Colorado (Bro)

[C.Fuzzy]

Just got back from a week in Colorado Springs. Just went with the family for a vacay so mostly just normal kid/tourist shit like horseback riding, Garden of the Gods and incessant trips to walmart for shit we forgot.

I've always stayed away from CO just bc so many folks go and make it their whole persona and shit, but it's beautiful and now it's become a discussion of going back in the winter to ride.

So the question is: What's folks opinions on goodest mtns/resorts, location to stay (if not hillside), options for affordability (fuck these day pass prices but what else do I do with kids that are not going to go more than a few days?). and um.... anything else that maybe I should consider if we're really considering this?

Mucho Appreciated.

[eleveneightnate]

Nice! We just left the Springs after going to school and living there for 12ish years (with a 5 year trip to Oregon in the middle). The Springs is actually pretty cool these days, but Denverites continue to invade and drive up prices of everything (as they do).

As far as winter vacations there, CO kinda has three zones:

• Summit County - go here if riding is not the priority but food, drinks, and all sorts of family extracurriculars are. You will pay a lot, but you'll also have lots of options for everything, especially if you branch outside of the main resort areas. You will spend the most amount of time waiting in lift lines and traffic here.

• Aspen - go here for the high end "luxury" vibe with fewer crowds, but it's the most expensive from lift tickets to lodging to dinner. It's also really far from DIA.

• Rural Colorado - these places won't have the nightlife or as many family-oriented extras, but you'll pay way less across the board (especially for lift tickets). Think Monarch, Wolf Creek, Cooper, Eldora, etc.

There are some in-betweens, like Crested Butte, Telluride, Steamboat, etc, but they're getting more expensive. Keep an eye on the Epic/Keystone websites in the fall. Last year, we got Keystone + Crested Butte 5 packs for $250. We snagged those and got our 5 days in before moving to NC. Great deal considering some day passes are approaching that.

[snakeyes]

Reluctant Denverite here. Not sure how old your kids are, but I find Winter Park and Steamboat to be the easiest with our 3 year old. They both have pool type situations for when my wife and I are trading off (Old Town Hot Springs in Steamboat and the Grand Park Community Rec Center in Winter Park). There are easy sledding situations in town. They are both easy to get around with on the bus, which I think is nice. I think the riding is probably more interesting at Steamboat, but depends on what you like. Steamboat feels the closest to home for me (PNW), which is probably why I like it.

If you're going to do Summit County, I prefer staying in Frisco. Just always feels the most like a real town to me. My preferred resort in Summit County is Copper, but mainly because I like ripping the long groomers on Super Bee before it gets busy and then going to the backside after that. Those slow chairs still seem to scare a lot of the crowds away.

[scrub]

Wolf Creek was my favorite when my MIL lived in Durango but Purgatory was pretty fun with the kids.

[C.Fuzzy]

So the kids are 14, 11, 8 & 8. All I'd rate as beginners. One of my 8-year-old daughters seems she could turn into a real shredder if she gets the bug, but she's not there yet so it's all just swizzle swoozling around on the greens.

On one hand none of them are riding at a level that justifies the cost of the trip to me, on the other hand, I think it would be a good experience for them to get the perspective on what a real mtn is and has to offer. (I kinda die inside a little when they refer to any of our local hills runs as steep or hard). And like a paradigm shift, they'd see their home hill as so much less intimidating that they'd progress way faster.

My lady has skiing family in Denver, and so odds are that's where we'd hold up. But maybe not. I'm more inclined to the off the beaten path hills myself. But I'm sure there's things to consider that idk about.

[scrub]

On one hand none of them are riding at a level that justifies the cost of the trip to me,

Then don't go to Purgatory! For some reason the lodge is higher than the beginner area and you have to ride down through a tunnel to get there. When my kids were little this scared the shit out of me.

[jclinares]

So the kids are 14, 11, 8 & 8. All I'd rate as beginners. One of my 8-year-old daughters seems she could turn into a real shredder if she gets the bug, but she's not there yet so it's all just swizzle swoozling around on the greens.

On one hand none of them are riding at a level that justifies the cost of the trip to me, on the other hand, I think it would be a good experience for them to get the perspective on what a real mtn is and has to offer. (I kinda die inside a little when they refer to any of our local hills runs as steep or hard). And like a paradigm shift, they'd see their home hill as so much less intimidating that they'd progress way faster.

My lady has skiing family in Denver, and so odds are that's where we'd hold up. But maybe not. I'm more inclined to the off the beaten path hills myself. But I'm sure there's things to consider that idk about.

My advice would be: don't do the day trip from Denver every day. Traffic on the I-70 is a major pain in the ass. Find lodging after Loveland Pass. For a full family, there's plenty of Airbnb-type vacation rentals all over the place, and if you'll have a car, you can find some real nice places at great prices 20-30 minutes away from major population centers.

If you want to stay in a town, Frisco/Silverthorne/Breckenridge are great; or go beyond the pass to Vail or Aspen. Steamboat Springs is also a great town, but it's out of the way from the other resorts save Steamboat, so you'll be "stuck" there during those days. Great mountain, though. Telluride has a reputation as a fantastic town and mountain, but it's basically a separate trip from the other mountains, because it's quite far away.

