Silverton Mountain Archives

Silverton Mountain’s Big Mountain Bash

Clear your calendar and spend MLK weekend at Silverton Mountain! Our Big Mountain Bash is going down January 13th to the 15th, and features great prices on guided skiing and snowboarding with some pretty awesome perks.

Whether you’re new to big mountain skiing or riding, or you’re a backcountry veteran who wants to shred the gnar, there’ll be a group for you—and plenty of chances to challenge yourself and develop big mountain skills in the beautiful San Juan mountains. You’ll practice skills such as avalanche safety equipment use, proper route finding, terrain and snow selection, pacing and how to acclimatize at high elevation (you’ll be skiing between 10,000 and 13,400 feet). Guests will have the opportunity to work with true mountain professionals who intimately know the terrain at Silverton and can find the best snow on any given day as they show you how to operate safely and efficiently in a high altitude environment.

The package includes two days of guided skiing or snowboarding on Silverton Mountain’s (in)famous steep and gnarly terrain on January 14th and 15th, a great lunch from the local Kendall Mountain Cafe delivered to the mountain both days, a Welcome Reception on January 13th with drinks, and parties all weekend long where there will be plenty of swag up for grabs.

Big Mountain Bash Schedule

Friday, January 13

Check in to lodging (4:00 p.m.) at the Grand Imperial Hotel (see lodging details below)
Kickoff Welcome Event (7:30-9:00 p.m.) at the Miner’s Building (1069 Green Street) in downtown Silverton.
- Includes beer, wine, light snacks as well as guide introduction, snow safety briefing, demo/rental equipment pickup and more.

Saturday, January 14

Guided skiing at Silverton Mountain (9:00 to 3:00).
- Arrive at the base area at 8:30 to boot up and meet your guide.
- Guests will make brown bag lunch selections at the Welcome event and the lunch before will be delivered before skiing to eat with your group
Après ski party in the Silverton Mountain Tent (3:00 p.m.) with complimentary drink coupons.
Signature Bash at the Grand Imperial (6:30 p.m.)
- Guests receive two drink coupons, hearty appetizers, raffle tickets and more.

Sunday, January 15

Guided skiing at Silverton Mountain (9:00 to 3:00)
- Arrive at the base area at 8:30 to boot up and meet your guide.
Après ski party in the Silverton Mountain Tent (3:00 p.m.)
- Complimentary beer coupons, swag, plus awards to celebrate your big mountain weekend.

The Pricing:

The Big Mountain Weekend Bash at Silverton Mountain costs $429, which includes:

Two days of guided skiing
Two lunches
Two après ski parties
Welcome reception
Signature party at the Grand Imperial
Super Rad Swag

The Registration:

Click here to register for the Big Mountain Bash at Silverton

Questions? call Silverton reservations at 970-387-5706.

The Lodging:

Lodging at the Grand Imperial Hotel starts as low as $130/night, double occupancy. The hotel has a variety of rooms from hotel rooms to suites that can sleep 4-6 people. To book a room or a suite, contact the Grand Imperial Hotel by emailing Paula or call (800)-341-3340 and use the code “Big Mountain Bash.”

Other lodging options are available here.

The Best Gear for Silverton Mountain

Silverton Mountain is one of the best places in the world to put ski and snowboard gear to the test. Much of the ski area is in the alpine, meaning your outerwear needs to be perfect to keep you in your element. The snow is usually deep and the terrain is always steep, meaning you finally have a reason to buy some fatties and put them to use every day of your trip here. A beacon, shovel, and probe are required to ski or ride every day we are open, and our guides train with their gear regularly, quickly finding critical flaws that may be unknown to those who leave their gear in their pack for most of the season.

With all of this testing going on, we think the following gear for Silverton Mountain is what you need to have the best time anytime you head to the ski area.

Skis & Snowboards

First off, the best things to strap to your feet are K2 Fat Skis or a Venture Snowboard. In particular, you’ll most likely see the K2 Pinnacle 118, the K2 Powabunga, and the classic K2 Pon2oon skis attached to our guides’ feet. Those who have skied here know that fat boards make everything better, from the somewhat deep days to the all-time deepest day of your life.

