Black diamond Telluride, CO
Spiral Stairs drops 793 vertical feet over 1,784 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 40° about 400 feet below the top. That's steeper than 95% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 28th steepest of 137 named runs at Telluride. It faces northeast.
Facing northeast at an average 27°, Spiral Stairs gets about 56% of the winter sun that flat ground at Telluride does, December through March. That's shadier than 89% of the runs we've measured, and the 31st shadiest named run at Telluride. Its top sits at 11,240 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.
under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.
Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. 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.