Summit County... Deals Needed

[salida]

Alright, so my buddy Greg and I found some 220 dollar air to Denver, leaving mid December coming back Xmas day. We jumped on it.

A few questions: 1. besides regular prices at A-basin and such, anyone know where I could snag some discounted lift tickets for breck/vail/winter park? 2. is a day at loveland worth it, i've never skied there 3. is it worth trying to make the epic drive to silverton for a day of their new unguided skiing? 4. I could use some backcountry suggestions (we don't have beacons, which surely limits us .

Thanks for the help guys (and gals).

porter

 

[Admin]

4. I could use some backcountry suggestions (we don't have beacons, which surely limits us .

Yeah, I've got one: don't. Not to sound parochial, but without the proper equipment and the knowledge of how to use it, not to mention the knowledge of how to read a snowpack, stick to the area boundaries. Really.

I know my own limitations, which is why you'll seldom see me stray beyond a backcountry gate. And I have the gear, I just need to expand my knowledge...which is why I'm starting my avi series this winter. I've learned to just say no to myself.

 

[salida]

4. I could use some backcountry suggestions (we don't have beacons, which surely limits us .

Point taken... But I was looking for a below treeline, non-aviable slope.

 

[lookn4powder]

... A few questions: 1. besides regular prices at A-basin and such, anyone know where I could snag some discounted lift tickets for breck/vail/winter park? ...

King Soopers Supermarkets usually has discounts for the Summit County areas, Winter Park, and Loveland. I haven't seen a discount ticket for Vail for years. But you may wish to call a King Soopers and see if they have discounts this year. On occasion, these outlets have changed.

On your way to the mountains a convenient King Soopers is in Golden, CO just off of I-70 between Exits 262 and 264 (preferred). We generally fly in the night before and stay at the La Quinta Motel off of exit 264.

Back when these areas actually competed with each other, the discounts were substantial. In recent years the discounts have become token since the Commerce Dept determined that consolidating 85+% of the skier-days near I-70 (and the bulk of real estate development) under single company owner would not constitute a monopoly. So now, the market is now a non-monopolistic monopoly--as proven by the discounts.

... 2. is a day at loveland worth it, i've never skied there ...

Yes! Loveland has two base areas. Get off at Rt 6 just before the tunnel and go the the larger western area. There you find a bowl that spans nearly 170 degrees on either side of the tunnel. You want cruisers, it's got cruisers. Bumps? Yep. Steeps? Yep. Trees? Yep. It's been years since we've skied there, but you could even drop through the trees and then return to the base lodge by walking through a tunnel under I-70.

Loveland is pretty open and it can be wicked on windy days. Sometimes you can just go to another exposure in the 170 degree span and avoid much of it.

... 3. is it worth trying to make the epic drive to silverton for a day of their new unguided skiing?

Probably not. I'd combine a Silverton run for a trip that flies into Montrose (maybe), Durango (better), or even Albuquerque, NM (via Pagosa Springs and two days at Wolf Creek). I friend once told me that his winter drive from Telleride to Silverton was very scary due to slide activity.

... 4. I could use some backcountry suggestions (we don't have beacons, which surely limits us

As others have urged, drop this idea. Back in the 90's when we skied Summit Co every mid-April 1-5 people were killed during our visit by slides. I assume that this still happens regularly. Unless you are blindfolded, you will see ample backcountry tracks. So here goes... Between Loveland and A-basin on Rt 6 lots of folks drop in for runs.

Frankly, I'd want to go with a local and stick on the very tracked areas. Last spring I've scouted the Rt 6 area as the snow was clearing. I noticed that some welcoming steeper runs had few rocks and rough areas underneath. In my mind these seemed likely to act like a weak layer that can easily release--perhaps more in the early season (now) than the spring.

Cheers,
Jeff

 

[salida]

Jeff, thanks for the help!

 

[Tony Crocker]

I would assume that unguided at Silverton still means you need beacons, and perhaps a demonstration that you know how to use them.

Due to both logistics and where the snow has been falling you should limit this trip to the northern and central resorts and save the southwest for another time, as look'n4powder recommended. Since you have 10 days you might want to add Steamboat to the list (less than 2 hours beyond Winter Park I think). It should be promising in terms of powder and tree skiing given its track record and this season's pattern of storms so far.

