3/13/02 - Silverton, CO
After catching a great storm cycle in Jackson Hole,it was not easy toleave.However the thought of checking out Silverton Mountain justoutside the sleepy old mining town of Silverton, CO was more than enoughmotivation to fire up the VW and hit the road. Aaron Brill, themastermind behind the whole Silverton Mountain operation, assured usthat even though the mountainwas not open on Wednesdays, Josh and Iwould still be able to sneak in a few runs. This meant that while wewould not be getting the full Silverton Mountain experience, which wouldcome the next day, we would be able to ski 1600 wicked acres oflift-accessed terrain all by ourselves.
Three people lapping that much terrain is downright foolish and werealized we were in for a treat. We arrived at the base area—the lift,parking lot, and cabin, at 11:00am—a perfect time for scoring freshtracks. We skied untracked powdery lines right under the lift, nogroomers or gapers in sight. The next run found us on top of thefreshest windbuff line I have ever seen. Big aprons, tight and trickychutes, sweet tree lines, we skied it all on this run alone. Yes, thisplace is for real, it is open for business, and it can be all yours. Getyour friends together and give Aaron a call. Your very own paradiseawaits. Check powdermag.com next week for a more detailed and specialon-line exclusive featuring this one of a kind ski experience.—G.S.
Silverton Mountain Ski Area 970-387-5706. www.silvertonmountain.com
Captions for photos: #1 Van Coffeehouse: Rolling into Silverton is likegoing through a time warp, but the laid back town suits us just fine. #2Gabe Stoked: Tour Manager Gabe Schroder shows his enthusiasm beforedropping some sweet powdery vert back to the chairlift.