[Editor's note: We're celebrating Colorado's seemingly neverending winter by bringing you three separate photo galleries from the Rockies. Check out Colorado by Cat if you missed the first one. Up next, a Breckenridge local explores his own background by foot and chairlift.]

Each spring, the minds of restless skiers wander to thoughts of high-powered, machine-assisted turns in long untracked bliss. Solitude that's shrouded in loud thumping and Jet A exhausts. Exposed king-sized lines. I'm talking about a budget-blowing spring heli trip.

Heli Ski Colorado

Check out photos from Telluride's Helitrax. Gallery

After one of the best seasons ever in Colorado, I looked south instead of north this spring for the first time in many. Opting out of the Alaska option, I recently headed to Colorado's San Juans to Telluride's Helitrax, a hidden gem not yet exposed to the circus of ski movies and photographers (except maybe one).

I brought along pro skiers Tanner Rainville and Duncan Adams and Unity Snowboard's Pete Wurster for two days of flying. What started as a scouting mission to see what the San Juans were capable of ended up leading to Level 1 rallying a full crew to shoot here later in the spring. "I was not expecting the huge vertical and European-style terrain Helitrax has to offer," Rainville said.

Helitrax closed for the season on April 4, sadly, but if you book a trip for next season before June 15, you'll get a discounted rate.