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Skiing from Denver

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Chaps, I have a business trip to Denver, Colorado in January, meaning that I could have a weekend there Jan 7th-8th. For convenience where would be best to ski. I know the big resorts are amazing, but frankly if for just a couple of days convenience and cheapness of accommodation would be the primary drivers for where I pick.

ANy personal experiences of the area? Worth renting a car, or are their ski buses etc?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Frisco used to be popular for cheaper accommodation, but I have not been for 15 years, but it is very handy for Breck, Copper, A basin, Keystone a car would make things simpler.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Yes hire a car and drive to either Silverthorne, Dillon or Frisco where you will find the best value accommodation because they are towns and not ski resorts. From there you can access Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Copper Mountain in about 20 mins. Other resorts are jus a little further.....I think there about 25ish resorts in Summit county!!
I know big resorts have a lot of pull.....and they are great but for more bang for your buck the lesser known resorts are amazing.
Beware, If you have never ridden in the states you may never want to ride anywhere else again. Organised and orderly lift queues... when there are any queues because it's so quiet. Polite lifties, polite people on the slopes, knee deep powder, runs to yourselves, I could go on.
Have a great time.
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Thanks chaps. Big area is not a need for 2 days - and off-piste not a thing as I won't be doing that sort of stuff alone in any case.

I ski in California and Utah quite a bit; will be my first time in Colorado, so would love something a bit less well-known, less crowded at the weekend than the Vails, Breckenridges of the area.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Harry Flashman, Winter Park is the closest large ski area to Denver. I've never skied there myself but have heard very good things about it. For many years it used to be popular for people to travel to Winter Park from Denver by train, the service brought skiers right close to the slopes but the service halted in 2009. However, it's been re-instated for this coming season, see Denver Post so this could be ideal for you as you wouldn't need to rent a car.

Hope this helps. snowHead
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Stay in Georgetown and ski Loveland and A Basin. Only really viable option for cheap tickets and avoids traffic madness at the Tunnel. Get on the road either late Friday night or VERY early Saturday if sitting in a jam ain't your thing. Not worth messing with anything other than a rental car IMV if you want to make the most of a weekend. Be particularly aware of Sunday pm traffic back especially if there is anything like a storm or Broncos are in the playoffs etc. Best to have a Monday flight home IMO
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Copper or Keystone?

IF you have avy gear I'd take it, you can probably hook up with some locals on chairlifts who love to show folk their favourite stashes if the snow is good! There is also the concept of "in bounds" and marked bowls/glades etc

ie check this out Smile

http://www.coppercolorado.com/winter/the_mountain/trail_map/1617_TrailMapBackBowls_SmallWebPDF.pdf
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
No great need for avy gear inbounds - wear a beep if its a big day maybe. Most locals won't be packing unless they are intending to go outside the gates (Cat access at Tucker at Copper may be different).
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Early start Saturday and head for Breckenridge you will not be disappointed. Drive down to Dillon/Frisco and stay there book ahead as weekends do get booked out in the cheaper places. Try the Super 8 to start.

Sunday head for A Basin which is a funky little resort with a surprising amount of skiing. The area known as Pallavicini is a good test of ones ability. It is also on the way to Denver.

If catching a flight out from Denver and plan to ski that day do be aware that the I 70 traffic jams are legendary especially on Sundays so fire up something that lets you check the road conditions.
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@Harry Flashman,

I've been to Winter Park a few times on business trips at that time of the year (since it's pretty close to Denver) and I've never been disappointed. Excellent if you like bumps, but plenty of terrain choices. Well worth a visit, especially if they've restarted the snow train.
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What he said - Winter Park. It's got some great steep bits too.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Only go to winter Park if you like bumps, if not you can write off two thirds of the resort. I liked it but IMO there are better resorts in Summit.
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Best options have been mentioned. Dillon or Frisco. Then you can decide from there where to ski. Vail & Breck will be busy on the WE's. You can go a bit farther to Beaver Creek. Possibly look for cheap lodging in Avon. Copper or Keystone are also worth considering.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Dave of the Marmottes appropriately said..............

