THE 5 SCARIEST SKI/SNOWBOARD RUNS IN COLORADO

Unless you live in the southern hemisphere of the world, ski season has officially ended for you. It’s summer now and the ski season in  Colorado ended a couple of months ago, so now we want to see how many of you dared to take on some of the scariest ski runs in Colorado.

To the squeamish or uninitiated, hurtling yourself down a cliff over  10,000 feet above sea level, in the freezing cold and with snow billowing around you as you slide down, is suicide. To the thrill seekers, however, this is but one of many similar peaks they’re planning to scale at least once in their lifetime. Some people even have checklists – much like a shopping list – of the steepest, scariest, and most dangerous slopes they’re planning to conquer. In ski lingo, it ’s called peak bagging, and Colorado is the perfect place to start.

Colorado is home to at least 54 (some say it’s 59) mountains that rise over 14,000 feet from the base, with over a hundred ski routes.  There are in fact many more, maybe not as high, but just as inviting and probably even more treacherous to ski or scale.

We did a survey to find out what people think are the five scariest ski runs in the state and here’s what we found:

Rambo, Crested Butte, CO

  • Average Snowfall: 300 inches
  • Skiable Acres: 1,167 acres
  • Summit elevation: 12,162 feet
  • Vertical Drop: 3,062 feet

This is skiing heaven with over 500 acres of double black diamond terrain. Crested Butte has a summit of 12,162 feet and a base of 9,375  feet. The peak’s lift-served vertical drop is 2,775 feet and overall drop is 3,062 feet.

Crested Butte has a total of 121 trails, 57% of which are intermediate. Rambo, the 55-degree, 300-meter black double diamond run,  is the mountain’s most extreme run and said to be the seventh scariest ski slope in the world. Scary? You bet! The mountain says “Step into my abyss” and if and when you do, you’re likely to find yourself in a 400+  feet drop. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Did you conquer Rambo? Show off your skills by adding this badge to your site!

Two Smokes, Silverton, CO

  • Annual snowfall: 400+ inches
  • Skiable acres: 1,819 acres
  • Summit elevation: 13,487 feet
  • Vertical Drop: 3,000 feet

With over 1,819 acres of backcountry terrain, Silverton Mountain is pure powder goodness with no groomed or cut trails, just like nature originally made it. This mountain gets more snow than any of Colorado ’s other mountains and you’ll be treated to an endless stretch of rough,  craggy terrain – equal, some say, to that of all the Colorado resorts put together.

Two Smokes is a 53-degree chute that is a favorite haunt of expert skiers despite the resort’s barebones simplicity. Because of the mountain’s rawness, only 80 guided skiers are allowed per day, and slots sell out fast. A recently approved helicopter permit has increased the skiable terrain to 13,583 feet, making it one of the highest heli-skiing resorts in the country. The risk of avalanches – inevitable and real –  make the experience even more dangerously sweet. If you love taking things to the extreme, this is one ski run you should do at least once in your lifetime.

Did you conquer this run? Show off your skills by adding this badge to your site!

Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, CO

  • Annual snowfall: 310 inches
  • Skiable acres: 1,800 acres
  • Summit elevation: 11440 feet
  • Vertical Drop: 4040 feet

Beaver Creek mountain, nestled in the heart of the Vail Valley, is home to the Beaver Creek Resort, a small outfit that has now grown to  1625 acres of ski territory. Its perfectly groomed and manicured slopes are patrolled 20 hours a day by snowmobiles, but the slopes still pose a  lot of challenges for expert and intermediate skiers.

Notorious as the venue where Norwegian alpine skier Aksel Lund  Svindal met his near tragic accident, Beaver Creek hasn’t stopped  Svindal nor the many other skiers, looking for an extreme thrill, from returning to its slopes. The Birds of Prey course, a steep downhill course with a vertical drop of 2,627 feet (starting at 11,427 feet and finishing at 8800 feet), is used for the Super-G and Super Combined races. This ski run with its 45-degree pitches, which is considered one of the most difficult downhill courses in the world, continually draws the bravest among skiers, daring them to conquer it.

Did you conquer this run? Show off your skills by adding this badge to your site!

Avalanche Bowl to Zoom, Loveland Ski Area, CO

  • Average snowfall: 400 inches
  • Skiable acres: 1,365
  • Summit elevation: 13,010 feet
  • Vertical drop: 2,410 feet

First established in 1936, the Loveland Ski Area has expanded into what is now the tenth largest resort in Colorado. Popular for its proximity to Denver (just an hour’s drive away), Loveland is actually composed of two ski areas – Loveland Basin and Loveland Valley.

The Avalanche Bowl ski run, located in the Basin, is said to be at par – if not more – with Two Smokes of Silverton in difficulty and possesses one of the steepest runs in the state. While it is no fancy schmanzy resort, the convenience and short waiting time on the lifts make it a popular ski haunt.

Did you conquer this run? Show off your skills by adding this badge to your site!

If you are super-crazy and have conquered all of these runs, you can proudly display the badge below on your site, letting people know that no mountain will ever stand in your way. You can’t be tamed and nothing will stop you from mastering the slopes!

Did you conquer all of the scariest runs in Colorado? Add this badge to your site!

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