Skiing on the Gem Card in Colorado

[dlague]

Some of you have seen the posts on too or three other threads but that was getting unmanageable so sorry about repition.

We are headed to CO next week. As part of that we looked into deals for the trip. If we had planned earlier we could have considered Epic Pass products - Maybe next year. In any case, we got our Gem Cards in the mail last week.

We have 2 for 1's on our Gem Cards for the following resorts.

Arapahoe Basin
Eldora
Loveland
Monarch Mountain
Powderhorn
Ski Cooper
Ski Granby Ranch
Sunlight



We plan on skiing three of them at this time A Basin, Loveland and Cooper but there may be others in that list that are better than Cooper like Eldora or Sunlight possibly.

Cooper's pretty mellow. Eldora, Monarch and Sunlight all offer more advanced terrain. But depending on where you're based Cooper could be worth a visit. It's got history and soul being near 10th Mtn Division's WWII training grounds.

AND it's got Bush Mogul Master.

FWIW IMO
Eldora = Wachusett. It's primary appeal is its convenience.

Ski Cooper = Saddleback. Better than average snowfall. Zero crowds. Awesome history, vibe, views....

Eldora is a perfect hit on the day you fly out.

Cooper is small, flattish, and out of the way. It also (can) get amazing snow, has great vibe, cool history, etc.

Feed back from another source:

Loveland / Arapahoe Basin - recommended, both are mostly above tree line so choose your days there based on weather. Each is good size with a fair amount of advanced/expert skiing.
Monarch Mountain/Sunlight - both are great small ski ares with a little bit of everything. Monarch has more runs but they're shorter. neither is all that close. Sunlight has more black runs.
Eldora - Never been but I don't think you'd be missing much. don't go on weekend due to crowds to get there and on mountain.
Powderhorn - too far. Lower elevation means bad snow sometimes.
Ski Granby Ranch / Ski Cooper - only good for lower blue and green skiers

 

[4aprice]

Well your the one who broke the news (at least to me) that I-70 is down through the Glenwood Canyon. Kind of takes Sunlight and Powderhorn out of play. Monarch is a kind of a haul. Granby is the old Sol Vista and I guess a bit like Cooper. Eldora's never been on my radar out there. Arapahoe and Loveland would be my playground. Get bored there, go climb and ski off the top of the pass, I've always wanted to do that. (Maybe April with the boy for me). Sounds like a good card.

Alex
'
Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[jimk]

I have not skied Cooper, but briefly stopped in the parking lot last March. A lot of 10th Mtn Div history there. But frankly, the lift served looked pretty small, WaWa small. Conversely, I spent two days at Eldora back in 2003 and was pretty impressed. It's more like the size of Waterville Valley, Wildcat, or Pico. Not huge, but not tiny esp for a single day visit. It had one very steep liftline type bump run, several steep groomers, and a bunch of black diamond glades that weren't open when I was there. Pretty views too. Having said that, where are you based for this visit? Perhaps proximity will trump size? If you are staying around Dillon or Georgetown then Cooper is not too far from A-Basin and Loveland (60mins?). Whereas Sunlight, Eldora, and Monarch are about twice that far from the other two. If you were coming or going through Denver then a diversion to Eldora wouldn't be too bad and more convenient than trucking over to Sunlight. Monarch is kind of isolated, but might be a doable sidetrip if you were going thru Colorado Springs anyway. I wonder if you will be traveling around out there enough to buy two tanks of gas from Shell and get two BOGOs for Copper? Is that deal active this winter? Copper is bunched closer to A-Basin and Loveland than Cooper. Conditions-wise all these areas will be close to the same, with some variation if one is hit by a little microclimate snowsquall the night before you go.

 

[dlague]

I have not skied Cooper, but briefly stopped in the parking lot last March. A lot of 10th Mtn Div history there. But frankly, the lift served looked pretty small, WaWa small. Conversely, I spent two days at Eldora back in 2003 and was pretty impressed. It's more like the size of Waterville Valley, Wildcat, or Pico. Not huge, but not tiny esp for a single day visit. It had one very steep liftline type bump run, several steep groomers, and a bunch of black diamond glades that weren't open when I was there. Pretty views too. Having said that, where are you based for this visit? Perhaps proximity will trump size? If you are staying around Dillon or Georgetown then Cooper is not too far from A-Basin and Loveland (60mins?). Whereas Sunlight, Eldora, and Monarch are about twice that far from the other two. If you were coming or going through Denver then a diversion to Eldora wouldn't be too bad and more convenient than trucking over to Sunlight. Monarch is kind of isolated, but might be a doable sidetrip if you were going thru Colorado Springs anyway. I wonder if you will be traveling around out there enough to buy two tanks of gas from Shell and get two BOGOs for Copper? Is that deal active this winter? Copper is bunched closer to A-Basin and Loveland than Cooper. Conditions-wise all these areas will be close to the same, with some variation if one is hit by a little microclimate snowsquall the night before you go.

