Skiing/Snowboarding question (Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone: buy, stats, radio)

[odie91]

Any thoughts on Beaver Creek? It looks like that is included in the Epic Pass as well.

[Skifreak189]

Beaver Creek is really one of the unsung treasures on the Epic Local Pass/Epic Pass. A little further down the road than Vail, it doesn't get the crowds that Vail & Breckenridge get since it is an additional 20 minutes down the road. Beaver Creek's terrain is quite varied, but I would classify it as a little harder and steeper than Vail & Breckenridge, about on par with Keystone's terrain. The parking is free (unlike the $25/day parking at Vail) and the shuttle service is quite reliable. All in all one of the resorts that "hides in plain sight" similar to Arapahoe Basin, Loveland Ski Area, & Copper Mountain. The free chocolate chip cookies at 3:00 are pretty cool as well.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by Skifreak189

Beaver Creek is really one of the unsung treasures on the Epic Local Pass/Epic Pass. A little further down the road than Vail, it doesn't get the crowds that Vail & Breckenridge get since it is an additional 20 minutes down the road. Beaver Creek's terrain is quite varied, but I would classify it as a little harder and steeper than Vail & Breckenridge, about on par with Keystone's terrain. The parking is free (unlike the $25/day parking at Vail) and the shuttle service is quite reliable. All in all one of the resorts that "hides in plain sight" similar to Arapahoe Basin, Loveland Ski Area, & Copper Mountain. The free chocolate chip cookies at 3:00 are pretty cool as well.

Beaver Creek seems to be a bridge too far for people from the Denver area. But it's only another 15-20 minutes away and while it is busy on weekends, it is nothing like Vail.

[Brill]

Originally Posted by odie91

Any thoughts on Beaver Creek? It looks like that is included in the Epic Pass as well.

I love it. It's a bit of a drive, but I've made one day trips from Colorado Springs there. Of the resorts on the pass, BC is my favorite. It sits in the shadow of Vail, so it gets less crowds. Free parking, easy shuttle access. I typically park in bear lot, grab a quick shuttle to BC landing and take the lift from there up to the mountain.

Not as crowded, I've never seen lift lines like I do at Breck and Vail. The only 2 lifts I see regular lines for are Centennial and the one right above it. If you are an advanced skier(even an advance intermediate), the birds of prey down hill course is fun.

[odie91]

I'm a bit new to the area (just moved to Colorado 2 days ago!), so I'm not very familiar with weather patterns here yet. Would Monday be a pretty epic day for snowboarding at Breck? Looks like tons of snow and wind through Sunday night, then Monday will taper off.

[vegaspilgrim]

Epic? I don't think so, not this early at least. From what I've heard it's still very limited terrain open (ie-- blues and greens only). Personally I'm waiting at least a few more weeks before I go up, but if you're not expecting much, just want to go up to the mountains to slide around a little bit for fun, drink some beers, it could be worth it. Wouldn't expect epic though.

[Skifreak189]

One run is open and although it will not be crowded since it isn't a weekday and the snow will be soft, it will leave much to be desired. Skied 9 days so far this season and the resorts only have a fraction of their terrain open. The typical Colorado ski resort "fantasy" or what most people believe to be true Colorado skiing doesn't emerge until early to mid-December after we've had a few storms to beef up the snow base. Resorts typically don't reach 75-100% open status until the end of December, first week in January. January-middle of April is the when the skiing is at its best. So, yes the snow will be soft, but Breckenridge has less than 10% of its terrain open at the moment, so don't go up thinking you'll see 75-100% of the mountain open. One top to bottom groomer from what I understand, very similar to the handful of runs that I was skiing at Arapahoe Basin & Copper Mountain over the last two weeks.

[odie91]

So I'm trying to decide between Keystone and Breck for tommorow (Monday). Given that only a few runs are open, would Keystone pretty much give me a similar experience to Breck this time of the year? If so, I figure I would save the extra time commuting and get the free parking at Keystone. Also, is Breck more prone to windy conditions versus Keystone? I have the Epic Local Pass, so ticket price is a non-issue between the two resorts.

[Skifreak189]

Breck gets more wind than Keystone but also gets less snow. I would recommend Keystone this time of year. Wait till Breck gets more of the mountain open. Both have free parking, just in the case of Breck you have to park a little farther away as the parking at the base of the gondola costs $10 for the day.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Skifreak189

Breck gets more wind than Keystone but also gets less snow.

It sounds like you're saying that Breck gets less snow than Keystone. I'll assume you actually meant Keystone gets less snow than Breck, which is correct.