Stay in Georgetown and ski Loveland and A Basin. Only really viable option for cheap tickets and avoids traffic madness at the Tunnel. Get on the road either late Friday night or VERY early Saturday if sitting in a jam ain't your thing. Not worth messing with anything other than a rental car IMV if you want to make the most of a weekend. Be particularly aware of Sunday pm traffic back especially if there is anything like a storm or Broncos are in the playoffs etc. Best to have a Monday flight home IMO


Spot on!


Loveland (and A-Basin) are on the East side of the Divide/Eisenhower tunnel and as Dave intelligently and insightfully suggested if Flashman de Henry is honestly looking to keep it simple and less costly, Monsieur Dave's suggestion makes the greatest sense hands down. As was thankfully spoken to the Sunday p.m. (even Saturday p.m.) eastward drive up to and down from the tunnel, eventually bottle-necking through Georgetown and Idaho Springs can be a real nightmare. It even gets stupid going up Vail Pass, down through Frisco and then going up the slope from Frisco............ So, being no further West than Loveland and only having to return to Georgetown makes for easier "on and off"................
So, as suggested by Dave............, strongly consider Loveland as primary, with A-Basin a distant second, stay in Georgetown for convenience and enjoy your time in what is typically a fat one hour plus from Denver, stay Sunday p.m. in Georgetown and then, Monday, casually make your way back down the mountain eventually to DIA and enjoy a safe flight home.............
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Winter Park, great resort with amazing slopes, not all bumps, but plenty of them if you want them. They are advertising that the snow train is starting again this season, so you can get there without the hassle of a drive - I believe the train stops right in resort, it hasn't run on the trips we have made so can't be certain. Good slope side accommodation - a minute to walk from the door to the lifts. Lucky you. Enjoy your trip wherever you end up.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
First of all, almost all of the Summit county resorts are "big resort" by US standards.

Second, if you only stay on piste, A-Basin and Loveland are NOT the best choices. Yet those are the cheapest options. (also the least crowded) So you need to ask yourself which do you want more, cheap or skiing to your liking.

Having said that, I really don't understand the comment about "not doing off piste alone"... Especially coming from some one who had skied in the US before. I don't know where in California you've skied. Most US resorts, you only see half of the people on piste. The othe half of the people are off-piste. So like I said, I don't get the not skiing off piste alone part.

Resorts having lots of pistes are: Copper Mountain, Keystone (east side of Vail pass) Vail & Beaver Creek (west of pass). Brecken Ridge also has plenty piste for a day or two, even though it's not particularly know for its piste. All these resorts will be more crowded than Loveland and A-basin, and more expensive

I would not recommend Winter Park for piste skiing
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Public transport: From Denver, there's a shuttle that goes to Frisco/Dillon. From Frisco/Dillon, there's a free skier's bus "system" that goes to practically all ski resorts.

The shuttle from Denver is quite expensive. So, if it's not snowing, it's actually cheaper to hire a car just to get to Frisco/Dillon. Then, you can choose to use the skier bus or not, depending on where you're staying.

But if a storm is expected, I'd go with the shuttle rather than driving through that stuff. More over, if you have to hire an SUV, it's likely to be more expensive than the shuttle.

If you're hiring a car and the weather is dry (god forbid), Georgetown is a good alternative to Frisco/Dillon. It can be quite a bit less expensive than Frisco/Dillon. But it has very limited apres options.

