This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
“You could die here today!” The first words I read on the trail map at Silverton Mountain are etched into my brain as I look at the dense pines on the slopes around me. It’s a seemingly peaceful scene punctuated only by the occasional soft thump of snow falling from the branches. Yet in what should be a tranquil, almost meditative moment, my heartbeat feels deafening.
It could be the altitude — we’ve just hiked for 45 minutes, something I’d find strenuous at sea level, let alone at an altitude of 13,000ft, with skis strapped to my pack. Or it could be — and let’s face it, this is more likely — the fact that I’m currently lying flat, having fallen in six feet of powder, with my head facing downhill. My left leg — and the ski attached to it — is stuck fast in the snow. I do as I’ve been told and stay perfectly still, having quickly realised that any movement could send snow tumbling onto my face. As I begin to wonder how accurate Silverton Mountain’s signage might be, our guide appears through the trees, her bright green jacket a welcome sign that I’m going to survive to ski another day.
Silverton Mountain is the type of old-school ski area you hear stories about: one lift, with ungroomed, expert-only terrain and a hell of a lot of hiking. It sits in the remote reaches of southwest Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, a high-altitude range within the Rockies. With a maximum elevation of 13,487ft, Silverton is the highest ski area in North America, so great conditions for snow sports are all but guaranteed.
In the peak winter months of late December to early March, only guided skiing is permitted, in groups of up to eight. While some visitors prefer to make use of Silverton’s reliable heli-skiing operation — one of only two in the state — the resort’s no-frills character is best experienced by hopping onto its only lift, an antique two-man chair that carries you up to 12,300ft. From here, it’s a downhill run of almost 1,900ft, but those looking for the finest turns should keep climbing. Hikes of anywhere between five and 50 minutes provide access to a huge variety of additional terrain, from extreme steep stretches and dramatic couloirs to entertaining tree runs and vast powder bowls.
The abundance of hiking means a slower pace of ski day. At Silverton, skiers have little choice but to earn their turns — a compelling challenge for those who have become accustomed to the convenience of Europe’s high-speed lifts. The reward is worth the effort, however, as crowds and queues are non-existent here, thanks to the area’s remote location and extreme reputation. Even in the historic mining town of Silverton itself, you’re unlikely to come across more than a handful of people walking its wide, Western-style streets.
With a maximum elevation of 13,487ft, Silverton is the highest ski area in North America. Photograph by Cavan Images, Alamy Stock Photo
No backcountry location is without its risks, and this is something the San Juans demonstrate all too well. These are mountains known not only for their legendary terrain, but also for their notoriously volatile snow conditions. A combination of high elevation, complex avalanche terrain and a weak continental snowpack means the San Juans see a significant number of avalanches each year.
“Essentially, there’s strong snow over weak snow, because of the temperature difference between the air and the ground,” explains Kaylee Walden, ski guide at local outfit Mountain Trip and instructor at Silverton Avalanche School. Though she grew up skiing in her home state of Montana, Kaylee feels a special affinity to the San Juans. “It’s a really interesting snowpack for teaching,” she says. “There aren’t many places where you can walk for 30 minutes and see 13,000ft peaks. The mountains are so diverse — there are so many features you look at and immediately want to ski, from super-narrow couloirs to massive powder fields. You can easily get in over 3,000ft of descent a day, if not more.”
Sky high
Just days later, the sense of peril continues as we sit listening intently while our guide for the day, Drew Ludwig, explains the various ways in which a helicopter could kill us — rotor blades, unsurprisingly, are particularly nasty. But even this can’t dampen our spirits. After the previous evening spent monitoring a gloomy weather forecast, we’ve woken to perfect blue skies, meaning our much-anticipated day with Telluride Helitrax is going ahead.
It’s a circuitous drive of just under two hours from Silverton to the ski town of Telluride, passing knockout views along Colorado’s ‘Million Dollar Highway’ — so named as this remote road reportedly cost $1m per mile to build. The ski area here offers over 2,000 acres of terrain linking Telluride with the modern community of Mountain Village. It’s got all the San Juan signatures: wide, tree-lined pistes, sweeping views and a distinct lack of lift queues. Today, however, we’re heading in a different direction.
“Think of it as a very expensive Uber,” Drew says with a laugh, his weathered smile the only sliver of skin visible between goggle and jacket. As someone with a slight fear of flying, I’m not convinced this is how you’d describe a helicopter ride, but I’ve been promised snow so spectacular there’s no way I’m backing out now. Our ‘taxi’ — a black-and-red four-seater Eurocopter AS350 B3e — quickly arrives and soon we’re soaring smoothly up and over Telluride, the town’s perfect square blocks looking even neater from above. Passing beyond the northern peak of Mt Emma, we drop down into terrain that’s completely untouched, with not a skier or settlement in sight.
Like many businesses in the area, Telluride Helitrax is family-owned and operated. “It was a total cowboy affair back in the day,” says Drew. “In the Eighties, the government allowed permits to be bought pretty easily, so a lot of people tried to get operations going. They’d take heli-skiing trips in Europe and try to replicate what they saw back here. But there were no official operating standards and there wasn’t a lot of knowledge back then about avalanches or heli safety in general.” Drew’s company was one of three operations in Telluride then; some more came and went. “Now we’re the only one in Telluride,” he says.
