Advice on Colorado Ski Resorts

Danzilla wrote

Lets face it. Every ski town is a tourist town to a certain extent. If you are looking for an authentic "western town" with a ski mountain I don't think it gets more authentic than cowboys riding horses pulling kids over jumps (aka skijoring).


Its even more badass in person.

Steamboat is a great town...  
It's as good as it gets...

I used to work with a guy who was 5th generation Steamboat - total miner/cowboy...

DMC vs CoachZ!  This could be as epic as DMC vs PuckIt!!  

As I read the parameters in the original post, and with it being the family's first western ski trip, it sounds like Summit County is made to order. That first drive from Denver into the mountains is a good way to pop the Rockies cherry.  Breck is my favorite locale in Summit, but I agree that the altitude and the anticipated short duration of the vacation may cause havoc to some or all.

Copper Mountain offers a very good skiing experience, is chock full of slopeside lodging and restaurants, albeit in a "manmade" ski village. It's close enough to Breckenridge and Frisco, and even Vail is a short drive, to provide for a more "real" town experience (assuming that one would consider Vail a "real" town....I certainly don't!). Even a drive down to Leadville one afternoon/evening is worth the price of admission.

Making me wish I was at the Breckinridge Brew Pub right about now...

Breck is where it's at. Easy to hit so many different mountains. Lift serviced badass terrain in the imperial bowl. Terrain parks, the town. And Breck is easy to navigate so you won't waste time getting lost on different peaks

For all the reasons mentioned a 3 day trip Park City is your best option. You can get to the Park City in less than an hour without renting a car, there are 3 different areas to try, and multiple housing and food options. There is plenty of terrain. It is a great place for your first time skiing out west.  Do not discount the problems altitude may cause in Colorado.

Coach Z wrote

dmc_hunter wrote

Coach Z wrote

Huntah dude come on this is a kid you are talking to.  Delete that post.

I speak the truth...  Delete it yourself...

Just to remind this kid you are advising is like 14.  Promoting drug use is got to a felony to a minor in most states.  As a parent of a tween I think you really need to be an adult and delete that post or I will ask Harv to take it down.  As a parent I think he will understand.

You can't be friggin serious!!

This kid is from Jersey, I'm sure he's seen/done worse on the damn bus.....who the hell cares

Coach Z wrote

dmc_hunter wrote

Coach Z wrote

Huntah dude come on this is a kid you are talking to.  Delete that post.

I speak the truth...  Delete it yourself...

Just to remind this kid you are advising is like 14.  Promoting drug use is got to a felony to a minor in most states.  As a parent of a tween I think you really need to be an adult and delete that post or I will ask Harv to take it down.  As a parent I think he will understand.

Discussing legal marijuana in Colorado is a felony? You need to get a clue. As the parent of a teen and a 2nd grader I demand that post to remain.

Coach Z wrote

I nominate Huntah dude dirtbag of the month

I'll roll with that dirtbag any day

campgottagopee wrote

Coach Z wrote

I nominate Huntah dude dirtbag of the month

I'll roll with that dirtbag any day

...Word...

 

x10003q wrote

Coach Z wrote

dmc_hunter wrote

Coach Z wrote

Huntah dude come on this is a kid you are talking to.  Delete that post.

I speak the truth...  Delete it yourself...

Just to remind this kid you are advising is like 14.  Promoting drug use is got to a felony to a minor in most states.  As a parent of a tween I think you really need to be an adult and delete that post or I will ask Harv to take it down.  As a parent I think he will understand.

Discussing legal marijuana in Colorado is a felony? You need to get a clue. As the parent of a teen and a 2nd grader I demand that post to remain.

Right??

Of wait... the cops are at the door...  haha...

Who cares about Z...  I never liked anyone with Z in their name anyway..  :)

Colorado looks like a much better option than Utah.  If my mom went to Park City, she would be confined to the lower mountain all day.  Snowbird doesn't have much intermediate terrain according to their trail map.  The Canyons and Snowbasin are similar.  Alta and Deer Valley are not an option to us because they do not allow snowboarding.  Since I can do both skiing and snowboarding and would on a trip out west, we won't go there.  In Colorado the options for an intermediate skier are far better.  Breckenridge has Peak 7 which is all intermediate, Peak 6 allows my mom to experience above treeline skiing, and Peak 8 and 9 have some great runs too.  Winter Park has lots of intermediate terrain as well that is all over the mountain, not confined to one are.  Copper looks to have lots of intermediate terrain off the American Eagle, Super Bee, and Timberline lifts.  Vail grooms 1200 acres nightly, although grooming is mostly confined to the front side, they do groom portions of the back bowls and blue sky basin, allowing my mom to experience those.  Keystone has night skiing which would be a great thing since I could get even more hours on the slopes.

Consider flying to Eagle given your short trip.  The drive back to Denver on a weekend afternoon will be like the GWB at rush hour.

Coach Z wrote

Consider flying to Eagle given your short trip.  The drive back to Denver on a weekend afternoon will be like the GWB at rush hour.

I'm going to talk my dad into a longer trip because of your advice earlier.  If we could set it up to drive back to Denver on a midweek afternoon, would it work better?

Does Winter Park do a lot of grooming?  They seem to have a fair amount of intermediate terrain and since they are the closest to Denver, could make the trip easier.  It also seems to be a bit under the radar compared to Breck, Vail, Copper, Keystone, etc.

Also, how are ungroomed conditions out west?  My mom did start trying to ski powder at Pico this past February.  Is Western powder easier to ski in?  If it is, then grooming might not be as big of an issue.

All the major areas do a ton of grooming..Winterpark is my favorite Denver resort..Another thing, skiing above the tree line is hit or miss, usually it's wind affected or fogged in. If there is fresh snow the ungroomed is fun , if it's old and stale, just like here, not so fun..
Keystone imho is like skiing Okemo..

By the way Alta is a intermediate's paradise. Snowbasin will rock your world, you might never ski the crick again..

Lots of groomers at Winterpark however the drive can be a little hairy as you have to go over Berthoud Pass, but you will see a lost ski area up there. Mary Jane is part of Winterpark, long signature bump runs like Outhouse. Parsons Bowl is marginal, when it is snowing the visibility is horrible, when it is not it gets wind loaded, every now and then it is great though, but the trees just below the bowl are fantastic. I like Winterpark, I taught my kid how to ski there one Christmas week many many years ago. BTW - it is one of the few western places I would consider on Christmas vacation, it usually gets good snow early in the season.

Winter Park is a good mix of everything and has some nice lodging options as well.  The pass can be hairy if it's snowing driving there.  The drive back to Denver is faster as you don't go thru the tunnel.  If staying ski in / out there you really don't need a car and could take the van services up there.  They have a fairly new walkable village with resturants.

Grooming I recall bring good.  Nice trees off the Eagle chair.  Bumps on MJ.

I've driven  over that pass so many times i can't count. I like it , it's a nice adventure. The loss of  Berthoud Pass ski area was big hit. One of the coolest small areas anywhere..

The ski area was on both sides of the road. It is still a big backcountry destination.   the terrain on the WP side is avi prone..lots of deaths..

I miss Berthoud too...  Place rocked...

It's still there, you know. You just have to earn your turns. Many people use it. Nice parking lot at the bottom.

http://berthoudpass.org/tag/backcountry-skiing/

Good place to learn serious backcountry skills.