How do people afford to ski overnight at resorts? (Denver: ski resorts, rentals) - Colorado (CO) - City-Data Forum

superorb · 10-03-2011, 02:28 PM

We just moved here from the east coast to enjoy all the mountain/outdoor activities that CO has to offer, but I was curious about something. Back east you could get a deal where it was roughly $100 for a night of lodging and a lift ticket to the ski resort. Here the cheapest I could find was $96 for a night of lodging, but no lift tickets were included, and this was on the shuttle route and not within walking distance from the slopes.

We live in Denver, but I'm trying to avoid driving to/from home twice a day if we plan to go a few days in a row. Any suggestions?

Timmyy · 10-03-2011, 03:04 PM

You can start here: Colorado Ski Resorts. | Colorado Ski Country USA

proveick · 10-03-2011, 03:42 PM

Another one.
Colorado Ski Vacations, Trips, Deals and Packages.
RP

Snikt · 10-03-2011, 04:20 PM

The resorts out here are not cheap. I would drive back and forth, especially if it's just from Denver.

Loveland has cheaper lift tickets, but no lodging, you could always stay in Georgetown or something though

superorb · 10-03-2011, 04:37 PM

Thanks guys. I really need to start a new thread so people understood why I wanted to stay close to the slopes. My brother is coming out in March, and my wife and I are trying to entice him to move to CO from FL and the better his experience the better chance he'll want to move. So, that means staying somewhere close to the slopes. The problem is that he can afford a lot more than us, so we need something we can also afford. I've looked at a bunch of condo rentals but they're all way out of our budget. I'll checkout those links though, maybe we'll get lucky. I also couldn't find any local ski/snowboard forums to ask the same question.

superorb · 10-03-2011, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by proveick

Another one.
Colorado Ski Vacations, Trips, Deals and Packages.
RP

Wow, this is great! The only problem is that it's only 3 adults and no kids, and there's no way to modify occupancy per room. I wish the actual resorts would do packages that include lift tickets instead of just the lodging. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

denver_hacker · 10-03-2011, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superorb

Wow, this is great! The only problem is that it's only 3 adults and no kids, and there's no way to modify occupancy per room. I wish the actual resorts would do packages that include lift tickets instead of just the lodging. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

I think it's that the resorts don't really cater to locals because there's no money in it. The skiing is Colorado brings wealthy folks from all over the world. Denver and the Front Range are small potatoes compared the rest of the resorts markets. When you're out on the lifts, ask around - most folks up there aren't from Colorado and a big chunk of them aren't from the US. Plus most of the folks on the Front Range who ski own their own equipment, drive up for the day, and buy the Colorado resident passes...offering weekend packages isn't going to help the resorts business all that much.

And get used to paying a premium up there for everything: gas, food, whatever. It's not a cheap family hobby by any stretch - it's high end all the way (to be fair, it is some of the best skiing/boarding on the planet).

If you want to save on equipment rental, don't rent from resorts. Rent from somewhere in the city. Even the same company will charge more up in the Mountains. Compare the rates between Denver and Aspen for these guys:

Ski & Snowboard Rentals @ SkiRentals.com. Book & Reserve Ski/Snowboard Equipment Online - Index | Home

In general, Winter Park is more of a local spot than the others, but doesn't have the same cache...

choosing78 · 10-03-2011, 05:28 PM

get one of the 4 packs offered. Winter Park has a four pack and they have the 4 by 40 which gives you the option of steamboat. Is your group more mountain chalet or laidback as long as its clean types? I would check out vrbo.com. If you are big into skiing get a time share. Yes I know everyone is afraid of timeshares but they can be a good deal if you think you would like to spend a week skiing every year. Here's a link to a place I stayed at once. The WP shuttle picks you up right at the end of the driveway. It's not fancy but nice and has a ton of space.
Quiet Value in Our Cozy Townhous

superorb · 10-03-2011, 06:08 PM

My wife and I have all of our own equipment already, we've been snowboarding for the past 2 years in NC. My brother will just use my old gear so we won't need rentals. He will need lessons though.

Since this is our 1st winter in CO, we aren't buying season passes since we don't know which places we like/dislike yet. In NC we rented a timeshare within walking distance to the resort for 7 days and it was dirt cheap, slightly under $400 for all 7 days with everything included. Of course, the "resort" only had 105 acres to ride on, so it does not really compare to the resorts in CO.

My wife and I will likely just go to Loveland for the day when we go ourselves, but I wanted to do the whole ski resort experience for my brother.

denver_hacker · 10-04-2011, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superorb

My wife and I have all of our own equipment already, we've been snowboarding for the past 2 years in NC. My brother will just use my old gear so we won't need rentals. He will need lessons though.

Since this is our 1st winter in CO, we aren't buying season passes since we don't know which places we like/dislike yet. In NC we rented a timeshare within walking distance to the resort for 7 days and it was dirt cheap, slightly under $400 for all 7 days with everything included. Of course, the "resort" only had 105 acres to ride on, so it does not really compare to the resorts in CO.

My wife and I will likely just go to Loveland for the day when we go ourselves, but I wanted to do the whole ski resort experience for my brother.

Even if you don't know which mountains your like for sure, it's way cheaper to buy a pass. Daily rates are stupidly high. I suggest that you at least consider getting four packs or something...

Loveland is cool, that's where I take the kids, and anywhere else in the country it'd be amazing. But it's nothing compared to Vail or Breck or Keystone or Copper.

One thing you could do is rent a place in Dillon or maybe Silverthorne and then drive over to one of the mountains. Anything on a shuttle route will be more $$, but might be worth it.