Steamboat Springs questions

[Edd]

Myself and 2 friends are aiming to go there for 7 nights in late Jan. The packages I'm finding are coming to over $1400 for flight/lodging/lift tickets per person. Can anyone familiar with Steamboat suggest ways to bring this price down? The current price has us sharing a 1 bedroom condo (not slopeside) and the "deal" I'm getting on lift tickets (5 ski days) is $71 per day!

 

[RISkier]

Not many good suggestions. I priced a bunch of different destinations last year and that's about the range that I recall for Steamboat. Part of the problem is flying into Hayden (SP?) rather than Denver. That added quite a bit to trip costs that I was pricing. If price is crucial, I think you can find less expensive deals at the Summit County resorts (Copper, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge). And I've seen pretty good deals to Winter Park. And especially if you're willing to stay in the Frisco/Dillon/Silverthorne area. The lease expensive trips I've priced have been to Salt Lake City. My one real suggestion is to check www.vrbo.com for lodging. We've found some good deals on lodging through them. That said, Steamboat looks like a very fun destination to me.

 

[Edd]

I'll check that website out. Thanks for your help.

 

[AHM]

I would reconsider (& bag the 'boat)............

I am really not sure why you would go ski the 'boat. The place is pretty flat, the snow is not what they claim, and the shadows aren't really the tree skiing that so many talk about. Price is typically high due to the inconvenience of getting there.

If CO is your deal, I would consider the many other options that CO has to offer, such as CB, Telluride, or even Summit county. A combo trip of CB, telluride is quite doable, as is a smaller CO trip like Monarch, Wolf Creek, Durango (Purgatory) etc. Overall, CO is not really all that great skiing, much more hype than hill.

I would reconsider, and take a closer look at SLC skiing, where you could get much more variety, and most likely much better snow quality.

For a better value consider British Columbia, with trips like Red/Whitewater/Fernie or Sun Peaks/Silverstar/Big White. You would probably be more entertained at Big Mountain MT than the 'boat.

Give it a closer look and see what you think.

 

[goldsbar]

+1 on most of what AHM said. I don't have experience with the other CO resorts, but I've been to Steamboat, Jackson Hole (& Targhee), Alta, Snowbird, Whistler, Canyons & Deer Valley. I'd go to any of these resorts again over Steamboat. It's not bad but it's nothing special either. Sort of like typical EC skiing with more snow - the terrain is generally nothing special. And forget about that Western feeling they try to portray. The place is a city of condos and there's even a Walmart.

 

[loafer89]

I would have to disagree that colorado does not provide great skiing. I have skied the state fairly extensively and Aspen Highlands is an awesome place, with plenty of challenge for any expert skier. Winter Park/Mary Jane, The Birds Of Prey at Beaver Creek, Aspen and Arapahoe Basin all have more than adequate challenging stuff to ski.

I have not been to southern Colorado yet, but that also looks to provide for great skiing.


With regards to Steamboat, I did it as a day trip from Summit county and it is fairly flat and not easy to get to by car, especially if the weather is bad.

 

[AHM]

You've actually missed what is good

Loafer89: The fact that you mention you have not skied southern CO, says in fact you have not skied the state extensively. Southern CO is by far better than what you have mentioned. Give Tride, CB, Monarch, Wolf Creek, and most definitely Silverton (most will find this pretty expert) a try and then see how you feel about the I-70 skiing. I think you'll modify your viewpoint.

 

[loafer89]

Well I have skied:

Copper Mountain
Breckenridge
A-Basin
Loveland
Keystone
Vail
Beaver Creek
Ski Cooper
Aspen
Aspen Highlands
Buttermilk/Tiehack
Snowmass
Winter Park/Mary Jane
Steamboat
Backcountry - Rocky Mountain National Park


So I feel fairly confident that I can say that Colorado has challenging skiing.

I would like to get to the San Juans, but they are not on the beaten path.

 

[haines]

Steamboat is poised for a big year and I guarantee you will be satisfied with Z-Boat

 

[Edd]

edd

Uh, what's Z-boat?

 

[ski_resort_observer]

That price of $71/day for a lift tik is very expensive for a package deal

That being said the Boat is a great mountain. Steamboat Springs is one of the few real "western towns" with a great sk resort left in CO. I have always had a blast when I went there and the skiing is awesome. Most of the condos are at the base of the mountain not in town.