But Jan is low season, you might be able to get some smoking deal for slope side lodging. I'd look into that if I were in your shoes.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
If you are only there a w/e you want to maximise your time on the slopes so I would avoid planning to get between two resorts by the skibuses. Distances between places are a little further than you might think and you have to coincide with buses (not every 5 mins). If you wanted to do that, driving is the only sensible choice. It then makes staying in Dillon/Frisco a reasonable option and you could do one resort each day. If I was doing that I'd choose Keystone & Copper. I've been to the former at w/es and its never been busy. Copper is a bit further down the I70 than Breck/Vail so many people have been sucked off Toofy Grin the I70 by then. And it's my Coloradoan friend's favourite resort of them all. Both have easy and quick access to the slopes. Leave Breck and Vail for 'bigger' trips maybe? Re accommodation in the more expensive places there are a number of sites that offer last minute deals on condos, as mentioned above. Once stayed at Beaver Creek for the same price as a cheapish motel. Probably not as cheap as Super 8 though..
Alternatively, Winter Park has been mentioned . I really like that resort but as mentioned plenty of bumps. US 40 goes over the Berthoud Pass which is often closed (for a few hours to a couple of days - the upside to that is that you might get trapped there
Toofy Grin ) - sometimes necessitating cancelling the trip at the last minute or a massive detour to access it from the North via Granby (in that case you could actually consider staying there - its a snowmobiling town in Estes Park - and driving to WP each day. However, there are plenty of accommodations in WP itself so as time is short that would probably be better). Be aware that the snowtrain leaves (or used to) before the last run of the day to get back to Denver and arrives after the lifts are open so the ski days are a bit shorter. However, compared to driving on the I70 the trips a doddle and very scenic to boot. Much more relaxing...and you can have beer on the way back!
Having driven many times in CO in winter, no way would I be in anything than a crossover/4WD - even on Interstates which can get horribly slushy etc if there is a big storm proceeds the Grand Depart (either way). Even if nice and dry storms can come in quick and once through the tunnel (west) you are high. And don't even consider the Loveland Pass which looks like a nice shortcut but can be very scary (ice, steep unprotected drops) if you are not used to driving in winter conditions - but maybe you are?
Wherever you go, have great time.
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Copper is not further than Vail - you drive right past Copper on I70 before ascending Vail pass to get over to Vail. Traffic on the Eagle County side past Vail is much more reasonable. At lot of the above advice while generally good seriously understates the impact of timing in all of this - I70 is a serious nightmare at weekends and if you have a flight to catch it is really only safe to count on half a day skiing on day of departure. Traffic also backs up at Empire trying to access I70 from Winter Park That is my primary reason for recommending Loveland. If the OP can get up to Summit out of hours Friday and drive back at leisure Monday then it's a very different mater from trying to compete with all Denver's skiholics
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
My mistake - Copper/Vail. Apologies.
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Dave of the Marmottes wrote:
At lot of the above advice while generally good seriously understates the impact of timing in all of this - I70 is a serious nightmare at weekends and if you have a flight to catch it is really only safe to count on half a day skiing on day of departure. Traffic also backs up at Empire trying to access I70 from Winter Park.


Which emphasises the logistical advantage of using the weekend ski train service from Denver to Winter Park. Madeye-Smiley
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From a VERY personal experience of I70 winter driving. At the W/E Sat morning in good conditions it's the M25 with a lot of vertical. In poor conditions it's truly appalling and can be VERY dangerous . . . I've yet to use a four wheeler as an auxiliary brake mechanism for my 40 tons of gravity induced kinetic energy . . . yet (but is has been very close) Twisted Evil Seriously, just a simple 'fender bender' can have traffic stopped for hours.

A' Basin is most snow sure but accommodation in Silverthorn/Frisco is easier to get and gives you a reasonable choice of resorts. I'd probably give Copper resort a contact and see if they can source you an in-resort room and drive up on the Friday evening. There's plenty of groomed terrain that runs from 'This is booring' to 'OOOOH FOOOOK!'

PS. Snowboard is now in the truck and just waiting for my first (ahem Embarassed ) Winter breakdown in Denver . . . won't be my first in Denver, I'm now sitting in a workshop having been dragged back to Denver after 2 days on the side of the road in deeply rural Colorado.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Harry Flashman,

Where you ski may depend on how much you are prepared to pay for a lift pass.

We were in Colorado (Summit County & Vail/Beaver Creek) for 3 weeks in Feb and bought season passes, which were a bargain at $600 (especially with last season's exchange rate).

If your work is paying for your flight you may not mind paying over the odds for lift tickets BUT day tickets at Beaver Creek & Vail were an incredible $175 Shocked for those turning up on the day. Keystone was usually $140, although we did see it as "cheap" as $120 some days... Breckenridge was similarly priced and night skiing tickets at Keystone were also expensive - at $72.