 

[ChrisC]

A few questions: 1. besides regular prices at A-basin and such, anyone know where I could snag some discounted lift tickets for breck/vail/winter park?

I use this site http://www.slidingonthecheap.com/ in general
Obviously try http://www.slidingonthecheap.com/co/

Also, possibly EBay...but exercise caution.

2. is a day at loveland worth it, i've never skied there

Loveland is really good. Mostly open bowl terrain. Not too steep, but a few chutes. Can hike the ridges for untouched.

3. is it worth trying to make the epic drive to silverton for a day of their new unguided skiing?

It's about 4 +hrs from Vail to Silverton. Easy drive since you are in valleys most of the way. The tricky part is Red Mountain Pass just south of Ouray. Not fun in snow, otherwise no worries. Contrary to above post, Telluride to Silverton is an easy 2 hrs that I've done a few times. Very scenic drive - esp Ouray to Silverton.

Southwest CO has a very different feel than the urbanized Front Range mountain sprawl of Silverthorne-Frisco-Vail-Avon-Eagle. (Bo-Wash in the mountains). It's still remote, lonely and much more scenic (San Juans are sharper, newer mountains).

Silverton is worth it they start reporting a 70-80" base (Silverton units, not Imperial). Before this most recent storm, the SW has had 60"+ and the elevations above 10-11k have retained most/a lot depsite recent warm weather. I've skied Silverton at pre-Xmas and had a fun time at this level of snow. It's not a huge place. Most runs are more couloirs/chutes than open bowls. You do need to rent avy gear despite non-guided.

I would go if: 1. snow reaches the above level and 2. you are willing to make an epic drive. Silverton is very memorable and probably ranks among the best experiences in Colorado. Look for lodging in Silverton, Ouray or even Montrose the night before to minimize travel times the morning beofre skiing.

 

[Killclimbz]

Well South Western Colorado is rockin' right now, from what I can tell.

Silverton got 20" in the last 48, Wolf Creek the big winner got 34" in the same period. WC now has by far the most snow. Still snowing too.

Most other places haven't done bad, around a foot. It seems that WC is up to it's old tricks at this point.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Whether you go SW depends on how long your trip is and your tolerance for marathon drives. Don't even think about going to Silverton until you've been in Colorado for a week for acclimatization. Just because you can ski at 12,000 before then doesn't mean you can hike above that comfortably. And don't forget to get decent sleep and stay hydrated if you try it.

I'm historically highly skeptical of the SW areas before Christmas and thus have never set foot on any of them before mid-February. While the November snow has been good, it's been better in the northern areas, with the usual microclimate exception of Wolf Creek. If you go to Silverton you might want to go via Wolf Creek. Chris C has a lot of personal experience out there, so you should use his rules of thumb for when it's worthwhile.

 

[hamdog]

porter, ya. dito to what Marc said about the bc. unless you have the knowledge, equipment, follow the snowpack/weather through the season and other variables it is really only common sense to stay in bounds.... no matter how many tracks you see. it only takes one thing to trigger. it could be you, it could be the wind, or it could be a pinwheel while you're on the slope. best bet, unless you hook up with someone who is very familiar with the current backcountry conditions and knowledge of exploring in that terrain, don't go.

by the sounds of things it doesn't sound like you'll need to go ob to find some good sliding either. it's better than the grass we got back here. :evil: have fun!

 

[ChrisC]

I'm historically highly skeptical of the SW areas before Christmas and thus have never set foot on any of them before mid-February. While the November snow has been good, it's been better in the northern areas, with the usual microclimate exception of Wolf Creek. If you go to Silverton you might want to go via Wolf Creek. Chris C has a lot of personal experience out there, so you should use his rules of thumb for when it's worthwhile.

Tony has good reason for skepticism. Even with above-average snowfall, there is not a lot of moisture in CO snow and it can compact a lot. However, there is a lot of wind-loading on NE, E & SE exposures - due to westerlies and that dry, blowing snow. And these are the areas to concentrate/ski early season. There will be a rock or two (or three). But due to the early relatively 'wet' Oct. snow and a good melt/'freeze ---the rocks should be coated more than usual. (From the grass skiing photos from Cannon -- I assume your tolerance for an occasional rock is higher than average.)

