I'm not sure if we have any skiers out there, but I would love some advice for a New Year's trip. I won't go into detail unless I get some takers, so if anyone knows the Front range and Steamboat resorts please drop a line and I will post my query.

Rebecca

www.brigolante.com

Hi Rebecca, i am a skiier. We have not gone to Steamboat but i have friends who really like it. We have been to Vail (love it), Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Telluride and Winter Park. What kind of skier are you and what are you looking for? Let me know,

Stephanie dogma to Rosco and Sedona

We have been to most of the ski resorts in Colorado and New Mexico - but in the summer for hiking! I don't ski. So if you have questions about the towns, I can answer them. But not about the slopes.

Pauline from Slow Travelers

Hooray! I had given up on any answer here.

The query: we are planning a big family pow-wow for the week around New Year's. There will be 6-7 adults, and 4 children. I am looking for a place that fits these criteria:

-a doable drive from Denver
-enough trails to satisfy my husband and brother (intermediate skiers), who like to ski a week never doing the same trail twice.
-an excellent kids' program both on and off-snow (there are some toddlers who are too young to really ski)
-more bang for the buck


There are some non-skiers amongst us, so I am also looking for:
-a real town to wander about in
-things to do for non-skiers (walking/hiking/snowshoeing/shopping)

I have done some research, and based on these criteria have narrowed it down to Breckenridge (better skiing but seems more expensive, less family oriented?) and Steamboat (kind of a drive, but very good kids' program and, at least from the website, lots of non-ski activities (real town, hotsprings)). I ruled out Keystone (we've actually been there hiking in the summer, and it was fabulously beautiful, but there is no real town), Telluride (too out there), Winterpark (nothing really drew me in to Winterpark), and Vail (seems too big to handle). But, with exception of Keystone, I am basing all of these opinions on online research, so I would love a little feedback from you guys who have been there. Am I way off track?

Also, Dogma, have you ever skied in Europe? We've only skied the Dolomites til now, and are curious as to the differences.

Thanks for any info you can provide,
Rebecca

www.brigolante.com

Any chance of Aspen? That is my favorite Colorado ski town. Great town, lots to do, good restaurants, great summer hiking. Expensive. From Aspen, it is a one hour drive to Glenwood Springs which is a bigger town and has these great Vapor Caves - underground caves that are a natural sauna - we have been to them many times.
http://www.yampahspa.com/

Of the other towns, the one I know is Steamboat. We spent a week there several years ago. Very cute western town. More of a real town - some of those other ones were built recently just for the skiing.

Are you renting a vacation rental?
Listings by Owner for US rentals

Let me know if you find good vacation rental web sites that I don't have listed!

Pauline from Slow Travelers

Hi Rebecca, we have not skied Europe---we have skied Canada. Not sure what the differences would be? Breckenridge has a cute town but the skiing was borderline for us. Copper Mountain is very family oriented. One time we stayed in the town of Frisco (Summit county) and were able to drive to various ski resorts. Frisco had shops, resturants and snow mobiling. We skied Copper, Keystone, Breckenridge and Vail all from this local. I am pretty sure there is a shuttle between them, except Vail and i think the lift tickets were interchangealbe between some of them. That might be the way to go, so that they can ski different terrain and the non skiers have stuff to do. As i said i have not skied Steamboat but have friends who really like it. If you have any more questions, please feel free to e-mail me and i can try and look into some things for you. You are looking at a holiday week that books up fast. Also, another note on Vail----it seemed very European to us.

Stephanie dogma to Rosco and Sedona

As far as Winter Park--it is the closest to Denver, so they get alot of weekenders/day trippers. The skiing was good. Telluride is definatly to far. I have not been to Aspen---think it is pretty pricy especially at that time of year.

Stephanie dogma to Rosco and Sedona

When we lived in Denver we skiied Copper Mountain and Loveland mostly as they're in close enough range to the city. Loveland is a day-lodge only but has some challenging runs, mostly above treeline and very cold powder. Copper is great with a good variety of ability level runs, but there's not a whole lot there in terms of a town, pretty much just a planned resort. Breckenridge town is cute and skiing is pretty solidly intermediate. Maybe stay in or around Breckenridge and ski Copper and/or Keystone and Arapahoe Basin (known locally as A-Basin). It's been a long time since we've lived there, but back then we used to be able to buy discount lift tickets at the big grocery store chain in town, King Soopers.

Hello Brigolante - well I guess I am the only one so far advocating for Vail. I have 4 children and there was always something for everyone at every level. The village is delightful and all pedestrian with wonderful shops. It is perhaps more expensive than the neighboring areas, but I think you can find something economical as well. We have been there in winter, spring and early summer and always found plenty of activities. I would think the holidays there would be a perfect time for making memories! Good luck wherever you end up - I know it will be a great trip. Nancylouise

P.S. - I neglected to mention that the skiing is fabulous. There are so many trails that your skiiers would have to make a conscious decision to ski the same areas!!

Nancy, i live in Orange also....what a small world. E-mail me privately and tell me where, if you want

Stephanie dogma to Rosco and Sedona

I lived in Boulder for a couple of years (was sick to death of Rome but ended up back here). We went skiing a lot at Copper Mountain. My boss had a condo at Frisco that he let employees use as a fringe benefit.

I've never skied Breckenridge because the runs just didn't look that great but that is where we always went when we wanted a real town.

I loved the skiing at Copper; I am an intermediate skier. I once stayed in Breckenridge and skied Copper, the drive back and forth is not too bad, and if I remember correctly, there is a bus that goes to several of the resorts.

I also skied Steamboat. Good skiing there as well and a town, though quite different from Breckenridge, quaint vs mountain town. It is also more of a drive from Denver.

I've skied here at Madonna di Campiglio a few times. The differences I can think of are:

• more gondolas here and more chair lifts there;
  
• much better powder in Colorado when you have good snow just because it is such a dry climate;
  
• In Colorado I don't remember ever seeing a 30ish man all decked out in new ski gear calling out "mamma, mamma, hai visto i miei occhiali da sole"
  

Have a great time!

Steph

Webfabbrica di Roma
Web Design & Search Engine Optimization

[This message was edited by WebFabbrica on 30 June 2003 at 02:16 PM.]

Everyone has been so generous with advice and opinions, and I have been terribly rude by not replying. The complicated thing about big family trips is that everyone involved has to weigh in with any opinion, so it takes four times as long to decide on anything. We are still debating our final destination, and will keep you all updated...I am leaning towards Steamboat, but am just one voice of many.

Steph, your post had me laughing so hard I almost wet my pants. Ain't it the truth.

Rebecca

www.brigolante.com

I am a devoted South Park fan (American TV show). It is set in a small town in the Colorado mountains (South Park). They had a funny episode about skiing in Aspen. The instructor tells the kids "If you french fry when you should pizza, you are going to have a bad time little dudes." (French fry - skis straight to go fast, pizza - skis pointed together to slow down.) Maybe you can memorize that line Rebecca and use it on your Colorado vacation!

Pauline from Slow Travelers

quote:

---

your post had me laughing

---

I'm so glad that was taken the right way. I woke up this morning thinking about that post and wondering if I had gone too far. But I really did hear that on my first trip skiing in Italy and really never heard it in Colorado

Steph

Webfabbrica di Roma
Web Design & Search Engine Optimization