# Resorts in Colorado - Help



## Flick Montana (Jul 9, 2007)

Steamboat springs has a lot to offer in my opinion. It's great for stuff aside from snowboarding, too. Beautiful place.


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## REKER (Jul 12, 2007)

Thanks bro, Ill look in to Steamboat. Yeah, we are probably going to snowboard 4 or 5 of the 7 or so days so we would like to have the option of looking at other things to do.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Crested Butte if you want steeps and a real ski town. My favorite resort in Colorado.

Steamboat, not so steep, great snow, and a real ski town. Still has some good underrated steeps on the North side.

Summit County for lot's of variety. Copper, Breck, A-Basin, Keystone, Loveland, and Vail are all within spitting distance of each other. 

Wolf Creek if you want pow.


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2007)

Yeah I'd say check out Steamboat. Not only the runs really nice, but the place has an awesome atmosphere about it, definately worth checking out..


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

Man sounds like there's a bunch of Steamboat Fan Boys that haven't really been to Steamboat. I live right on the resort and I can tell you its nothing special in fact its ungodly flat. Steepest pitch is only something like 32 degrees and thats in Chute 2 so thats about 300 feet of a pitch at that degree. Last year it was unseasonably warm and thus there wasn't much good snow. The lift ticket prices are rediculous too. The town isn't even that great I swear the people that say its great only see the touristy parts of town which is just ski time square. So FYI Ski Time is getting leveled and most of the "touristy" spots of town are going bye bye and the towns turning into Aspen.

Honestly the best bang for the buck is to stay in Summit county and do a day at Loveland, A basin, Keystone, Breck, and Copper.


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2007)

I have been tinking about a Wolf Creek trip....but is it worth it for a week? Enough good terrain and snow? maybe I could visit Telluride one day.

Heard great things about Silverton Mountain and also Irwin Lodge!


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## REKER (Jul 12, 2007)

My plans changed. Instead im going to Killington for a week +. Im saving up to possibly go to New Zealand the season after, since I will have graduated.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

richedie said:


> I have been tinking about a Wolf Creek trip....but is it worth it for a week? Enough good terrain and snow? maybe I could visit Telluride one day.
> 
> Heard great things about Silverton Mountain and also Irwin Lodge!


Telluride would be a 3 plus hour drive from Wolf Creek

Irwin Lodge is closed. Sled access only day trips, do it yourself style.

Silverton is 2 plus hours from Wolfcreek. Self guided early and late season. High season, you have to be in a guided group. Steep for sure and they do get a lot of snow. 

Get bored at Wolf Creek? Maybe, you'd definitely ride all the terrain available. You would also get to know the mountain and probably find stashes you like. Alberta peak is supposed to have some fun hike to terrain. If you really got bored, you could rent a split board or snowshoes, strap on a beacon, and do some of the backcountry off the pass. Amazing stuff back there.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2007)

What would be the better 5 day trip, Wolf Creek or Silvertone Mountain?

I like to get the most bang for the buck on trips, try to find places that are not too crowded, get lots of snow, and have some sort of town or city atmosphere in the area. For this reason, we tended to go to Salt Lake Sity, Tahoe or Whistler in the past. I am tempted to do a Seattle trip as well.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Wow, you couldn't be picking more remote areas of Colorado. Silverton is probably not a reality for you. Unless you tie it in with a trip to Telluride. During peak season it's over $100 a person for the guided riding. The town is small, has a bar at least and a couple of places to eat, but not much else. Telluride is around a 2 hour drive from Silverton I think. You could go the other direction and hit Durango Mountain (Purgatory) outside of Durango. Staying in Durango would be more affordable and it's a college town. Plenty going on there. 
For Wolf Creek, Pagosa Springs is the place to stay. That is on the West side of the pass. The Pagosa Brewery serves up great beer. Several places to eat, and other bars. Not a rowdy scene, but you can find stuff to do. The only problem there is if it's snowing a lot, the West side of Wolf Creek Pass tends to get closed more often than the east side. Tons of huge avy paths run down the west side. Everytime I go down there I stay at a friends cabin on the west side. Never been skunked but it's a possibility. 
The other option would be to stay in South Fork. Definitely much less of town and more of a roadside stop. Places to eat and probably a couple of ok places to drink. Don't expect much. It's also probably cheaper to stay in South Fork. That is where I would go if I was paying for lodging. 
Wolf Creek is definitely not crowded and it's one of the more affordable areas around.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2007)

Remote is good because it normally means less crowds and more untracked than something like Vail or Steamboat. For the same reason, when I go to Utah, I spend a lot of time in the back country or at Powder Mountain. 

It sounds like SouthFork is a better place to stay if it is cheaper. Is that on the east or west side and are the two close enough to drive?

I thought Silverton was supposed to be so affordable. That was part of how they advertised the mountain.

