Now that is has earned finally its official green light, Silverton Mountain will be offering local skiers its “G Card,” (which actually is not a reference to “green light” but something entirely different. If you’re too old to know, like myself, Google “urban dictionary,” and get with it, for G’s sake.)

Anyway, $49 (a mere fraction of a G) not only gets you $39 unguided tickets (regularly $49) during the unguided season (Dec. 1-Jan. 13 and April 4-27) but also gets you two days of skiing with your best Gs at DMR, one day at A-Basin and one day at Monarch. However, there is a catch. The DMR lift tickets are only available after the purchase of your first Silverton Mountain ticket, and G Cards can only be bought in Silverton.

Prices get considerably steeper during the “guided only” season with a day of turns costing between $119 and $129.

For those full on time but not money, Silverton will again be offering tickets for bootpacking. Tentative dates for this year’s bootpacking bonanza are the weekends of Dec 1-2 & 8-9. Participants will earn one free unguided ski day for every day they spend doing the bootpack boogie. No experience is required, but avalanche beacon, shovel and probe are. Eager stompers are asked to show up, ready to pack with pants duct taped to boots, by 8:30 a.m. sharp.

For more on Silverton Mountain, visit www.silvertonmountain.com.

– Missy Votel