Coming to Frisco CO - Advice needed pls

[loopback]

Hi All,

My oldest son took the year off school to snowboard and has been in Frisco, CO since early December.

The combination of free accommodations and flights was too much temptation and at 40 years old and with 26 years on a board I am FINALLY going for my first trip West to go visit him from Jan 22nd- Feb 4th.:D

I am planning to ride 11 or 12 days of the 14 (Jan 23rd to Feb 2nd or 3rd). My son already has an Epic pass so he is good to go at Keystone/Breck/A-Basin/ Beaver Creek/Vail. I’ve read through a pile of threads on the CO “ride board” and think I have a pretty good handle on where the carvers go and when. I would like to do Beaver Creek and Vail to say I’ve been there…..same goes for Breck. The majority of my days I was planning on spending at Loveland/A-Basin/Keystone (in that order)

I was planning on getting a 6 to 8 day Vail Resorts pass for those hills and then rounding the rest of my snow days at Loveland and/or Copper. My son is a park rat and will ride with his Dad a few days but I will be mostly solo I suspect. I’m on a tight budget and the Loveland midweek season pass ($279) is less than a 3 day pass ($285) at Vail resorts. Even the Loveland full SP at $399 is less than a 5 day ($410) Vail pass……I may have no choice $ wise but to ride more Loveland days (not a bad thing from what I have read!)

I’m looking for any advice on where to ride and when ( cheaply).

Particularly on the weekends when it’s crowded ( I have 8 weekdays and 3 maybe 4 weekend days on snow).

For context….I like riding very early in the morning and rarely last a full day. I prefer wide, long, blue runs and riding fast. I like cold beer or a good reposado tequila after riding and am 420 friendly during. I don’t mind waiting in a bit of a lift line but abhor dodging meat pylons on the run.

-Is there anywhere on my list that really is not worth it?

-Is there anywhere I have not listed that I should be considering?

-Would anyone in Frisco let me ship a board or two to their house in the next week or two if needed? (United allows 1 board)

Thanks in advance for any info or advice!! Am so pumped to go

Cheers

//Paul

[fin]

Paul,

Luck you and no matter what, you will have a great time. Couple of response:

Yes, hit the Beav and Vail if you can. I favor the Beav for carving. We will actually be there on Jan 30th for an instructor clinic for carving.

Be ready for weekends, all resorts are packed. You have to be there at first chair and be ready to leave at 11-ish. Still a good morning, but be ready. I would join the Loveland gang on one of the weekends for a good plan.

Watch the Ride Board for this area as we are always getting a gang together now and then. Art (Exclesiorthefathead) rides ALL the time here. I think he is at day 80 already Contact him.

And you are more than welcome to ship your gear to us here at Bomber. We are in Silverthorne which is just down the highway from Frisco (5 miles). We receive gear all the time here. We can also ship it out for you if needed. Can discuss so just drop us a line before you do so we don't get a surprise!

See you soon.

[jp1]

Paul, definately do not take Lovey off of the list ! While there is awesome riding and riders everywhere in the area, it looks like you have it pretty well figured out price wise.

I'm sure you will enjoy meeting & riding with the LCI

Surely, check out the Bomber shop & call Art as Fin stated. Fortunately 'packed' there is not like the packed (here anyway).

Edited January 9, 2013 by jp1

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

Loveland is a great value. Don't ignore the Switchback run in Loveland Valley. I'd stay well clear of Breck and Vail on any holiday or Fri/Sat/Sun. Both of those places require $ to park in close on any day. Breck has free parking in the Airport Road lot with free shuttle. At Vail you have to park out and take a city bus in. I favor A-Basin on weekend mornings (but I don't have a Loveland pass). At both A-Basin and Loveland the lifts are just a short walk from the parking lot.

[loopback]

Paul,

Luck you and no matter what, you will have a great time. Couple of response:

Yes, hit the Beav and Vail if you can. I favor the Beav for carving. We will actually be there on Jan 30th for an instructor clinic for carving.

Be ready for weekends, all resorts are packed. You have to be there at first chair and be ready to leave at 11-ish. Still a good morning, but be ready. I would join the Loveland gang on one of the weekends for a good plan.

Watch the Ride Board for this area as we are always getting a gang together now and then. Art (Exclesiorthefathead) rides ALL the time here. I think he is at day 80 already Contact him.

And you are more than welcome to ship your gear to us here at Bomber. We are in Silverthorne which is just down the highway from Frisco (5 miles). We receive gear all the time here. We can also ship it out for you if needed. Can discuss so just drop us a line before you do so we don't get a surprise!

See you soon.

