The Beating Film Contest took place in Silverton last weekend to a crowd of enthused locals and visiting winter guests. Eight films were submitted with the winning edit being put together by Rex Lint of the Fat-ypus team riders. With a balanced smattering of park and big mountain shots, complete with a killer documentation of a slide to finish off the edit, the Fat-ypus team showed loads of talent and the film was edited well. Rex picked himself up a complimentary heli drop from Silverton Mountain.
The sleepy town of Silverton, nestled in the mountains.
Big thanks to Jen and Aaron Brill for hosting some Freeskier crew and Alex Hunt, lead guide, for showing us around the mountain. As a first timer to the area, I had no idea what to expect. But even without fresh snow, the terrain did not disappoint. With heaps of vertical and perfect trees and bowls, Silverton is a big-mountain skiers fantasy, complete with a chairlift! Not for the faint of heart, or those adverse to hiking, Silverton is about as rugged and natural as it gets. With a yurt for a ticket office and no parking lot to speak of, 4-wheel drive is a must as are shovels, beacons and probes. Our 4-wheel drive FJ came in handy as a few fellow skiers were stuck in the ditch after a day on the mountain.
Greg and Dean get sorted before givin’ it. That view doesn’t suck.
We finished the day with a trip to Miners Tavern, the local American Legion bar. Big thanks to Sandy for hooking us up with shots of his homemade peach brandy to top off our draft PBRs. We then patronized the local fine dining establishment of the Pickle Barrel and finished off the night at POW, the second local bar located “uptown” a few blocks.
Sandy’s brandy.
Day two started a little slow as the night had finished off fast, but the new snow was motivating. Six inches had fallen on top of the mountain and it didn’t show signs of stopping. Alex took us to a few new locations including a gnarly chute with rappel down access only that opened up into a mellow, wide open bowl. All good things!
Chute this.
Silverton is one of the coolest places I have been and it’s in Colorado no less! The great locals and inspiring terrain are a combination you should experience this season if you can. Oh, and the San Juans get boat loads of snow!
