Phoenix - Denver (Flagstaff, Nogales, Vail: how much, live in, money)

[Trueba]

Hi,

I am planing to drive from Guadlajara city (mex) to Nogales (sonora mex), from nogales to Phoenix and from Phoenix to Denver, I am trying to get some snow to do some snowboarding.

Do you know how far is the boarder to phoenix and from phoenix to denver in KM or miles.

Or if you know a closer place to snowboard in the middle of march??

Thanks a lot.

[vegaspilgrim]

If the goal is just to go snowboarding, why go all the way to Denver? You'd be better off going directly from Phoenix to say, Telluride, or possibly Durango Mountain Resort (formerly known as Purgatory). And be careful on the drive there- March is the snowiest time of the year in Colorado.

[Lovegun]

Google Maps

Do some directions.

Phoenix to Denver = 911 Miles
Nogales to Phonix = 178 Miles

Agreed. Driving in the mountains with snow = not fun.

[AZ Tracy]

If we have snow...you can stay in Arizona!

Snow Bowl in Flagstaff or SunRise in the White Mtns.

[steve22]

Originally Posted by AZ Tracy

If we have snow...you can stay in Arizona!

Snow Bowl in Flagstaff or SunRise in the White Mtns.

I'd rather ski on sand in Mexico than waste my time & money skiing anywhere in AZ. Those places are a joke. If quality is an issue for you, then any ski destination in either CO or Utah will offer vastly superior terrain, snow, & overall experience to those two places.

[AZ Tracy]

Last time I skied I broke my ankle...so, I'm definitely not an expert on the subject. However, coming from Guadalajara, Jalisco...our snow might not be so bad for snowboarding.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by steve22

I'd rather ski on sand in Mexico than waste my time & money skiing anywhere in AZ. Those places are a joke. If quality is an issue for you, then any ski destination in either CO or Utah will offer vastly superior terrain, snow, & overall experience to those two places.

Normally, you would be right-- last year and the year before, for example, AZ Snowbowl didn't even open for the season. This year, on the other hand, they've been getting TONS of snow. I know several people who went to Snowbowl last weekend and they said they were blown away with how much snow there was up there. Granted, Colorado undoubtedly has more, bigger, and badder terrain than anything in AZ. For locals though, AZ Snowbowl is providing a lot of fun this year.

[Patrick754]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Normally, you would be right-- last year and the year before, for example, AZ Snowbowl didn't even open for the season. This year, on the other hand, they've been getting TONS of snow. I know several people who went to Snowbowl last weekend and they said they were blown away with how much snow there was up there. Granted, Colorado undoubtedly has more, bigger, and badder terrain than anything in AZ. For locals though, AZ Snowbowl is providing a lot of fun this year.

Sunrise has a 100" base right now. It's a weird year when they have a much deeper base than Vail, Breckinridge or Copper.

[steve22]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Normally, you would be right-- last year and the year before, for example, AZ Snowbowl didn't even open for the season. This year, on the other hand, they've been getting TONS of snow. I know several people who went to Snowbowl last weekend and they said they were blown away with how much snow there was up there. Granted, Colorado undoubtedly has more, bigger, and badder terrain than anything in AZ. For locals though, AZ Snowbowl is providing a lot of fun this year.

No amount of snow in the world would change the fact that Snowbowl only offers about 2000 feet of vertical, maybe 150 skiable acres if it's lucky, and extremely flat, boring terrain. Same with Sunrise. And, don't forget, the same screwy weather systems that have been dumping on AZ have also been hitting CO, and we've been having a banner year here for skiing. Snowpack in the San Juans right now is about 167% of the 100-year average, and we haven't even hit the real heart of the snowy season yet.

I don't mean to sound like a snob or anything, and I realize that Flagstaff is a much more convenient day or weekend trip from Phoenix than CO or Utah are. But I've been skiing for most of my life, live in Colorado and have visited most of the major resorts in the American and Canadian Rockies. At this point, I'd consider myself to be pretty experienced & pretty good. If it's not technically challenging, steep, and deep, I get bored. In fact, I probably spend more time backcountry skiing these days than I do at resorts. The one time I skied Snowbowl I basically laughed at it & thought to myself, "This is it? Are you kidding?" Personally, I wouldn't pay money to ski there ever again, given the other options in the region.

[Patrick754]

Originally Posted by steve22

No amount of snow in the world would change the fact that Snowbowl only offers about 2000 feet of vertical, maybe 150 skiable acres if it's lucky

Wow, you're way off, it's 2300 vertical feet and 777 acres.