I would recommend Winter Park (on the basis that the skiing is excellent and lift passes are usually less expensive than the areas owned by Vail Resorts ie Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone & Breckenridge); or A-Basin for the same reasons. Both are not great for piste skiing (as they are quite limited in that respect) but you will be able to challenge yourself on in-bounds (ie patrolled & avalance controlled) steep stuff and/or bumps at either of them. The snow record of each is also excellent.

Copper Mountain may also be worth a try, as others have said, although I've only skied there for 1 day - 26 years ago...

We've driven past Loveland a few times and it looks very good - though we've not skied there. As others may have mentioned, lift passes seem to be more reasonably priced there.

We thought Keystone was fantastic - underrated, a bit off the radar and incredible tree skiing. Steep stuff with powdery bumps and the place to ourselves most of the time in the glades.

If you go for Summit County you could stay at Dillon. The Super 8 there is handily placed, close to the bus route to Keystone, Breckenridge and A-Basin and is a decent hotel at a good price. There are restaurants in walking distance, though the town has a spread out feel, with no real centre.

Remember to let us know what you decide. I'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed with anywhere you choose - as all places mentioned would be worth a trip in their own right.
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abc wrote:


Having said that, I really don't understand the comment about "not doing off piste alone"... Especially coming from some one who had skied in the US before. I don't know where in California you've skied. Most US resorts, you only see half of the people on piste. The othe half of the people are off-piste. So like I said, I don't get the not skiing off piste alone part.



I mean I won't be donning my touring gear and heading off into the backcountry on my own. I'll be on alpine kit and not venturing far from sidecountry.

That said, a mate has just agreed to fly out and join me from California, so the weekend could be a bit more adventurous...

Thanks for the info so far guys - I think I'll book a Monday flight home.
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I'm actually meeting Vail Resorts and Intrawest Resorts, so apparently free lift passes may be on offer, it seems. Here's hoping - I need to see what the two companies own in the area (apart from Vail itself, obviously).
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Harry Flashman,

Bingo!! Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy All your birthdays may have come at once!

In addition to Vail, Vail resorts now own Beaver Creek, Keystone and Breckenridge and although they don't own A-Basin it is included on their Epic Pass.

Fingers crossed for your freebies! If that's the case you need to book a Later (than Monday) flight back! Toofy Grin
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Hoping for a free Epicpass out of the deal (I'm about to be working on some finance stuff for the Whistler acquisition), meaning that I'll also get Park City for free in Utah
Over New Year.

Fingers crossed...
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Harry Flashman, best stay a week, staying past a Saturday will save your company money on the flight home!!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Harry Flashman,

Winter Park is part of the Intrawest stable. Looks like Vail Resorts are really tightening their glove around Colorado: expect to see the lift pass prices rocket Crying or Very sad
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I'd go for Winter Park, or Vail second. Reasons have already been stated I think, but I'll restate for emphasis:

- Close and convenient
- Diverse range of skiing
- Relatively few crowds for a resort so close to Denver
- Not on the main, busy I-70 corridor
- Often some of the best snow in Colorado

Vail is fantastic, and if you do end up going there, I'd suggest heading for Blue Sky Basin, which is great fun and was completely uncrowded when I was there on a peak day during the New Year period. I guess Vail loses on convenience however.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I was on business in New York from the UK and took the opportunity to go to Denver and Vail (although I did go for a five days). I subsequently went to Winter Park for a day trip on the end of a business trip to Denver, but was a bit disappointed - it seemed to take forever to get up the mountain once we left the freeway and in the end, there wasn't a lot of difference in the transit time. Yes, Vail is further, but it's beside the freeway and once you're there, you won't need the car and the ski area is extensive. I'd say you'd best hire a car (4x4) as it's a fair way wherever you choose. As with anywhere, it would be good to get to Denver on/by lunchtime rather than late afternoon so you can drive in the daylight. It also seemed to take longer then I expected to get from the airport before we were heading west out of greater Denver. If I was in N.America and had the opportunity, I'd go back to Vail again. I liked the ski area and the bowls were a new experience. although the ski pass is pricey, it buys you a high staff-to-customer ratio and it shows, with the friendly free, on-piste ski hosts the opposite of the cartel-also-known-as-the-ESF. We hired a small apartment in the centre but were still able to use hotel facilities like restaurants, bars and cinemas etc. You might look for some sort of hotel deal as there was a lot of this sort of accommodation.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I also don't quite understand the particular preference for Winter Park either.

