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GET THE INSIDE EDGE ON COLORADO SKIING |
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 Planning a Family Ski Vacation...
Below is a question received recently from someone interested in bringing their family to Colorado for Ski Vacation. The answer seemed to help them out and may be some of the information will help you too. You are more than welcome to submit questions and if we can help, we will.
Jeff,
I'm hoping you can help me with some information and maybe recommendations. My family and friends are interested in taking a ski vacation in Colorado this Christmas. We have taken ski vacations every year for 10 years, but always in Red River, NM. We've decided to break the routine and try Colorado this year. We will be driving from Fort Worth, TX arriving December 26th and departing January 1st. Our group is comprised of four families, in general 8 adults and 8 children, give or take a stray child or two. Our ski and snowboard skill levels range from advanced to beginner.
We've never been skiing in Colorado. Can you give me some recommendations on where would be a good place to go? We've thought about the major resorts like Crested Butte, Winter Park, Breckenridge, … Aspen and Vail are probably out of our price range. Please give us you thoughts.
For accommodations, we're used to renting a house in New Mexico. I'd like to do the same in Colorado if we can find one that will accommodate 16-18pp. If not, can you recommend an apartment style condo that offers ski in-ski out options?
Any help you can offer would be appreciated.
Thanks
Robert Sloan, TX
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Dear Robert,
First, the time of year you're planning to come is very popular and costs can be at least twice a much any other time of the year. You'll probably find your best deals by booking early. Other times where rates will be higher would be Presidents weekend in February and Spring Break in March. If you can come outside of those times, you'd be apt to find great deals.
I haven't been to Red River, NM but I have been to Taos and Angel Fire in NM. In my opinion, Colorado has more to offer. All Colorado resorts are ready, willing and able to accommodate families and groups like yours. Beaver Creek, Vail, Aspen, Snowmass, Telluride are the more high end resorts. They really are nice and if you ever get the chance you should experience one of them sometime. Vail offers the most terrain of any resort in North America. The varied terrain matched with the high speed lifts makes it one of my faves. All these resorts offer a multitude of things for family members who don't ski.
Breckenridge, Keystone, Steamboat, Winter Park, Copper Mountain, are good sized ski resorts marketed as family resorts and offer a great range of terrain from easy to double black. You could probably spend a week in one of these places and not get tired of skiing the trails and if someone doesn't ski - there's plenty of diversions and activities including great downtown's.
Crested Butte and Durango aren't as big as the above, but are really nice sized resorts and located in very cool towns. Depending on your ability, you may or may not risk doing the same runs on the hill. These ski areas offer a great bang for the buck and offer lots more for members of the family who may not ski.
Monarch (Salida), Ski Cooper (Leadville), Sol Vista (Granby/Grand Lake) and Sunlight (Glenwood Springs) are also close to very cool towns but are smaller than the above. If you have some explorers, Monarch and Ski Cooper offer affordable snow cat skiing and very affordable lift tickets. There is probably a 15 to 20 minute drive from where you most likely would be staying and the areas offer lots of alternatives for those who don't ski.
A-Basin and Loveland are on top of the Continental Divide and offer skiing from October through June. They're not big resorts, but have fun trails, affordable lift tickets, and great beginner and advanced terrain. There is no lodging on the mountain, but they are both located within 20 minutes of Summit County. That's where I live. I moved here because there are 7 world class ski resorts within 40 minutes of me (A-Basin, Loveland, Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Vail and Beaver Creek). Look for a property manager in the towns of Dillon and Silverthorne and you may find a good deal on some housing accommodations.
There are others but from the description of your group, I think you'd be pretty happy with any of the above. If I were to recommend a resort for you, I think you'd probably find Durango or Crested Butte a good fit for your group. Both are close to where you are coming from, good sized resorts and I'd bet you'd find reasonably priced accommodations for 20, lift tickets, rentals, other things to do besides ski and great restaurants. Both towns, Durango and Crested Butte are cool full of cool people. Durango, Crested Butte and Telluride are popular with Texas due to their locations, but there aren't may resorts in Colorado that aren't popular with Texas.
After you've looked that page over, just pull down the cities/resorts menu and check the other resorts. Summit County and Winter Park are also recommended but I would aim for a different time of year. Their proximity to Denver really make Christmas season crazy busy.
You didn't mention how you'd get here, but whether you drive or fly there are plenty of options for you. we have a section on this website called, Colorado, Get Here that's a great resource for locating Colorado airports and airlines, travel routes, shuttle services and more.
Thanks,
Jeff
Do you have a question regarding a Colorado vacation? Send it in and we'll do our best to answer it for you.
More to help you plan your Colorado winter vacation
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Some hidden benefits of vacationing at Aspen/ Snowmass include free buses that run from Aspen to each of the resort's four mountains, mountain ambassador stands that provide guests with free sunscreen, free Nature Valley granola bars, and free coffee and hot cider, and a free ambassador tour around the mountain.
Freedom of Choice
Many resorts have launched activities for guests of all winter enjoyment persuasions. Below are some examples of what resorts are doing off of the ski trails to keep families together on family vacations.
A-Basin guests can ride the chair lift to the summit, enjoy 360-degree views of the Continental Divide and have lunch at the Black Mountain Lodge.
Copper's kids in the kitchen classes invite kids into the kitchen to make their own pizza. Copper's chefs provide the dough and the "junior chefs" add the toppings of their choice to invent their family's pizza.
Crested Butte Mountain Resort introduced the base area Adventure Park complete with year-round ice skating, and a three-lane, lift-served tubing hill during the winter.
At Powderhorn, a varied network of Nordic trails criss-cross the resort's boundaries, giving guests the perfect opportunity for scenic snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort's Durango Mountain Club offers an outdoor pool and spa with a water slide, family game room, and a private dining room for families that stay at Purgatory.
SolVista complements night skiing activities with lift-served tubing on Saturday evenings twice per month. Sledding, crosscountry skiing and snowshoeing are also popular activities.
Steamboat is home of the country's first "heavy equipment play arena" that offers guests the unique experience of handling bulldozers and excavators in a controlled environment.
Sunlight invites guests to experience expansive views of Mt. Sopris, the West Elk Mountains and the Flattop Wilderness via snowmobiles or from the resort's Nordic trails.
Telluride pulls an open sleigh behind a snow cat for a ride that ends at Gorrono Ranch with a gourmet dinner served following the ride.
Winter Park offers a program for those wanting to try a Snowcycle, which is like a bicycle, but on skis. Guests can experience biking on snow as an instructor teaches them how to maneuver a Snowcycle down the slopes. |
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