GadgetRick
New member
Date(s) Skied: 4/17, 18, 19
Resort or Ski Area: Loveland (4/17, 18
A-Basin 4/19
Conditions: 4/17--EXCELLENT. Lose/packed powder. Sunny conditions about 40 degrees F. Soft, pillow-like bumps
4/18--Not so excellent. 4" of new snow but it was wind-blown and crusty. Colder that day 25-30 degrees F with winds of about 40mph which got worse as the day went on.
4/19--Started nice deteriorated a bit as the day went on. Packed powder with nice bumps. Sunny in the morning with winds picking up as the day went on. Right side of mountain was wind-blown crust.
Trip Report: Overall, I totally enjoyed myself. Loveland is, by far, my favorite (overall) place I've been. Not that I haven't skied better or more challenging resorts but Loveland is just an awesome mountain. It's a locals mountain, although I don't understand why as it's right on I-70 right over top of the tunnel going into Silverthorne. Apparently, a lot of people just pass on by on their way to Keystone, A-Basin, etc.
The people were all first class (including the skiers/riders). Everyone had a few minutes to chat--even the snowboarders!
Actually, Loveland was more of a skier's mountain with fewer snowboarders than I'm used to seeing.
The mountain itself is fantastic. They've got some nice steeps (Over The Rainbow, Avalanche Bowl, etc.) as well as less advanced terrain if you don't want so much intesity.
Awesome views of the surrounding mountains (including A-Basin). Great lodge with reasonably-priced fodd helped as well. Add to that the patrollers were all very friendly and you've got a winning mountain. I suggest checking it out if you're out there.
As far as A-Basin goes, well, what can I say? It's an awesome mountain. There's lots of good challenging terrain to ski. The parking lot is right next to the lifts, so if you've got a lift ticket (as we did) you can walk about 30 yards to the lift from your car.
The mountain is incredible with the East Wall being a nice-looking place to ski. The right side of the mountain also looked interesting but I didn't make it there as it was quite crusty since the wind was howling.
My only knock on A-Basin is, if you're not into doing the challenging terrain I can see how you might get bored. It seems the majority of the mountain is geared towards more advanced skiers. Their blues are a bit harder than what I saw at Loveland so many skiers/riders may feel somewhat intimidated by them. If you're just starting out and/or don't like steeper, bumpier terrain, I'd say you might want to check out another resort. For someone like myself who wants a bit of a challenge, it's an AWESOME mountain.
I, typically, keep a journal when I go away like this. I'll be posting my journal (with pics) on my website as soon as I get done editing everything. I'll also try and post some pics around here somewhere.
Resort or Ski Area: Loveland (4/17, 18
A-Basin 4/19
Conditions: 4/17--EXCELLENT. Lose/packed powder. Sunny conditions about 40 degrees F. Soft, pillow-like bumps
4/18--Not so excellent. 4" of new snow but it was wind-blown and crusty. Colder that day 25-30 degrees F with winds of about 40mph which got worse as the day went on.
4/19--Started nice deteriorated a bit as the day went on. Packed powder with nice bumps. Sunny in the morning with winds picking up as the day went on. Right side of mountain was wind-blown crust.
Trip Report: Overall, I totally enjoyed myself. Loveland is, by far, my favorite (overall) place I've been. Not that I haven't skied better or more challenging resorts but Loveland is just an awesome mountain. It's a locals mountain, although I don't understand why as it's right on I-70 right over top of the tunnel going into Silverthorne. Apparently, a lot of people just pass on by on their way to Keystone, A-Basin, etc.
The people were all first class (including the skiers/riders). Everyone had a few minutes to chat--even the snowboarders!
Actually, Loveland was more of a skier's mountain with fewer snowboarders than I'm used to seeing.The mountain itself is fantastic. They've got some nice steeps (Over The Rainbow, Avalanche Bowl, etc.) as well as less advanced terrain if you don't want so much intesity.
Awesome views of the surrounding mountains (including A-Basin). Great lodge with reasonably-priced fodd helped as well. Add to that the patrollers were all very friendly and you've got a winning mountain. I suggest checking it out if you're out there.
As far as A-Basin goes, well, what can I say? It's an awesome mountain. There's lots of good challenging terrain to ski. The parking lot is right next to the lifts, so if you've got a lift ticket (as we did) you can walk about 30 yards to the lift from your car.
The mountain is incredible with the East Wall being a nice-looking place to ski. The right side of the mountain also looked interesting but I didn't make it there as it was quite crusty since the wind was howling.
My only knock on A-Basin is, if you're not into doing the challenging terrain I can see how you might get bored. It seems the majority of the mountain is geared towards more advanced skiers. Their blues are a bit harder than what I saw at Loveland so many skiers/riders may feel somewhat intimidated by them. If you're just starting out and/or don't like steeper, bumpier terrain, I'd say you might want to check out another resort. For someone like myself who wants a bit of a challenge, it's an AWESOME mountain.
I, typically, keep a journal when I go away like this. I'll be posting my journal (with pics) on my website as soon as I get done editing everything. I'll also try and post some pics around here somewhere.
