Once again, we headed down to Silverton for a weekend of steep and deep skiing. This year's crew was limited to six, Glen, Jay, Pete, Connor, Fab and myself. The White Wolfe Haus comfortably accommodated the smaller crew, down from eight last year.
The Pacific La Nina year has left Southwest Colorado with below average snowpack. We were dismayed to see a good bit of bare ground in-town Silverton, relative to last year's enormous snow piles. The forecast called for a sunny Friday, 40% chance of 1 - 3 inches Saturday and 40% chance of 1 - 3 inches Sunday.
The Crew:
Our guide took us down Left Nightmare for the first run; the coverage was thin and this zone had not been skied yet this year. Typical Silverton steeps:
The gully below Left Nightmare offered some nice tele-turns for Pete, who consistently killed it on tele skis.
Everyone had memorable crashes. Not everyone was lucky enough to get theirs on film:
Fab enjoying a bluebird day below Left Nightmare:
Nightmare Basin. Our lines were on the right (skier's left).
Pete drops a knee on Cabin.
The crew made one hike to the "Billboard," a radio repeater mounted on the flank of Storm Peak and about 900 vertical feet above the top of the lift.
Jay and Pete at the Billboard:
The crew at the top:
Glen and Fab kickin' it at 13,000 ft:
Clearance rack goggles and pants complete the ensemble:
Storm peak:
The Pope Face descends from the Billboard at about 45 to 50 degrees. The average slope from the Billboard to the bottom of the "Porn Star Chute" is 35-degrees. Pete makes it look easy on tele's.
Pete gloating over a killer line on Pope Face:
Fab tempting fate on the Pope Face "no fall zone"
Below the Pope Face, our guide took us on the 45-degree "Porn Star" chute, which constricts to less than a ski length in the middle.
Glen going for the squeeze on Porn Star:
The apron below Porn Star offered some phenomenal skiing:
Our line from the Billboard down:
Jay posing for the camera:
Connor enjoying the view:
Tiger #5, one of our last runs of the first day. Pete jumping his tele turns:
...and showing off the bottom of his demo boards:
Jay catching a little air on Tiger #5:
On Saturday, our second day at Silverton, it started to snow. There were a few inches in the morning, maybe a half foot by noon and perhaps a foot by the end of the day. Skiing storm snow is a special fluffy treat.
Pete and Glen contemplate powder skiing:
Fab goes deep in lower Cabin:
Glen and Connor in lower Cabin:
Jay(?) enjoying waist deep powder skiing:
Connor in the storm:
Saturday featured some excellent steeps, including the 50-degree waterfall ramp:
The snow loaded deep on Rope-Dee Ramp:
Fab enters the white room:
Saturday left everyone with an ice cream headache and jones for more powder skiing on Sunday.
Punching a snowflake on the way down Sunset:
Snow accumulation from noon until 3:30PM on Saturday:
Yurt Yeti Jay shows off a beard-full of powder shots Saturday apres-ski.
On Sunday, about a foot of snow had fell in town, maybe one and a half feet at the base of the Silverton Lift and two feet or more on the top of the mountain. After two days of hiking and skiing, the remaining skiers from the crew were beat, but couldn't miss a day of truly epic powder skiing. The sun flirted with clouds throughout the day. Winds were cold, but the snow was deep and light in the trees.
Jay finding a deep pocket:
An awesome sequence of Jay laying first tracks on Sunset:
The last run of the day was down Concision. Wind-blown crust at top, bottomless powder after the wind roll. One of the nicest lines of the trip for me:
We'll be back in 2012 for the third annual Silverton adventure.
Parting shot: Silverton liftline on an 18-inch powder day.
