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Eagle/Summit County Colorado ski area choices, etc?

BenedictGomez

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I'm breaking one of my ski vacation commandants, which is, "thou shalt not book a trip outside of 1 month", due to the fact that I procured a mid-April week of insanely cheap lodging in the Vail Village. Hopefully this doesn't come back to bite me in the posterior. I'll be able to get 6 days of skiing in, and since I'm staying right at Vail I'm thinking it makes sense to ski there twice, and then make it to 4 of these other areas for one day each.


Arapahoe Basin
Beaver Creek
Breckenridge
Copper Mountain
Keystone
Loveland


So my question is the reverse of the typical "which place(s) would you choose" and is a question of, which 1 or 2 places would you leave out of the mix? If it helps, I'm good with most terrain other than Warren Miller hucks etc..., but the woman stays on intermediates & doesn't do bumps/woods.

I'll have a rental vehicle, so suggestions regarding non ski day activities & things to do, places to see is welcome. Also, are there ways to save money on Vail Resorts properties other than buying online? If not, my strategy may be to wait until about Saint Patrick's Day & check Craigslist to see if people are dumping vouchers etc..., because those window prices are insane.
 

4aprice

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Between Vail and Beaver Creek I don't think I would go anywhere else. There is so much there and who wants to drive if your almost slopeside. Its 20+miles over to Copper and further for the others. Maybe its just me but I would explore Vail for all its worth. Have fun.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ
 

jimmywilson69

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There is definitely 6 days worth of stuff to ski at Vail & Beaver Creek.

To answer your question, I'd probably leave Keystone and Loveland Off you list. Loveland is great, but its definitely the farthest. Your wife/girlfriend sounds like she will really enjoy skiing Breck. As will you. A-Basin is a must, my favorite place to ski in Summit County.

I've never skied Copper, but it is the closest. You should definitely go there.
 

BenedictGomez

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I'd probably leave Keystone and Loveland Off you list. Loveland is great, but its definitely the farthest.

Thanks for the good info.

I should have noted, I will have 2 ski days prior to starting my stay at Vail. I'll need to book a few nights at a hotel, so hitting any of the places between Vail and Denver wouldn't be a problem at all in terms of extra driving.
 

Smellytele

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Copper has a weird setup because their trails are for the most part grouped by difficult. Not saying all but a lot are. So it may be hard to enjoy skiing it with the woman.
 

dlague

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To be honest they are all good! None of them disappoint.

So, a large part of Vails back bowls are bumped up, however, there are blue runs and steeper non bumped runs back there but it is limited. Vail does have a lot of blue trails in general, but it will start to ski smaller focusing on those trails. The green trails that we have been on are rather boring and there lots of those too. The restaurants are expensive and drinks well - A Bloody and an IP run about $22, my son got a hot chocolate and a clif bar for $11 - so bring your own food and beverages IMO. There are picnic areas all over the mountain that you ski to. You can be there all day and go from lift to lift.

I think you would enjoy A Basin and the way it is organized, you can take different runs once in a while and meet up at a single location - plus the place has its own nostalgia and views that are spectacular. It reminds me of Cannon for some reason or old school Jay. The main trails will become all too common by days end based on the way things funnel back to the base. If it is nice out A Basin is a cool place to be.

Personally I think Keystone is a good bet based on the person you will be with. The blue runs there are relatively steep but not bad and the runs on the front side are long as in 2 + miles long. The lifts are fast so you rack up vert. It is another place where you potentially could take separate runs once in a while and meet up with out confusion. Even after skiing - the village, while relatively small has a cool vibe and we like to hang out at Kickapoo Tavern - food is decent and not crazy priced. You can either pay to park in East or West Keystone Rd or there is a free shuttle from multiple lots.

Breckenridge is another perfect place to ski based on the skills of the person you are with. Peak 8 gets busy but there are other places to go like Peak 9 - bottom part is not very exciting so ski the Mercury Lift. Peak 10 (Falcon Lift) - says all black diamond but the three middle runs are not bad and are not bumped. There is never any one there even on busy days. The real pain in the behind about Breck is parking - if there early enough then parking at the Gondola parking lots is best but then you still are not there. The ride up is 10-15 minutes or so and the stop are at Peak 7 or Peak 8. Stay away from Peak 7's Independence Chair - always has a long lift line.

Loveland is pretty cool. It is one massive bowl and when you get to the top of Chair 1 and look around - it blows your mind. There is something off every lift for the woman and if she wants to chill for a bit there is Chair 1 waiting with several really entertaining runs. You can also get free cat service top the top of the ridge. Chair 9 takes you to the top of the Continental Divide with another great view. The bar is on the first level of the lodge and the beers are relatively cheap and there are some inexpensive eats there too. Upstairs is where the cafeteria is - but not really worth it IMO.

