Colorado/Utah Locals, need resort advice

[icebiker]

The wife and I are planning to return to Breck this year (she hasn't been there in 13 years), but this time with our kids (10 and 14) and another family. In the past (pre-kids and school schedules) we'd time it for late Feb. Now, our only real choice is Christmas/New Years. So, questions are:

a) In an average year, how is Breck's snow-cover/conditions that time of year?

b) Any other Colo/Utah resorts to consider that would have better conditions then? Needs to have a decent town with plenty of restaurants, shopping and other distractions (the ladies and the girls may not ski the whole time ).

I've been to Steamboat, but town is smaller than Breck, tho, and requires a car or long walk into town, unlike Breck).

Any suggestions appreciated.

[Guest]

Realize that you are going to the most crowded mtn in Colorado. 45 minute lift lines are to be expected.

If that's not what you're wanting to do, consider other options. Staying in Snowmass is far more affordable than staying in Aspen, and the lift tickets are pretty much the same price as breck, and the mountains are deserted in comparison. The most I have ever waited in line is 15 minutes, and that was abnormal.

Shopping and dining-wise you'll be able to find whatever you're looking for, with plentyy of great dining in Snowmass proper.

[Skully]

Speaking of Utah (And probably CO. too) Conditions will be totally dependent on Mother Nature. There could be great snow, or there could not be great snow. As long as it's cold, there will be plenty of man-mad schtuff to ride on.

As far as the City / Town is concerned in UT: If you stay in Salt Lake, you have access to 5 world-class resorts within a 20-30 minute drive (if you have a car) probably double the travel time if using public transit, but still the opportunity to hit all of those resorts. There are also two other resorts within those boundaries, but they don't allow snowboarding, so we won't mention them. Also within about an hour's drive from Salt Lake are 2 more excellent resorts to the North.

If you stayed in Park City proper: Access to 2 resorts and all the distractions the girls could want, all easily accessible via public transit fairly quickly. (Again we won't mention "that" resor that doesn't allow our kind.)

Also keep in mind that Salt Lake is around 20 minutes from the airport, and Park City about 40, so once you get off your flight, you're pretty much there - no long travel times to the resort.

[Guest]

I used to live in Breck, and during the week of Christmas I basically holed up in the corner of my house. It takes an hour to get from one end of town to the other...and town is like 8 blocks long.

I might be biased since I also live in Aspen, but Jim's suggestion to check out Snowmass is a good one. Its much less crowded than the resorts closer to Denver, and other than the slightly longer drive (or more expensive plane ticket) to get to the Aspen area, you will have a much more enjoyable vacation with a lot more on-slope time. We're talking no lift lines versus maybe an hour or more at Breck.

If you're dead set on visiting the Summit County area, I would recommend checking out A Basin or Loveland. They are no frills ski hills (not fancy resorts), but their crowd levels are more manageable compared to Breck, although everything over there is a sh*t show during Christmas week.

[nurse ben]

We also go sliding that time of year, only way we can get the whole family together due to school. Problem is, that's the situation for lots of other folks.

2010 we went to Vermont, snow sucked, long drive

2009 we went to Loveland, decent snow, they set a record for number of lict tickets sold, yes they were busy

2008 we went Monarch, snow was great, crowds were a bit much at times, but better than Summit County

2007 we went to Summit County and skied Breck, Loveland, A Basin, etc..., crowds were big, snow was marginal

2006 we skied Vermont, snow was amazing, as were the sub zero temps

This year we're going to Utah, mostly because my daughter is going to college at U of U :p

My recomendatio would be to go the week before Xmas, crowds re a little more manageable. If that won't work, then consider heading to Leadville and ski Cooper or go further West and see if you can leave the crowds behind. Telluriade might be nice if you can get there cheap.

If I had my druthers I'd never ski the week before or after xmas, I' work OT or go BC.

Here's a tip: check out the Beaver, out of Logan, Utah, inexpensive, nice hill for kids, not too busy ever, and not far from Powder Mtn.

[Michelle]

I have to agree with Angie and Jim, and I live here. The crowds are exceptional not just on the hill but also in the grocery stores and on the streets. The traffic is a bit knarly and I try to go cross country skiing to avoid any crowds on the skill hill.

