Trip Reports from Out West?

[tekweezle]

Just got back from Colorado. 3 days at Vail, 1 day at Beaver Creek and 1 at Copper Mtn. They are having what they have said is probably the 2nd best snow year ever.

while I was out there, conditions were sunny and bluebird days with temps comfortably in the 30's. I got 1 day when it was snowing and we got about 6-12 inches in Vails back bowls. It was awesome.

As for the resorts, Vail is great. The back bowls and blue sky basin were awesome. the only caveat is that they have alot of flat cat walks interconnecting the mountain. not very snowboarder friendly and barely tolerable for skiers. they are almost uphill in spots. funny note, they have free sunscreen dispensers at the lodges and the bathrooms have aroma therapy candles. biggest surprise was that a resort this big had liftlines midweek. also, on our thursday powder day, they closed one of the outer base areas and made us trek to the main mountain. I presume this was to keep the snow intact for the weekend. Everyone has to go here atleast once in their lifetime.

Beaver Creek is all luxury. everything is groomed flat like deer valley, okemo or stratton. it;s got decent terrain if you like cruising and less people skiing on it. i don;t recall any resort with escalators that take you from the parking lot to the base area. the only thing they missed was not having someone carry your skis for you!

Copper mountain seemed to be smaller but only because I didn;t get into the back bowls. it was the last day so i took it easy. they say they have free snowcat skiing from 10am-1pm. did a bump run called "Too Much" which was literally Too Much! Copper has the distinction of having the highest base elevation so I am told.

 

[kingslug]

I'm going there Saterday for the week. Beaver grooms everything? That sux. Prolly why I like Alta so much, not much grooming going on there. Free cat skiing at Copper? This must be checked out!

 

[frozencorn]

Great to hear the report on Vail/Copper. Still got to wait until the first weekend of April til I get out there, but the reports I am hearing are encouraging to say the least. Off to Tahoe in four short weeks.

Vail is great. Worth all the snootiness and crap that comes along with it and then some. Copper is one of my favorite mountains, bar none. Some of the best views I've seen at the top of a hill too over on the Spaulding side.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Free cat skiing at Copper? This must be checked out!

I did it last Feb. I saw people using it and stopped to ask how much and was told it was free . The cat drops you off in the same spot each time and you hike a ridge and drop in where ever you want. I'm deffinately going to do it again when I'm there this Feb.

 

[Phildozer]

Re: Hawaii?

Why go to Hawaii? The skiing is marginal in the extreme.

"Mauna Kea (Hawaiian for 'white mountain') is a 13,796' (4205 meter) volcanic mountain whose summit sometimes gets a skiable/boardable mantle of snow."

Sixty to seventy miles from downton LA,CA is Big Bear Lake, with excellent conditions. There also about 8 or 9 other ski areas equally close to LA. So, surf in the AM ski in the PM. I just don't want to live in LA. Have you looked at property costs and taxes there? We ruled that out a long time ago.

Why Hawaii?

Because it is Hawaii. The place is absolute paradise.

 

[kickstand]

I'm going there Saterday for the week. Beaver grooms everything? That sux. Prolly why I like Alta so much, not much grooming going on there.

not everything. Check out the Birds of Prey area and Grouse Mountain. Some challenging terrain in there, and there are quite a few stashes thru-out the mountain. One area I wanted to explore last time I was there (they had the snow, but I was with my wife, who is not a tree skier) was along the run-out from the Larkspur lift over to the top of Strawberry Park. Skiers right, there are tons and tons of place to drop in. I have no idea where most of it ends up, but I'd like to find out someday.

 

[JimG.]

not everything. Check out the Birds of Prey area and Grouse Mountain.

Grouse Mountain rocks! Run laps there all day and then try to stay awake for dinner. BC gets a bad rap for its' terrain, but Grouse is the exception. Mostly bumped on all the cut trails, gates at the summit to access tree shots, and you can take a short hike to the bald spot if you want some open bowl skiing.

 

[blacknblue]

BC actually has quite a few good tree runs and even some hike-to bowls. You have to fight the schmaltzy crowd down in the village, but I've had great, untracked powder days even over on Arrowhead in the trees.
Copper's free cat service starts at the bottom of the back bowl (Mtn. Chief chair) and runs up to Tucket Mountain, which is inbounds but not lift-served. Copper has a ton of great terrain--my favorite of the I-70 resorts. Union and Spaulding Bowls shouldn't be missed either!

 

[tekweezle]

BC DOES have some great terrain. it;s not all groomed, I was just commenting that the overall the feeling is more "civilized" than most resorts.

took the mountain tour and we got some free hot chocolate afterwards.

they have a small bowl area called the Rose bowl. excellent snow over there!

 

[kickstand]

never mind the free hot chocolate, hang out at the base until 3:00 for the free chocolate chip cookies!

Rose Bowl is nice. I only did 1 run over there last time I went, but those faces skier's right of that gully/run-out to the lift have a pretty good pitch to them. I bet that doesn't get as much traffic because it doesn't get promoted like Birds of Prey and Grouse, and it's below the beginner area. I thought the one that went under the lift looked at least as steep as Peregrine.

even though we didn't stay in this hotel, I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the lobby/bar of the Hyatt sipping on a nice single-malt bourbon.

