Keystone Resort - 2.12.10

[gmcunni]

Date(s) Skied: 2.12.10

Resort or Ski Area: Keystone Resort

Conditions: groomed PP, pow

Trip Report: We (me, Jake and Megan) hit the Peru Express lift @ keystone around 9:30. reading the map built into the safety bar (pretty cool setup) we decided to warm up on Schoolmarm, a nice green cruiser. Was a little disappointed in the snow... i'd skied better conditions in the east. Rumor has it that CO isn't have a great year for snow, much like south/central NE.

We skied the frontside groomers the rest of the morning. After a lunch break we headed back out and hit the gondolas and got over to the backside. WOW what a difference in conditions. Convinced Megan she was up for some blue trails and found some nice pow bumps and some fresh pow in trees off to the side of the trails. The conditions on the backside were great. I wish we'd gotten over that way earlier in the day.

shot of backside where you can do CAT skiing -

 

[WoodCore]

Nice!!!

The goods at Keystone are definitely not on the front face. I Skied with a local on a pow day a few years back and hit up some sweet tree skiing off the Santiago and Outback lifts. Basically made only one run the entire day on the front/main face and that was the run back down to the bar at the end of the day. :beer:

 

[MommaBear]

We skied there a couple of January's ago and found the same thing. First reaction was that it was no better than the snow we left in VT. But then discovered the back sections. And then we were rewarded with 8 inchs of fresh powder the 2nd day. THEN we were in heaven back there. Really enjoyed Keystone and hope to get back out there again some day. Enjoy!

 

[abc]

The goods at Keystone are definitely not on the front face.

Basically made only one run the entire day on the front/main face and that was the run back down to the bar at the end of the day. :beer:

That's true for a lot of the western resorts: Vail is the most famous for its back bowl, Alpine Meadow is that way, Mt Rose is another that comes to mind. The front side are pretty ordinary groomers not unlike the east. The "goods" (bowls) are in the back side of the ridge! Rewards those who knows, either discovered on prior visits or by simply looking at the trail map!

While Snowbird and A-basin both have what looks like a giant bowl in the front, both had (relatively) new terrain off the back that are a good deal bigger!

 

[skiadikt]

yup the action at keystone is definitely on north peak (santiago) and the outback. frontside's just for coming home. for 10 bux (at least last time i was there) you can take the cat at the top of the outback lift.