Colorado (Bro)

[C.Fuzzy]

Avoid Keystone.

For kids or just all around?

[bksdds]

Avoid Keystone.

For kids or just all around?

All around. The prior suggestions are on point.

P.S. @C.Fuzzy Our experience for what we paid was frustrating. 6k total for the place. We packed light in hopes of doing laundry & found out that unless you were an owner the onsite washer & dryer were off limits despite it being listed in the amenities. The place wasn't really cleaned as my sinuses clogged every time I returned back to the condo. The pool & hot tub were private access, but shared private access among four other condo complexes & was no big deal until we saw the scum rings. Sauna never worked & hot tub was broken three days into a nine day trip. This place was booked through epic when we were pass holders (we left epic after this). Similar terrain at keystone can be found at vail or breck & overall (lifts, crowd traffic on runs) we had a better experience on the short trips to vail & breck while we stayed at keystone. The night riding at keystone was what drew us there. It was a fun family experience & we shared good laughs riding past what looks like the aftermath of a "chinese downhill", but its mainly the weekend & the hours have been shortened over the years (not worth it). We experienced the i70 nightmare during a round trip because we had to drop two family members off early to the airport on a Friday while it dropped 8" of fresh. If I was to do Colorado all over again.....I would honestly research Copper or Steamboat.

[bksdds]

....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.

I agree with your logic here & thought the same for my daughter. Her first real experience on a mountain was Whistler at 9. As far as effects on riding she has progressed faster after each trip (whistler, keystone/vail/breck, panorama). This last trip being significant as she got to demo gear to experience firsthand the different characteristics & it helped me upgrade her. Same thoughts as well when any of the local hills here in MI are referred to as steep or hard.

[C.Fuzzy]

Avoid Keystone.

For kids or just all around?

All around. The prior suggestions are on point.

P.S. @C.Fuzzy Our experience for what we paid was frustrating. 6k total for the place. We packed light in hopes of doing laundry & found out that unless you were an owner the onsite washer & dryer were off limits despite it being listed in the amenities. The place wasn't really cleaned as my sinuses clogged every time I returned back to the condo. The pool & hot tub were private access, but shared private access among four other condo complexes & was no big deal until we saw the scum rings. Sauna never worked & hot tub was broken three days into a nine day trip. This place was booked through epic when we were pass holders (we left epic after this). Similar terrain at keystone can be found at vail or breck & overall (lifts, crowd traffic on runs) we had a better experience on the short trips to vail & breck while we stayed at keystone. The night riding at keystone was what drew us there. It was a fun family experience & we shared good laughs riding past what looks like the aftermath of a "chinese downhill", but its mainly the weekend & the hours have been shortened over the years (not worth it). We experienced the i70 nightmare during a round trip because we had to drop two family members off early to the airport on a Friday while it dropped 8" of fresh. If I was to do Colorado all over again.....I would honestly research Copper or Steamboat.

I'm gripped and puckered at the thought of trying to travel with all the gear. I'm fo sho going to have to look into options for demo or rental... bleh

What time of year did you go? Perhaps a little off the main season, for what it's worth, could be a better experience when the goal is just to get on the hill for a few days.

[bksdds]

I'm gripped and puckered at the thought of trying to travel with all the gear. I'm fo sho going to have to look into options for demo or rental... bleh

What time of year did you go? Perhaps a little off the main season, for what it's worth, could be a better experience when the goal is just to get on the hill for a few days.

March...I believe the first two weeks is what our dates fell into. We left a few days before spring break started.