The guides who prefer one plank instead of two will most like be shredding the Venture Storm (recognize that graphic?) or the Venture Zelix. These are the toughest boards on the market and made in the town of Silverton, Colorado. Our staff couldn’t be more proud to ride such amazing snowboards, and since splitboards are not necessary to ride at Silverton Mountain, grab a locally made fat board and shred with the best.

For our 15th anniversary season, you’ll see our two-plank staff riding on Marker Bindings. These bindings are renown throughout the industry for setting standards and driving the industry forward. The Royal Family series feature wider platforms and adjustable anti-friction devices in the toe, allowing rubber-soled ski boots to fit without compromising the release when needed. You do not need touring bindings to ski or ride at Silverton Mountain, so don’t compromise quality for the descent and get the best bindings around to really optimize your turns.

Outerwear, Optics, & Gear

The weather at Silverton Mountain is something fierce. From sub-zero temperatures during pre-dawn avalanche control routes to hot and sunny Springtime corn fiestas, our guides rely on The North Face day in and day out to keep them comfortable on the mountain. Using a mix of the Summit Series and the Steep Series (and always with Gore-Tex), our guides are always comfortable on the mountain at any time.

As for sunglasses, goggles, and helmets, our guides and staff have sworn by Smith Optics for years. You might have noticed that our guides almost never hike on the mountain wearing goggles, and some never wear goggles at all. That’s because Smith sunglasses are just so good. For those that do wear goggles and brain-buckets on the descent, the compatibility of Smith goggles and helmets is second to none.

The beacon, shovel, and probe you choose matters a lot. No one wants to be in a dangerous situation with unreliable gear. That’s why the Silverton Mountain staff relies on Backcountry Access (BCA) for the lightest, strongest, and fastest avalanche safety equipment. In particular, the Tracker 3 and the Float Pack system were added to the mix during the ’15-’16 season, much to the approval of the guides and patrol who train with this equipment throughout the entire season and beyond.

Don’t just take our word for it, all of these products are available for demo during your time at Silverton Mountain. Make your reservation, get the right gear for Silverton Mountain, and have the best trip of your life.

Why We Expanded Our Guided Season

Silverton Mountain is celebrating its 15th Anniversary Season with a nearly 20% increase in guided skiing availability. The season will open on December 29th and will continue through April 9th. Guided only skiing operations will run from December 29th through March 26th. Unguided skiing at Silverton is available March 31st, April 1st, 2nd, and April 7th, 8th, 9th only. Silverton Mountain will be open Thursday through Sunday (including Presidents Day on Monday, February 20th) during the entire guided season 12/29-3/26.

Some unguided guests have inquired regarding the decision to shift all the unguided skiing options to the spring. We loved these December and January unguided days as much as you, especially because it was when some of the most loyal skiers arrived at the ski area and the conditions that time of year tend to be outstanding. The economics involved with unguided skiing and riding over the past decade have been a challenge, and it was apparent that these December and January unguided dates have financial hurdles. In December & January, guided skiing is easier to operate, as we can work more harmoniously with the mountains during the major snow storms we tend to receive, and have larger amounts of terrain open each day. Unguided skiing requires a much more ballistic approach “fighting” mother nature most of the time. Following the more natural ebb and flow and evolution of the ski season, makes more sense operationally with unguided skiing options being offered in the spring where large amounts of terrain can be offered.

No matter what we could have set the unguided ticket price at, early season unguided skiing and riding created financial realities that had to be continually subsidized using revenue from other products.

As you are probably aware, Silverton Mountain does not operate any hotels, condos, restaurants, or any other revenue generating “amenities” that are commonly operated by large ski resort corporations across the country. We have no interest in building condos or selling luxury homes like the big resorts do to cover operating expenses. We operate on a revenue stream dependent directly from skier and snowboarder visits who enjoy our unique mountain adventure experience.

Silverton Mountain is offering a number of new ways to enjoy the mountain in 2016-17 that we hope all guests will enjoy. In addition to single-day and multi-day tickets that can be reserved by phone or online, Silverton Mountain skiers have several different season pass options. A limited number of Spring Unguided Season Passes are available for only $179 that include 3 free days at Monarch and 3 free days at Powderhorn, ½ price Heli skiing and $79 guided skiing on a standby basis. Many of our great events, including the Clauson Classic and Sisters’ Meeting in the Mountains, will be during the Spring unguided season as well.

