WP or other (Vail, Snowmass, Steamboat, Telluride) (Denver, Aspen: ski resorts, best town)

[Visitor from Northeast]

We have two families planning on skiing in CO for 5 days in Feb 2019 (5 from northeast with three teenagers 17,15,13 and four from Denver with two kids 10 and 8). The youngest two are b/w beginner and intermediate. All others are intermediate or better. Don't love a ton of moguls but want to have options for steep runs.

We are trying to decide between WP which is more affordable and other resorts in CO like Vail, Telluride, etc. Skiing is the primary goal with nightlife less important, although we will eat out a few nights. Looking for ski-in/ski-out to make logisitcs much easier with kids and to allow us to return "home" for lunch.

I think I am ruling out Breck given altitude since half the group is coming from the northeast and that includes me.

Any advice from those with experience?

[brown_dog_us]

The base of Breck is 9,600 feet and the base of WP is 9,000. I don't think you will see a difference.

I'd eliminate Telluride because it's too difficult to get to from Denver.

WP is OK, but it's definitely not as nice as some of the other I-70 resorts. It is less money though.

Check out Copper. It's a bit nicer than WP, but I don't think it has as many dining choices. Honesty, eating out around ski resorts is often either crazy expensive or disappointing.

[Phil P]

I think your best bet is to go to the resorts which are far enough away to avoid some of the weekend warrior traffic but not too far in case you run into difficult weather while driving. WP is actually my favourite close resort (because good moguls and tree runs), but if I was staying several nights, I wouldn't go there.

I would pick either Steamboat, Vail / Beaver Creek, or Aspen / Snowmass.

Steamboat has the lowest elevation, best town, and potentially the best snow. Vail / Beaver Creek (ski both if you decide this) has the most terrain (by far) and is logistically probably the easiest. Aspen / Snowmass will have the best scenery and skiing, but you might have to lodge and eat in Basalt / Carbondale and commute (15 - 20 minutes I think) to make the budget work. Aspen Snowmass aren't THAT much more for tickets (especially if you buy early), it's just the lodging and dining that could be $$$$.

I wouldn't recommend anywhere else besides these, cause they are a fair bit better (less skied and faster lifts) given that your not worried too much about getting the absolute cheapest or the commute to Denver and back.

Wait till this season is over for a while before buying tickets because they will drop prices seeing how bad of a year it was this year.

[SkyDog77]

If you can ditch the ski in ski out need you can save a lot.

There are lots of houses on Airbnb in Vail that are a short walk to the free town buses that take you right to the slopes and you can find them for less than half of what stuff goes for in the Village. Tons of dining options in Vail.

[MountainEarth]

Anything over 8000 feet poses the potential for altitude sickness. Give yourself time to acclimate. If you have people in your party that may be more susceptible to breathing difficulties, consider spending a first night in Denver to allow a slower adjustment. If you can't do so and instead choose to go straight to the resort, make that first day a sightseeing day and take it easy. Unless you are in very good shape, I would not recommend skiing the very first day.

With Colorado's spotty snow this Winter, I second Steamboat as a better bet. Much lower altitude as well (6732 feet.). For pure scenery, I think Breckenridge is the best town / resort. Never been much of a fan of Vail / Beaver Creek. The resorts are vast, but the towns feel contrived. Beaver Creek, especially, feels like it was something built by Disney.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by MountainEarth

Anything over 8000 feet poses the potential for altitude sickness. Give yourself time to acclimate. If you have people in your party that may be more susceptible to breathing difficulties, consider spending a first night in Denver to allow a slower adjustment. If you can't do so and instead choose to go straight to the resort, make that first day a sightseeing day and take it easy. Unless you are in very good shape, I would not recommend skiing the very first day.

With Colorado's spotty snow this Winter, I second Steamboat as a better bet. Much lower altitude as well (6732 feet.). For pure scenery, I think Breckenridge is the best town / resort. Never been much of a fan of Vail / Beaver Creek. The resorts are vast, but the towns feel contrived. Beaver Creek, especially, feels like it was something built by Disney.

Physical conditioning has nothing to do with susceptibility to altitude sickness. Being in very good shape does not protect you. In fact, one of the doc talks i got on the topic while ski patrolling suggested that highly trained athletes may be more likely to come down with it.

The one group that the doctor saw had a slightly lower occurrence of altitude sickness: smokers. Their bodies are already used to operating in an oxygen deprived environment. Probably not a good reason to take up smoking.

[Regajohn]

Snowmass ... Lots of ski-in / ski-out (which really makes life easier when with children).

Less crowded than the areas closer to Denver. Close to Aspen if you need a party fix or a nice dinner or shopping (most condos have free shuttles and there's a free bus).

It's a very large area with lots of different Terrain. You can check out much of the area and other areas on Google Maps and some areas even have runs on Google Street View.