Beaver Creek, CO question

[molecan]

Hey,

I was wondering if anyone had been to Beaver Creek, CO.
I have a friend who booked a week out there in February, at what seems to be cut rate prices. ($200 for me for the week, for 1 of 3 beds.)

From what I've read, Beaver creek seems to be a family-oriented, 'groomed' resort. I've been able to find a lot more about the restaurants and spa's than trails and terrain.
Not at all what I look for, but at the price, I probably won't complain, yet.
I'm a lot more like the unwashed, unshaven freak people tend to refer to telemarkers as, (despite my fixed-heel heresy) and am more happy with a brewpub than creme brulee.

I'm also considering going to SLC, and having my wife fly out and meet me there for a week after this, and skiing Alta/Snowbird. My wife is a beginner skiier, having done a small amount of XC as a child, and not terribly comfortable actually going, well, downhill.

Would the Alta/SB terrain be able to cater to a 2nd year beginner? I expect that she'll be doing a lot better towards the end of the season, and intend to force, er, coerce her into lessons this season. (I realize, I may be the worst ski teacher, ever. Even worse than my own dad was. Harsh realization.)


Now, I've never skiied out west, never been at elevations higher than about 10k feet, and never for skiing. (I walked around Haleakala on Maui, and recall it being similar to a healthy dose of nitrous oxide at the dentist.)

One of the things I'm wondering, is how hard is it to get from the creek to Vail? i.e. shuttles?

Are there any good glades at BC, anyone have impressions of the bowls?


Any recommendations/stories on dealing w/Altitude Sickness? I've lived my entire life in Boston, basically a few feet above sea level, and expect this to be a serious issue.



-Coleman

 

[bvibert]

Never been, but you may try asking this question over at www.coskiing.com which is this site's sister site.

 

[kickstand]

I have some quick answers for you now. I can post more for you tomorrow.

From what I've read, Beaver creek seems to be a family-oriented, 'groomed' resort. I've been able to find a lot more about the restaurants and spa's than trails and terrain.
Not at all what I look for, but at the price, I probably won't complain, yet.
I'm a lot more like the unwashed, unshaven freak people tend to refer to telemarkers as, (despite my fixed-heel heresy) and am more happy with a brewpub than creme brulee.

yes, it is. Well, maybe more snotty than family-oriented. Had a blast watching ski concierges pop people out of their bindings. Be sure to sample the chocolate chip cookies they hand out starting around 3:00.

Would the Alta/SB terrain be able to cater to a 2nd year beginner? I expect that she'll be doing a lot better towards the end of the season, and intend to force, er, coerce her into lessons this season. (I realize, I may be the worst ski teacher, ever. Even worse than my own dad was. Harsh realization.)

probably not. Beaver Creek is fairly intermediate, except for the Birds of Prey area. Some pretty steep stuff in there.

Now, I've never skiied out west, never been at elevations higher than about 10k feet, and never for skiing. (I walked around Haleakala on Maui, and recall it being similar to a healthy dose of nitrous oxide at the dentist.)

drink tons of water, and when you're done, drink some more water. Great way to help adjust. Not sure if you're a drinker, but the sauce only makes it worse.

One of the things I'm wondering, is how hard is it to get from the creek to Vail? i.e. shuttles?

there is a shuttle, but if I remember, it was a bit expensive. We had a rental car so we just drove. It's about 20 minutes past Vail.

Are there any good glades at BC, anyone have impressions of the bowls?

we found some decent little shots that weren't marked. Out west, you can pretty much ski anywhere. If I had a BC map in front of me, I could point you in the direction of where we found some. Nothing great, nothing very long, but better than skiing groomed highways all day.

 

[JimG.]

My parents own 2 condos in Beaver Creek, I've been there many times. It does have a reputation for being a groomed intermediate mountain that caters to snow bunnies, but it does have alot of good terrain too. Run laps on the Grouse Mountain HSQ all day and you'll agree. Steep bump runs and several BC gates to access tree stashes. Or you can hike to the Bald Spot for some decent bowl type skiing.

Besides that, Vail is 15 minutes to the east, or travel another hour or so to get to Copper or A-Basin. I'd suggest renting a car unless your accomodations don't allow for it.

As for the SLC area, Snowbird and Alta are superior expert oriented mountains with little or no terrain for the beginner. Your wife will not like it in those places. If you're going to Utah and you want to accomodate her, you're looking more for places like Park City or Deer Valley in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

 

[blacknblue]

Yes, Beaver Creek is posh and runs like a country club; the public can't even park there--you park in Avon and shuttle through the gated entrance. Yes, there are a lot of groomers, posers, and escalators in the heated-walkway village.
BUT... there is some excellent terrain to be had. There are a number of great tree runs at Arrowhead and on Beaver Creek proper. Birds of Prey is one of the more challenging downhills courses in the world--check it out if it's open to the public. The teardrop area is a great backcountry access point. Find a local (or PM me when you are coming out) and follow them. :wink:
To get from BC to Vail, there is a decent shuttle system and it's not too expensive (few bucks, maybe?), so if you want to party in Vail and return to BC, you can do that w/o too much hassle.
Don't bother with alta/Snowbird unless everyone can ski well. There is beginner terrain, but what's the point? Save it for another year.
For altitude sickness uke: , stay away from caffeine and alcohol (I know, I know... what will you drink in the mornings and evening??). Bring Advil, drink water, snack on salty foods like pretzels or crackers, and take it easy for the first day or two. The altitude at BC isn't as bad as Breckenridge, Snowbird, Telluride, or Winter Park, so hopefully you'll be okay.

