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Old 10-13-2012, 11:45 AM
 
Location: Western Colorado
41 posts, read 150,118 times
Reputation: 126

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After growing up on the Front Range, I'm living in beautiful Grand Junction and eagerly anticipating the upcoming ski season!

I was disturbed to see just how much a season pass costs to our local ski hill, however. At over $400, it's more than a Copper Mountain season pass! For just a little more, I could get the Epic pass to Breck, Keystone, Vail, and Beaver Creek (with some restrictions).

Of course the advantage to Powderhorn is that it's a 40 minute drive from my house. The disadvantages are... well, I don't know. I haven't been there!

I'm an advanced skier, but not quite a double black diamond expert. Will someone like me be happy skiing all season at a place like Powderhorn? Or will I be happier driving the extra miles to Beaver Creek and Vail?

So is Powderhorn (the terrain plus the benefits of a short drive) worth the $400+ for a Grand Junction skier? Or should I spend a hundred dollars more and drive an extra hour or two to enjoy the huge mountains farther east?
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Old 10-13-2012, 12:10 PM
 
352 posts, read 710,511 times
Reputation: 316
Yes, Only a 40 minute drive (both ways) is worth a lot of $$ right there. Figure in how much you're saving by now driving to the other areas, first. Saving in time and money.

Then, surely there are deals to be had for Powderhorn. Nobody pays full retail for anything.
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Old 10-13-2012, 12:17 PM
 
Location: Bend, OR
3,296 posts, read 9,654,314 times
Reputation: 3343
Quote:
Originally Posted by griff09m View Post
After growing up on the Front Range, I'm living in beautiful Grand Junction and eagerly anticipating the upcoming ski season!

I was disturbed to see just how much a season pass costs to our local ski hill, however. At over $400, it's more than a Copper Mountain season pass! For just a little more, I could get the Epic pass to Breck, Keystone, Vail, and Beaver Creek (with some restrictions).

Of course the advantage to Powderhorn is that it's a 40 minute drive from my house. The disadvantages are... well, I don't know. I haven't been there!

I'm an advanced skier, but not quite a double black diamond expert. Will someone like me be happy skiing all season at a place like Powderhorn? Or will I be happier driving the extra miles to Beaver Creek and Vail?

So is Powderhorn (the terrain plus the benefits of a short drive) worth the $400+ for a Grand Junction skier? Or should I spend a hundred dollars more and drive an extra hour or two to enjoy the huge mountains farther east?
As someone who grew up on the Front Range, lived 40 min. from Breckenridge, lived in Grand Junction, and now lives in Bend, Oregon, 20 miles from Mt. Bachelor, you have to put the season pass thing into perspective. The reason the season passes at Breck and other ski resorts that are within a few hours of Denver are so cheap, is because of the sheer volume of people they attract. $400 for a season pass to Powderhorn is actually very reasonable. It used to be close to $600 when I lived there. I currently pay $550 for a mid-week season pass with restrictions here in Oregon. A full mountain pass, without restrictions, is around $750.

Now, to answer your question, it depends. We skied at Powderhorn quite a bit, and although there's not quite the terrain that you will find at the big mega resorts, it's still nice skiing and you don't have to fight the crowds or I-70 traffic to get there. There are also runs in the trees that aren't marked on the map that are definitely challenging. Of course, Powderhorn does run the risk of not having quite the snow that some of the higher elevation resorts do. As far as I know, they don't have snow making capabilities either. It's been a while since I skied Powderhorn, I think 2007, but I do know they were working on a plan to add runs to the resort (I worked for the FS at the time and marked trees to be removed for these new runs). However, I'm not sure that plan ever happened.

If I were you, I would get the Powderhorn pass, as I wouldn't be willing to do the drive to Vail or Beaver Creek for skiing on a regular basis. Then, you can also decide to hit up some of the western ski resorts that you may have never skied, like Telluride, Crested Butte, etc. I have many friends who are advanced skiers that live in GJ and they all have Powderhorn passes. The gas savings alone will make the pass worth the price.
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Old 10-13-2012, 01:08 PM
 
Location: Ned CO @ 8300'
2,075 posts, read 5,103,542 times
Reputation: 3049
Powderhorn does make snow according to their website.
I believe that a former Vail exec bought Powderhorn recently. I would expect some improvements will be made if they haven't been made already. I'll see if I can find an article.
Yes, Andy Daly bought it last year: http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_18620700
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_19306492

Last edited by Neditate; 10-13-2012 at 01:15 PM.. Reason: add info
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Old 10-13-2012, 01:41 PM
 
Location: Bend, OR
3,296 posts, read 9,654,314 times
Reputation: 3343
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neditate View Post
Powderhorn does make snow according to their website.
I believe that a former Vail exec bought Powderhorn recently. I would expect some improvements will be made if they haven't been made already. I'll see if I can find an article.
Yes, Andy Daly bought it last year: Former Vail exec teams with Gart brothers to buy Powderhorn ski resort - The Denver Post
Powderhorn Mountain Resort improvements create a buzz on the Western Slope - The Denver Post
Interesting! It had been a while since I skied Powderhorn but hopefully this is good news for the small resort. While I worry that this could impact the charm of Powderhorn, I do think it needed some improvement. Thanks for the info Neditate!
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Old 10-14-2012, 11:34 AM
 
Location: Wherabouts Unknown!
7,841 posts, read 18,933,603 times
Reputation: 9584
I have several friends who live near the little town of Mesa, just below Powderhorn. They are all quite happy with the new owners.
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