Nothing compares to the 22,000 acres of new ski terrain open at Silverton Mountain this season, where the lone chairlift is now supplemented with a whirlybird, thanks to a new operating agreement. Heli drops start at $159 per run (less with a $399 season pass) or $999 for a full day (six runs), making this the most affordable heli-skiing operation in the United States, and get you as high as 13,514', with vertical drops in the 3,100' range; Silverton uses proceeds from the heli-skiing to subsidize its use of the helicopter for avalanche control. And the ski area gets as much as 600 inches of new snow annually, which should keep your rotors spinning.