Questions on snow skiing west of Denver

[LeftOnBase]

I'm asking for recommendations on ski areas near I-70, but not too far to drive. We will be staying about 10 miles NW of Denver.

We will have a few that have never been, so maybe a ski area that has some long "green" runs.

Also, not a fan of long lines for the lifts. Will be going January 25th. Thanks in advance. 

[HSFBfan]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.snowpak.com/colorado/closest-ski-resorts-near-denver.amp

[LeftOnBase]

I was actually looking for advice from someone who had been there, done that type. The reviews for some of these ski areas are all over the place.

[HSFBfan]

5 minutes ago, LeftOnBase said:

I was actually looking for advice from someone who had been there, done that type. The reviews for some of these ski areas are all over the place.

Oh ok sorry dude. 

[LeftOnBase]

Just now, HSFBfan said:

Oh ok sorry dude. 

No problem.

Thanks for the link though. 

[Troll]

3 hours ago, LeftOnBase said:

I was actually looking for advice from someone who had been there, done that type. The reviews for some of these ski areas are all over the place.

Could tell you most of the east, and some spots west (would recommend Alta or Snowbird in UT etc.) but just not knowledgeable on Colorado....

You should let every know how you make out...going at a perfect time 👍    

#jeleaous

[maxchoboian]

Here are the areas on I-70 as you head west out of Denver, the closet one being 1.5 hour drive with no traffic:

 

Keystone - good family spot, lots of terrain - 20 Lifts (plenty for all levels of skiing; can be crowded); nice shops, but not an historic town

Arapahoe Basin - old school - no lodging; 8 Lifts, more challenging terrain; music, BBQ, and beers in the parking lot (The Beach)

Breckenridge - huge area, lots of terrain - 35 Lifts (plenty for all levels of skiing; can be very crowded);  historic main street

Copper Mountain - big area, lots of terrain - 22  Lifts (plenty for all levels of skiing; can be crowded); no real town...more new shops like in Keystone

Vail - hugest area - 31 Lifts, with tons of open terrain (plenty for all levels of skiing; generally big enough to not be crowded); expensive new town

Beaver Creek - a little farther up I-70 and even less crowded than Vail, but just as expensive

 

All of these can be crowded -- weekdays are always better than weekends, when so many from Denver head up.

Let me know if you are interested in more.

 

[Nolebull813]

I went to Copper last Easter and it was packed. It was the day before technically. There was still plenty of snow on the mountain and the skiing was great. 

Spent Easter weekend in Denver. They had a "we love immigrants" sign downtown, gender neutral bathroom signs everywhere and LGBT stickers on business doors. It was a culture shock for sure. Bought a pot candy bar too. Lol. Denver was way too liberal. Try to stay outta there as much as possible during the trip. Use it as the airport. 

Breckenridge and Vail are the most popular I believe. But pricey 

[Bormio]

Lift tickets at Breck and Vail up to $180 a day.

i like Loveland - more a local spot.  Slightly closer, right on I-70 at the tunnel.  $79 a day ($54 over age 60).  Can ski A-Basin on Loveland ticket I think, is a difficult mountain reportedly (I have never skied it).  Loveland has an easy area.  If going for more 2-3 days - Breck and Vail are larger.  I actually love Breck (the town and skiing), but take a loan out.

[Bormio]

To me lines have never been an issue at Vail, Breck or Loveland BUT I have never skied there on a weekend.

[Bormio]

if you are going one day on a Friday and driving, lift prices less an issue.  Go to Breck - closer to Denver - first lift opens 8:30.  Later in day, crowds will explode, but Breck is big enough.  More amenities than Loveland.

[maxchoboian]

4 hours ago, Bormio said:

Lift tickets at Breck and Vail up to $180 a day.

i like Loveland - more a local spot.  Slightly closer, right on I-70 at the tunnel.  $79 a day ($54 over age 60).  Can ski A-Basin on Loveland ticket I think, is a difficult mountain reportedly (I have never skied it).  Loveland has an easy area.  If going for more 2-3 days - Breck and Vail are larger.  I actually love Breck (the town and skiing), but take a loan out.

I forgot to mention Loveland. It is old school like Arapahoe Basin (A-Basin), with more intermediate runs than A-Basin though. Probably the closest to Denver. The one drawback is that it is a north-facing ski area, so in the shade most of the day, and can be real cold. But one of the more affordable areas, if there is such a thing.

[LeftOnBase]

I really appreciate the advice everyone. I'm going to check out these areas a little closer.