Fin,

Thank you for the advice and for the offer to receive some boards. I'm still deciding what's going and what's staying but will be in contact if I am shipping anything.

I will definitely keep an eye on the ride board

Paul, definately do not take Lovey off of the list ! While there is awesome riding and riders everywhere in the area, it looks like you have it pretty well figured out price wise.

I'm sure you will enjoy meeting & riding with the LCI

Surely, check out the Bomber shop & call Art as Fin stated. Fortunately 'packed' there is not like the packed (here anyway).

jp1,

Thank you! It did not take much reading on this board to determine that Loveland did not in fact suck and seems to be a favorite. I've got 5 maybe 6 days planned at Loveland.

The Bomber store is on the list for sure! I even held off the 10% Holiday sale to make sure I had to go (and the savings on International shipping is better than the 10%;))

Good point! I had to remind myself while reading that conditions/ size/crowding etc are all relative. If your "here" is anything like mine then vertical is measured in hundreds of feet (and 50 feet matters), "icy" means you would be better served in skates and "crowded" looks like this:

Loveland is a great value. Don't ignore the Switchback run in Loveland Valley. I'd stay well clear of Breck and Vail on any holiday or Fri/Sat/Sun. Both of those places require $ to park in close on any day. Breck has free parking in the Airport Road lot with free shuttle. At Vail you have to park out and take a city bus in. I favor A-Basin on weekend mornings (but I don't have a Loveland pass). At both A-Basin and Loveland the lifts are just a short walk from the parking lot.

Excelsior,

Excellent! Thank you. I was hoping you would chime in and Fin and jp1 confirmed it....I have been reading your reports for weeks and 2/3 of the runs I have flagged at Loveland/ABasin and KS are from your writings. Thanks for taking the time!

Yes, Loveland comes up over and over....the other 1/3 of the runs I have flagged are from the LCI thread. I am looking at getting the "Loveland Pass" with the 5th day free...even paying full shot it's a good deal.

I had not thought of parking. Thanks for that! My son has been using Frisco bus system so parking has not been an issue/concern for him. I will definitely look at trail map/lift/parking lot considerations; I am hoping to avoid wasting the 1st hour of the day jumping lifts/peaks to get to the runs I want so this will be a big deal. My son is stoked that he will not have to start his day with a 20 minute hike to the bus stop :rolleyes:

Does $ parking mean $25 or $5?

I have ABasin on my list twice. Breck/KS/Beav/Vail once each and Loveland 5 times. I have not decided if I will ride the last day yet.

Thank you all!

//Paul

[big mario]

If you are goin over to play at lovey. 7:30 @ the wedge, 8:30 lift one. Dress warm, it can be a tad on the chilly side, and a touch breezy( but you knew that!). The lifts are slow and the runs are short, see you in a few weeks

mario

[loopback]

If you are goin over to play at lovey. 7:30 @ the wedge, 8:30 lift one. Dress warm, it can be a tad on the chilly side, and a touch breezy( but you knew that!). The lifts are slow and the runs are short, see you in a few weeks

mario

Awesome! Thanks, I will be there (hopefully twice if I ride the last day). If they have warm beer and cold food I'll have the grand slam and feel right at home.

Looking forward to it!

//Paul

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

Also consider the contingency of not riding on your first day. If you are only 40 and in good shape it might not be a big deal, but some people can get really whacked out up here. A day to acclimate can help. The worst plan would be to hit Vail on your first day, buying a $129 walk-up ticket, then try to carve hard, only to find that you feel simultaneously lethargic, semi-conscious, and ill. Pack any liquid-holding containers in plastic bags so that they don't burst in your luggage. Going to a place on the first day with a cheap per-day cost is a good strategy. If you burn out early, at least it won't cost a bunch.

Breck gondola lot parking is $5. Vail parking is at least $20, I think.

[loopback]

Good point...I actually lol'd when I read that. Yes, I had Vail and Beav on day 1 and 2 on my original plan. I have updated that now;thank you!

I bought the 7/10 Vail pass last night as it must be bought 14 days in advance Internationally and am ordering the Lovey pass this week.

I have no clue how I will react to the altitude as I have no prior reference. I am "only" 40 and if a slowly shrinking pear is considered a "good" shape then that would be me.....and I smoke (down to a pack every 4 or 5 days though). Guess I will find out in a few weeks, I can do many things semi conscious but carving is not one of them....this could be the wildcard for the trip.

My son has only ridden Breck and KS on his Epic pass so he is pumped to get to Beav/Vail and ABasin too

Here's my lift pass plan with co$t if anyone is interested....I can jig the order of the Vail pass but am pretty firm on Loveland Sat/Sundays. I get 5 days at LL, 3 at AB, and 1 each at Vail,Breck,KS and Beav. Average is $63.50/day for the trip:D with 12 days on snow. I scored a $200 unlimited miles rental car for the 2 weeks too.

