Which Colorado Ski Resort?

[jwalk03]

I am wanting to plan a ski trip to Colorado (likely for 2018, just trying to plan a little.)

We have all only skied in Ohio & Snowshoe, WV but would really like to ski Colorado next. There are 4 married couples (My wife & I, and my in-laws) plus my 2 children (5yo & 1yo in 2018). Only the 4 men ski, the 4 wives do not, so somewhere that offers things for them to do would be helpful as well.


My mother & father in law own Wyndham, so if that is a lodging option that is a bonus, but open to other suggestions as well. Definitely somewhere with timeshare rental options if no Wyndham.

Which Colorado ski area would you recommend and why?

 

[jpc763]

I live in Colorado and have skied many of the resorts. If I were flying to Colorado for a week, I would go to Steamboat Springs. It is a great mountain and a great mountain town for the wives. There is a Wyndham there, but not sure of the cost or availability. The only problem is getting there. It is a 4+ hour drive from Denver International Airport.

For proximity resorts, Vail or Aspen are "destination ski resorts" with great mountains and great villages. Wyndham has a resort in Avon which is close to Vail. The drive to Vail is probably 1.5 to 2 hours from Denver International. Add another half hour to 45 minutes to get to Aspen.

You will love the skiing in CO. Fantastic powder and great terrain.

 

[x3 skier]

I spend 3 months every winter in Steamboat Springs and ski regularly.

The thing I love about the 'boat is it's a real town, not just a ski resort. It has a well deserved reputation as a family friendly area.

If you're flying, there are several direct flights into Hayden, about 30-40 minutes from town with two shuttle companies. No need for a car as the town bus system and resort shuttles are great for getting around.

Another choice is Summit county with four major mountains close together. The drawback is it can get very crowded on weekends with lots of people from the front range in town. Steamboat is another 1:30 from Denver so weekends are just another day crowdwise.

FYI, if you can ski Snowshoe and Perfect North Slopes for example, you can ski Colorado. The only change is on deep powder days when you need to modify your technique a bit to equal weight your skis.

Cheers

 

[PigsDad]

If you are looking to fly into Steamboat/Hayden, this is a good website to check your options on what airlines fly there, etc.

Kurt

 

[K2Quick]

My choice in Colorado would be Aspen, but timeshares aren't common there and other lodging there is pricey. I really like Vail as well and Wyndham does have units in Avon. The nice thing about Vail is you can ski Beaver Creek and Breckenridge in addition to Vail on the same ticket.

If you're not completely set on Colorado, I think Utah might actually be a better option for your group. Park City Mountain Resort is now the largest in the country since the takeover and merger with The Canyons by Vail. There's a Wyndham timeshare there now and it's only about 45 minutes from the airport. In my opinion, there's more things to do for non-skiers in Park City than Vail and if you get bored with Park City, it's a quick 25 minute drive down the canyon to downtown Salt Lake City.

 

[sandkastle4966]

There are 2 Wyndhams I would recommend -

Avon (Beaver creek, 10 min to Vail) - it is Presidential reserve and pricey in points. Check it often - space magically opens and disappears. 2 weeks to 45 days especially. Awsome skiing, not so great "ski town" for hanging out. Resort is truly gorgeous - must pay for parking - an outrageous $20/day. HUGE units

Steamboat - great resort, great town, great skiing (I am more partial to Vail), but longer distance to Denver. I fly to Hayden. Less Wyn points needed, better availability.

Timeshare trading - Colorado skiing is a hard trade, especially if looking for multiple units. Rentals - check with the resorts (and or course the TUG boards)

If you decide to go with either Wyndham propery- use your points for you, mom/dad, and I check with Ron Parise (see Wyndham thread) for booking/rental of Wyndham units for non-owners. There are other points renters as well. Ron is an active TUG member.

 

[jwalk03]

I appreciate everyone's suggestions. I really hope we can make this trip happen! I badly want so serious skiing! Slightly off topic, but anyone have opinions on Smuggler's Notch, VT? I have been contemplating a trip there as well? How would it compare to SnowShoe and also the west coast options?