Now my biggest hurdle will be to rein in my son from wanting to go the next day after we get there that Friday afternoon. We're flying from SE Georgia (95 ft. elevation) to a cabin (8,300 ft.). I figured on taking it easy for at least 24 hrs just to avoid any altitude sickness. Maybe that's long enough. I guess I'll find out.

Thanx again.

 

[LeftOnBase]

On 12/5/2018 at 4:38 PM, maxchoboian said:

Here are the areas on I-70 as you head west out of Denver, the closet one being 1.5 hour drive with no traffic:

 

Keystone - good family spot, lots of terrain - 20 Lifts (plenty for all levels of skiing; can be crowded); nice shops, but not an historic town

Arapahoe Basin - old school - no lodging; 8 Lifts, more challenging terrain; music, BBQ, and beers in the parking lot (The Beach)

Breckenridge - huge area, lots of terrain - 35 Lifts (plenty for all levels of skiing; can be very crowded);  historic main street

Copper Mountain - big area, lots of terrain - 22  Lifts (plenty for all levels of skiing; can be crowded); no real town...more new shops like in Keystone

Vail - hugest area - 31 Lifts, with tons of open terrain (plenty for all levels of skiing; generally big enough to not be crowded); expensive new town

Beaver Creek - a little farther up I-70 and even less crowded than Vail, but just as expensive

 

All of these can be crowded -- weekdays are always better than weekends, when so many from Denver head up.

Let me know if you are interested in more.

 

I think my plate is full....thanks to you guys.

The number of lifts you posted was a big help deciding which areas. Maybe all of the runs will be open.

 And, I don't plan on skiing until Monday....but I may be overruled by the majority. I hate lines, especially for rentals. Every time we have been, in North Carolina, it's been Presidents Day weekend. Small "hill" and large crowds.

I'm sure these "real" mountains will be a lot different....in many ways. The hill we've been going to only has a 740 ft. vertical drop, 3 chair lifts, and two carpet lifts........we're in for a treat.

Thanks again 

[maxchoboian]

23 hours ago, LeftOnBase said:

I really appreciate the advice everyone. I'm going to check out these areas a little closer.

Now my biggest hurdle will be to rein in my son from wanting to go the next day after we get there that Friday afternoon. We're flying from SE Georgia (95 ft. elevation) to a cabin (8,300 ft.). I figured on taking it easy for at least 24 hrs just to avoid any altitude sickness. Maybe that's long enough. I guess I'll find out.

Thanx again.

 

 

1 hour ago, LeftOnBase said:

I think my plate is full....thanks to you guys.

The number of lifts you posted was a big help deciding which areas. Maybe all of the runs will be open.

 And, I don't plan on skiing until Monday....but I may be overruled by the majority. I hate lines, especially for rentals. Every time we have been, in North Carolina, it's been Presidents Day weekend. Small "hill" and large crowds.

I'm sure these "real" mountains will be a lot different....in many ways. The hill we've been going to only has a 740 ft. vertical drop, 3 chair lifts, and two carpet lifts........we're in for a treat.

Thanks again 

You said you're staying NW of Denver, in a  cabin at 8300 ft? I'm guessing fairly close to Boulder? If that is the case, another smaller area to consider that is not along the I-70 corridor is Eldora (10 lifts, 20% green, 50% blue runs...and 30% black diamonds). Maybe check that out on the weekend, unless you want to get multiple day lift tickets at one of the other bigger areas (it's pretty impressive to go to the one of the bigger spots for at least a day, if not more). Or you can go into Boulder and check out Pearl Street (about 4 or 5 blocks of no cars, plenty of shops and restaurants) or the CU campus right near Pearl Street.

Drink lots of water, especially for the first few days, which can help prevent altitude issues. And don't be surprised if you get pretty winded, even walking up a flight of stairs, let alone skiing.

Enjoy, the views can be great, and the exercise a blast.

[LeftOnBase]

On 12/7/2018 at 1:43 PM, maxchoboian said:

 

You said you're staying NW of Denver, in a  cabin at 8300 ft? I'm guessing fairly close to Boulder? If that is the case, another smaller area to consider that is not along the I-70 corridor is Eldora (10 lifts, 20% green, 50% blue runs...and 30% black diamonds). Maybe check that out on the weekend, unless you want to get multiple day lift tickets at one of the other bigger areas (it's pretty impressive to go to the one of the bigger spots for at least a day, if not more). Or you can go into Boulder and check out Pearl Street (about 4 or 5 blocks of no cars, plenty of shops and restaurants) or the CU campus right near Pearl Street.

