With the reinvention of the huge “BLIMPS” using ‘He,’ instead of ‘H.’ I hope that single or maybe even

“family sized” ‘He’ Blimps (with aero dynamic bodies and advanced computer operated stabilizers) are

just around the decade.

What about it ? Does anyone know if such a bird is being groomed?

D. Grant

The good:
1) The place is very steep. Anyone who thinks Breckenridge or A Basin or Loveland or Berthoud compare is crazy (never skied Crested Butte, but the snowfall at CB pales in comparison to SM and the crowds dwarf those at SM so they are incomparable in my book) because Silverton’s steeps are sustained pitches unlike the 200 foot steep pitches in Summit/Eagle/Grand County areas. It’s as steep or steeper than the steepest section of Wolf Creeks Knife Ridge almost everywhere. Sustained pitches like Kirkwood/Squaw/Jackson but all of these resorts see crowds that demolish them FAST.
2) The place is HEINOUS in the best possible way. Cliffs, rock drops, log slides galore!!!!
3) The place is REAL…I only saw 1 person that could have been stereotyped as a gapper/punter (camel jacket, no hat or goggles, alone…and people were nice and concerned for him) and everyone I met was happy to give me Beta and nobody gave me the classic I’m a local so I’m better than you BS so common at resorts.
4) The unguided terrain was beyond sufficient to satisfy me
5) I expected 4 runs and got 6…would have gotten 7 or 8 but I was exhausted from 2 days at Wolf Creek and my partner got injured (mild). Might have pulled more than that if I had not gotten lost in treefall hell 3 times and Hiked twice for no reward and Gone slow down 50 degree mogul fields.
6) All of this and I did NOT look for (even avoided) the hardest terrain and barley hiked.

The bad: How could I have had a crappy day with all that good stuff to say?
1) Snow report said 19 inches over 3 days (this was about half true… snow accumulations were far more variable than I’m used to).
2) They reported a 40-60 inch base. B@?? S!$$ 1-60 inches is more correct. LOTS of places on North and South faces with grass and moss rock peaking through one inch of snow. (on a 19 inch powder day).
I’m NOT taking about 40 inch base with 41 inch rocks (I expect that everywhere I ride)…I mean one inch base with 2 inch rocks.
3) The have been bragging about 99% open on Dec 3rd but it’s clear this is due the opening of terrain that is not ready by most rational standards.
4) If you don’t know where your going, your probably heading for something un-enjoyable. Blind unmarked cliff’s that may or may not be clean, deadfall hell in the tree’s, shoot’s that have snow in the top but not in the bottom (makes skiing anything without scouting impossible or at least super ballsy with potentially fatal consequences).
5) I went on what I think was the busiest day they have ever had. Half of Denver seemed to have made the pilgrimage. The place was tracked out-ish by noon (for the out of towner)
6) GULLIES. If you aren’t familiar with the place you WILL be in a gully almost immediately. We were in line for first chair and our first run was 500 vertical feet of great powder and 1000 vertical feet of heinous tracked out gully, no fresh snow, sun crust, virtually no base on the walls of the gully, grass everywhere. Hell. WTF! I don’t ask a lot but when in line at first chair I expect at least one good run.
7) After realizing the fresh snow was retarded variable, base was somewhere between perfect and non existent, hidden obstacles we guaranteed and everywhere, cliffs and shoots may or may not have any snow in or below them I basically lost all confidence and said F this place. I certainly was not gonna go on some long hike just to get lost again and end up in a vertical, tracked out gully that might have a mandatory but unrunnable cliff (seemed like a serious possibility)
I figure a guide would have made it all better but it sounds like thats not so, based on threads above.
9) Lots of runs require hiking in AND out. Would it be fair to consider the uphill at the bottom as equivalent to the flats that they claim they don’t have. What would you prefer, a flat run out or a hike out.

Bottom line. Amazing but failed to meet expectations. This place must be SICK for anybody who has taken the time to learn it’s ins and outs. As long as a huge crowd does not materialize out of nowhere (like it did Thursday) it would be great experience (not necessarily a perfect ski day) for anyone on a powder day. Luckily at $50 it won’t cost an arm and a leg to get your ass kicked the first few time you go.

PS. I snow board. I have worked at Breckenridge, A Basin, Winter Park, The Old Berthoud Pass ski area Loveland and sorta Kirkwood. I am admittedly a powder day poser (I can ride almost anything on a powder day but have trouble on extreme terrain once its tracked out) so the lower stretches of the mountain (that got tracked out early) were a major challenge. But I’ll be back

this is the best non CFR set up i have seen. Im in.

Nick