The other option is Beaver Creek and Arrowhead. It's on the west side of Vail and the crowds are still up there, but not quite as bad most days.

Snowmass is great, but there really isn't a town. There are a few shops in the village area, but to go shopping or do other activities you will need to get out of Snowmass. There is a free bus during the day, and i think at night it's $2/peron/way. But then you are shopping in Aspen which is completely different than shopping in Breck.

Vail also has some sort of bus system to get you around, because there isn't a lot of shopping in Beaver Creek either. Not sure how it all works though.

So...just depends on what is more important to you.

[Guest]

The other option is Beaver Creek and Arrowhead. It's on the west side of Vail and the crowds are still up there, but not quite as bad most days.

I have friends who visit Beaver Creek during Christmas week each year, and every year I go over and spend a day with them. The lift lines are still very long (even though they may be half the size of Summit, they're still 20-30 minutes), and the mountain is very crowded (The Arrowhead side is the best bet, but its small). Jim and I went midweek last year to visit our friends, and the hill was so crowded, Jim got hit by a softbooter. The thing about Beaver Creek, even though I will be the first to shout its praises, is that there are a lot of funneling areas to get to lifts. So you might find a semi decent run crowd-wise, but it only lasts momentarily until you start getting closer to the lift. There also is not a lot to do in Avon, and the family friendly stuff in Vail is VERY pricey - I live in ASPEN, and I"m saying that. I'm talking like 100 bucks to bowl.

Snowmass is great, but there really isn't a town. There are a few shops in the village area, but to go shopping or do other activities you will need to get out of Snowmass. There is a free bus during the day, and i think at night it's $2/peron/way. But then you are shopping in Aspen which is completely different than shopping in Breck.

Snowmass has a nice base village area, but I agree, it lacks a town atmosphere. It is a great lodging option when you're staying in the Aspen area with a family though, and there are some resources there that would keep you from needing or wanting to go into Aspen EVERY night. If you're renting a car, its a short 10-15 minute ride into Aspen and there is a free bus that runs well into the evening - as late as you'd need it if you have the kids with you (I think they run free until 11). Aspen has a ton of family oriented programming around the holidays, and it also has a lot of family friendly restaurants. You'd be able to find a lot to do that would please everyone, and it won't break the bank - contrary to the mis-comprehension. Yes, there's lots of pricey stuff too, but because the Aspen area is a lot larger than Breckenridge, I think you'll find a lot more options across the board to compliment the not very crowded slopes.

As far as snow conditions, it's a crap shoot no matter where you go although I think the trend shows that the western part of Colorado (Aspen, Telluride, the Butte, etc) seem to have more snow more consistently in the earlier part of the season. This past year marked the best opening at Aspen in over 25 years....of course none of this means jack for this year...:rolleyes:

Oh, and its about a 3.5 hour drive to Aspen/Snowmass from Denver. As opposed to 1.5 - 2 from Denver to Breck. Its not that bad really (unless you do it alone in the middle of the night during the biggest snowstorm of the winter when you've never even been to Colorado before...I'll tell you that from experience haha!). Drive it in the day time. Its a beautiful drive (and much safer and less weather dicey in the daylight). Flying into Aspen can A. easily get you stuck in Denver because the Aspen airport closes at the drop of a hat and B. will easily jack up your ticket prices by 2 to 3 times.

[queequeg]

Oh, and its about a 3.5 hour drive to Aspen/Snowmass from Denver. ... Flying into Aspen can A. easily get you stuck in Denver because the Aspen airport closes at the drop of a hat and B. will easily jack up your ticket prices by 2 to 3 times.

If you're considering Aspen and want to avoid the drive but don't fancy the risk involved in possibly getting stuck in denver due to weather, the happy middle-ground is to fly in to Vail/Eagle and take a CME shuttle from there to Aspen (about an hour). I did that last year and it worked out well. The Vail airport is less dicey than Aspen (though I couldn't tell you by how much). Still expensive though.