Thanks for all the info so far!!

One more question, anyone have thoughts on bringing a 200cm Tanker? I would hate to leave it but can see myself paying $150 roundtrip to transport it then not using it. Do you guys ride powder on powder days? How frequent are these days?

Cheers

//Paul

[fin]

Paul,

Also leave some time to come by our shop in Silverthorne, love to meet you. We also demo a bunch of boards and hardware if you want to try new toys.

Heck yea, we can get some powder! They are calling for over a foot this weekend. Time and money permitting we always recommend a pow board in your quiver. Can't tell you how many times guys come to SES with carve gear only, and then we have 3 days of big-ass snow. Bring it if you can.

[loopback]

Fin,

Absolutely! The Bomber store was the only thing I had planned that was not on a ski hill.

I even held off the 10% sale so I would have another reason to go too.

I may take you up on the demo offer as well.....I have never really ridden a big GS board at an appropriately sized hill.

Sounds good on the powder front....I bought that Tanker for this trip and would hate for it to be sitting in Ottawa while the fresh snow fell in CO...It looks like it's been a bit since you guys got any significant snowfall which should make it more likely to snow when I'm there:D

Cheers

//Paul

[inkaholic]

Another idea for your arrival day is a side trip from DIA to Boulder, before heading up the hill, to check out our other candy store All Boards Sports. Bring a usable credit card if you go, also for when you go to Bomber. Both places have a wealth of goods to be purchased.

Ink

[inkaholic]

Another idea for your arrival day is a side trip from DIA to Boulder, before heading up the hill, to check out our other candy store All Boards Sports. Bring a usable credit card if you go, also for when you go to Bomber. Both places have a wealth of goods to be purchased.

See you next Sunday.

Ink

[loopback]

Another idea for your arrival day is a side trip from DIA to Boulder, before heading up the hill, to check out our other candy store All Boards Sports. Bring a usable credit card if you go, also for when you go to Bomber. Both places have a wealth of goods to be purchased.

See you next Sunday.

Ink

I had not thought of that...It looks like it might be tough sched wise. I get into Denver at 5PM and am headed to Frisco directly. The website says open 7 days a week, so maybe the last Sunday. I'm not sure the CC can handle multiple trips to the candy store!

Am starting to get pretty stoked:D (work will be hard tomorrow!!). I have narrowed down the 3 boards I am bringing (171 Stubby, 185 Donek glass GS w/Donek plate, Tanker 200cm) and have washed/waterproofed/packed and repacked the soft gear.

On a different note:

Any recommendations on where I could get a tune for the Stubby?? It needs it's first base grind and the edges done professionally. I am not overly fastidious (I could not even tell you what the edge angles are now) about tune ups; but there is nowhere in Ottawa that is reliable.

I am in Frisco but Breck,Keystone,Silverthorne,ABasin,LL areas would all work for me too

Cheers

//Paul

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

Any recommendations on where I could get a tune for the Stubby??

Precision Ski in Frisco, in the strip mall across the highway from Walmart. It is the primary place up here in the high country which has a reputation for doing alpine boards right.

[loopback]

Precision Ski in Frisco, in the strip mall across the highway from Walmart. It is the primary place up here in the high country which has a reputation for doing alpine boards right.

Tks! drove past it tonight . Am going to drop it off this week......on that note I AM HERE:D

Unfortunately my boots got lost between Dulles and Columbus and never made it to Denver:eek:.

United has assured me "they are working around the clock with a dedicated team, of luggage retrievale specialists" so hopefully they make it tonight or tomorrow.

If not tonight then I'll get some shopping done, hit the Bomber store and adjust to the altitude and maybe Keystone for night ride.

If not tomorrow then a second trip to the Bomber store for new pair of boots on United:eplus2:

Edited January 23, 2013 by loopback
typo

[jp1]

loopback, don't forget the 'Blue River Special' @ The Sunshine Cafe in Dillion / Silverthorne (and check out The Dillion Dam Brewery) right down the road from Bomber :D

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

The Snow Sculpture competition started in Breckenridge yesterday. It might still look like a bunch of huge cubes of snow as the teams just started, but it must be interesting to watch. Parking in Breck probably isn't a problem on a weekday, but the free bus is also a good way to get there so you can walk up and down main street having many beers.

[loopback]

Sweet. As I'm still waiting for my boots I may end up at Breck today instead of LL. My son left for there at 8am, if the boots come really late today I may do Keystone tonight instead.

Fortunately my son is 19 (old enough to drive but too young to drink in CO) so I have a readily available designated driver.