In the end I may end up back in Utah for convenience or maybe Seattle or something. I want to go back to Whistler but I feel I want to try somewhere else.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

South Fork is on the East side of the pass. It's about 15 minutes from either South Fork or Pagosa to the area. If you do backcountry and know your stuff, the riding on Wolf Creek Pass is amazing. Some of the best backcountry around.
Make sure you have a partner and are equiped properly. My friend had a close call there last season, and I thought I was going to have to locate and dig. He knows he made a mistake and what it was. Still the terrian is fantastic.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

and the slide pics...


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2007)

Are a lot of those pictures in or out of bounds. Even with the right gear it can be a risk. I haven't been taking many risks lately with a new family and all so I tend to stick inbounds unless it is really a low risk area and day.

Lately I have been going to resorts with great (back country like) inbounds terrain and just tohit it on the right day. That is why I like less travelled resorts like Poweder Mountain Utah, etc.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

They are all "out of bounds". There is a parking area at the top of the pass. It is backcountry in every sense of the word. No avalanche control, you have to make choices based on your investigative skills. When I hear someone talk "backcountry" I think of non patrolled you're on your own terrain. Powder Mountain doesn't really have that unless you duck out lefties creek. Which I have done. Quite an adventure for sure.
Wolf Creek pass has fantastic terrain and lots of low risk spots. Still, it's avalanche country, so you need to know what you are doing and a partner that does the same. It is a blast though. There is a lot of hike to inbounds frontcountry stuff that is avalanche controlled at the ski area.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

richedie said:


> Are a lot of those pictures in or out of bounds. Even with the right gear it can be a risk.


The "right gear" doesn't make it safer in any way shape or form. It just increases the chance you might save somebody or be saved should they get buried and actually survive it. Education and sound decision making is your best defense.


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2007)

How is the Wolf Creek inbounds frontcountry stuff? Is here quite a bit off the lifts? You think this miht be a good bet for me even though I am more familier with the Salt Lake and Powder Mountain area? I used to live in Utah....and I like the variety of a trip to the area.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Horseshoe bowl looks nice. The hikes off of Alberta peak look pretty nice. Basically everytime I go down to Wolf Creek I play on the pass. Though I get plenty of looks at the area and think, "I should do a day there" but never do. The vertical is not huge, but the ridgeline looks worthy. It's not a huge area. About 1/4 the size of Pow Mow would be my guess. When I think about it the terrain is similar to Pow Mow, just not as big of vertical. There are definitely steep shots on the south ridge of the area at Wolf Creek.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

You know in all seriousness have you looked at Vail? It's huge and very similar to pow mow. The only time that you might consider it crowded is the weekend. It's so big though that even on weekends you can get away from the crowds. The base area and the mid mountain spots are the only places I've seen big crowds there. If VBI makes it over from sb.com he can give you more info. Dude knows Vail better than any one person I know. Maybe it's because all he does is take high paying clients on expert lessons which consists of guiding them around the mountain. Best day ever at Vail I had was following him around. Good stuff.


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2007)

killclimbz said:


> You know in all seriousness have you looked at Vail? It's huge and very similar to pow mow. The only time that you might consider it crowded is the weekend. It's so big though that even on weekends you can get away from the crowds. The base area and the mid mountain spots are the only places I've seen big crowds there. If VBI makes it over from sb.com he can give you more info. Dude knows Vail better than any one person I know. Maybe it's because all he does is take high paying clients on expert lessons which consists of guiding them around the mountain. Best day ever at Vail I had was following him around. Good stuff.


Sounds like I would rather go to a place with more variety than Wolf Creek, maybe even stick to another Utah trip. There is a lot in Utah I have not experienced like Lightning Ridge at Pow and some new terrain at Snowbird, plus the backcounty I know in the canyons. I like variety and lots of snow. 

Heck, maybe even another Tahoe or Whistler trip. Maybe Baker, Crystal and Stevens Pass. Hmmmmm

Vail is expensive and lodging would be expensive as well.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Yeah, if you are looking for expansive, Wolf Creek ski area is not the spot. A lot of people could have fun for a week there, but I am not getting that vibe from you. Summit County/Vail would be more up your alley in Colorado. Steamboat or Crested Butte for remote. Nothing at the resorts are cheap. As far as bang for your traveling buck goes Utah is hard to beat. Especially the Snowbasin/Powder Mountain options. I don't if you've hit Snobasin, but it was every bit as good as the Cottonwood resorts and not crowded. It's a great mountain.


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2007)

I think the Seattle area may also be as good! You?

also, I found Snowbasin a bit boring? I was only there twice but it seemed a lot of flat spots and not much in the way of steeps.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Snobasin flat? Seriously??? Pow Mow was flat when compared to snowbasin. Did you get off of No Name Peak and the other hike to gates? There was a thread on another ski site that actually claimed snobasin was the steepiest resort overall in Utah. I can say the backcountry off of No Name is friggin' sweet.

