The San Juan mountains offer much steeper, more alpine slopes than the rest of the Rockies. They’re so photogenic they were even immortalised on the logo of Coors beers.

San Juan has a reputation for attracting a hippie crowd but that’s beginning to change as more and more people discover its bountiful off-piste riding.

As previously mentioned this is about as Alpine as skiing in the US gets, bringing with it steep, icy couloirs and narrow runs as well as having the usual mega bowls such as the awesome Revelation bowl.

To really get the most from Telluride you’ll want to head into the Frontier bowl and the basin below. You’ll need a guide and some transportation but the rewards are worth it. You’ll be able to explore the huge frozen lake as well as the old gold rush towns that have long since been abandoned except to the most intrepid back-country rider.