 

[Geoff]

Altitude sickness:
Vail/BC isn't all that high. You're sleeping at 8100 feet. That might give you some headaches the first day or two and a toss & turn the first night but most people coming from sea level adust fairly quickly. Hydrate properly and stay away from caffeine & alcohol at first and you should be fine.

BC resort & terrain:
Personally, I find the skiing surface on the ungroomed at resorts frequented by wealthy intermediates is much better than at resorts frequented by advanced skiers. BC is big enough that you're not going to wear it out in a week. Vail is a quick shuttle away and your lift ticket works there, too. You certainly won't be the only dirtbag pinnah skiing Beaver Creek while you're there.

AltaBird for a beginner:
Snowbird? Nope. Novice terrain is in extremely short supply. The lower mountain and Chips is about it. Their intermediate terrain would be rated expert most places in New England.

Alta has a fantastic beginner area with a nice long detachable lift. An advanced beginner could probably handle the easiest ways down Sugarloaf and Supreme. Unfortunately, it's a tough place for groups of mixed ability.

I think Deer Valley is the best place in Utah for groups with mixed ability. There's great tree skiing next to the intermediate groomers. There are beginner wrap-around trails from all the lifts where you can ski the ungroomed. You also have the town of Park City with something going on rather than being stranded at Snowbird or Alta. Beware: No snowboarders. Tickets are expensive. It gets half the snow of AltaBird or Brighton/Solitude so you have to pick your days. On good powder days, it's one of my favorite places in the world to ski.

 

[RISkier]

Haven't been to Beaver Creek but it seems to get good reviews. If you don't want to go I'll go for the price. My wife and I went to UT last year. It was only our 3rd year of skiing and I missed most of my 2nd year with a broken knee. We did one day at Deer Valley. I thought it would be the place we liked best, but... Great, I mean really FANTASTIC, on mountain food and beautiful bathrooms. Lots of good cruising terrain and I know by reputation there's some good off trail stuff if you know where to go. Still, we thought DV was kind of sterile. We liked The Canyons better. There is tons of blue cruising terrain in the Park City resorts. We wanted to at least go to Alta and experience it. We weren' sure how much of it we could really ski but we absolutely loved Alta. There are easy greens near the Albion base, I believe the lifts are Sunnyside and Cecret. There are groomed blues off every lift. There are pretty gentle blues off the Sugarloaf lift. Some of the blues off the Collin's lift and Wildcat lift get a bit steeper but we didn't really have any trouble with them. I think you'll have a ball at Alta it has excellent novice and intermediate terrain. If you're an intermediate cruiser who want's to do different runs everyday for a week, it won't suffice but I could probably be pretty happy if I never skied anywhere else. The other thing about Alta is that it's very wide open. We could venture into powder and short sections of bumps (I'm awful in bumps) without getting very far from the groomed terrain so I also think it's a great place to advance skills without getting in over your head. The one caveat is that some lifts are a bit interesting. The Cecret lift serves very nice novice terrain but is an old center pole double that moves right along, and none of the lift have safety bars. Even though I'm scared of heights I got used to it real fast. Can't say enough good things about Alta. The reputation of Snowbird is that it's pretty challenging for novices and timid intermdediates -- haven't been so can't give first hand experience. Take a look at Solitude which would probably be better suited than Snowbird.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Now, I've never skiied out west, never been at elevations higher than about 10k feet, and never for skiing. (I walked around Haleakala on Maui, and recall it being similar to a healthy dose of nitrous oxide at the dentist.)

In Brek they have an oxygen bar. They give you a nose thing and plug you in to whatever flavor you choose. Maybe it was mental, but better after I left.

Elevations are lower in Utah and never bothered me.

 

[Geoff]

In Brek they have an oxygen bar. They give you a nose thing and plug you in to whatever flavor you choose. Maybe it was mental, but better after I left.

I'll take the NO2 out of the blue tank, please.

...It'll make my car run much faster, too.

 

[St. Jerry]

I lived there for several seasons. Far better for beginners than most of the Utah areas, especially Snowburd and Alta.

 

[I Love BR]

I used to ski Beaver Creek quite a bit. I've never really been one for groomers, which are what BC is famous for (along with elist clients...) but the Beav has it all. Like its reputation suggests, there are some pretty awesome groomers (Harrier, Larkspur bowl, Golden Eagle downhill course...) but there is also some pretty nice tree skiing, which is almost always fresh because of the lack of really hardcore skiers. Factor in the Backcountry terrain and you will be kept occupied.

Of course, vail, with the powdery back bowls, is very close as well. What I have always down is to go to vail if it is going to snow more than six inches. The back bowels and blue sky basin are truly phenomenal. I've never skied the front except to get to the bowels. Then the next day when you return to Beaver Creek there will still be lots of powder all over the place (where they haven't groomed).

It's an underrated place as far as terrain goes.