Bachelor's Party - Breckenridge or Copper Mtn? (Denver: to rent, hotel)

[gt2303a]

Hey all! I'm in charge of planning my friend's bachelor party. He says he wants a ski trip for the big farewell. Initially, we had settle for Tahoe, but the more we have looked at it, the more we now want to go to CO. Utah was another option, but it seems like a bad idea for a party like the one we are looking for.

Anyway, as far as skiing . . . which mountain would you recommend? There will be 6-8 of us, and we are hoping to rent a cabin nearby. We are okay skiers (from Georgia, so don't hold it against us!), with everyone comfortable with blues and sometimes struggling with blacks. Nightlife is important, obviously! The plan is to go from Thursday till Sunday in January.

We have been struggling with something a bit critical on our trip planning . . . we need girls! My friend planned my bachelor's party in Vegas, so girls were never an issue there. Here, I have no clue where to take him. I'm guessing Denver is the only place with clubs we could go to. However, it seems like a @#$%& long trip from either resort down to the city. Are there car services that could drive us back and forth? Is that what people do for parties like this one? Or would it be better to bring the girls up to our place?

Any help would be appreciated!

[SkyDog77]

Breckenridge 100%. There is much more to do there than in Copper in terms of eating/drinking. You can arrange a tour and tasting for the group at Breckenridge Distillery, plenty of great bars and restaurants on the main strip, and of course the skiing. Breck is a great intermediate mountain. Copper will not have the party you guys are looking for.

[jamesdenver]

Agree with above - Breck all the way. Copper is a good mountain with good lodging deals and a great rec center, but at night it winds down and it's all a resort, no downtown or Main Street.

If you choose Breck and rent a place I'd recommend staying in town, especially if you're going out, together or separate. The "ski in ski out" houses are at the bases which are above the city, so you'd need to ride the transfer gondola or bus to get back and forth to town (although I believe Peak 9/10 are close into town) which is cold and dark at night. I'd rather take the quick commute to the base in morning/evening for skiing rather than stay adjacent to the lifts, which, like Copper get dark and cold and night. Being in the town allows you to walk to all the restaurants and bars, people to come/go, do their own thing, and make food and beer runs quicker, etc.

As far as nightlife, there's one small club in Breck called Cecilia's. Haven't been there in a while but it's really the only club around, but surprising lively for a ski town (at least last time i was there).

If you want real nightlife Denver is the only other alternative. There aren't any shuttle services that will do Breck/Denver (apart from the airport). If you want to visit Denver (take your friend to a strip club, go to LoDo etc) I'd recommend just getting a hotel room to crash in for the night. I doubt any group of girls would follow you to Breck for an afterparty, so best just to spend the night in Denver and a day off from skiing, have fun, and drive back in the morning.

If you're going Thursday to Sunday (leaving Sunday) you might want to do Denver on a Saturday night. Sundays are busy ski days, long lift lines, and traffic back to Denver ranges from unpredictable to horrific. Heading down Saturday night would give you an easy drive, a fun night out, and close to the airport for your flights home and not worrying about a 100 mile drive.

edit to add: If you're flying in Thursday and departing Sunday that's a lot of work for two days of skiing (assuming Friday and Saturday skiing) - between renting car, checking into your place, getting food, corralling eight friends, renting gear (huge time eater), learning the mountain, and the drive (which you're right it's a hike between Denver/Breck on weekends).
A Thursday to Sunday ski trip for eight people is a lot of logistics and won't net a lot of down time, relaxation, or ski time, much less a guy's night out (Saying this as someone who's lived here years and coordinated many long weekend and extended ski trips for family and friends.) If Thursday to Sunday are your days already here (flying in around them- then ignore that.)

If you have an extra day or two it would be more enjoyable. Ski mid week when crowds are light and then a guy's night in Denver on Friday or Saturday and do a hotel room downtown. Otherwise, I'd recommend a destination where the airport's closer to the slopes. (Tahoe if it's close, and also Utah resorts still have visitors from other places, serve liquor and I believe have more lax rules at the resorts-so I wouldn't worry about the state's conservative reputation if just going to ski)

My 2 cents - best..

[SkyDog77]

I agree that girls will be a tough proposition in Breck and the drive to Denver is impractical at best. On the plus side, recreational marijuana will be available in January.