For those who never take the easy way down, the ski season is not over, and may not be for months. Silverton Mountain, the only resort in North America with no beginner or intermediate routes down the mountain, opened its expert-only terrain last Friday for unguided skiing and snowboarding.

The ski area received the final go ahead for unguided skiing from the Bureau of Land Management last week, after six years of extensive government permitting. The resort can now allow up to 475 skiers a day on its ultra steep, cliff-studded mountain. It is the first time the resort has allowed skiers on the mountain without professional guide service.

But this mountain isn’t for everyone; skiers must carry appropriate avalanche safety gear while on the mountain, including avalanche transceivers, and sign liability releases. The extreme terrain of the mountain means skiers will encounter cliffs larger than 20 feet high (with some as large as 150 feet) and slopes steeper than 50 degrees on portions of every ski run on the mountain.

Unguided skiing is available 9 a.m.-3:15 p.m. at a cost of $49 for a full day and $42 for a half day. Locals and students ski for $39. Professional ski guides are still available for those who want guided skiing, $99 for all day (lift ticket included in price), or guests can pay by the run at $30 per guided run (in addition to the $49 ticket). Private guides are also available and avalanche beacons, probes, shovels, and liability releases are still required. No reservations are needed for unguided skiing at this time.

Silverton Mountain will open as much terrain as possible for unguided skiing, however guided ski groups will be allowed to access certain areas of the mountain that will not be available for unguided skiers (as per the BLM safety regulations). Reservations can still be made for guided skiing while the resort remains open. Pending snow conditions and skier demand, Silverton Mountain may stay open as late as July. Check silvertonmountain.com for updated closing dates.

Silverton Mountain is the highest ski area in North America with a peak elevation of 13,487 feet. With over 1,600 acres of ski-able terrain, a base elevation of 10,400 feet and over 400 inches of average annual snowfall (including over two feet last week), Silverton Mountain has become a destination for extreme sports enthusiast. Visit www.silvertonmountain.com for more information.