The Solid Gold Pass offers 10 days of guided skiing in December or January, plus the unguided ski season pass perks and 2 extra days at Powderhorn for $499 during limited early pricing. This means you can ski guided for less than $50 a day (a day at Vail is $159), plus have all the unguided dates.

Thank you for your continued support of Silverton Mountain during our 15th Anniversary Season. We look forward to skiing with you soon!

Discovering the Dream of Silverton Mountain

Tim Petrick has been in the ski business for over 45 years. Petrick is a published author with two books on skiing, was a 3X member of the PSIA Alpine Demonstration Team and has held various senior executive positions in magazine publishing, ski resorts and equipment manufacturing. Prior to joining Silverton Mountain as Chief Operating Officer, Petrick was the President and CEO of K2 Sports. We asked him to share his reflections after his first season in Silverton, and to capture what makes this place so amazing.

I first heard about Silverton Mountain in the late 1990s. At the time I was the Marketing VP for K2 Skis, attending the Snowsports Industries of America Trade Show in Las Vegas. I had agreed to a meeting with Aaron and Jen Brill where they told me about their idea for an adventure ski area in the San Juan Mountains. There would be no grooming, a single lift to provide access and virtually no amenities other than the skiing.

From a business perspective the Brills plan seemed like fantasy. At that point in time, sidecountry skiing was barely tolerated at most resorts across the USA. Fat skis were in their infancy. Rocker hadn’t been invented yet. Adventure skiing was a micro niche. I told Jen and Aaron that I didn’t think it would pencil financially but if they got the lifts running, K2 would be happy to sponsor Silverton Mountain.

Fast forward to Fall 2015 when I resigned as the CEO of K2 Sports and decided to return to the mountains after 25 years of increasingly “real” jobs. My career in the business had begun on the ski resort side and I was looking for a way to get back on the snow. It turned out that Aaron and Jen were looking for help and I started as Silverton Mountain’s first Chief Operating Officer in December 2015. This was one of those “am I dreaming” moments when everything seems to be too good to be true.

This past season at Silverton was incredible in so many ways. First there was the culture shock that came with moving from the traffic and population density of the Seattle metropolitan area to a very small town in the San Juan Mountains. The Town of Silverton has about 600 year-round residents and the buildings make the town feel like an authentic Western movie set. The pace is relaxed and the locals are genuine, hardworking, honest people who have chosen to live in this remote mountain town at an elevation that is 9,318’ above sea level. Moving to Silverton was a huge gear change but we felt immediately at home.

It is probably no surprise that the next thing I recall about my first season at Silverton Mountain is the skiing. First is the daily ritual of driving 6 miles on a dirt road to the base of the hill which doesn’t look like any other ski area you’ve ever visited. There’s a bottom lift terminal, a patrol shack, a half-dozen porta-potties, some picnic tables and a sprung-structure tent which serves as the lodge. The experience is raw and unfiltered. You and the 80 or so skiers who are there on a given day have only made the trek for one reason – to slide on snow. The purity of this shared pursuit of skiing powder bonds friends and former strangers with smiles and laughter. I can’t tell you how many times I heard from skiers last winter that they had their “best day ever” skiing at Silverton.

As for the skiing itself, Silverton Mountain is a winter playground with nearly 2,000 acres of advanced to expert terrain and an average annual snowfall of 400”. I got to sample a lot of the mountain last winter in the 50+ days I skied the hill, but I feel like I barely scratched its potential. In season #1, I got to know the major zones like Pope/Dope, Nightmare, Mandatory, Waterfall, Cabin and Tiger – along with time in the trees on the North side of the mountain – but there are so many features within each of these bigger areas that it will take years to really start to know where the best skiing is on a given day depending on snow and weather/wind conditions.

This is where Silverton Mountain’s guides come in. These guides have the experience and knowledge to find the best snow even if there hasn’t been a storm in weeks. Getting to know and work with this group of passionate, committed professionals is perhaps my strongest recollection of my first year at Silverton. They are constantly training and striving to improve their knowledge and execution in order to provide the best possible experience for our guests. They work hard, take their jobs seriously, and are truly quality people.