 

[skibum]

I am really not sure why you would go ski the 'boat. The place is pretty flat, the snow is not what they claim,

I lived in Steamboat for eight years. The perception that it is flat makes me chuckle with secret delight on one hand, but want to get defensive on the other. I like steeps, I like trees, and I like powder. All were readily available in the Boat.
I can agree that the average tourist would not find the good stuff there. But, of course, I am available for guided tours for a slight fee

 

[goldsbar]

Yes, there are steeps. But, the ones I found were short and had huge, xc style runouts. Then again, I was there for a week, not 8 years. JH, W/B, A/S = steeps everywhere.

 

[skibum]

anyone see that Intrawest bought Steamboat (for a heckuva lot of $$$)?
http://www2.steamboatpilot.com/news/2006/dec/20/265m_sale_price_gets_attention_ski_industry/

 

[billski]

Myself and 2 friends are aiming to go there for 7 nights in late Jan. The packages I'm finding are coming to over $1400 for flight/lodging/lift tickets per person. Can anyone familiar with Steamboat suggest ways to bring this price down? The current price has us sharing a 1 bedroom condo (not slopeside) and the "deal" I'm getting on lift tickets (5 ski days) is $71 per day!

Many people buy their lift tickets at REI in Denver when they arrive and save some bucks that way. Our club does that for an entire group and has never been disappointed.

You can cut down the cost by staying at Rabbit Ears Motel for $99/night for 2 or Bunkhouse Lodge (right behind rabbit ears) for $89/night. I stayed at Bunkhouse last spring. Typical, clean, quiet motels. Includes Cont. Breakfast. The compromise? Not slopeside. It's a 2-3 minute walk to the main road to catch the complimentary shuttle bus (or drive your own car) for a 5 minute drive to the slopes. Otherwise, it's perfect for the able-bodied.

The real issue is that from Denver, Fort collins, etc. the drive is about 3 hours. If it's stormin' (and it often is ), Rabbit Ears pass may be closed for several hours and the driving through the pass, even with awd, can be moderately stressful, though generally safe. that's why so many people fly into steamboat rather than drive. (Did I just imply I drove through the pass when the road was closed?? Hmmm.... Shhhhhh....)

If you do get there, the mexican food in town is awesome. I went back to the same place twice

 

[crombie]

I lived in Steamboat for eight years. The perception that it is flat makes me chuckle with secret delight on one hand, but want to get defensive on the other. I like steeps, I like trees, and I like powder. All were readily available in the Boat.
I can agree that the average tourist would not find the good stuff there. But, of course, I am available for guided tours for a slight fee

I'm headed there on Jan 6th to ski for a week. Any advice you have would be appreciated!

BTW - to the original poster - we got our deal way back in November when they had 20% off packages if you booked early. We figured it would be a good gamble in terms of the conditions, given the snow amounts they've received in the past. And now that they're 95% open today... I'm not worried about it.

We got the whole shebang through the Steamboat website, though probably not the best deal now.

 

[snoseek]

very good consistent snow. More so than most other co resorts

 

[skibum]

If you do get there, the mexican food in town is awesome. I went back to the same place twice

I'm headed there on Jan 6th to ski for a week. Any advice you have would be appreciated!

Fiesta Jalisco was the hot place as I was leaving town.
If I was back for one day I would have breakfast at The Shack, lunch at Double-Z BBQ, and dinner at Harwig's. I used to tell tourists from the northeast to not go out for italian or seafood. They could get better at home. For Texans the mexican and steakhouses were only so-so. Most of the country can get better chinese or pizza than what is available in Steamboat, but I would choose Panda Garden and BeauJo's.
The largest line you will ever see is at the gondola between 9-10 a.m. The longest I ever waited was 20 minutes. After everyone is spread on the mountain its fine, 5-7 minutes max. The smallest lines for quads are usually at Pony Express and Thunderhead. Fourpoints, Bar U-E, and Burgess Creek chairs service some great terrain and have no lines. Tomahawk, High Noon, Buddy's Run, and Heavenly Daze are the natural funnel trails that most of the tourist herds end up skiing. Do them early if possible, or just choose the next trail over. Some that most people miss are Quickdraw, Flintlock, Surprise, Rooster, Cyclone, or Vertigo. The afternoon migration off the mountain after 2:30 can become an annoying traverse with hundreds of other tired skiiers. Downloading the gondola saved my legs many a time.