 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Anyone been?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Anyone been ------in March?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
erica2004, I live 4 miles away from Beaver Creek - what do you need to know?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
erica2004, Well you can't get a much better source of info!!
(Not been myself, but a cousin of mine was there in Feb, at the time his comments were:
".... nice resort, but not really much in the way of atmosphere. The resort is purpose built, established in 1981, so it lacks the charm of a town like Aspen or some European resorts. Having said that, the snow was fantastic.....")
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just discovered that the "lift pass" has become slightly more expensive when one approaches the "birthday" season 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hi Erica,
Stayed in Vail in mid-March a couple of years back and skied a couple of days in Beaver Creek. Conditions were fine and I enjoyed it but I wouldn't rush back. I prefer Vail and the various Utah resorts I skied last year.
Dan - you're a bad man 
Alan
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Hi Martin and all
We were thinking of going to Beaver Creek and/or Vail next year and wondered which months were the best to visit - not too cold and nice snow!! We are intermediate skiers. I only thought of Beaver Creek because we've had a wonderful time in Lech, Austria - it's twin town, apparently.
Thanks
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Erica,
That's an appropriate twinning, because both are fairly quiet, upmarket places. Beaver Creek has only 4 and 5 star hotels as well as condos which can be better value depending on the number in the group. The main village itself is fairly compact, centred around the main square with the outdoor ice rink. PG is right, it is a little soulless, although the architecture is very grand and tasteful. It's definitely a family village - to date, there is not a single nightclub there, just a couple of bars (the Coyote Cafe is the most down-to-earth one where the workers hang out). Beaver Creek has some very good fine dining restaurants (Splendido's, Grouse Mtn Grill, Toscanini, Mirabelle down the road), and at the other end of the scale there's good bar food in the Coyote Cafe or the Dusty Boot. There are no fast food outlets in BC (just a Starbucks) although there are plenty 2 miles down the road in Avon (Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway, Dennys).
Regarding the skiing, its main benefit is that it's almost always quiet, although at Christmas and Spring Break (first 3 weeks of March) there can be a bit of bottleneck between 10 and 11am on Centennial (the main lift leading to the rest of the mountain) - just take the Strawberry Park lift and Beano's Trace and you'll avoid that. The one thing Beaver Creek lacks is open bowl ungroomed skiing, like Vail's Back Bowls, or Breckenridge's Horseshoe Bowl. But if you're intermediates I'd imagine you'd want to stay on the piste anyway, and the grooming is very good. My favourite blue run is Harrier when it's groomed, because the entrance is a little less obvious than the other blues so it's usually deserted.
Beaver Creek is very proud of its "village to village" skiing which they say is similar to the European experience. Not quite! Bachelor Gulch is basically a big Ritz Carlton hotel and lots of rich people's condos and houses dotted around the woods. Arrowhead is also a very new development, but not quite so posh and the Broken Arrow cafe makes a nice destination to ski to for lunch - it's at the lowest point of the ski area and is a suntrap so your best bet for sitting outside and soaking up rays.
I personally am a big fan of Beaver Creek, but the reasons are probably not that relevant to intermediate skiers: great tree runs, long sustained steep mogul runs (better than Vail's), and great out-of-bounds areas, some hike-to, some not, including a backcountry run down to my house through Stone Creek, the valley which lies parallel and east of Beaver Creek. And the powder in the trees gets skied out less quickly than in Vail because there is less traffic.
Having said all that, BC's ski area is only about a third the size of Vail's, so if you're there for more than a week, you'll definitely want to hop on the bus to Vail (20 minute ride) a couple of days.
On Thursday evenings you can participate in a torchlit descent (starts around 5.30pm).
In these days of global warming, I would say BC is guaranteed nice, dry winter snow from around the middle of December to the middle of March. You can get a cold snap or mild weather at any time throughout that period, however BC is definitely less cold than Breckenridge (which is the resort mainly responsible for Colorado's cold reputation in the UK!) because it's 500m lower, base and summit, and less windy. If you're flexible I'd advise early February, because the snow accumulation is at its best then, and the sun is beginning to get a bit stronger, and the days longer. But anytime in January or the first half of Feb is low season with quiet slopes and low prices. The week between Christmas and New Year, and Spring Break are obviously the busiest times. Easter is always very quiet (Americans don't have Easter holidays) and the weather will not be at all cold, but the snow will be sticky and slushy whenever the sun is out. (You can get fresh snow in April, but once the storm passes and the sun comes out, the snow quality deteriorates rapidly).
Hope that's a good starter - I'm sure you know the website (www.snow.com) and please come back to me if you have more specific questions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Thank you Martin for taking the trouble to write all that - very kind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Martin.
Having children (though now only one of school age as the other two are at uni) I am restricted to school holidays for the trip away at Easter. My son and I have never been to Colorado, is it worth it for next year, say the first ten days of April or should we go North (ie Whistler or Banff). We have been to Whistler, but not Banff. If Colorado where are the best places to hit at that time of year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Colin,
re: Banff.
I'm a great fan of Banff and always go there at the end of March/beginning of April. In my experience, the weather's pretty good at that time of the year, although the snow's starting to get a bit slushy: this year and last year there were a couple of days when it was just TOO warm and slushy, but also a couple of days with lower temperatures, fresh snow and ideal conditions.
With spring skiing, you've always got to expect variation, and over the years I've had thigh-deep powder, refrozen boiler-plate, hero snow and grass patches.
You pays your money and you takes your choice!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Martin Bell, , a question for you, please. Am looking to book my parents ski trips for next year. At what age do they ski for free/reduced rate in Vail. They will both be 70 by next season. Becasue it is out of season i cant seem to find the answer on the Vail website, sorry 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
Robbie Found last seasons prices on a website I had saved in my favourites, it classes seniors as 65+.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
WaistDeepInPow, Perfect, thanks for that. They used to let over 70's ski for free, i think. I guess they have stopped that now that so many people are skiing for longer!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Robbie, yes, I'm afraid it has been stopped. Caused quite a stir here as you can imagine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