As far as mountains, independent places will have the best prices, but not as many facilities, or be next to vibrant mountain towns. I've been to Ski Cooper and it was a lot of fun (lifts are super slow, though). I've also heard great things about Wolf Creek, Eldora, and Telluride, but never been to those places.

From the more popular mountains, I've only been to Vail many years ago, and then to the Ikon resorts a couple of seasons ago. Vail is an evil corporation, but that's not the mountain's fault, and the mountain is great. Plenty of space for beginners; and if you can offload the kids for a few hours and go to the back bowls, you'll have a great time. Copper is on the Ikon pass and good for beginners, and A-Basin is an advanced option for a day you're riding alone, and totally worth the visit. I've also heard Keystone and Breck have fun beginner areas, but I've never been. Winter Park is supposed to be great, too.

What I'd suggest is choosing whether you want to prioritize mountain access, or a nice town; and if you want to explore different places or mostly stay within one area; and go for there. If you want versatility of mountains and places to stay, Silverthorne or Frisco are your best bets.

[C.Fuzzy]

So the kids are 14, 11, 8 & 8. All I'd rate as beginners. One of my 8-year-old daughters seems she could turn into a real shredder if she gets the bug, but she's not there yet so it's all just swizzle swoozling around on the greens.

On one hand none of them are riding at a level that justifies the cost of the trip to me, on the other hand, I think it would be a good experience for them to get the perspective on what a real mtn is and has to offer. (I kinda die inside a little when they refer to any of our local hills runs as steep or hard). And like a paradigm shift, they'd see their home hill as so much less intimidating that they'd progress way faster.

My lady has skiing family in Denver, and so odds are that's where we'd hold up. But maybe not. I'm more inclined to the off the beaten path hills myself. But I'm sure there's things to consider that idk about.

My advice would be: don't do the day trip from Denver every day. Traffic on the I-70 is a major pain in the ass. Find lodging after Loveland Pass. For a full family, there's plenty of Airbnb-type vacation rentals all over the place, and if you'll have a car, you can find some real nice places at great prices 20-30 minutes away from major population centers.

If you want to stay in a town, Frisco/Silverthorne/Breckenridge are great; or go beyond the pass to Vail or Aspen. Steamboat Springs is also a great town, but it's out of the way from the other resorts save Steamboat, so you'll be "stuck" there during those days. Great mountain, though. Telluride has a reputation as a fantastic town and mountain, but it's basically a separate trip from the other mountains, because it's quite far away.

As far as mountains, independent places will have the best prices, but not as many facilities, or be next to vibrant mountain towns. I've been to Ski Cooper and it was a lot of fun (lifts are super slow, though). I've also heard great things about Wolf Creek, Eldora, and Telluride, but never been to those places.

From the more popular mountains, I've only been to Vail many years ago, and then to the Ikon resorts a couple of seasons ago. Vail is an evil corporation, but that's not the mountain's fault, and the mountain is great. Plenty of space for beginners; and if you can offload the kids for a few hours and go to the back bowls, you'll have a great time. Copper is on the Ikon pass and good for beginners, and A-Basin is an advanced option for a day you're riding alone, and totally worth the visit. I've also heard Keystone and Breck have fun beginner areas, but I've never been. Winter Park is supposed to be great, too.

What I'd suggest is choosing whether you want to prioritize mountain access, or a nice town; and if you want to explore different places or mostly stay within one area; and go for there. If you want versatility of mountains and places to stay, Silverthorne or Frisco are your best bets.

Good stuff.

My kids don't care about night life. My apres consists of maybe trying to find decent wings and a sauna. But I do care about not being stuck in traffic for hours on end with kids who take immeasurable pleasure in making each other perpetually annoyed and/or hotboxing the whole car for their own amusement.

The I-70 traffic is something I've seen/heard about and one thing I was hoping people here would chime in on, so thank you. It's hard to know from here if it's just something people like to whine about because they like to whine or if its an actual fukkn PROBLEM.

Alternately, I know Springs is farther from the main hills, but if the traffic isn't an issue, then perhaps it's a better option than Denver.

But, yeah, I get the message that the best option is to get a place close-ish to a resort. There's no joy in being stuck in the car when you could be riding. Easy way to ruin an experience just to maybe try and save a few dollars.

I'll look into Copper for kids. I know all hills have greens. But not all greens are equal.

Any other kid friendly resort options or suggestions welcome.

[eleveneightnate]

Alternately, I know Springs is farther from the main hills, but if the traffic isn't an issue, then perhaps it's a better option than Denver.

Any other kid friendly resort options or suggestions welcome.

24 is way better than 70. It’s longer, but you’re spending your time taking in awesome views across central CO instead of bumper to bumper traffic. And actually it can be quicker depending on 70 traffic. It drops you off on the south side of Breck after Hoosier Pass, or you keep going and it hits 70 for a short jaunt to Copper. I made that drive for 90% of my riding over the years.

If I were to take a family shred trip back to CO, I’d go to Monarch or Winter Park. Monarch being the cheaper, more isolated option but with an awesome mom and pop feel and not an overwhelming amount of terrain. It’s basically known as the kid friendly mountain that everyone can afford. Plus it’s the same drive from the Springs as Summit County. Winter Park if you want more extracurriculars and the big resort feel while still being outside the Summit craziness. But I’d only do WP if I were staying up there, otherwise I’d swap it for Copper and take 24 up.

[bksdds]

Avoid Keystone.