4-Days in a Skier's Paradise | Living the Hut Life in Silverton

We were lucky enough to spend 4 days exploring the vast Spring skiing lines in Silverton, Colorado. A place that has a lifetime of lines and endless potential when the conditions line up.

For the majority of the last 10 years, I have made a point to take a trip down to the San Juans each Spring to find new areas to ski in and test my progression from season to season. This year, we had a mix of new lines and lines we had skied before. The fun thing is each year the lines fill in differently and you can find yourself in the same place having a completely new experience. That's what makes backcountry skiing so special.

The night before we drove down from Buena Vista to Silverton, the Blue Mesa Reservoir bridge was closed due to maintenance issues. This threw a wrench in our plans but created an opportunity to ski a new area off of Monarch Pass that I had driven past many time but had not skied yet. We found incredible conditions there which got the trip back on track and amped up the crew for the rest of the weekend.

Turkey Chute was the objective for Day 2 but as we made it to the top of the line the weather rolled in and the snow never softened. It's hard to turn around once you are at the top of the run but it was the right decision for that day. Our cancellation prize? Tofurkey Chute. A miniature version of Turkey Chute that still has spires of rockwalls lining the snow forcing you to make fast turns through the choke.

Those who have driven from the Ouray side of Red Mountain Pass to Silverton have no doubt been in awe when making the hairpin turn in front of Chattanooga's North face where there are probably 20+ lines to choose from. We decided to split the pack with some riding down "Coin Slot" and the others down the edge of the treeline. Both great and challenging lines that will leave marks in our memory for sure.

The last day of these trips is so bittersweet. We are tired from big days in big mountains but also don't want to go home and back to reality. We had a long drive ahead of us back to Denver but decided to ski the Grandpa Couloir, which has incredible bang for your buck with only 1,000 feet of climbing. It was an incredible trip and one we won't soon forget.

Thanks for watching! Have any of you skied these lines before?

#backcountry #colorado #springskiing

Time Stamps:
0:00 - 0:24 Intro
0:25 - 3:44 Day 1 - Skiing Monarch Pass
3:45 - 11:06 Day 2 - Skiing Turkey Chute & Tofurkey Chute
11:07 - 22:19 Day 3 - Skiing Chattanooga North
22:20 - 26:46Day 4 - Skiing Grandma & Grandpa Couloir