On the 1st impressions in CO note.....WOW I can't believe you guys get to ride here year around. Incredible views and scenery, until you see the size of the mountains you do not realize how much bigger they really are....I can't wait to get out and ride!!

//Paul

jp1:

The Blue River Special has been added to the list! Thanks!

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

If you ride somewhere today/tonight and find it hard and scrapy, consider going up to A-Basin. It was pretty good this morning, although temperatures at altitude went well above freezing this afternoon. The recent sun and lack of new snow has been pretty tough on the local runs, but the higher altitude and lower temps at A-Basin allow it to survive better than the "low altitude" resorts. There is some minor snow now in the forecast, and places like Keystone, Breck, Vail and the Beav will all be improved after new snow.

[loopback]

Finally!! Day1 on snow is in the books. Thanks for the note on conditions, it was great meeting you today!!

Rode Abasin today and WOW just WOW. Coming from a home hill will 280 vfeet this was like never ending groomed snow heaven. Managed 4.5 hours of pretty much straight riding till the legs and lungs could not take anymore. My son had only ridden Breck and Keystone (and mostly park at that) and said today was one of the best days he's had in CO in 2 months.

We stopped at Precision Ski on the way back and the Coiler is getting it's first real tune and will be ready at 8am:D.

Keystone is on the sched for tomorrow but it will be an early AM decision depending on what falls from the sky tonight. We are both leaning towards Abasin again too...

Cheers

/Paul

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

The Beav got 10", Vail 8". Did you go there yet? We need reports~~.

[big mario]

Paul,

Thank you for the sacrifice of not bringing your tanker. You have appeased Ullr, and he has rewarded you and the rest of us with bounties of freshies

Thank you again,

mario

[loopback]

The Beav got 10", Vail 8". Did you go there yet? We need reports~~.

We did! I did Breck yesterday and Beaver today. Breck was, was....let's just say it was my least favorite of the hills I have visited this trip. The groom was frozen ice hard, or it was scraped down and icey.

Every run that had decent snow and grooming had some yahoo in a yellow jacket every 50 yards waving his arms at me, I get why they are there but there was no one else on the run....like no one! If I am solo on the hill then I am the FLOW. How can I be going faster than myself?

On to happy thoughts!

Beaver was great. They easily had the advertised 10 inches at the base and more at the top, they had done a 4am groom on bunch of the cruiser blue/greens. We rode every peak except Grouse and Arrowhead. The groom was still pretty soft in the AM (not surprising considering the snow) but got faster in the afternoon... but a little chopped up. Crowds were a non factor at the lift and on the hill. We parked in the "Bear" lot and were in first 3 rows at 8:30am. I'd suspect it will only get better through the week as the fresh gets groomed in a few more times

Cody rode the trees for a good part of the day.

Vail is on the sched for tomorrow, then I have done them all once. Thurs/Friday are up in the air but we were thinking A-Basin Friday, depending on how much more snow comes this week

Paul

Thank you for the sacrifice of not bringing your tanker. You have appeased Ullr, and he has rewarded you and the rest of us with bounties of freshies

Thank you again,

mario

......yeah, the Tanker. It would have come in extremely handy today. The freshies were indeed bountiful as was the lactic acid burn in my back quad from leaning so far back to avoid stuffing the shovel-less nose of the Stubby into 10 inches of loosely packed powder. I have some video of me riding it today and I bet I am only using the last 10 inches of the boards edge. I even got a "man you ride that so surfy" comment.

........it was actually kind of fun trying to ride it decently and getting some new snow was more than worth it!!!!

Let the I told you so's rain down.... everyone told me to bring it:smashfrea

You're quite welcome; I am looking forward to seeing what the grooming crew at LL has done with it this weekend:D

//Paul

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

I spent a week at the Beav back in early December when it was only 25% open. I kinda liked the green Sawbuck run during that trip. The season before, one of my favorite runs was Golden Bear at Arrowhead. Many riders like Lower Centennial but I find it too steep. I think that part of the trick is to check the grooming reports and ride the runs that were groomed the previous night. Those runs will set up and be firm by morning (assuming no new), while the runs groomed just before or after open can be really soft and get cut up fast.

Breck is one of the most heavily marketed and trafficked places around here, so I suppose it isn't surprising that the runs were well polished. I was thinking about going there tomorrow, but maybe I'll do Keystone or the Basin. Keystone was great this morning.

If you go to Vail I suppose that it may be worthwhile to pay for village parking if you are going with your son. That will put you in the best position for exploring the village on foot after you are done riding. Stop in the museum if you can.

Finally, A-Basin is owned by Canadians, so you can feel patriotic about going there.