I went skiing for the first time in over five years, and it felt like I never took a break. Erin and I went to Silver Mountain with Tyler, and Travis. Silver is the nearest ski area to Moscow and it’s not that bad. When the entire area is open, it’s got a vertical of 2200 feet, but we haven’t had enough snow to open the lower portion. But even with those few trails closed, the vertical was still a nice 1400 feet with some nice, lengthy runs.
Silver is unique to all of the other ski areas I’ve been to. The main part of the resort is at the bottom of the mountain at 2500 feet in the town of Kellogg, ID. But the skiable portion of the mountain is between 4100 ft and the summits of the two peaks, the highest is at 6300 feet. To get there, you take a ride on what they claim to be the world’s longest gondola that takes you to a lodge mid-elevation in the ski area. The gondola ride is nice and scenic, but it does create a traffic jam at the end of the day when everyone is coming off the mountain at the same time.
Despite its relatively high elevation, Silver must not have been spared the above-freezing temperatures in the heat wave of the last two weeks. Beneath the powder, there were some slick spots, but nothing compared to the ice that formed on Blue Knob back in Pennsylvania. I’m hoping that the temperatures fall and stay low for a few months coupled with a few more large snow storms to open the whole mountain with some nice powder.
With a summit not much over 6000 feet, the mountain doesn’t seem impressive, but consider that the town is almost 4000 feet below. These mountains are not to be taken lightly. They tread on tree line and some of the higher peaks in the distance certainly surpass the trees. The views from the ski area are magnificent. On the next go, I shall bring the camera.
Until then, it’s good to be skiing again.