Newsgroups: rec.skiing
Subject: Re: Need Advice on Steamboat, Winter Park
From: carlson@dwp.la.ca.us (Carlson Peters)
Date: 27 Jan 93 22:01:38 GMT
Organization: L.A. Dept. of Water & Power

In article <1993Jan26.212916.3118@sol.ctr.columbia.edu> miker@newman (Mike Regan X 281) writes:
>I have a few questions for you knowledgeable folks about my upcoming
>trip to Colorado. I'm spending the first 10 days of my 2 week trip
>in Breckenridge (I know, summit county is way behind the rest of the
>west in snow this year... but they'll catch up in the next 4 weeks!).
>I'm planning to leave Breck on Tues, 3/9, and head up to Steamboat
>for a few days before coming home on Sat, 3/13.
>
>From looking at my maps, it appears that my best route would be to
>head up to Winter Park, ski there on Tuesday, then drive to Steamboat 
>Tuesday night, and ski it Wed-Fri. So, my questions are:
>
>1 - Is this the best route? We want to ski on Tuesday, probably something
>outside of Summit Co. Is there a better route which would bring us by
>some other good skiing?

One suggestion would be to ski Vail or Beaver Creek (Beaver Creek seems
the better choice for a one day stop over; free parking, small enough
to get oriented in a few hours) and then head up to Steamboat from there.
Can't think of the highway number though.  Actually this is the only
other alternative for points inbetween.

>
>2 - If this is the best way, then how much travel time can I expect
>from Breck to Winter Park, and how much from WP to Steamboat?
>

Some people will say less but I'm willing to guess about 1.5 hours to
Winter Park from Breck.  About the same from WP to Steamboat.

>3 - How long (time-wise) is the drive from Steamboat to Denver?

Why not ski Steamboat first and Winter Park last?  Winter Park is about
1.5 hours from Denver whereas Steamboat is about 3 hours.  Best route
to/from Steamboat is through Silverthorne and up highway 9.

>
>4 - If the weather turns bad (well, bad for driving, good for skiing!),
>are there any particular roads to avoid (bad passes, potential closures,
>etc)?

Avoid Berthoud pass but this is impossible if you ski Winter Park.

>
>5 - Can anyone recommend a place to stay in Steamboat? I'm looking for
>something for 2 people, which is walking distance to town. I don't mind
>driving to skiing, but I don't want to have to drive to go out to
>dinner at night. Something clean and cheap is my preference here.

I always did day trips from Summit Co. so I have no idea.

>
>Is anyone still reading this? If so, thanks! Any other comments or
>suggestions would certainly be welcome. Tips on what to ski (and what
>to avoid) at WInter Park & Steamboat would be appreciated. We're both
>strong skiers with a preference for natural terrain (trees, bowls,
>chutes, etc) over massive bumps (fun for a few runs, but a day
>of bumping usually leads a couple of days lying on a hard, flat
>surface...)
>
Steamboat is short on natural terrain.  You are confined to cut trails
mostly groomed or bumps.  Preist Creek is great tree skiing though.  If
it hasn't snowed lately you can even expect bumps in the trees.  Unless you
hit a powder day, you will probably be bored quickly.

Winter Park has more challenging runs but they are all maxed out with
big bumps.  There are a few steep chutes and mostly lower intermediate
bowl skiing also.

You may enjoy Loveland alot.  The warnings about A-Basin below apply here
too.  You also get a rest from lift ticket shock.

>Thanks in advance for any information you all can provide.


Here is my prefab guide to Summit County:

I lived in Summit County for 5 years so IMHO I know the strengths
and weaknessess of each resort quite well.  Here is a review.

Breckenridge:

A very complicated mountain.  Most people don't like it because they
don't get a chance to know it.  You will spend a couple of days trying
to figure out where you are.  They also have a terrain gap between
intermediate and expert, the so called advanced terrain.  This is
another reason most netters pann it.  It is the windiest of the four.
The front and back bowls (Peak 8) often get twice the snowfall
reported on the cable but dress very warm and be a strong skiier to
enjoy them.  Peak 9 has good lower intermediate terrain.  Avoid the
Quicksilver Quad on 9 - it serves the flatest terrain in the world.
Breck has a zillion shops and resturants and bars and has lots of
beautiful wooden victorian architecture(walk around the side of town
opposite the ski area) and western flavor.