[icebiker]

Awesome awesome awesome guys, excellent info. I really appreciate it. Have alot of thinking to do, but your info is a big help. My wife and I honeymooned in Aspen in the late summer, and visited Snowmass to check it out. Agree not much there, but Aspen wasn't far....suspect the Christmas crowds at Aspen (e.g. if we were to go to dinner, etc) would be just as crazy as Breck, tho, right?

More importantly, say I were to order a custom Donek for Christmas ;), whereabouts would I pick that up (didn't see Sean list his current location on the website)...And what is the closest resort?

[LeeW]

As a 15 years local of S'thorne/Vail, I personally would vouch for what @JimCallen and @Michelle said.

For that time of the year, have you consider a smaller ski resort if you're interested in less crowd experience? If yes, take a look into Wolf Creek. :D Otherwise, Snowmass/Buttermilk as well as The Beav/Arrowhead (it ain't called Arrowhead these days, aren't they?) would be good, as well.

[Michelle]

More importantly, say I were to order a custom Donek for Christmas ;), whereabouts would I pick that up (didn't see Sean list his current location on the website)...And what is the closest resort?

You could also arrange for Sean to have it here at Bomber, and come by on your way to pick it up. We're in Summit County, and on the way to Vail, Beaver Creek, and Aspen from DIA.

[Guest]

More importantly, say I were to order a custom Donek for Christmas ;), whereabouts would I pick that up (didn't see Sean list his current location on the website)..

KANSAS

Sean is up in the mountains a lot. Do what Michelle said, and it'll be waiting for you at Bomber when you drive through on your inevitable way to Aspen

And if/when you do choose to come here, let Jim and I know!

Oh and as far as the eating goes...there can be some wait, but there are a LOT of choices around Aspen/Snowmass, so its usually doable. Most of the nice-ish, and really nice places take reservations too. Plus, its hard to have a bad meal in Aspen, so you can hop around until you find a wait that's acceptable. Also, most of the hoity toities here go out to dinner late, so if you hit up a place before 7 you're usually in good shape. And...if you do have to wait just a little while, its worth it. The dining is fantastic! Jim and I can give you some recommendations if/when the time comes.

[icebiker]

Thanks again guys for the info and the kind offers! I would love to get to know some of this BOL community beyond the computer screen. Will post up what we decide when time comes. I think it'll boil down to either fewer lift lines (smaller mountains...ok by me), or abundance of off-slope activity for the ladies (bigger towns, more crowds). I'm sure most of you on here suspect where that debate's gonna end up!;)

Michelle I was actually thinking of stopping by Bomber, you read my mind...was thinking of perhaps a demo or two? :)

[Michelle]

Michelle I was actually thinking of stopping by Bomber, you read my mind...was thinking of perhaps a demo or two? :)

no problem! just send me an email about a week before you get here so I can be sure to have what you are looking for, boot size, etc. We'll get you set up!

[GV27]

Man, If I were coming in to Colorado from out of town to spend a week with the family, I'd get the heck off of the "beaten path" of the I-70 corridor (Winter Park, Loveland, Keystone, Breck, Copper, Vail, etc.). Those just get mobbed with folks like me from Denver. How about Telluride. Getting sorta expensive (swimmin' pools, movie stars) but nothing like Aspen. Lifts are right in town. Or what about Crested Butte? Right outside of town, absolutely gorgeous, no Front Range crowd. Durango is good too - you could stay in town and take the shuttle to the mountain. All of these places have great towns with PLENTY for the gals to do plus great terrain served by less-crowded lifts.

Or, dunno what your little girl is into but be a hero to the Boss by taking her down to Taos in New Mexico. Indian jewelry, mystical spa treatments, art museums. Wife heaven. Stay in town and take the shuttle to some of the country's best terrain.

None of these help you pick up your Donek in Kansas though.....

Chris

[Grand Junction Carver]

How about Powderhorn. It was just purchased by new management and should be improved (maybe a new high speed quad). The old Wildwood is ski in/ski out plus other condos not far away or you can stay in Grand Junction (45 minutes away and sip Colorado wine and enjoy our downtown restaurants). Its a great mountain on the side of Grand Mesa with great views and a few of us that carve (3 or 4).