Silverton?

[lhowemt]

Anybody ski that new(er) backcountry resort, Silverton? I am thinking about going over Christmas, but not sure.

[Phillips]

Yeah go. . . it's sick. Make sure there is fresh but not too much or you won't hike. Even then its still good with 1800 vertical of sick trees but the ridge makes it the bomb.

Originally Posted by lhowemt

Anybody ski that new(er) backcountry resort, Silverton? I am thinking about going over Christmas, but not sure.

[lhowemt]

Thanks for that. If we go, I'd be flying in, with no flexible schedule. We'd have 3 days to ski. With that limited time, would you go for the guide? Maybe just the first day or so and leave the last day flexible?

[mgk]

If the snow at the ski area isn't the greatest on those three days or you just want to explore more backcountry, check out www.mountaingoatskiguides.com the prices are really good and they'll show you all the best backcountry spots besides Silverton Mountain. You can even ski from their awesome lodge on Red Mountain Pass over a peak and down to the ski area!

[Guermo78]

Spend the dough...get a guide. Huck the cornices! That place is the bomb. Make sure you run the pope face to dope chute... The name tells all.

[Jay H]

are guides required there if you've never been? I had a guy telling me they were--maybe it was just "strongly recommended"

anyway, I too am really interested in checking out silverton, I hear it is really intense. I think I'd be inclined to hire a guide my first time

but make sure you dail in your handy-dandy snow-o-meter so you can make sure there is "fresh but not too much" lol! --just kidding Philips

[drewboater]

beginning of season and end of season guides are not required.

check their website for details:
Silverton Mountain: Home

btw, silverton may not necessarily fall in the true 'resort' category

[Guermo78]

Originally Posted by Jay H

are guides required there if you've never been? I had a guy telling me they were--maybe it was just "strongly recommended"

anyway, I too am really interested in checking out silverton, I hear it is really intense. I think I'd be inclined to hire a guide my first time

but make sure you dail in your handy-dandy snow-o-meter so you can make sure there is "fresh but not too much" lol! --just kidding Philips

Not all terrain is accessable during the "no guide" season. Last time I went, our guide took us to areas you would never get to otherwise. You'll have a good time either way, it's just more fun when a guide takes you to the stash.

[Phillips]

Yeah this has been my experience too. What I meant by too much snow is that if you get say 4 feet in 3 days all the sickest stuff won't go. We had this happen my first trip down their and we were denied any hikes. Bombs going off all over the place and 60 mph winds. On the verge of total insanity. Not that you would have wanted to hike those days because we were seriously socked in. Had a great time anyway rippin the trees. Pretty phenominal shots to be had down low to.

Originally Posted by Guermo78

Not all terrain is accessable during the "no guide" season. Last time I went, our guide took us to areas you would never get to otherwise. You'll have a good time either way, it's just more fun when a guide takes you to the stash.

[storm11]

Silverton can be really hit or miss. If you hit it just right it can be truly epic, but there are definitely days where you'll wonder if you spent your money wisely, especially given all the great backcountry surrounding the area. What Phillips said is completely true, and a lot of the unguided runs are either super tight trees or wide open chutes that pinch down to gullies about half way down (ie, the bottom part gets tracked super quick and can definitely become survival skiing).
Going with a guide and a strong group is key if you want to get into some of the steeper/nicer lines. Just showing up and getting placed with a group usually means you'll usually only get 3-4 runs the entire day. Expect to do quite a bit of hiking if you want the goods.
In my experience, rockered/flared skis can be down right terrifying on anything but the sweetest days up there.
All that aside, it's a totally unique place... go without expectations and you'll be stoked.