Colorado: A Sport Synonymous With The Rocky Mountain State -
Skiing has been synonymous with Colorado since people began sliding down mountains for fun. Colorado has 22 resorts from north to south, consistent snow, diverse destinations, and unlimited opportunities for exceptional experiences. All of that make the state one of the top destinations annually.
A frontrunner every season for opening well before other resorts, Arapahoe Basin just added 80 percent more terrain into Montezuma Bowl, doubling its size. A-Basin’s early season cousin, Loveland, high atop Vail Pass by the Eisenhower Tunnel, has been a Denver local’s favorite for 70 years with skiing from October through May.
Winter Park’s spot atop the Continental Divide makes this resort a magnet for storms coming every which way. On average, 369 inches of snow dumps annually on its trails. The resort has two base villages (Winter Park and Mary Jane). The two are completely interconnected by lifts. You get glorious, backbusting, big-time moguls on the MJ side and seriously long steep groomers off the Zephyr Express on the Winter Park side.
Keystone Resort is probably one of the closest major Front Range resorts as it's a 90-minute highway skirt from Denver International Airport. More than 2,800 acres of terrain connect the three mountains. You can also ride after dark in one of the largest night parks in North America.
The terrain at Copper Mountain caters to all abilities and includes fantastic bowl skiing. There are three base villages to après party.
Vail, one of the most popular and famous resorts in the world, is a one-stop shop for destination and day skiers. A whopping 5,289 acres of powder, bowls, trees, cruises and bumps fill every junkie’s need. The après ski and shopping scene nearly rivals the daytime foray. The Bavarian style Village shuns traffic and welcomes pedestrians from breakfast to barhopping.
Beaver Creek is Vail’s Ivy League sister. Beaver Creek is classy, subdued, and groomed to perfection. Catch the high-speed quad from Beaver Creek Village to Arrowhead Village to ski or ride between Beaver Creek, Bachelor Gulch, and Arrowhead Village.
Feeling a case of low-pro coming on? Take the short drive from Denver International to Echo Mountain. Other intimate resorts include Eldora, the Boulder mountain-Mecca, Howelson Hill next to Steamboat Springs, Monarch, Ski Cooper, SolVista next to Winter Park, and Sunlight Mountain Resort near to Glenwood Springs.
Aspen/Snowmass, comprised of Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk is on the other end of the spectrum. Aspen’s eponymous hill rises dramatically from the center of downtown, showcasing double-blacks, bumps, and tree shots to tickle riders and skiers alike.
Buttermilk may be for babies and beginners but it’s also home to the ESPN Winter X Games. You’ll need repeat visits to Snowmass to explore its more than 3,000 acres of cruisers, steeps, terrain parks and halfpipes. The locals go to Aspen Highlands to get humbled. Steep couloirs, massive moguls, and inbounds- backcountry terrain offers some of the steepest in the state.
Crested Butte Mountain Resort and Telluride are about getting away from it all. Both historic mining towns, they exude charm, unbeatable terrain, and family friendliness tucked between the gorgeous backdrop of the Elk Mountain Range and San Juan Mountains, respectively. Crested Butte (pronounced “beaut”) is a place to see locals go big; where you can join them or spend time on the wide-open groomers perfecting your technique.
Telluride used to boast more millionaires than New York back in the mining days, drawing Butch Cassidy to his first bank heist in 1889. Today, the only steal you’ll find here is the intense uncrowded terrain for all abilities, segregated so beginners need not fear being buzzed by Tommy Moe wannabes. Most notable, however, is the ‘greenness’ of the town. The town is environmentally pro-active and sets the bar for present-day ecology.
Steamboat’s heart, too, lies in history. But the cowboy town has a larger mix of urban yuppie on its rolling powder slopes. Steamboat's industry renowned snowmaking system utilizes the latest in technology- low-energy, high-efficiency snowmaking guns that use 30 percent less energy than conventional guns while producing the same amount of snow.
Wolf Creek at 10,300 feet elevation winds up with some of the greatest snowfall totals in all southern Colorado and often the state. Its mostly intermediate terrain begins with a lift up to an alpine ridge that services 1,600 acres. Experts will have to do a bit of huffing and puffing to get to the Knife Ridge Chutes and double-black runs.
Powderhorn sits on the edge of the Grand Mesa, the largest flat-topped mountain in the world, and is about 35 minutes from Grand Junction. Its glade skiing is some of the best in the state. Recent real estate developments will take their secret stashes public, but at least you won’t have to drive far to hit them.
Durango Mountain Resort, formerly known as "Purgatory," changed to a more family friendly name and atmosphere as a result of moving ahead on a 25-year mountain master plan for villages, lodges, services and amenities. The resort also plans to add European-style subways to transport skiers and riders across the flats.
Silverton Mountain in southern Colorado is not a resort per se, but serious skiers continue to be lured to the advanced and expert only backcountry branded area where snowcat grooming is shunned. This season, instead of hiking two to three hours, skiers may take a $125 guided heli drop to those distant and untracked lines.
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