I have not been to Beaver Creek or Copper. But have friends that ski there and they are not bump skiers. There are a boat load of runs there too that would accommodate both of you and there a lot of different trail combinations to take. It is the closest ski area to Vail over Vail Pass.

Beaver Creek is about an hour away from Vail and the more complicated to get to due to the boat load of switchbacks once off the 70. So A Basin, Breck, Keystone, and Loveland fall in the similar time frames (an hour or slightly less) as Beaver Creek to get to possibly less. Loveland is all highway - mid week would be best and the fastest to get to besides Copper. But traffic around April time frame is easy on the 70.

Now with all that, there can be some interesting storms in April as we experienced last year. If that is the case, Vail Pass will not be an option and Beaver Creek will not be easy to get to either. If it is nice out then everything is fair game.

I think Vail and Beaver Creak are two great resorts. Copper is close so that is worth the trip for sure. To be honest I would probably skip Breck since parking and the gondola ride up is a pain, however, the village is nice to walk around and the locals like Canteen. Terrain wise it would be best for the person you are with. I think Loveland is a place of its own and I think you would enjoy it - the lifts do seem a little slow though. In the end while I like it - it is possibly one to skip but it is a beautiful place which you will see if driving through the tunnel during daylight since it surrounds the tunnel as it goes under Loveland. We like Keystone just because you can really get some skiing in fast. A Basin is A Basin so I would just do that one for sure even though that is the smallest of the 6. Now, the time frame you mention is cutting it close and the places to ski might be limited. Keystone generally closes the earliest. BC Vail and Copper all close around mid month. You may be left with Loveland, A Basin for sure and possibly Breck will stay open until end of April.

If driving past Copper then look up West Tavern - it is pretty good. In Dillon - check out Pug Ryans Brewery. In Breck Canteen, Breckenridge Brewery and Kensho Steakhouse. If you want a day off, check out dog sledding around Leadville - although it may be too late. Just a bit past Breck will be Hoosier Pass which has great views.

If you are around on a weekend, we have two for one deals for Loveland and A Basin and buddy passes for Vail Resorts. Keystone being the cheapest at $89 up to $116 for Vail.
 

snoseek

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Take those two days and ski Abasin and Loveland as there are plenty of deals and its a completely different experience
 

meff

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Beaver Creek is about an hour away from Vail and the more complicated to get to due to the boat load of switchbacks once off the 70.

Clearly you haven't been to Beaver Creek, by bus its only 34 minutes, by car is more like 15 from Vail Village.
 

dlague

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Clearly you haven't been to Beaver Creek, by bus its only 34 minutes, by car is more like 15 from Vail Village.
Yup mentioned that in my post. That was a Google maps time. I also suggested that Beaver Creek should definitely be visited. Being only 15 minutes then even more the reason to go.

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BenedictGomez

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Vail ...... The restaurants are expensive and drinks well - A Bloody and an IP run about $22, my son got a hot chocolate and a clif bar for $11 - so bring your own food and beverages IMO.
Sadly I'm noticing that looking at the menus of the places on property. The last thing I want when I'm on a ski vacation is a gloved waiter calling me "sir" and serving me a $48 steak or a $23 glorified sandwich. I live 1hour from midtown Manhattan, so in the immortal words of Shania Twain, that dont impress me much. I want greasy bar food after skiing and an IPA slapped on the table so hard that it spills over just a touch. I'll have to drive off property to where the locals eat I guess, or alternatively the unit has a full kitchen, so simple cooking's always an option. Thanks for the Kickapoo tip (and the others), perhaps I'll try that Saturday night after skiing since I'll be not far from there.

Take those two days and ski Abasin and Loveland

Seems that's a pretty strong consensus, so that would make it 2 days at Vail, 1 each at Loveland & Arapahoe Basin, and then I need to pick a few others.

I checked and if I want to hit any of Beaver Creek, Keystone, or Copper Mountain it would have to be one of the first few days because they all close on Easter, whereas Breckenridge stays open late like the others.
 

BenedictGomez

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Between Vail and Beaver Creek I don't think I would go anywhere else. There is so much there and who wants to drive if your almost slopeside. Its 20+miles over to Copper and further for the others. Maybe its just me but I would explore Vail for all its worth. Have fun.