Hitting Baker and Stevens would be sweet. The terrain looks epic. Hitting it in good conditions is going to be much more of a gamble than Utah or Colorado. Just due to the lower elevation. Stuff manks up quicker. Still, when it's good it looks as good as anywhere. I have plans for a long weekend out there, last minute flight sort of thing. I am not so sure you would want to stay in Seattle though. It's around a 2 hour drive to anything good from what I have heard. 
Shayboarder is from there and could give you more info. Also the guys on SnowboardSeattle.com - Ride Free!know (duh!)the scene. You could ask for their thoughts on where the traveling snowboarder should stay. Great snow and terrain, but they don't really seem to have resort towns there.


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2007)

I grew up riding the Northwest and now live in Steamboat. 

Not sure if you like driving a lot but that's what you'll be doing if you plan to ride Baker, Crystal, Stevens Pass, Alpental if you go to Washington. The mountains are not close to each other at all. I used to commute from Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass (Alpental, Central, West, East) and it would take easily 2 hours and those are the closest mountains to each other.

In terms of Backcountry riding, there's some awesome stuff in bounds at all of those mountains and I wouldn't recommend stepping out of bounds unless you are with a mountain local...mostly for a couple reasons. The snow is heavy and falling in a tree wells are the easiest way to die on the mountain and suffocate. The in bounds terrain is awesome and steeper than most mountains and the in bounds is usually the toughest stuff you can do...especially at Baker and Stevens.

The mountains are steep if you want steep terrain it's there...but just remember even in bounds at Stevens or Baker...ride with someone who will look out for you, i'd have numerous days with friends that have been buried in snow, fallen in tree wells and needed someone to get them out...especially during a huge powder dump. These friends were all solid riders, but one thing about NW riding is tree runs are the hardest riding with deep pow, awesome and amazing but if you lose control, lose speed, take a wrong turn...it is the end of amazing and awesome quickly. There is that much snow and it's heavy. If you do go, find a local who can show you the spots...it's worth it.

As for the snow being epic...yes but it doesn't last long, you'd need to be up there early and it'll get tracked out quick and if you find untracked stuff within a couple days it'll be not as good and heavy slush.

One other thing about Northwest riding, is you are driving to the mountains...because most do not offer on-mountain lodging. Only Crystal mountain and Snoqualmie has lodging on the mountain and even then neither are ski-in/ski-out. If you stayed in Seattle you'd be driving a good 1 hour to 3 hours to ride those mountains depending which one you decide on. Plus if you go on the weekends you'll be competing with tons of traffic to get there and home on the way back especially from Stevens. I've sat in gridlock numerous times from Stevens to Monroe during the winter. The highway to Baker is one of the hardest highway's i've driven to in snow conditions and unless you are a good snow driver...it's a risky drive sometimes.

Coming from the Northwest...i'll go back for trips but there's definitely perks of resort towns and the NW riding is not resort towns...it's mostly day ski hills is the best way to put it. The lodging and nightlife are limited if any. Stevens and Snoqualmie offer night riding but that's it.


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2007)

killclimbz said:


> Snobasin flat? Seriously??? Pow Mow was flat when compared to snowbasin. Did you get off of No Name Peak and the other hike to gates? There was a thread on another ski site that actually claimed snobasin was the steepiest resort overall in Utah. I can say the backcountry off of No Name is friggin' sweet.
> 
> Hitting Baker and Stevens would be sweet. The terrain looks epic. Hitting it in good conditions is going to be much more of a gamble than Utah or Colorado. Just due to the lower elevation. Stuff manks up quicker. Still, when it's good it looks as good as anywhere. I have plans for a long weekend out there, last minute flight sort of thing. I am not so sure you would want to stay in Seattle though. It's around a 2 hour drive to anything good from what I have heard.
> Shayboarder is from there and could give you more info. Also the guys on SnowboardSeattle.com - Ride Free!know (duh!)the scene. You could ask for their thoughts on where the traveling snowboarder should stay. Great snow and terrain, but they don't really seem to have resort towns there.


It has been about 10 years since riding Snow Basin and remember not liking it much......but I think I do remember finding some cool stashes in Strawberry bowl? Anyway, I'll have to check it out again. I just recall the terrain not being to my liking or as fun as I was hoping. 

I find more terrain I like at Pow, such as the Powder Country on both side of the road, including some short hikes.

Shayboarder...thanks for the info on the NW! Thanks!

Well, I must say of all the places I've been....the most consistent were Utah and Whistler/Blackcolm. Although, a friend of mine hit killer ston for 3 years in a row in trips to Jackson Hole. The year I went.....hardly anything for the week.