 

[molecan]

Glad to see some good impressions of BC.
I'll be heading there in 23 days, and should be skiing Vail, Copper and BC.

I'll take note of the above suggestions, but would love to hear more advice. Anyone have any tips for those areas?

Also, any recommendations on travel w/Skis?
I've never flown w/boots and skis before, and don't really know what to expect at the airport as far as extra charges due to size/weight.
Does anyone know what airlines offer for 'loss' coverage on luggage, and if I should perhaps buy insurance?

I also intend to take my boots in a boot bag as carry-on, to ensure that they are not lost. Anyone done this, or have any advice?

 

[tekweezle]

no need to worry about travelling with ski equipment. the airlines seem to know how to handle them. just wrap them up in towels and cover your bindings for good measure. don;t bother locking your bags, they will clip the lock off.

when you get your baggage, the skis usually come out of the "odd size" luggage area. denver has a pretty cool converyor belt that looks like stand up coffins.

i always carry my ski boots onboard along with all my electronics. yeah, i read that article in ski magazine that said that the piece of equipment you could least afford to lose was your skiboots. i usually tuck the 2 way radios and stuff inside the boots and they don;t bother me. on the way home, i sometimes check my boot bag since i am a little less paranoid.

they don;t charge extra. a boot bag and skis constitutes 1 piece of luggage. highly unlikely that your luggage will weigh more than 50 lbs.

goodluck and have fun!

 

[tirolerpeter]

Summit County

Glad to see some good impressions of BC.
I'll be heading there in 23 days, and should be skiing Vail, Copper and BC.

I'll take note of the above suggestions, but would love to hear more advice. Anyone have any tips for those areas?

Also, any recommendations on travel w/Skis?
I've never flown w/boots and skis before, and don't really know what to expect at the airport as far as extra charges due to size/weight.
Does anyone know what airlines offer for 'loss' coverage on luggage, and if I should perhaps buy insurance?

I also intend to take my boots in a boot bag as carry-on, to ensure that they are not lost. Anyone done this, or have any advice?

I've skied/stayed at both Vail and Copper, but not BC. Great snow, great terrain. I would go back there if Salt Lake weren't so convenient and cheap for me. Actually, after I move out there this summer, I might just take a road trip over to Summit county, or take I-80 across WY and hit Steamboat (south of Cheyenne). In any case, as someone said, the airlines count the ski bag and boot bag as "one" check bag. If you have about $100 to spare, buy yourself a fiberglass "SportTube." They totally protect your skis from the baggage gorrillas. I have been using one for six years, and never had a problem with damage, and they make it convenient to drag your skis in terminals, because they have wheels on one end. They also come in a size for two pair of skis if you are traveling with someone else. It is a good idea to carry your boots with you. I don't worry about it too much since I fly JetBlue out of JFK and it is a direct flight. Whatever you do, keep your goggles in your carry-on. I learned that the hard way. Have a great time.

 

[kingslug]

3 more days to go. Does beaver have less crowds than vail? Looks like we are going to hit it on Sunday. Looking foreward to running the downhill, wonder if it's as steep as the Grizzly at Snowbasin, that thing is pretty steep.

 

[blacknblue]

I'll be heading there in 23 days, and should be skiing Vail, Copper and BC.

I'll take note of the above suggestions, but would love to hear more advice. Anyone have any tips for those areas?

If you can avoid Vail on the weekend, do it. BC will have less of a crowd.
I have a hard time with specific instructions on how to find the right line, but as a rough summary...
For Vail, don't be afraid to go as far east as possible in the Back Bowls, esp. if it's crowded. It might be best to start at Sundown Bowl and work your was east as the crowds form.
At BC, there is some excellent backcountry off the top. If you see a local heading out, follow him/her if you are feeling adventurous. There are also some great tree runs over on Arrowhead.
For Copper, don't forget the free cat-skiing accessed in the back bowl by the Mtn Chief chair. It runs until about 1:30 and accesses Tucker Mtn. Spaulding and Union Bowls are also great bets at Copper. With a good dump, the glades skier's left off Super Bee can be fantastic.
Sorry... it's hard to be specific in this forum. PM me when you get closer in and if I'm up there, I'll show ya around!

 

[JimG.]

3 more days to go. Does beaver have less crowds than vail? Looks like we are going to hit it on Sunday. Looking foreward to running the downhill, wonder if it's as steep as the Grizzly at Snowbasin, that thing is pretty steep.

BC definitely less crowded than Vail, especially on weekends.

 

[kingslug]

3 more days to go. Does beaver have less crowds than vail? Looks like we are going to hit it on Sunday. Looking foreward to running the downhill, wonder if it's as steep as the Grizzly at Snowbasin, that thing is pretty steep.

BC definitely less crowded than Vail, especially on weekends.

The downhill looks cool. I heard they groom it each week. 45 degrees straight down should get me going.