Drew has worked at Helitrax since 2007, but he’s quick to stress that the San Juan backcountry is not limited only to those who can afford an aerial experience. “At most ski areas in Colorado, you have to travel a few hours by snowmobile if you want to access amazing backcountry,” he explains. “But we have road-accessed backcountry here, which is unrivalled, and eliminates that logistical component. We have the most visually dramatic mountains in the state, which translate to some of the most dramatic skiing as well — the steepest terrain, the most amazing couloirs.”
West Colorado Ave (‘Main Street’) in Telluride offers several saloon-style bars overlooking mountain peaks. Photograph by Norbert Eisele-Hein, Awl Images
Today, however, we’re taking the gentler route, as there have been a few avalanche incidents in the region over the past few weeks and the risk level is at three (on a scale of one to five, this is considerable). But our group has not one complaint among us. The snow is perfect — buoyant, untouched and unfolding below us with limitless potential. By the time we stop for lunch, we’re on top of the world — literally — picnicking on one of the highest ridges in the area.
Wiltshire-based architect James Hall, part of our four-person group, is one of the few British skiers I’ve met in the San Juans. “I’ve never been heli-skiing before, and I’ve never skied in the US,” he explains as we tuck into our sandwiches. “So, it’s really two bucket-list ticks in one. My wife doesn’t ski, and my son is only 11, so it made sense to come alone,” he continues. “But I really don’t feel like I’ve been by myself at all. The resort vibes are very different to Europe; it’s so friendly. I go and sit at a bar and that seems like a signal to people to come up and chat. I even ended up on a Telluride radio show the other day because of someone I’d met in the bar!”
I can quite believe this. Not only because the San Juans host mountain communities as welcoming as any I’ve experienced, but because Telluride also has something of a reputation for libations, being home to a vast number of breweries, wine bars and distilleries. The town’s signature Flatliner cocktail is Telluride’s answer to the espresso martini — a rocket-fuelled combo of vodka, Baileys, Kahlúa and coffee that’s best enjoyed at the New Sheridan Hotel’s historic bar.
A longstanding fixture in town, the New Sheridan’s wood-and-brick façade is one of many Old West-era buildings lining Main Street. The town centre could seem slightly twee, with its snow-covered streets and saloon-style bars overlooked by looming mountain peaks. But this place has got the frontier country pedigree to match. Formed during the Gold Rush of the mid-19th century, Telluride is where Butch Cassidy pulled off his first bank heist, making off with over $20,000 from the San Miguel Valley Bank. For many, this heritage is part of its appeal. “If you’re already going to trouble yourself with travelling long haul, you’ll want somewhere pretty unique,” says Drew. “In Telluride, you’ve got a remote feel, the expansiveness of space, but also that Western feel that a lot of people romanticise — that mythology of the cowboy.”
A state of change
Peace and solitude seem to come naturally in this southwestern corner of Colorado. The San Juans are not a destination that draws crowds or demands attention. Nevertheless, the eyes of winter sports fans the world over have been fixed on Colorado in recent years, as many of its resorts continue to complete vast expansion works. Last season, the star-studded slopes of Aspen saw their biggest development in almost 40 years with the opening of ‘Hero’s terrain’ — more than 150 acres of new chutes, trails and glades, designed for intermediate and advanced skiers. Meanwhile, Steamboat Ski Resort is currently in the final stages of the largest redevelopment project in its history; a $250 million operation that includes 655 new acres of expert terrain, a new learners’ area and several new base facilities.
Both resorts are 150 miles’ drive from Colorado’s capital and ski gateway, Denver. In three hours or less from the city, travellers can reach not only Aspen and Steamboat, but also the much-hailed winter sports hubs of Vail and Breckenridge. As such, these resorts — often favoured over the more far-flung western mountain towns — get most of the state’s growing ski traffic. For San Juan locals, this is no bad thing. “We want tourism, but we don’t necessarily want gentrification,” Kaylee explains. “We need to find that balance.”
Colorado’s larger resorts have accommodation that can handle the number of travellers keen to experience superlative US ski terrain, which means the smaller, outlying ski towns can avoid overcrowding and retain their distinctive Old West charm.
“Telluride is unique in its remoteness,” she says. “There’s an instant geographic barrier of entry to get here — you have to travel longer, spend more. But once you’re here, it’s unrivalled. It’s the steepest, most accessible backcountry you can get in Colorado.”
The next day, we’re on the road once more, en route to Purgatory Resort at the southwest corner of the San Juans. We pass through the town of Ridgway — where the 1969 movie True Grit was filmed — and spot herds of elk grazing at Ralph Lauren’s ranch. We’re headed into the backcountry with Purgatory Snowcat Adventures, the largest cat skiing (caterpillar-tracked vehicle) operation in the state. It seems another day of untouched powder and breathtaking views await. “You could die here today,” flashes back into my mind. But, as it turns out, Purgatory is not such a bad place to be at all.
Published in the Winter Sports 24/25 guide, available with the December 2024 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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Publish date : 2024-12-01 01:13:00
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