Copper Mountain:

My current personal favorite. Strong on long, advanced bump runs, the
kind that probably would be upper intermediate if they were groomed.
Some steeps and above treeline skiing too.  The mountain is neatly
divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain.  Park at B
lift and avoid the crowds.  The east side is the place to ski if the
snow is coming down hard but be a strong skier.  Lots of narrow,
protected trails shield you from the wind and flat light.  Head to
Union bowl on a sunny powder morning for the deepest snow on the
mountain.  The absolute best NOVICE and low intermediate terrain in
the county is on the west end of the mountain.  The long, uncrowded,
gently rolling slopes are perfect for confidence building. The village
is small and quiet most any time of the year.

Keystone:

Keystone proper is derisevly referred to as a golf course.  The runs
get unbearably crowded mid-season with an obnoxious variety of Texans.
Ski down the backside to NorthPeak and the Outback early on a powder
morning for some great skiing.  Most advanced skiers simply skip it
due to Keystones pablum reputation.  NorthPeak/Outback gets alot more
snow than what gets reported on the cable for Keystone.  Keystone is
usually the first to open west of the Mississippi due to extremely
advanced and extensive snowmaking.  Keystone village is very lame and
expensive.  The Ranch has a wonderfully romantic/expensive fixed price
dinner though.

Arapahoe Basin:

My favorite when I was in my early 20's.  This place has the most
expert terrain and bumps under one lift in all of Colorado.  Endless
varitations are possible if you are in terrific shape.  The base is
just below timberline and there is big, beautiful, mostly intermediate
bowl skiing above.  This is THE place to be on a warm, sunny spring
day.  Midway gets transformed into a beach, complete with lounge
chairs and log cabin barbecue.  The parking lots is full of partying
tail-gaters.  The Basin stays open long after all the other CO resorts
have closed, usually Memorial Day.  Just 4 lifts but an awful lot of
terrain.  It's a nasty place to be in a storm though, no cover and
complete whiteouts are the norm then.  The Basin always get more snow
than anywhere else in Summit Co but also needs the most due to the
rocky, rugged terrain.  This is just a ski area near the summit of
Loveland Pass - absolutely no nightlife.

Summit County can be enjoyed without a car, shuttle busses run between
the first three resorts from early in the morning to late at nite,
budget about an hour of travel time to get from one resort to another
although they are all within 15 miles of each other.  To get to
Arapahoe, you must take the county shuttle to Keystone then transfer
to a shuttle to the Basin - add another half hour. Cut the time in
half for an auto and multiply by 1.5 if it is snowing.


There are three other towns in Summit County.  They are located within
a few miles of each other in the heart of the County and offer cheaper
lodging and dining as well as quick shuttle access to the ski areas.

Frisco:
The most lively of the three.  Many dining options from fast food to
gourmet.  A few funky Motels, some condos, a nice main street and some
nitelife.
Safeway.

Dillon/Dillon Valley:
Condos, Condos, and more Condos - most of them ugly.  Lousy food and
high prices.  Dead after 7 PM.  Lodging cheap by Summit County standards
though.

Silverthorne:
Pretty much locals only.  Try the Mint for western style grill your own
steak and salad bar.  Antonia's for some good Italian food and Pizza.
CityMarket.

Tip for future ski bums: 
A ski-the-summit season pass includes all of the above areas.  This
gives you access to about 60 lifts and 9 separate peaks with the
longest season in the west starting in early October at Keystone and
continuing into June at A-Basin.  Buy early and save.



-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carlson Peters			L.A. Dept. of Water & Power
carlson@manta.dwp.la.ca.us	111 N. Hope St., Room 1129
213.481.7898			L.A. CA 90012