Skiing around Denver Question

Hi everyone, we are planning our first trip to Colorado this winter
skiing. We have four days to ski and I was thinking of Vail,
Telluride, Breckenridge, and Steamboat. Any thoughts would be
appreciated; such as can I travel to these easy in a four-day period
and where I could stay central to the resorts. I would like to stay in
one place if possible; I wouldn't mind an hour and half drive each
day.

Thanks in advance!
Kevin

On 17 Oct 2004 15:37:34 -0700, (Kevin Harper) wrote:

Hi everyone, we are planning our first trip to Colorado this winter
skiing. We have four days to ski and I was thinking of Vail,
Telluride, Breckenridge, and Steamboat. Any thoughts would be
appreciated; such as can I travel to these easy in a four-day period
and where I could stay central to the resorts. I would like to stay in
one place if possible; I wouldn't mind an hour and half drive each
day.


How did you pick those? Breck and Vail are close enough to each other
to fit this plan, but Steamboat is comparatively remote, and Telluride
is even more so. Unless you're a pretty demanding group, you should
consider basing in Breckenridge, from which you have a pretty easy
drive to Copper, A-basin and Keystone. For most skiers, that's a
lot more than four days' worth of terrain, and then Vail and Beaver
Creek are just up the road.

bw

On 17 Oct 2004 15:37:34 -0700, (Kevin Harper) wrote:

Hi everyone, we are planning our first trip to Colorado this winter
skiing. We have four days to ski and I was thinking of Vail,
Telluride, Breckenridge, and Steamboat. Any thoughts would be
appreciated; such as can I travel to these easy in a four-day period
and where I could stay central to the resorts. I would like to stay in
one place if possible; I wouldn't mind an hour and half drive each
day.


How did you pick those? Breck and Vail are close enough to each other
to fit this plan, but Steamboat is comparatively remote, and Telluride
is even more so. Unless you're a pretty demanding group, you should
consider basing in Breckenridge, from which you have a pretty easy
drive to Copper, A-basin and Keystone. For most skiers, that's a
lot more than four days' worth of terrain, and then Vail and Beaver
Creek are just up the road.

bw

"Kevin Harper" wrote in message
om...
Hi everyone, we are planning our first trip to Colorado this winter
skiing. We have four days to ski and I was thinking of Vail,
Telluride, Breckenridge, and Steamboat. Any thoughts would be
appreciated; such as can I travel to these easy in a four-day period
and where I could stay central to the resorts. I would like to stay in
one place if possible; I wouldn't mind an hour and half drive each
day.

Thanks in advance!
Kevin

Well, those 4 might be tough. If you were to stay in Dillon, you have within
30 minutes: Breckenridge, Keystone, A-Basin, Copper, and Loveland. Vail and
Beaver Creek are within 45 minutes.

If you would mention the level of the skiers involved someone could probably
make more specific recommendations.

C.

bdubya wrote:
On 17 Oct 2004 15:37:34 -0700, (Kevin Harper) wrote:

Hi everyone, we are planning our first trip to Colorado this winter
skiing. We have four days to ski and I was thinking of Vail,
Telluride, Breckenridge, and Steamboat. Any thoughts would be
appreciated; such as can I travel to these easy in a four-day period
and where I could stay central to the resorts. I would like to stay in
one place if possible; I wouldn't mind an hour and half drive each
day.

How did you pick those? Breck and Vail are close enough to each other
to fit this plan, but Steamboat is comparatively remote, and Telluride
is even more so. Unless you're a pretty demanding group, you should
consider basing in Breckenridge, from which you have a pretty easy
drive to Copper, A-basin and Keystone. For most skiers, that's a
lot more than four days' worth of terrain, and then Vail and Beaver
Creek are just up the road.

Agreed. Vail to Telluride is about four hours in good weather. Vail
to Steamboat, maybe two and a half on a good day.

Vail and Breck are within 45 minutes, but realize it's going to take
you an hour and a half to get from the parking area to the slopes if
you go to Vail. By the time you pay the parking lot attendent, park,
wait for the shuttle, stand in line for tickets, stand in line for the
lifts, etc. it's a solid ninety minutes from arrival to skiing at
Vail. Don't bother. It's not worth it.

BW is right. Base in Breck (or Minturn of Frisco) and avoid Vail.
You'll be glad you did.


--
// Walt
//
// There is no Volkl Conspiracy

(Kevin Harper) wrote in message . com...
Hi everyone, we are planning our first trip to Colorado this winter
skiing. We have four days to ski and I was thinking of Vail,
Telluride, Breckenridge, and Steamboat. Any thoughts would be
appreciated; such as can I travel to these easy in a four-day period
and where I could stay central to the resorts. I would like to stay in
one place if possible; I wouldn't mind an hour and half drive each
day.

Thanks in advance!
Kevin

Get a road map of Colorado - There's no way to ski Telluride and
Steamboat within 1.5 hours of a place that will also get you to Vail
and Breck. Assume an average speed of 30 - 50 MPH in wintertime, due
to weather and traffic and backroads for Steamboat and Telluride.