Drink lots of water, especially for the first few days, which can help prevent altitude issues. And don't be surprised if you get pretty winded, even walking up a flight of stairs, let alone skiing.

Enjoy, the views can be great, and the exercise a blast.

Actually the cabin is in the Coal Creek area next to Scar Top Mountain. 

Looks like I'll be suggesting Breckenridge, Copper, and Keystone. I'll let my son and his wife decide. Just three of the five of us will be skiing. We'll probably ski two days. Maybe hitting two different areas......or, like you said, getting multiple day lift tickets for one area. If the areas are as big as they look, we may not even have time to hit all the runs in one day. Which one or two of those three I listed would you suggest? Is there one that stands out (ski-wise) as "better?"

As far as the altitude, I'm thinking of getting a prescription for Diamox. They say it reduces the chances of getting sick by 80-90%. That and drinking a lot of water. We live about 30 miles from the Atlantic so we are very close to sea level.

 

[Bormio]

1 hour ago, LeftOnBase said:

Actually the cabin is in the Coal Creek area next to Scar Top Mountain. 

Looks like I'll be suggesting Breckenridge, Copper, and Keystone. I'll let my son and his wife decide. Just three of the five of us will be skiing. We'll probably ski two days. Maybe hitting two different areas......or, like you said, getting multiple day lift tickets for one area. If the areas are as big as they look, we may not even have time to hit all the runs in one day. Which one or two of those three I listed would you suggest? Is there one that stands out (ski-wise) as "better?"

As far as the altitude, I'm thinking of getting a prescription for Diamox. They say it reduces the chances of getting sick by 80-90%. That and drinking a lot of water. We live about 30 miles from the Atlantic so we are very close to sea level.

 

I believe you can ski all 3 on the same pass.  But I have never skied Keystone or Copper.  That said, you cannot go wrong at Breck.  Plenty of skiing for 2 days to ski different areas, lots of on mountain amenities plus a great town.  Both challenging and easier terrain.  Blacks at Breck tend to be blue blacks, so if that is an issue, those runs are available (not true at all Colorado areas).

[maxchoboian]

1 hour ago, LeftOnBase said:

Actually the cabin is in the Coal Creek area next to Scar Top Mountain. 

Looks like I'll be suggesting Breckenridge, Copper, and Keystone. I'll let my son and his wife decide. Just three of the five of us will be skiing. We'll probably ski two days. Maybe hitting two different areas......or, like you said, getting multiple day lift tickets for one area. If the areas are as big as they look, we may not even have time to hit all the runs in one day. Which one or two of those three I listed would you suggest? Is there one that stands out (ski-wise) as "better?"

As far as the altitude, I'm thinking of getting a prescription for Diamox. They say it reduces the chances of getting sick by 80-90%. That and drinking a lot of water. We live about 30 miles from the Atlantic so we are very close to sea level.

 

 

28 minutes ago, Bormio said:

I believe you can ski all 3 on the same pass.  But I have never skied Keystone or Copper.  That said, you cannot go wrong at Breck.  Plenty of skiing for 2 days to ski different areas, lots of on mountain amenities plus a great town.  Both challenging and easier terrain.  Blacks at Breck tend to be blue blacks, so if that is an issue, those runs are available (not true at all Colorado areas).

The three areas being considered are all very similar ski-wise. It is highly doubtful that you would be able to ski every run at any of them. But then again, you don't necessarily need to -- it is nice to become comfortable with certain runs and ski those multiple times (familiarity with runs can make them a bit more enjoyable as it allows you to relax and have a little more fun). I have skied all 3 of those areas for years, and have not skied all their runs (granted, they keep adding more mountains to each of those resorts).

Breckenridge and Keystone are a part of the same pass offered (Epic - Vail, Breck, Keystone, etc.), and Copper is part of the other (Ikon - Winter Park, Copper, Steamboat, etc.). People in Denver are pretty much 50/50 on which ones they get for the season. I'm not sure either offers benefits for 2-day passes.

They are all 3 within close proximity to one another, so the snow conditions at all 3 are usually very similar. You can't really go wrong with any of those areas, particularly the time of year you are going and on weekdays when the crowds are smaller.

[LeftOnBase]

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate the input. Like I said, it helps getting advice from people who have been there...done that. 

Now, I'll leave a link for my "Go Fund Me," as it'll probably be around $500/day/per person including rentals/eats. lol