Silveton's Setup: One double that climbs a due north ridge and ends at the tree-line. East Face (skier's right) will have much better snow due to loading. West Face will be skiable but boney early. There are very few skiers and a Thurs-Sun operation schedule (check that!), so snow preservation should be/is really good.

I have no idea how early season is truly going to work, but I think it is a better option than doing random CO backcountry on your own. You probably will meet a few other hardcore types -- and maybe a guide or two in training.

I hope they give out a map like the one below. There are some cliffy areas on the East Face. Here are some December 18, 2003 photos that correspond to a reported Silverton 60-70" base.

East Face

West Face

Lift

RiffRaff

RiffRaff2

Mandatory rappelling (note: Aaron Brill, owner - overlooking process)

Waterfall

Tiger

Tiger2

Tiger Main

 

[TeamSummit]

A couple of ideas for lift tickets (I've not done back country and wouldn't dare do it without proper training and equipment).

First, Vail resorts is offering a 10 day ticket at any of their 5 mountains (Vail, Beaver Creek, Key, Breck, A-Basin) for $439. Second, you can do a multi-day ticket for much less for use through Dec 22nd (e.g. 5 of 8 days for $291 if purchased 7 days in advance online). It might be worth doing that for your days at those mountains and then go hit Loveland and/or Winter Park and/or Copper on the other days. I have no idea how much the King Soopers discounts are so you might call them to find out. You might also want to look out for lodging/lift ticket combo deals.

We just got a nice dump in the last two days (it is really, really hard to be sitting at my desk and not heading up the hill today) and are expecting more snow in the next week so hopefully you'll get some decent skiing in.

Have fun!

 

[salida]

Thanks for all of the advice guys.

Rockin silverton pictures. The mandatory rap looks pretty intense.

As for now the plan is to ski summit county, probably abasin and loveland, with maybe a day at winter park and vail. We'd only be convinced to go down into the San Jauns if the snow conditions dictate so. Either way we'll have fun and hopefully be skiing deep pow!

Porter

 

[ChrisC]

Have a good trip.

If the San Juans get snow, you could add Crested Butte to the loop to break up the drive vs. ski ratio.

My brother (CO local) visited recently for work and was impressed with snowfall amount compared to usual. If the North Face/Outer Limits open pre Xmas, it's a very good year.

 

[Tony Crocker]

CB is in general not "on the way" to anywhere. If salida goes SW I would strongly recommend the Wolf Creek route over the Monarch/Crested Butte route.

North Face/Outer Limits are open by New Year's about 15% of the time. With the 75 inches CB has received so far, current odds should be higher than that. But even if it does open, the choice of skiable lines is likely to be very restricted.

Telluride is likely to be a better bet than CB, despite being only 3% open yesterday. Season snowfall has been similar to CB and it needs much less cover. They will be opening some chair 6 & 9 terain by next week.

 

[ChrisC]

CB is in general not "on the way" to anywhere. If salida goes SW I would strongly recommend the Wolf Creek route over the Monarch/Crested Butte route.

North Face/Outer Limits are open by New Year's about 15% of the time. With the 75 inches CB has received so far, current odds should be higher than that. But even if it does open, the choice of skiable lines is likely to be very restricted.

Telluride is likely to be a better bet than CB, despite being only 3% open yesterday. Season snowfall has been similar to CB and it needs much less cover. They will be opening some chair 6 & 9 terain by next week.

I was thinking of the map below. CB can be a mid-point of sorts -- about 2.5/3 from Summit County and 2/2.5 from Silverton. I would venture that a limited North Face and the rest of CB is much more interesting terrain mix than Wolf Creek, but not entirely germane to the subject until it gets snow.

Of course I like Telluride, but tickets are already $60 and lodging can be $$$. The terrain off Ch 9 & 6 can be similar to bumps at Mary Jane. CB keeps tickets at $39 and lodging is less with gunnison in the mix.

Wolf Creek is probably the best option already at this point. You can get just north of the pass from breck in about 3 hrs. Stay in durango before silverton - easy 1hr. And do US 50 to I-70 on the way back. It's probably the cheapest option too with loldging/tickets.