Scott Kennett grinned at all of us gazing up at our tracks. "There's still a big couloir, more powder, and some pillow drops left," he said as he scooted off into the trees. Of Warren Miller and Greg Stump movie fame, Scott was nice enough to show us around the backcountry of Telluride. Owner of the late Zudnik The Wonder Dog, Scott has lived at the end of Box Canyon for close to 30 years.

The previous day we notched another nine inches of powder into the Fresh-O-Meter with some sweet in-bounds turns in Prospect Bowl and on Bald Peak. But the real goods were to be had off the back of Palmyra Peak under considerable avalanche conditions. We were fortunate to have the best backcountry guide on the mountain.

Our epic run began with systematic assault on two perfect untracked pitches totaling about 1000 vertical feet. We could have been heli-skiing: it was that good. The third pitch in front of us consisted of tight chutes, open glades, and a few launchable rocks. The most notable was Herb's rock, named after Telluride local Herb Manning. A 30-foot rock face topped with a perfectly angled launch ramp, Herb's rock grabbed Gabe's attention right away. Scott checked out the takeoff and landing and gave Gabe the green light. The sun made an appearance and Gabe hung in the air for what seemed like minutes and touched down softly some 50 feet down slope.

If nothing else, the scenery around Telluride is beyond comparison. We all took a moment to appreciate the humbling100-foot tall rock walls lining the couloir towards the bottom of the Bear Creek drainage. The terrain is nothing to be taken lightly either. Following the couloir we had a choice of rappelling and side slipping down a rocky slot or committing to an intimidating pillow drop line involving frozen waterfalls in order to reach the run out down to town.

Following a great day of skiing there's nothing quite like retiring to a great bar to engage with the locals a bit. The Telluride townsfolk came out in force to support our cause at the Powder to the People Tour party. Red Hook Winterhook flowed like water as we showed the Powder Video Awards and raffled off tons of gear to support the Jack Carey Recovery Fund. Jack, a 30-year ski bum veteran to Telluride, was injured in a motorcycle accident last summer and the fund was set up to help him with his hospital bills. A pair of Salomon Teneighty skis, North Face packs, and Smith goggles and sunglasses were raffled off to the tune of $460 for Captain Jack.

It was tough leaving Telluride, but the prospect of new snow to add to the Fresh-0-Meter and the U.S. Extreme Skiing Championships in Crested Butte were beckoning us to move the tour forward and bring more Powder to more people.