Poster: A snowHead
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Hi @Masque Keep on Truckin!
The scenery sounds just great ... I must go to Colorado sometime.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have (very nice!) accommodation in Denver booked through work, so I think I am going to drive to the mountains at the crack of dawn on Friday, so I only have to book Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights (which I have to pay for).
I am thinking Vail, but frankly don't feel the need to stay in resort: the cheapest place I am finding is £260/night. I'll happily do a drive and $25/day parking to knock half off that. My evenings won't be spent in après - they'll be spent chilling and reading a book, as home like is pretty hectic right now with house renovation/move and lord knows what else going on. Similarly, being on my own I won't be drinking, so am happy to drive out to grab dinner wherever.
Thanks for the recommendations, chaps - looks like Frisco/Silverthorne for accommodation. Thank you for the suggestion of the Silverthorne Lodge: any others? Luxury not a thing, but security (no dodgy areas), parking and cleanliness are!
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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?
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@Harry Flashman, Super 8 are a good quality budget motel chain, and they have a motel in Dillon. Their rates (which are currently showing $149/night i.e approx £123/night) include breakfast. Motel website here
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Silver Inn would be my choice over the Super 8 or Silverthorne Lodge. Again as I said before check the Trip Advisor reviews before booking.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Harry, I would check back on a room in Vail just a night or 2 prior. If the bookings are a little slow, you might get something fairly reasonable last minute, and, if your other reservation is with a large chain, you typically can cancel last minute with no charge. If you end up driving to Vail each day, you might want to go a little early or late Saturday (especially) and Sunday. Daytripper weekend traffic on I-70 can be very heavy westbound in the mornings and eastbound afternoons.
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I booked a cancellable room in Silverthorne with exactly that in mind - good tip! Have a small Jeep 4x4, and will have all my kit with me from skiing in Utah with the in-laws over new year.
That said, there is NO snow in Utah/Colorado at the moment. Commentators appear to be calling it a really bad start to the season - to warm to make snow either!
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How was your trip? Where did you end up skiing/staying?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Hi! Stayed in Silverthorne.
I was massively underwhelmed by the backside of Vail. We had a very cold day (-20C), so admittedly the snow was very sticky and slow, but I thought the bowls were boring and not very challenging, and most of the double black diamond tree skiing started out OK, but rapidly became flat and hopeless. Tried it again the next day in warmer conditions and still thought it was boring, with a lot of flat traversing to boot.
Frontside has some great Black/Double Black mogul runs: not hard or steep, but long and thus physically demanding. Didn't really have time to examine the groomed frontside pistes in detail.
I loved Copper - great non-groomed runs. Beaver Creek I liked too for the piste skiing, and the fact that no-one was off-groomer (unlike Vail) so got some great runs in.
But I love skiing in the USA - people are so friendly, atmosphere is great.
Damned expensive though. I have an EpicPass - but a single day in Vail is $189 now...
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There's definitely an art to skiing the back bowls at Vail and it doesn't involve the most intuitive navigation which will see you on very dull cat tracks.
Beaver Creek is definitely underrated for its bumps (Grouse), trees like Royal Elk and Stickline and challenging terrain like Stone Creek.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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A bit farther West will get you to Aspen and Aspen Highlands. Some very good steep terrain to play around in.
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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.
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Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
There's definitely an art to skiing the back bowls at Vail and it doesn't involve the most intuitive navigation which will see you on very dull cat tracks.
Beaver Creek is definitely underrated for its bumps (Grouse), trees like Royal Elk and Stickline and challenging terrain like Stone Creek. |
Grouse and Royal Elk were my favourite areas of the whole trip!
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Me and the Mrs have just come back from a 26 day trip to Breck/ Vail, out 3rd year running in Colorado.
Even Vail was practically empty mid-week, as were Breck, A-Basin and Beaver Creek.
If you have ever thought about visiting Colorado, make sure you buy your early birk Epic Pass/ Rocky Mountain pass in March/ April this season and it will have paid for itself after 3.5 days next season
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Organised DIA to Breck then Vail to DIA by contacting a driver off Craigslist for $100 each way, Uber from Breck to Vail was $32 after using $20 voucher.
Stayed at River Run condos(?) one block off Main Street opposite the end of the 4 o clock run, which was good, and the Simba Run at Vail which was superb, but not cheap. $6.20 for a coffee on the hill was a killer, but $4.99 for sirloin in the Supermarket softened the blow.
Used shuttle bus for all other resort visits. Looking to book next year again, but for not quite as long
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Poster: A snowHead
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Did you use the on mountain grills at Vail for the Sirloin? People eat mighty well without spending a cent on the hill.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We didn't find out it existed until when in the hot tub on the last night when some guys said they were given BBQ Elk
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