JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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During my recent ski trip, we shared the snowcat with some skiers from Bozeman, MT near Bridger Bowl and Big Sky/Moonlight Basin. They liked the uncrowded areas near them but made the drive for an even more private ski experience on a snowcat. We talked about other places where there are so few skiers that you can make your own tracks.
There's the budget alternative of backcountry where you earn your turns by climbing but you're limited in the number of runs and you'd better understand how to use an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel. There's also the expensive heli-skiing option, where you share a run with just a few other skiers and have a large number of mountains at your disposal. They also mentioned the Yellowstone Club next to Big Sky where the super-rich can buy into a lifestyle of private powder and ski with Warren Miller and a few other moguls. They also mentioned Silverton in Colorado, which is lift-served backcountry where you need guides and avalanche preparation.
My memories of the mining town of Silverton are from the summer on the Million Dollar Highway from Ouray to Durango. Anyone know more about skiing there or other uncrowded places?
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Silverton CO
Wolf Creek CO ( my personal favorite)
Purgatory CO
Grand Targhee WY
Jay Peak VT
those are a good start for inbounds lift serviced uncrowded skiing...out of bounds, the list is way too long but there is still plenty out there....
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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if untracked skiing is all you want you can even get that at the majors if you know how..for instance...if I get right on the first chair Sunday morning at Keystone....shoot right up and zoom down the backside of the main mountain and then jump on the North Peak quad...I can easily get first tracks on at least 2 trails on North Peak...then as soon as I see people coming up that mountain I zoom down the backside of North Peak and head right to the Outback quad ...shoot up there and usually get 1 or 2 first tracks on that mountain as well...then I start to ski my way back to the main mountain and I am off like a prom dress just as the masses are congregating, having had better skiing then they will see all day...but thats a Sunday morning only deal....you cant do that on a Saturday morning.....Sunday is doable because half the tourists are too hungover from Saturday night to get first tracks...and the other half are slowed down by the effects of elevation after a prior days skiing....
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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I've been to all those except Silverton. I think that opened in the last few years. Have you been there?
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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I have...its VERY steep ...and very wild...and very uncrowded
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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all the mountains in the southwest side of the state have gotten the lions share of snow for the past 5 years...400 inches plus...this year the snow machine has shifted northward a bit and they are hurting down there , while we are ass deep in it ( over 300 inches and still going strong )...this storm tonight is literally the first good dump they have gotten down there all year as this particular low is tracking over them, instead of morth of them as it has been
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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Silverton sounds great. Must be tough to get to in the winter over Red Mountain Pass. I assume they try to keep the road open.
I've also wanted to try Irwin Lodge - a snowcat operation west of Crested Butte. It's a beautiful place.
I used to ski pretty often at Monarch which was convenient to the Springs and usually not crowded midweek. Powder would last all day there and they had a snowcat operation as well.
I've probably skied more powder at Snowbird and Alta than anyplace else. The weather systems come in sucking up moisture off the Great Salt Lake and getting funneled up Little Cottonwood Canyon until orographic lift forces them to dump their load. It's certainly not uncrowded but with some climbing and local knowldege, you can find untracked stuff all day after a dump.
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LindaP
Reged: 03/15/03
Posts: 209
Loc: Albany, NY
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Josh,
They do keep the road open in Silverton...my son worked there last year, they have guided skiing and may have gone to un-guided this yr? Unsure, as now my son has moved on to snow board patrol at Sierra-at_tahoe. Yeah, he said the snow finally arrived!!!!! Great pic of Heavenly! LindaP
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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Linda: I looked at Silverton's web site which says they will allow unguided skiing starting March 31. I'm not sure why the calendar should make any difference. Avalanche danger is high in April.
From their web site: "Most people are fully whipped by the end of a Silverton Day. Due to the lenghty process of extricating injured skiers we have to stop loading the lift by 3:15- 3:30 (depending on time of year). However with the earlier starting time, faster morning process, and better grouping, many skiers will be able to attain more vertical."
Sounds hardcore! Nearby as the crow flies (but about 80 miles on the road) is Telluride whose scenery is about as spectacular as Heavenly. It almost looks fake.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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make no mistake about it Silverton is hard core...anyone less then expert level AND not in reasonably good shape should go somewhere else....the few times I was there it was excellent......very raw, challenging skiing....no sushi...no espresso bars....no valet parking.....and none of those types of people who need that sort of thing as well...LOL
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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and Telluride is fake....they sold out...they are a little Aspen now....as are the prices....kiss this one good bye ...we lost it to the beautiful people and their developer friends......and it was one sweet little town not to long ago
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Crested Butte continues to buck the trend and continue to stay as a REAL ski town..and pretty sweet mountain as well....CB also has the most amazing wild flower bloom in May that I've ever seen...
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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Yeah, Telluride definitely sold out but it's still spectacularly beautiful and relatively uncrowded. Crested Butte feels more like a real ski town but the mountain is also getting developed (check out the golf course houses) and they don't really get their fair share of snow. We went there for the wildflower festival and to do some mountain biking. The flowers were great but my favorite place in the world for wildflowers is Yankee Boy Basin above Ouray in mid-July. God's own canvas.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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I have heard amazing stories about Ouray...havent gotten there yet...here is a recent sunrise in Gods country...