It really doesn't bother me as I'm used to it; I stay with family when I ski Vermont and it's about 45 minutes to Smuggs & 55 minutes to Jay Peak, so that's a norm for me. Last year when I went to Utah I had 6 ski days and I did one each at Alta, Deer Valley, Park City/Canyons, Powder Mountain, Solitude, and Snowbird even though I stayed a week in Park City. I like the variety, and I figure that way when I return I'll have a better idea where I want to go (or not). That said, yes, I enjoy waking up & being right at the ski resort a lot more than I do driving 45 minutes! But I personally wouldn't sacrifice variety for less drive time, though I get how others would.
 

burski

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I live right in between Vail and Beavercreek, they are no more than 15 minutes drive from each other. I would definitely include Beavercreek on your list it's got some really steep terrain but there's also plenty of intermediate stuff as well - it's a very underrated mountain. As far as eating goes, there are plenty of "cheaper" eats in Vail Village just got a know where to go if you want I would be happy to provide more info if you want to PM. I would also definitely inclued A basin and Breck on your list Breck has got some really nice hike to stuff if you want to take an extra 20 minutes and go above the lifeline. I am happy to give you more info if you want.


Clearly you haven't been to Beaver Creek, by bus its only 34 minutes, by car is more like 15 from Vail Village.
 

skinavy

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Loveland & Copper are the only 2 not on the Epic pass...

You have 2 days prior to Vail, driving from Denver- I'd detour up 40 to WinterPark/MaryJane for a day. You wanted a greasy burger & IPA tossed at you- that's what you'll get at the MJ base (can't speak to the WP village, although I hear it isn't too obnoxious). Or you can hit up someone's beach party in the parking lot.
Was just there last week on a 1/2 day detour to Copper, loved it! Yeah, she's mostly bumped up but Parsenn Bowl is gorgeous, blue and there are plenty of non-bumped options to get down so you can enjoy some long, pretty runs at 12kft with the lady.
 

Smellytele

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Just a warning when it snows Vail pass can be an issue. I have been stuck in traffic for a long time. Never understood why everytime I am out west and driving through passes I always see people towing fucking boats in snow storms.
 

4aprice

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It really doesn't bother me as I'm used to it; I stay with family when I ski Vermont and it's about 45 minutes to Smuggs & 55 minutes to Jay Peak, so that's a norm for me. Last year when I went to Utah I had 6 ski days and I did one each at Alta, Deer Valley, Park City/Canyons, Powder Mountain, Solitude, and Snowbird even though I stayed a week in Park City. I like the variety, and I figure that way when I return I'll have a better idea where I want to go (or not). That said, yes, I enjoy waking up & being right at the ski resort a lot more than I do driving 45 minutes! But I personally wouldn't sacrifice variety for less drive time, though I get how others would.

I don't blame you for wanting to try other mountains, but Vail/Beaver Creek has so so much and would be like skiing a new area everyday. Anyways just remember Colorado is more spread out then Utah and as others have pointed out there is more "mountain driving" (ie Vail, Loveland, Berthoud Passes) compared to SLC/Park City. Any way sounds like a good time.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ
 

BenedictGomez

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I live right in between Vail and Beavercreek, they are no more than 15 minutes drive from each other. I would definitely include Beavercreek on your list it's got some really steep terrain but there's also plenty of intermediate stuff as well - it's a very underrated mountain. As far as eating goes, there are plenty of "cheaper" eats in Vail Village just got a know where to go if you want I would be happy to provide more info if you want to PM. I would also definitely inclued A basin and Breck on your list Breck has got some really nice hike to stuff if you want to take an extra 20 minutes and go above the lifeline. I am happy to give you more info if you want.

Absolutely. Very appreciative of any local knowledge of what to do, where to go, and how to do it ideas.

Just a warning when it snows Vail pass can be an issue. I have been stuck in traffic for a long time. Never understood why everytime I am out west and driving through passes I always see people towing fucking boats in snow storms.

I think I might rent a 4x4 this time due to the driving as long as it doesn't cost a kidney like it does in Utah. Last year I risked it on 2wd in Utah, figuring that if Canyon restrictions were in place I could just park at the base of the roads and pay for the RT bus ride up. I wound up being lucky and was able to drive all 4 days I needed to, but the situation isnt the same in Colorado.
 

deadheadskier

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I don't blame you for wanting to try other mountains, but Vail/Beaver Creek has so so much and would be like skiing a new area everyday. Anyways just remember Colorado is more spread out then Utah and as others have pointed out there is more "mountain driving" (ie Vail, Loveland, Berthoud Passes) compared to SLC/Park City. Any way sounds like a good time.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ
While this is true, Vail isn't for everyone. I personally think it is highly overrated and it's one of my least favorite areas in Colorado. Bigger doesn't always equal better. It's been many years and i haven't skied Blue Sky Basin, but I'd rather ski plenty of other places out there before returning to Vail.

So, if I were BG, I'd definitely check out other areas. I'd probably do 1 Loveland, 1 A Basin, 1 Breckenridge, 2 Vail and 1 Beaver Creek.

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