[YukonCornelius]

haven't visited EL in a few months, but figured i'd chime in here as someone who has lived in denver for a decade and spends the winter in silverthorne as home base. incoming wall of text

if possible for your budget, absolutely stay in the mountains if you can. i70 gets worse every single year, especially with the endless construction going on at the Floyd Hill area, and you can stay in towns away from the denver metro area and have a lovely experience, IMO.

summit county mtns + WP:

airbnb's are the way to go for this general area for a family from a cost basis perspective. there are a few supermarkets in silverthorne, dillon, and frisco. you can get somewhat cost effective for a shred trip (generally speaking), or you have the opposite end of the spectrum and you can go stay at The Ritz in Bachelor Gulch at Beaver Creek and eviscerate money at incomprehensible speed .

keystone can for sure be a nightmare in the oh my god how are so many people on this trail at once department, but this is not always the case and i've had plenty of excellent days there, and it is very family oriented. i would say Breck is far worse in this department and i fear for my life at that place, i am not interested in being torpedo'd by a floridian or texan in jeans that has had 10 cocktails at 8,000 feet coming from sea level. Breck has a great town with some excellent restaurants however (Radicato and Rootstalk have a James Beard winning chef and some of the better food in the entire state i would argue).

Arapahoe basin is my favorite, but that is for the type of terrain that your children will probably not be interested in. very limited beginner/intermediate terrain there, but if they have a powder day it is an absolute blast with the steepest pitches in summit county and some gnarlier terrain (for 'rado).

Copper is excellent and covers every base for the family experience to great terrain, i wish i rode here more.

I think Vail has been well summarized here already, I rode here the most last season and love the mountain. It is very funny seeing parking get full and wonder why you aren't seeing anyone on particular parts of the mountain. Then you get down to the villages and see that most folks there have traveled from far with lots of money, and are more interested in being seen there. if you know where to go on this mountain, you can really avoid lines and ride awesome stuff when you get time away from your kids, or if the eldest wants to up their game.

Beaver Creek - the least crowded of all the summit area resorts, the most boujee, but fun groomers and some quality sidehits. a good spring day type place. very expensive everything to the level of offensive, unfortunately.

while Winter Park is not in summit, it is still in the i70 corridor. WP has won best resort a few times now and has stepped up every area for the full resort family experience. was my go to resort for a long time until the ikon pass came along, and the lines on the weekend ruined the resort for me, i haven't been on a weekend since '21. i will go here during weekdays occasionally.


non-summit faves:

Aspen - amazing terrain at 2 out of the 4 mtns (highlands and snowmass), the town is very fun and has everything (but at a steep cost). a family vacay here would be quite pricey, but it's a special place no doubt.

Wolf Creek - crazy snowfall, amenities that haven't been updated since '74, a terrifying pass to drive up if you are coming from South Fork, and really not very much else going on here. plenty of easy trails for the youngin's

i'm not a fan of steamboat the mountain but love the town and backcountry. there is plenty of terrain for beginner/intermediate, however.


colorado bro's and broettes are absolutely a thing and people love making this place their personality. it's entertaining to meet these people and learn their depth is that of a puddle. i have met several excellent people over the years and they far outweigh the former cohort.

i truly love living here, and it's a great place for many reasons beyond the shredding. happy to answer anything more in detail or expand on prior points.

cheers

[jclinares]

I'm fo sho going to have to look into options for demo or rental... bleh

If you're looking to gear up the whole family, Christy Sports is probably your best bet. Local company (although not locally owned anymore) with a crap ton of locations all around Summit County, including at the base of many of the mountains, so you can choose whichever is more convenient, depending on where you'll be staying or riding.

Evo is also a good option, but you'd have to pick up and return at their Denver store.

If you want to support a local shop, I really like Gravitee, which is at the base of Copper Mountain. Steve is a solid dude, and they usually have a good assortment of demo rentals, but their prices are a bit on the expensive side, and for a full family, I imagine it adds up.

[benjinyc]

Silverton should be on the top of people's list here

Arapahoe basin is my favorite, but that is for the type of terrain that your children will probably not be interested in. very limited beginner/intermediate terrain there, but if they have a powder day it is an absolute blast with the steepest pitches in summit county and some gnarlier terrain (for 'rado).

agreed

[YukonCornelius]

i still haven't done silverton or anything in that general area... hear it's a wild time.

[benjinyc]

ya, and some really great backcountry tours in the San Juans