 

[vacationtime1]

I appreciate everyone's suggestions. I really hope we can make this trip happen! I badly want so serious skiing! Slightly off topic, but anyone have opinions on Smuggler's Notch, VT? I have been contemplating a trip there as well? How would it compare to SnowShoe and also the west coast options?

West coast options? As in California/Tahoe? Do you really want to travel for hardpack and crowds?

I've skied most of the Tahoe resorts, all of the Utah resorts, and Vail / Beaver Creek, each on multiple occasions.

If you want "serious skiing", then my preferences in order would be: (1) Alta, UT, (2) Snowbird, UT, and (3) Park City, UT. Each of which has the additional advantage of being close to the SLC airport. The latter two have timeshares at their base.

 

[jwalk03]

I guess I didn't really mean west "coast". Western US is what I meant. How does Vermont compare to Utah or Colorado?

 

[x3 skier]

Trails in the east are generally narrower and shorter. Snow in the east can be boilerplate at worst and powder on a rare occasion. Rain is also possible. Temperatures are comparable in both locations with ranges from below zero to the 30's.

I grew up skiing in the Midwest and California and infinitely prefer the West (CO, MO & UT) with the exception the Sierra Cement of California.

Cheers

 

[Addds]

There are 2 Wyndhams I would recommend -

Timeshare trading - Colorado skiing is a hard trade, especially if looking for multiple units. Rentals - check with the resorts (and or course the TUG boards)

What do you mean when you say Colorado skiing is a hard trade? Hard to trade into from outside, or hard to trade out of if you own? I ask as I'm thinking about purchasing a multiple unit share in Breck.

Thanks!

 

[taterhed]

If you're an east coast skier, you might enjoy Steamboat more than some of the other resorts..... it's far more personable than main-stream Colo resorts.
Our kids had a fantastic time at Breckenridge--but it's horribly crowded on some days and you need to be able to ski to get above the super-highway sized green slopes filled with accidents waiting to happen.... Vail and Aspen are fantastic (back-bowls at Vail were our favorites back when you had to hike the ridge to get there) but are a more 'grown-up' experience IMHO. Also more $$$. I personally always preferred the powder and size/shape of the runs in Colorado to those in Park City; but I also enjoyed the smaller Utah resorts like Snow Basin and Powder Mountain. Way back when, I always skied the back-side of Winter Park (Mary Jane) but I haven't been in so many years....I couldn't begin to comment on it now. All I remember is the great pizza in Idaho springs with Honey on the table for the crusts....

You'll have a great trip where ever you go, but just decide whats important: size, more people (or less), glitz or country, blue/black or green etc....

OH, also; if you've never skied west, you're in for a surprise: IMHO, the eastern trails tend to be rated harder (black) than their western cousins due to the variable run conditions (read ice). I've always found that blue or blue/black western runs with good conditions would be very 'green' back east. Again, YMMV. There are usually a lot of 'outs' on the larger runs so you don't get trapped with a mogul field and no other way down.....
cheers.

 

[ondeadlin]

I live in Michigan and typically ski Colorado about 15-20 days a year, 3-4 trips, about half with my family.

The Steamboat recommendations are solid, but I will add this: Do not make your first Colorado trip to Steamboat unless you're flying into Hayden. You do not want to be making that drive on your first trip. It's far and the weather is iffy. Aspen is tremendous, but not a lot of timeshare options and, like Steamboat, a pain to get to unless you're flying into Aspen.

I would recommend flying into DEN and skiing Breck or Beaver Creek. There are many timeshare options at both (although many of BC's are in Avon) and the mountains are easier to understand and navigate than Vail. I strongly disagree with the comments about Breck being crowded. You may catch a busy Saturday and Sunday here and there, but even then that's made up for by the fact it's empty during the week.