So that’s about it for my first submission to the Silverton Mountain newsletter and blog. I hope you will return to ski with us during the 2016/17 winter, or give us a try if you’ve never been here. Silverton is a truly special place with some of the best skiing on the planet. And it just might be the best day you’ve ever had sliding on snow.

Best Internship Ever!

Have you ever looked at your snowboard guide or master blaster ski patroller and wondered, “how do I get that job?” Well, if you apply for an internship at Silverton Mountain this season, you are taking the first step to getting a career made of outdoor dreams.

Silverton Mountain is currently accepting applications for the 16/17 season internship. Many of our former interns are currently working for Silverton Mountain as patrollers and guides, and others have been hired on to high-level ski patrol staffs throughout North America. Some have also used the internship to get their foot in the door for international guiding programs.

Internship Qualifications

In order to qualify, you need to have an unexpired Wilderness First Responder and/or Outdoor Emergency Care certification, as well as an Avalanche Level 2 certification. This position requires full commitment for four days a week from December through April.

This unpaid position does require extremely hard work and a very positive attitude, but the rewards are priceless for anyone who loves to spend time in the mountains. A willingness to take on new challenges is crucial and a predisposed love of wintertime, deep powder, and steep terrain is required.

If you think you’re ready for the best and most challenging winter of your life, send a resume and cover letter to info@silvertonmountain.com. You can also check out all of our current employment openings on our Employment Page.

15th Annual Brewski Classic Returns April 3rd, 2016!

ONESIE EXTRAVAGANZA AT THE BREWSKI!

Join us at Silverton Mountain on Sunday, April 3rd for unguided skiing and riding all day and an afternoon of tasting fantastic craft beers from all over Colorado!

Bring out your best Onesie and remember that there are free giveaways all day long from our awesome sponsors, including K2 Skis, Venture Snowboards, The North Face, Smith Optics, Red Bull, Fischer Bindings, and Pabst Blue Ribbon!

Admission is $15 and includes a souvenir cup (while supplies last). Tasting starts at 2:30pm, must be 21 years old or older to enter event. Remember to bring your ID!

Avalanche Brewing Company, Steamworks, Elevation Brewing, Carver Brewing, Ska Brewing, and more will be in attendance!

RSVP on Facebook, wash your dad’s (or mom’s) onesie, and we’ll see you at the Brewski!

Looking to make things easier? Make an unguided or guided reservation for the day in advance.

Michelle Parker at Silverton Mountain January ’15

During January, 2015, Red Bull athlete and super rad skier Michelle Parker joined us for a few laps with Matchstick Productions in tow. Even when it’s early season at Silverton Mountain, there is always a ton of fun to be had, and no one makes it look better than MP!

We still have space for guided skiing in March 2016, which is when the snowpack is the deepest and the vibe is super relaxed. Plus, there are sleeper pow days that sneak up on all of us, and what could be better than Spring Break with sun, pow, and good times? Reserve your spot now and find out what Spring in the San Juan Mountains is like first hand.

Looking for more videos from Silverton Mountain? Check out some on our Video page.

Clauson Classic Returns January 3rd, 2016

Kick cancer in the snowballs and honor John’s footsteps! Join us for The Clauson Classic at Silverton Mountain on January 3rd, 2016.

“Be Like John.” That’s what is written on the whiteboard in the patrol shack at Silverton Mountain. John Clauson was our Assistant Snow Safety director, guide and ski patroller. No mission was too hard, no load was too much, and nothing couldn’t be done without a smile and a humble admiration for the beauty of the San Juan Mountains.

In honor of John’s legacy and to benefit those in need, Silverton Mountain is hosting the annual Clauson-style endurance race! See how many laps you can hike up the ridge while you raise funds for First Descents. The further you go and the more laps you get, the more points you will earn to win some awesome donated prizes. Points will be earned throughout the day at the base area as well so everyone can participate.

Registration is now open on EventBrite.

