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Velvet Falls (Lower)

Blue Snowmass, CO

Steepest pitch19°
Vertical383 ft
Length2,038 ft
Average pitch11°
FacesN
Top9,228 ft

Velvet Falls (Lower) drops 383 vertical feet over 2,038 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 19° about 1,060 feet below the top. That's steeper than 32% of the 5,615 blue runs we've measured in North America, and the 111th steepest of 126 named runs at Snowmass. It faces north.

How well Velvet Falls (Lower) holds snow

Snow preservationGood

Facing north at an average 11°, Velvet Falls (Lower) gets about 75% of the winter sun that flat ground at Snowmass does, December through March. That's shadier than 63% of the runs we've measured, and the 84th shadiest named run at Snowmass. Its top sits at 9,230 feet.

Shaded snow stays colder and drier, so it holds powder longer after a storm and is slower to crust over or turn to slush in spring. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Velvet Falls (Lower) profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Velvet Falls (Lower) elsewhere

Nearby at Snowmass

Measured by ZRankings from USGS lidar (1-meter where it exists, coarser elsewhere). Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.