If you were a family member, I'd recommend targeting Breck and trying to trade into either the Grand Lodge on Peak 7, the Grand Coloradan, or Grand Timber Lodge. All three of these resorts are relatively new and very family-friendly. Great pools and a good shuttle that gets you around town. Plus Breck has a lot of options for eating and if there are non-skiers in your group. From a travel perspective, it's an easier ride than Vail or BC.

 

[Marathoner]

If your wives don't ski, then I would suggest going to either Breckenridge or Park City in Utah. There is a large, scenic town in both areas with a vibrant restaurant and shopping scene in both locations. There are a large amount of lodging options, both upscale and more modest, in both towns as well. I don't think there will be enough to do in Steamboat for your wives for a week if they don't ski. Colorado mountains are really high up and I would caution that you may want to try Park City first which has a more modest elevation. Moreover, the distance from SLC airport is much more convenient at Park City than at Breckenridge or Beaver Creek. You will enjoy the skiing at Park City, no doubt about it.

There is a very nice Wyndham resort at the base of Park City Canyons.

 

[x3 skier]

FYI, Steamboat's base elevation is 6770. I think it's the lowest of the major areas in CO.

Cheers

 

[sandkastle4966]

FYI, Steamboat's base elevation is 6770. I think it's the lowest of the major areas in CO.

Cheers

this is a really good point. Breck town is the highest elevation between Steamboat, Vail and Breck. Can be a factor if you are sensitive.

 

[sandkastle4966]

Couple of other comments:
Breck crowds: skiing pres weekend? MLK weekend? then yes - expect some crowds. Rest of the week? quite pleasant.
I just skied vail from Xmas thru new years - most I waited was about 7 minutes - and that was only once at the base. Rest of the lifts were 1-4 minutes. At steamboat now - minimal lines, I expect more this weekend - MLK weekend, but has never been awful in the past. (my 3rd mlk weekend here)

"Hard trade" - hard to trade INTO Colorado. 1) you need decent size weeks to trade in for ski weeks (22-32 TPUs on RCI) if not a holiday weekend. 2) Not a lot of weeks get deposited into RCI. Need to plan and be patient and flexible. Can't speak to other companies. You will NOT see a Wyndham Avon, never seen a winter Peak 7 or grand timber - except on the RCI rental side. Steamboat not as hard in RCI as Breck and Vail/Avon. (Plus you have the wyndham points options) (I don't do Aspen/Snowmass anymore)

Wives don't ski: Personally I don't think ANY place would be better than another - Breck and Steamboat have the best towns, but People watching in Vail is pretty good. How much can you shop and visit the town? All have someplace for a massage, get your nails done etc. So that shoots a few hours. All will have great places for breakfast / lunch. I would not want to be driving anywhere from any of the resorts "to do something else". All will have snowmobile, sledding options.

Green/blue/black - disagree with a poster above. I find that "black" in the East, is blue in the West. I also find that "black" in the west can range from an aggressive blue to a really hard black. I don't do labeled double diamonds. Agree you see much more ice in the east. If you can ski the east, you can easily ski the west. That first powder day will be a leg buster !

Getting to steamboat: Hayden airport - very convenient, easy drive, shuttles available and reasonable. Not so great if the weather is bad - might not get in. Flying to Denver and driving - 4+ hours. Weather bad? add time. really bad? Pass might close (FYI berthouds was closed last night due to avalanche control, Rabbit ears was open but really slow - had very high winds.)

FYI - My favorite for non-skiers - Jackson Hole. Great town. Elk reserve. Showmobiling, dog sledding, small art museums, cool "animal art" museum, Day trip to Yellowstone - awesome winter tour - highly recommended, day spas, Tram to top, admire the view, go back down, same with gondola - up, have lunch, go back and people watch. NOT GOOD if they want to learn to ski. Skip JH if that's the case - not enough good greens, too aggressive blues.

FYI - I ski 8 weeks a year thru RCI. This year January is: Dec 30: Vail, Jan 7 - 21: Steamboat , Jan 21-28: Breck , Jan 28 - Feb 4: Vail
I have an epic unlimited, and a steamboat 8 day as well.