Edited by Mike R (03/13/06 07:55 PM)
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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Thanks for the sunrise pic, Miker. Sometimes I don't know whether I miss the Rockies or the Caribbean more. You must've passed through Ouray on your way to Silverton. It's another beautiful box canyon, like Telluride, but on the other side of the mountain range and without the pressure of a ski town behind it. Winter activities center on ice climbing and cross country skiing. Summer is all about jeeping and hiking and, especially, those wildflowers.
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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Check out the Ouray webcam here. Then be sure to get the full size image. The movie is great too.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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boy do they ever need this
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20060313/NEWS/60313003
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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and thats because of this......
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20060313/NEWS/60313013
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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Well, this really isn't about uncrowded skiing, is it? The gondola will stop at peak 7??? Does Breckenridge have lifts on peak 7? That used to be hike-to terrain. Gondola sounds a bit like Telluride - built so they could develop the mountain while guests could still get to town without driving.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Peak 7 is lift serviced now mon ami....
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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Breckenridge should just expand all the way to peak 1 and get it over with. I never liked the name Frisco anyway.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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they will...in time
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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Then they could sling a gondola over the ridge to Copper opening up the ski-to-die chutes on the west face. Disney could build a Sound-of-Music theme park for the non-skiers.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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they will......in time
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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Come to think of it, they could also expand the other way to Hoosier Pass so that the ski bums living in Alma could no longer afford to stay there and would have to commute from the Springs.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Alma is already pretty close to unaffordable for working class people...Fairplay is next..if I told what I could get for my simple 2 bedroom 1200 sqaure feet condo you wouldnt believe it.
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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I'm sure you could get more for your small condo than I got for my four bedroom home in the Springs. The same is true for an apartment in NYC versus a large house in the suburbs. It's the genius of capitalism - markets rule via Adam Smith's invisible hand.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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the beauty of this all...is if we go back to NH full time, instead of part time, in a year or so, like we are talking about...with what we will clear out of the sale of this place, we wlll be able to buy a farm house with 20 acres of land with the profit, and have no mortgage....its insane out here...you can get 10 grand for a nicely appointed cardboard refrigerator box...if the location is good
Edited by Mike R (03/14/06 11:17 AM)
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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Ski to die -> Live free or die ;-)
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carter
Reged: 02/17/04
Posts: 53
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I know not a thing about back country skiing, but have to comment on Monarch.
I learned to ski at Monarch when I was 4. My brother started skiing at Monarch when he was around 2 (my parents rigged a rope around his waste with instruction from the super nice people at Mt.Shavano (sp?)). We drove from TX to Monarch 2-3 times a year for 8-10 years before branching out to Keystone, Vail, Breck, CB, etc. We stayed in a huge old (cold) Victorian house across from the hospital in Salida. Some of my greatest childhood memories are from Monarch Pass.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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well..Monarch is still open....they even have a quad operating now....that is a beautiful area by Salida and Buena Vista.....and they get a ton of snow as well....you should go back for a reunion trip
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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Carter: Yep, Monarch is one of those small gems in Colorado that are near just about every mountain pass. Very family friendly and well positioned to pick up storms. It's a great place to learn to ski and I'd always see little kids with avalanche shovels in their backpacks learning how to do guide work, etc. Salida is a funky little town with good Mexican food and some art galleries and lots of motels along route 50.
Another gem can be found at Wolf Creek Pass which gets tons of snow (most in Colorado) from southern storms because it's the first high spot those storms see. There's also Cooper at Tennessee Pass near where the 10th mountain division trained in WWII. Of course, there's Arapahoe Basin and Loveland Ski area at Loveland Pass and there used to be a ski area at Berthoud Pass.
You can also see skiers on passes where there's no ski area. It used to be people would cross-country, telemark, or randonee on those passes but now you also see sled-skiing where snowmobiles provide the uphill transport. You can't park at Vail Pass anymore because the place is filled with trucks dragging snowmobiles. When they plow the Independence Pass road in June, the Aspen skiers use it to access the large snowfields nearby. You also see many skiers at Rabbit Ears Pass and Buffalo Pass near Steamboat. Lots of options in the back country.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Wolf Creek, as you mentioned, is one of my all time favorite places to go....unfortunatley thats another one about to bite the dust and sell out...the Hunt Brothers of Texas fame and fortune have purchased all the land around and at the base area of the mountain and have plans for major development..... so here comes Marriot, Starbucks and Aveda Spas and sushi bars and oxygen bars ( that one really cracks me up ) and valet parking and everything else.....the town ( with the exception of the realtors) and the Park Service and everyone else is fighting it tooth and nail....but we, who know better, already know how this one will turn out.. so I'm thinking about getting back into the guide service and goin down there....200 bucks and I'll keep you in the sun all day...throw in another 100 and I'll tell you funny stories....another 200 and I'll make love to your wife if you're too tired after all day of skiing at elevation....another 100, heck I'll let you watch....LOL
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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JoshA
Reged: 08/28/05
Posts: 2239
Loc: Virginia
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LOL. Guide service sounds like a good gig.
What are the Hunt Brothers thinking though? Wolf Creek doesn't lend itself to large-scale development. What town? South Fork? Pagosa Springs? Too far away. I will say that any of the southern Colorado ski areas will be an easier drive for those Texans (as though they need any encouragement).
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15742
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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no town...right at the base itself and expanding out from there...wouldnt be Pagosa Springs...South Fork would be my guess....who knows what thy are thinking?...maybe they need a big ass tax write off
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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