TR: Silverton Tower (27 May 2012)
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Memorial Day weekend has turned into one of my more favorite ski weekends of the year. Six years before, Frank and I met and spent this very weekend together, biking in Crested Butte and then skiing Castle and Independence Pass. Heck of a first date 😉 So, this weekend we made a date to head to Silverton for yet some more skiing.
Saturday was a glimpse of the apocalypse with a combination of hurricane-force winds, smoke from distant wild fires, and blowing dust. We gingerly made our way toward Silverton from Crested Butte, avoiding holiday weekend traffic by braving our way over Engineer Pass. We passed several downed trees on the way from the day’s wind and just hoped that one would not obstruct our path. Turns out we got lucky.
The apocalypse glow provided some eerie, yet interesting, light.
We passed Animas Forks along the way, once thriving, now a ghost town.
The next morning we awoke to mild winds and clear blue skies. We hiked our way up towards Tower along with Jarrett and his friend Pete.
Once we reached the snowline, we began the 2000-ft bootpack.
The views from the summit were spectacular.
Mount Wilson.
Admiring lines.
Jarrett lead the way.
Pete.
Me dropping in.
Frank.
Me lower down.
Our tracks, part way down.
As we gathered just past the snowline to transition back into our hiking boots we all smiled after enjoying another great day. Still, we knew our ski season was fast coming to a close. This was the first time (well, since March) that we had skied snow with suncups. In just a week, the snow had gone from smooth, near winter, snowpack to a full summer snowpack.
A look back at our tracks from the day.
Still, there’s something about summer skiing that I like too. While I don’t particularly enjoy long approaches with both my skis and boots on my back, I do like the places it takes me. There’s nothing more beautiful than the contrast of the Colorado blue sky against the leprechaun green and crisp white.
While I’ve decided to more-or-less call it a close to my season in Colorado, my ski season is certainly not done. A 2-3 week road trip to ski Shasta and other volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest is just around the corner 🙂 Be sure to check out Frank’s TR from our second Silverton ski day on Mount Rhoda.
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Great ride thanks for the share!
Chris