Yes staying in Dillon. We plan on Copper for one day, Eldora on our last day before the airport. Ll and AB for sure then possibly Snowmass if the mess is cleared or Winter Park as an alternative. We are planning on a fun little stop at Echo just to add a ski day when heading out of Denver. It is real tiny.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

 

[jimk]

Old article on Eldora and some of the other mtns you might visit: http://www.dcski.com/articles/281

Have a great trip and give us some comments on how it was when you get back.

 

[snoseek]

If theres any kind of fresh snow im a big fan of powderhorn. 1500 acres, over 1500 vert, great trees a brand new hsq, decent pitch on the westside and no people.

Loveland is also a favorite of mine.

Sent from my LG-H345 using Tapatalk

 

[snoseek]

But also a super long drive from dillion
If you like mtb it could be coupled with some riding in fruita or rabbit valley if its too cold

Sent from my LG-H345 using Tapatalk

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Shameless plug: you won't regret a day at Cooper. Amazing snow, laid-back vibe, no lift lines, and I'll show you the good stuff. Yes, Cooper's small compared to the Vails of the world, with 400 skiable acres, 4 lifts, and 39 trails. But the snow's amazing, there are some great trees, a few epic bump lines, and you have it all to yourself. Including the Irish Pub.

Monday:

And some more shameless convincing:

And just wait, 'cause I'm not finished yet!

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Okay. Now I'm finished.

 

[jimk]

There is extreme value in having someone show you around their mtn, any mtn. Trump card goes to BushMogulMaster!! Get thee to Cooper and give us your impressions when you get back.

 

[xwhaler]

I have nothing to contribute to this thread as I've never skied anywhere in CO.
That said I look fwd to Dave's trip reports as he does a very nice job explaining the vibe of each mtn! I wish you a great trip

 

[Cannonball]

Took the day off from riding today to visit my family in Leadville. If you do end up choosing to ski Cooper, take some time to check out the town. It will be a nice break from the resortyness you'll get on the rest of your tour.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Took the day off from riding today to visit my family in Leadville. If you do end up choosing to ski Cooper, take some time to check out the town. It will be a nice break from the resortyness you'll get on the rest of your tour.

+1

Leadville is a classic old CO mining town, with tons of character (and characters), and a really neat main street (Harrison Ave). Filet Mignon meal at Quincy's for less than $15/plate! Try finding that in Summit/Eagle!

[Wow... I think it's time to get out of the marketing/sales field and back into mountain ops...........]

 

[dlague]

Took the day off from riding today to visit my family in Leadville. If you do end up choosing to ski Cooper, take some time to check out the town. It will be a nice break from the resortyness you'll get on the rest of your tour.

Solid Advice!

+1

Leadville is a classic old CO mining town, with tons of character (and characters), and a really neat main street (Harrison Ave). Filet Mignon meal at Quincy's for less than $15/plate! Try finding that in Summit/Eagle!

[Wow... I think it's time to get out of the marketing/sales field and back into mountain ops...........]

I will definitely look you up! I think the snow will be way different from those pictures by the time we get there.

I have nothing to contribute to this thread as I've never skied anywhere in CO.
That said I look fwd to Dave's trip reports as he does a very nice job explaining the vibe of each mtn! I wish you a great trip

Thank you! I will report for sure!

If theres any kind of fresh snow im a big fan of powderhorn. 1500 acres, over 1500 vert, great trees a brand new hsq, decent pitch on the westside and no people.

Loveland is also a favorite of mine.

Sent from my LG-H345 using Tapatalk

I had been thinking of it but distance is holding me back.


On another note, we had planned to ski Eldora on our last day but, as luck would have it - I have an interview for a job in Colorado Springs in Friday the 26th. So, the Epic Pass may be in my future! Hate to lose a day of skiing but would also hate to lose a job opportunity that would bring me to CO. Was phone screened by Vail and hoping to meet them also during the trip.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

I will definitely look you up! I think the snow will be way different from those pictures by the time we get there.

Sounds good! You might be surprised about the snow. We're expecting 3-6" between Sunday night and Tuesday morning, so you might get a minor powder day out of it!