H. R. (Bob) Hofmann

"H. R. Bob Hofmann" wrote:
(Kevin Harper) wrote

Hi everyone, we are planning our first trip to Colorado this winter
skiing. We have four days to ski and I was thinking of Vail,
Telluride, Breckenridge, and Steamboat.

Get a road map of Colorado - There's no way to ski Telluride and
Steamboat within 1.5 hours of a place that will also get you to Vail
and Breck.

This is as good a place to start:

http://www.ski-guide.com/statemap.cf...tm?sort=number

--
//-Walt
//
// http://cagle.slate.msn.com/working/040514/matson.gif

Walt wrote:
bdubya wrote:

On 17 Oct 2004 15:37:34 -0700, (Kevin Harper) wrote:

Hi everyone, we are planning our first trip to Colorado this winter
skiing. We have four days to ski and I was thinking of Vail,
Telluride, Breckenridge, and Steamboat. Any thoughts would be
appreciated; such as can I travel to these easy in a four-day period
and where I could stay central to the resorts. I would like to stay in
one place if possible; I wouldn't mind an hour and half drive each
day.


How did you pick those? Breck and Vail are close enough to each other
to fit this plan, but Steamboat is comparatively remote, and Telluride
is even more so. Unless you're a pretty demanding group, you should
consider basing in Breckenridge, from which you have a pretty easy
drive to Copper, A-basin and Keystone. For most skiers, that's a
lot more than four days' worth of terrain, and then Vail and Beaver
Creek are just up the road.


Agreed. Vail to Telluride is about four hours in good weather. Vail
to Steamboat, maybe two and a half on a good day.

To OP:
Breck is a corny tourist town, but reasonable lodgings can be found. As
others have said Vail, A Basin, and others are within reasonable driving
distance from Breck; but leave early if you're going elsewhere. The
whole dam Rockies are a zoo during the east coast tourist invasion. If I
was you I'd stay on the airplane and go help mob up SLC or Jackson:
better skiing and cheaper.


Vail and Breck are within 45 minutes, but realize it's going to take you
an hour and a half to get from the parking area to the slopes if you go
to Vail. By the time you pay the parking lot attendent, park, wait for
the shuttle, stand in line for tickets, stand in line for the lifts,
etc. it's a solid ninety minutes from arrival to skiing at Vail. Don't
bother. It's not worth it.

Agree that it's not worth it, but howenhell do you blow 90 minutes from
parking time? From the close in garages to the slopes is maybe 5 minutes
walking IN boots, 5 minutes ticket line, and a short line at a base
lift or gondola. I figure 15 min tops, if you're herding a bunch of friends.

Maybe you should arrive early, before the close in garages fill up, and
not have to wait for the shuttle?

lal_truckee wrote:


Agree that it's not worth it, but howenhell do you blow 90 minutes from
parking time? From the close in garages to the slopes is maybe 5 minutes
walking IN boots, 5 minutes ticket line, and a short line at a base
lift or gondola. I figure 15 min tops, if you're herding a bunch of friends.

When the closest parking is on the other side of I-70, it takes a while
to get to the slopes. When the lift ticket line stretches all the way
across the plaza, it takes 30 minutes to work your way up to the
window. And when all people who were in front of you in the ticket line
are now in front of you in the lift line, it takes a while to get on the
lift.

Arrived at 9. Took my first run at 10:30. Ended my first run at
10:32. Took my second run at 11:15. All unaccounted for time spent
hiking or waiting in lines.

Maybe you should arrive early, before the close in garages fill up, and
not have to wait for the shuttle?

Good advice for next time. Of course, there's unlikely to be a next
time.

--
//-Walt
//
// http://cagle.slate.msn.com/working/040514/matson.gif

Walt wrote:
lal_truckee wrote:


Agree that it's not worth it, but howenhell do you blow 90 minutes from
parking time? From the close in garages to the slopes is maybe 5 minutes
walking IN boots, 5 minutes ticket line, and a short line at a base
lift or gondola. I figure 15 min tops, if you're herding a bunch of friends.


When the closest parking is on the other side of I-70, it takes a while
to get to the slopes. When the lift ticket line stretches all the way
across the plaza, it takes 30 minutes to work your way up to the
window. And when all people who were in front of you in the ticket line
are now in front of you in the lift line, it takes a while to get on the
lift.

Arrived at 9. Took my first run at 10:30. Ended my first run at
10:32. Took my second run at 11:15. All unaccounted for time spent
hiking or waiting in lines.

9AM! Sleeping in? Extra morning nookie? No coffee available? There's
gotta be a reason for such bizarre behavior.



Maybe you should arrive early, before the close in garages fill up, and
not have to wait for the shuttle?


Good advice for next time. Of course, there's unlikely to be a next
time.

Well, it is possible. Even manhandling my Bro and two wifes out of the
shack and into the car, I managed 8am at the parking lot coming from Breck.

And no, it isn't worth it unless you have some folk in tow who've never
seen the place. Then it's kind of spectacular - you just don't see that
many such zoos. And the specimens in the cages^H^H^H^H^H gondolas - some
of the most unusual life-forms on the planet.