PRIZES THIS YEAR:

GRAND PRIZE FOR MEN & WOMEN’S CATEGORIES: Single Heli Drop for the 15/16 season at Silverton Mountain

RUNNER-UP: A day with Silverton Powdercats Cat Skiing & Boarding

SPIRIT AWARD: An Osprey Backpack from Pine Needle Mountaineering

PRIZES AWARDED THROUGHOUT THE DAY:

Rum from Montanya Distillers in Crested Butte, Colorado

Spirits from Wood’s High Mountain Distillery in Salida, Colorado

A night at The Benson Lodge in Silverton, Colorado

Gift Certificates to The Eureka Station and The Rum Bar in Silverton, Colorado

Plenty of Swag from Backcountry Access, K2 Skis, The North Face, Smith Optics, Fischer Bindings, Venture Snowboards, Red Bull and more!

NEW THIS YEAR AT THE CLAUSON CLASSIC: We will be holding a Bone Marrow Registry Drive at the event assisted by BE THE MATCH. If John had lived long enough, his only hope for life would have been a bone marrow transplant. It’s as easy as filling out a short form and swabbing your check with a Q-tip! We will have lots of info there for you at the event or you can sign up online to be a donor.

First Descents is a Colorado-based non-profit providing life-changing outdoor adventures across the world for young adults impacted by cancer. Camps include activities such as surfing, kayaking, rock climbing, river rafting, mountain climbing, and more.

CLAUSON CLASSIC 2016 EVENT DETAILS:

DATE: Sunday, January 3, 2016

COST: Race entry is $35 and includes a t-shirt this year! If you are registered for the event, you can buy a lift ticket the morning of the event for just $25. You must purchase a lift ticket or have a current season pass to participate in the race.

REGISTRATION: Register online until 6pm, January 2nd. You may also register at the mountain on the morning of the race beginning at 8 am. Please be checked in and registered by 8:30 am.

REQUIRED GEAR: Like any day at Silverton Mountain, you must carry beacon, shovel and probe. You must show these when you check in at the tent. This gear is available to rent at the mountain as well the day of the race. You must also sign a waiver and have a lift ticket or season pass. Registration fee for the race is $35, participants can buy a $25 lift ticket the morning of the event at the mountain.

HOW IT WORKS: Check in in the tent between 8 and 8:30 am, regardless of whether you’ve registered in advance. Race begins at 9 am when the lift starts turning and ends at 2:30 at the base area. We’ll have two “High points” for the race – one worth more points than the other. Points are weather and snow dependent. (Last year, they were Tiger Claw and Billboard.) When you reach a high point, you will receive a colored bracelet. These are worth points that equate to vertical. How many laps can you do? At the end of the day, turn in your bracelets and the racer with the most vertical wins! A few extra fun challenges will be thrown in too…

Fun giveaways for participants at the end of the day!

Don’t wait, register now and help us honor John.

Powder Skiing & Boarding at Silverton Mountain TODAY (October 6th, 2015)

El Gordo (The Big One) continues to ramp up this winter with heavy snow at Silverton Mountain, Colorado! The large low pressure system spinning over Silverton Mountain during the past couple of days continues to drop heavy powder snow on the slopes. This is the largest winter storm of the season so far and provided some lucky ski and snowboard patrollers the opportunity to jump on the chairlift today. The first ski area turns of the Colorado 2015/16 ski season were made today on a fresh blanket of snow covering Colorado’s highest elevation ski area. The smiles were huge and the fun factor was off the charts after this latest winter storm at Silverton Mountain, Colorado.

Check out the photos from today on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

El Gordo is known locally in Silverton to be a much stronger version of El Nino. While El Nino tends to impact the areas of Southwest Colorado, El Gordo tends to take it up a notch and hammer the unique weather microclimate of Silverton Mountain with major snowfall. Some of the all-time record winters in Silverton have been related to El Gordo. Locals refer to El Gordo as El Nino’s chubbier and much stronger cousin. As far back as local history records show, El Gordo has historical roots in Silverton, CO and there is no mention of El Gordo in other places of the Southwest. Previous El Gordo’s have resulted in huge winter storms that have closed winter roads and destroyed powerlines in Silverton.

The official start of the ski season is slated for December but if the snow keeps up at this pace that date could be pushed up if El Gordo continues to deliver. Silverton Mountain is the highest ski area in North America with a peak of 13,487’ and providing skiing and snowboarding on all natural snow as early as August in previous years.

Don’t wait! Make your reservations now!