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2007)

Yep no problem, the NW is good but it's definitely spread out and really not a destination place to go to in my opinion. But when you get a powder day...Baker, Stevens and Alpental are epic. 

Steamboat has some epic powder days too but a lot of non-powder days in between sometimes. And not steep at all.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

richedie said:


> Well, I must say of all the places I've been....the most consistent were Utah and Whistler/Blackcolm. Although, a friend of mine hit killer ston for 3 years in a row in trips to Jackson Hole. The year I went.....hardly anything for the week.


I would say you've been lucky if you've hit snow everytime you've gone out to Utah and Whistler. Especially if it was Utah last year. They had a horrible season.

Any spot will have it's dry spells. Jackson is probably the crown jewel resort in the US. January is typically a prime month to visit resorts anywhere. That is usually when the snow piles on.


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2007)

Snowmass is my personal favorite. Nice people. Great town. Great food. GREAT boarding or skiing and amazing terrain and great runs!

I have been to

Crested Butte
Vail
Beaver Creek
Park City
Whistler, BC
A Basin
Breckenridge
Aspen

and we ALWAYS go back to Snowmass because it is just better


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## shredbetties (Aug 22, 2007)

Yay snowmass 

I also like Aspen Highlands, Telluride, Crested Butte, and Silverton - I like my mountains pointy.


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2007)

silverton

Where is that in relation to Snowmass?


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## shredbetties (Aug 22, 2007)

it's about a 4 hour drive... with snowy weather, it could be a bit longer - silverton is pretty far south of aspen/snowmass. 

I guess if you're interested in checking out a few different resorts, you could consider flying in to Montrose - that's about 1.5 hours from silverton and telluride, and 2 hours from aspen and crested butte (it's on the road you'd take from snowmass to silverton or telluride) so that would give you a chance to explore around some. I'd agree with killclimbz that silverton is a bit of a dead town - but a really cool mountain. It's only open 4 days a week, it's a great time, but you probably would want to check out a few other places too.


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2007)

maybe my dad and I will have to check it out

But the town is dead? Not like a snowmass because I love just walking through Snowmass and finding my yearly "Tourist T-Shirt"

Such as "Mountain Dude" with the Mountain Dew logo hahha


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## shredbetties (Aug 22, 2007)

dinanm3atl said:


> maybe my dad and I will have to check it out
> 
> But the town is dead? Not like a snowmass because I love just walking through Snowmass and finding my yearly "Tourist T-Shirt"
> 
> Such as "Mountain Dude" with the Mountain Dew logo hahha


Silverton? yeah. Basically it's an old mining town, and not in a cute way like breckenridge. They used to use it a lot on wild west movies because it still has some dirt streets and boardwalks. Its more of a Summer-based economy - from the Durango-Silverton railroad... the restaurants aren't great - mostly diner food and buffets, and there are like 2 bars... but you'll probably be pretty wiped out from all the hiking anyway. The mountain itself is a really cool experience. Just don't expect any of the development you usually see around a resort.


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2007)

Sounds like fun

Yah Breckenridge is a pretty bad ass town 

The skiing/boarding was good too


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## shredbetties (Aug 22, 2007)

dinanm3atl said:


> Sounds like fun
> 
> Yah Breckenridge is a pretty bad ass town
> 
> The skiing/boarding was good too


haha, i find breck a bit flat


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2007)

A friend of mine is taking a trip to Colorado this year in March. I was planning another trip to Utah this year probably in January...because I find the mountains steeper and deeper.

However, it is tempting to taste Colorado. I do not want a flat resort nor one that lacks snow nor hidden stashes/hikable stashes. I believe they will be at one of the resorts just west of Denver maybe within a few hours or more. Not sure yet. 

Should we all just go to Colorado? I think it would be cheaper to do the Utah thing.


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2007)

I have no liked Utah the few times I have been there.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

richedie said:


> A friend of mine is taking a trip to Colorado this year in March. I was planning another trip to Utah this year probably in January...because I find the mountains steeper and deeper.
> 
> However, it is tempting to taste Colorado. I do not want a flat resort nor one that lacks snow nor hidden stashes/hikable stashes. I believe they will be at one of the resorts just west of Denver maybe within a few hours or more. Not sure yet.
> 
> Should we all just go to Colorado? I think it would be cheaper to do the Utah thing.


Overall I will say the Utah resorts tend to have more steeps, but that's cause they are easy to spot. Plenty of good steeps in Colorado, ya just gotta know where to look. I've never been to Utah and been OMG I can't find this in Colorado. 
As far as bang for you buck. Utah is kind of hard to beat. Their by the day lift tickets haven't shot through the stratosphere like they have here. Finding passholders in Colorado is the way to get cheap tickets. All other things are pretty much the same. Lodging, food, etc...


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## Guest (Sep 10, 2007)

Thanks for the info!


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