Need help with a ski trip to Denver

If you're a pretty good skiier, I would recommend Arapahoe Basin over the other places... It's cheaper and is a better place to ski since there are less beginners and kids there... Winter Park is the best of the bigger places... Vail is way too touristy and Breckenridge is almost as bad...

If you're in Colorado, Fat Tire beer is a must. Also, BeauJos pizza, which is on the way to the Mountains, is also pretty good...

 

I know this isn't Denver, but fly to SLC stay at one of the cheap Super 8 motels in town and take the Ski Bus ($2-3 each way) to and from any of the resorts that are 10-15 miles away.

Ski at Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude, The Canyons, Park City, Deer Valley, etc. Each of those is top notch and only about 30 minutes from downtown SLC.

 

I'll concur on Winter Park. Copper is not a bad place, either. Stay away from Vail/Breckenridge/Aspen/Steamboat Springs, which all will be top dollar come January.

Also, about 90 minutes northeast of Fort Collins is Snowy Range in Wyoming. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than most of the Colorado resorts and just as good skiing/snowboarding.

 

Friggin' cheapskate!

(If you were going to SLC for the first time and weren't worried about impressing the Future, this would be a good way to check out a bunch of different slopes.)

 

If you are looking for the closest to Denver, look no further than Keystone and A-Basin.

A-Basin has the best prices, but I'd caution against it if you are with several beginners. There's only two standard runs that are easy greens. The rest of the hill is better for intermediary/experts.

Keystone might be your best bet. It's got a good range of terrain for all skill levels, plus some decent apres ski. (Not as good as Vail or Breck, but decent enough to find a good beer). Plus it's just as close to Denver.

 

Another vacation? You fuckin' daysider.

 

If memory serves, A-basin is closer to Denver than the other places mentioned...

 

nu, uh! Our license plates even say it's "The Greatest Snow on Earth"
Therefore, it's gotta be true.

Though I think the rankings are largely bought and paid for, Deer Valley was just named the best ski resort in America by some ski magazine.

 

This among the top of the list from what we've read.

Fat Tire is ... well, maybe not half the reason, but certainly a huge benefit in going to Denver. We went to a place called Flat Top (a build-your-own stir fry place) last night and on the menu that had Flat Tire. Now, I live in the Midwest. I've never seen Flat Tire here. "Oh, sorry. We don't have that here. We need new menus." Damn right you do.

We had considered Utah. And still wouldn't rule it out, but do the mormons allow Flat Tire in the fine state of Utah?

Impressing the Future? We're closing in on a six-year plan. We've seen the puppet shows more than once. Really, this is the trip she's wanted to take for the last few years but neither of us could afford. It's her call, I'm just here to help plan it and enjoy the Fat Tire.

I'm a relative rookie, so we won't be going to A-Basin. Actually, neither of us really liked what we saw on the Web for A-Basin, so we had already ruled it out. Unless, of course, SportsJournalists.com left an overwhelming respose to go there.

Just makin' up for that time as a temp when I couldn't afford it.