How to Go Skiing in Silverton, Mountain

Carve out a new adventure at the Silverton Mountain ski area. Start the ride at 13,487 feet, one of the highest ski area peaks in North America. One chair lift and no trails make for a unique and exhilarating trip down a vertical drop of almost 3,000 feet.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Book Your Trip to Silverton

1. Hop on to Silverton Mountain's Web site for a list of recommended local hotels and bed and breakfast inns (see Resources below). Rates for hotels are inexpensive to moderate. Book your accommodations by clicking the links on the site or calling the listed numbers.
2. Rent a vacation home if you want to spread out and enjoy the surroundings as well as the slopes. Silverton provides a list on its Web site.
3. Find more accommodations options in the Silverton area by visiting the Colorado Tourism Office Web site (see Resources below) and doing an accommodations search. You can also call (800) COLORADO.
4. Make your skiing reservations online or call Silverton at [phone]. You must make a reservation for guided skiing. For a private guide, you must make the reservation over the phone. Reservations for unguided skiing are not required. Remember to book early if you can.
5. Book travel into Durango or Denver. Durango is the closest airport, located one hour south of Silverton. You'll take Highway 550 north to the town of Silverton. The ski resort is off of Route 110. Denver is approximately six hours northeast of Silverton. Taking the back roads may be more scenic, but snow may force you to take the interstate. Take I-70 west to Highway 50 south, and then Highway 550 south to Silverton.

Read Up on Silverton Mountain

6. Log in to the Silverton Mountain Web site to check the status of the slopes and the weather conditions before you finalize your trip.
7. Know what you're getting yourself into. Browse through Silverton's online photo gallery to preview your trip.

Carve the Mountain

8. Take it easy the first day or two if you are not used to the altitude.
9. Rent ski and snowboard equipment if you do not have your own. You can also rent avalanche gear. Adding rental equipment to your reservation online ensures its availability. Remember that avalanche gear is required to ski at Silverton.
10. Forget trail maps. Silverton Mountain has only one chair lift and no trails. Take a different way down the mountain every time.

Tips & Warnings

• The Silverton Mountain Web site does not offer direct online booking, and neither does the Colorado Tourism Board Web site. Call the numbers or visit the links on the Silverton Web site to book your accommodations.
• Book your trip through a major travel site to explore the full range of accommodation options.
• Silverton Mountain is only for advanced and expert skiers. If you are unable to or uncomfortable with skiing on black and double black diamond slopes, then Silverton is not recommended.

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