silverton. As long as Ullr continues to bless us each year with the white magic from the sky, I'll continue to visit the heart and soul of skiing - Silverton. The mental images I have from the past two years visiting that place are some of the most precious ones I have.

Even better was the opportunity to share it with Mrs. Powstash this year, and to see her go from intimidation to pure stoke over a 3 day period.

When the one's you love most learn to love the things you love, huh, well, it just doesn't get any better than that.

[Pinner]

Silverton?

Yeaaaah,,, it's alright I guess.

[Buster Highmen]

it's a gas.

[iskibc]

Great write-up Mir! Have been wondering where you have been for the past couple weeks.

[splat]

After getting an awesome dose of CO b/c skiing this last week, I'd have to say Silverton just freakin rocks. Too bad I was so vegged from the previous days' adventures to get all the action there that was available. It's a skier's mountain, and a great place to prep for other CO b/c trips. Silverton will give anyone who has never been to CO a real feel for the San Juans, which are insanely beautiful and challenging. Even more, Jen and Aaron are real people with real people working for them -SKIERS and BOARDERS making the experience happen for others. That's rare.

[Foggy_Goggles]

bump for some pics, splat?