I enjoyed it when I was there because I do enjoy skiing moguls of varying sizes, which Mary Jane has many choices. I think the resort is no different from other Vail resorts. And no easier nor harder to get to.

For easy access, there's no question A-basin and Loveland are far better. And between the those of them, there're plenty of terrain to satisfy anyone for a couple days.

That said, Winter Park can have a different weather pattern than the I-70 resorts depending on the storm track. So there maybe days when WP got a ton of snow while A-basin got a dusting. Or vice versa.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Just a side issue ... Is Denver like Holland used to be ... but with mountains?
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@DrLawn, Denver is sprawling and grubby with a road system that makes London a dream. There are points of pretty but on the whole it's just another thrown up craphole with better scenery, good beer and great weed.
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"scenery, good beer and great weed"Shocked

Some craphole that is rolling eyes
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Chaps, thanks so much.

Trip has taken shape a bit. Work are paying for a rented 4x4, so I have wheels. I will drive up on the Thursday night, and return on the Monday for a Monday evening flight home.

I think that given that I have 3 days, Vail itself seems a good option as I think I'll get a pass. However, work will not pay accommodation, so where should I stay for the 4 nights? Don't mind cheap and a bit of a drive (half an hour) frankly.

If I don't get a pass, perhaps Vail/Keystone/Copper for a bit of variety? Same question re accommodation.

Thanks a lot for the help guys. I think I'll pack my avi gear in case I meet friendly locals, from your comments...
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For Keystone/Copper, Frisco/Dillon is the logical bed base.

If you're skiing Vail for all 3 days, best to just stay at Vail.

You can stay at Edward which is less than 1/2 hr away. But you end up paying $20-25/day just parking at Vail resort. So if it were me, I wouldn't bother.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Accommodation in Vail is nosebleed expensive ESPECIALLY at weekends. You will be doing well to find something under $400 a night.

I will be in the area in early Feb and will be staying at the Silver Inn Silverthorne and make the drive to Vail/Beaver when I ski there. $100 p/n. If you look at some of the other places offering accommodation at the lower end of the spectrum check out the Tripadvisor reviews before booking.
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Harry, be aware on the Thursday drive up that the traffic leaving Denver on weeknights is a bitch. If you aren't able to get out of town by 4 or so, it might be worth your time to have dinner in Denver and depart later (traffic probably back to normal by 7 unless you have weather).

As for where to stay, if you are going to ski Vail all 3 days (and there is plenty of terrain for that), I would stay in Vail proper. Yes, it's expensive, especially on weekends, but January is the slower part of the winter season, so you can probably find something that's not ridiculous. Look at both Lionshead and Golden Peak as well as Vail Village. You can get up the mountain quickly from all 3 of those areas, and in between them in the evenings by free, frequent bus, or walking (5 minutes Golden Peak to Vail Village, 15 Vail Village to Lionshead).

If you are going to do the multiple resorts, then I agree with ABC regarding Frisco/Dillon. This area is typical US sprawl, so not as walkable as the Vail area, but it will be much, much cheaper than Vail.

If you opt for Vail proper, post to that effect as you get closer, and I can provide tips on drinking/dining. Been doing an annual boys' trip there for well over a decade now.
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If the skiing is to be done at the beginning of your trip I'd go for Winter Park as it's the closest and minimises travelling after a long flight which can be a real drag. I'd also be working out how to ski at the arrival and departure weekend.

I've skied WP, Steamboat and Breckenridge. They're all amazing places. In a weekend you won't need to go near bumps and if you're fast enough to get round enough so that you do you won't be worrying about a few bumps. I couldn't and still can't ski bumps and I did 8 days without any issue.
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