Things to do / Travel Guide
No region in the United States is more associated with the ultimate winter vacation experience than the Colorado Rockies. It's considered “ski country” in these parts, and you'll feel it the moment you step into the region - in fact, before you even leave the arrivals terminal. When the airport has entire baggage claim specially designed for ski and snowboard equipment, you know these folks take their skiing seriously. Indeed, the region's resorts continue to dominate North American rankings - with six Colorado Rockies resorts placing in the top 10 of Ski Magazine's annual “Top 50 Resort Guide.” Superlatives often used to describe the region's slopes, parks, and terrain, include the “best, highest, steepest, longest, and largest.”
The region is home to more than 25 high alpine resorts and ski areas, providing options for all budgets, skills, and styles. That's right, styles! After all, skiing in the Colorado Rockies is not just an activity, it's an experience. Self-contained, picturesque mountain ski villages like Beaver Creek, Vail, and Telluride impart a European feel. There are also the Colorado mining towns of Silverton and Leadville that double as base camps for skiing and snowboard enthusiasts looking for a taste of the country. You can potentially rub shoulders with the stars in the upscale resorts of Vail, Aspen, or Beaver Creek, or choose to head to the more laid-back and historic Steamboat Springs or family-friendly Summit County. Whether it's nightlife, kids activities, or just hardcore terrain you are looking for, the Colorado Rockies region has a resort for everyone. No matter which “style” resort or ski area you choose, expect a healthy dose of Colorado sunshine and hospitality, in addition to the world-class skiing, of course.
Skiing near Steamboat Springs
The ski areas and resorts near Steamboat Springs are known for their impressive skiing and style. The town is a tourism hub that draws on its ranching and mining town roots, but has all the modern amenities a vacationer could hope for. It is also known for its wide variety of winter activities, including powdercat skiing and boarding, dogsled rides, ice skating, tubing, snowmobile tours, horseback riding, track skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. To top it off, the region boasts some of its very own superlatives: Steamboat Resort has the longest superpipe on the continent and Howelsen Hill is the state's oldest ski area.
Skiing in the Vail and Breckenridge Area
The ski resorts of Summit County are clustered right in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, about 100 miles west of Denver. These top ski areas - Vail, Keystone, Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, and Arapahoe Basin - are often packaged together, with interchangeable lift tickets and shuttles connecting the resorts to one another. As such, vacationers looking to ski at more than one resort often make Summit County their destination. If they don't stay in one of the picturesque resort villages, they'll head to the nearby towns of Dillon, Frisco, or Silverthorne, where plenty of lodging, dinning, and off-mountain activities are available.
The county offers various lift ticket combinations that give vacationers a choice of 376 runs, ranging from cruising at Keystone and Copper to the double black moguls at Breckenridge and chutes at Arapahoe. While deals generally exclude the nation's number one resort, Vail, for the price of a Vail lift ticket you get access to nearby Beaver Creek, Keystone, and Breckenridge as well. Except for A-Basin, all the resorts have their own lodging, restaurants, and shopping outlets. Also available in the area: night skiing and snowboarding, ice-skating, tubing, dogsled tours, snowmobile rides, hut trips, sleigh rides, drop-in ice hockey, ice skating, and snowbiking.
Skiing in the Aspen Area
World-famous for its reputation of attracting Hollywood stars and famous faces, Aspen's four sister resorts are the pride of the Colorado Rockies. Located a bit southwest of Summit County, Aspen is arguably North America's premiere ski town. Surrounded by mountains and wilderness areas, its four resorts - Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, and Buttermilk - are located within 12 miles of each other and offer a variety of terrain for every skill level. In addition to luxury, celebrities, and swank, Aspen has fascinating history, rich culture and nightlife, and every imaginable amenity. The area also hosts countless winter sports events and festivals throughout the season - including the ESPN Winter X Games at Aspen's Buttermilk Resort. Buttermilk is also an incredible learning mountain, with some of the best beginner ski runs in the country. Aspen Mountain has terrain for every skill level, with some challenging runs for expert and intermediate skiers. Aspen Highlands is known for having some of the most diverse terrain and is expanding rapidly in size. Snowmass is the largest of the four and second only to Vail as the largest resort in the state. Aspen/Snowmass also has the most extensive free Nordic trail system in America for spectacular cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Aspen also offers up sleigh rides, snowmobile tours, winter fly-fishing, and ice skating.
Skiing near Grand Junction
Located where the valley meets the mountains, the world's largest flat-top mountain, Grand Mesa, offers a unique skiing and snowboarding experience not too far from the big-city amenities of Grand Junction. The more than 300,000 acres atop Grand Mesa offer excellent cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, and views from Powderhorn Resort at the edge of Grand Mesa are absolutely breathtaking.
Skiing in the Telluride and Durango Area
Tucked away in southwestern Colorado - actually closer to Albuquerque than to Denver - the ski resorts of Telluride, Durango, Kendall Mountain, and Silverton enjoy some of the best winter weather in the country and the most-breathtaking views in Colorado. The towns of Telluride, Silverton, and Durango that serve as resort base cities are infused with plenty of Old West historic charm and small-town feel. Telluride - a favorite of celebrities like Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, and Tom Cruise - is as exclusive as it is remote, offering an intimate base to explore the mountain's diverse terrain, from steep moguls to gentle beginner slopes. Silverton Mountain has some of the highest and steepest “skiable” terrain on the continent, while the city of Durango, further south, attracts skiers and riders from all over New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas to its famous Purgatory Mountain and acclaimed terrain parks. As a college town, Durango has plenty of restaurants, pubs, and some great nightlife options. Also available in the area: cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, winter fly-fishing, snowbiking, snowskating, snowmobiling, dog sledding, helicopter skiing and riding, ice skating, tubing, sleigh rides, hut tours, and specialty guided skiing.
Ski Resorts in Vail, Aspen, Telluride, Steamboat Springs and the Colorado Rockies
Skiing
|
|
|