Steamboat Springs - what's it like?

A snowHead

I have been tasked to organise a ski trip for February half term week 2008 so have started looking around already. The party will be about 10 and will be mixed from non skiers (1) kids and adults ranging from never skied to should be able to ski better at my age Sad

Duration could be 10 days if we venture across the pond, which is very likely as we wish to miss the euro half term scrum, especially France!

I have skied East coast and we as a family have skied at Panorama in Canada, which was great but not for 10 days.

Having looked around the WWW a lot Steamboat Springs seems to have lurched off the screen and taken my eye.

Has anybody here been there, would it stand up to 10 days or would we ( the more experienced of the party being SP and I ) get bored pretty quickly.

Any recommeded places to stay? I notice there are hotels that say they are close to a lift, but is this area 20 miles from civilisation a la Stowe?

Finally, if you were in my shoes where would you be looking? I would be very happy to stick to Europe but large queues and lack of things for non skiers to do kind of whittle down the choice - I think!!

A snowHead

Banff may be worth a look. Skiing for pretty much all standards, a town with stuff going on, great scenery.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Zermatt, Whistler or Aspen would be top of my list for the criteria you mention above.

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Done two short visits there (passiing through)

Its quite a good Hill.

The town is a mess though. Theres a modern (Typical American Style) base area spreadout with some big hotels, condos etc.
Then you have the Old Historic Main Street (The one you see in all the commericals,horses racing down, its very wide) with some bars, restuarants etc quite a distance from the Main accomodation so you have to take shuttles or taxis everywhere. Also Steamboat has let alot of the fastfood joints sprawl which ruins the place.

You mention queues. Something that Steamboat does have is an automated waiting time indication on the trails/lift signs on the trails.

IMO. Not nearly as good as Aspen. Skiing is as good if not better & is also very good for walking & getting round.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I've not been to Steamboat but a few thoughts. Almost anyplace SHOULD have good snow in Feb. I'd like to go to Steamboat, but I think it might start feeling a bit small for a 10-day trip. I think there might be better options given what you describe. Aspen was suggested and, except for price, would likely be hard to beat. Four mountains on a single lift ticket, all connected by bus. You could stay in Snowmass, for ski-in/ski-out convenience or in Aspen proper if you wanted to be closer to more apres ski action. Vail would be another option. Vail is the largest single ski area in the U.S. and shares a lift ticket with nearby Beaver Creek, accessible by shuttle. From Vail you also wouldn't be far from places like Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin, though you would likely need a car to access those areas. I'd also suggest taking a look at Park City. I think the biggest downside of Park City is that, as I understand it, you can't get a direct flight into Salt Lake City from Great Britain. It is, however, very easy to get to Park City from the Salt Lake City airport. There are 3 resorts in the immediate Park City area (Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, and The Canyons). Downtown Park City is fairly charming. There are lots of apres ski, dining, and partying options. There's also quite a lot to do off slope and Salt Lake City is only about 30 minutes away if folks are bored in Park City. Additionally, you would be only about 45-minutes to an hour away from Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, and Brighton. When folks talk about the greatest snow on earth, they are usually talking about the those resorts. If you ventured to PC, I'd recommend travelling to one of the above resorts early in your trip, you may want to return. My wife and I love skiing at Alta. Finally, Snowbasin (which many folks seem to really like) and Powder Mountain are only about an hour or so away from PC. I also like the Banff suggestion. I really want to visit Banff.

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Good feedback - thanks.

I will take a look at Banff, I know it's only 2 hours drive from Calgary as we passed by it on the way to Panorama.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Banff the town has three ski areas nearby. one (norquay) twenty minutes and the other two (sunshine and louise) are thirty and forty five minutes away. banff is a nice little town and the nearby skiing is very good.

i think stanton has been a little harsh concerning the town of steamboat. i would much rather spend ten days at "the boat" as opposed to aspen. steamboat is a relatively large western resort. it has typically superb snow, known for champagne powder, which was named as such due to it's light quality. my complaint about aspen is purely socio-economic. too many rich folks in fur in aspen.

does the slc area have great skiing? yes it does.

the truth is you will have a wonderful time at any western resort or town. i work at winter park and spend approximately 120 days on snow at the resort each year. do i ever tire of the place? nope. in fact the more time i spend there skiing and living in the community the more i appreciate it.

After all it is free

Rusty Guy,

Sorry Rusty. Im kind of blinkered to the Fur & rich folks thing. I know its in Aspen but its also in Lech Zurs ,St Moritz, Klosters etc . I just ignore it.

I just look at the skiing & accesability to lodging drink & food.

Im not knocking the Steamboat Skiing far from it, I had some good days there.

Rusty Guy, Winter Park is also on my radar - thanks for your comments on 'the boat'

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I think Rusty Guy must stick to the Canadian speed limits or use the ski bus. Mt Norquay is about 10 mins from Banff and Sunshine about 20 mins (although you have another 10/15 mins gondola ride to the Goat's Head or the main ski bases). LL is indeed about 45 mins.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

CP, i tell folks i have chosen to live and work in winter park having looked at various communities in colorado. it suits me well. it isn't everyones cup of tea. does it have raucous nightlife? no. it is probably akin to a small village in the uk in that there are probably a dozen small pub like establishments where folks gather. in truth i gto to two or three at best. everyone knows everyone and i promise that in five minutes you will feel as though you have known everyone for a life time.

we get the most snow historically in colorado with the exception of silverton which is quasi guided/backcountry/extreme skiing.

no one debates we have the finest mogul skiing in the country. "the jane" is simply the best. in addition i contend we have the very best beginner area and ski school staff for teaching beginners.

the resort is criticised for being a little difficult to navigate. signage is good, however, trekking from one end to the other takes some time and often involves skiing atop ridges for a few minutes. no walking, poling, or skating. just long run outs.

i will say if you ski with a local there are short cuts.

whether slc or colorado, all the resorts have advantages and disadvantages. i will contend you will not be bored at any colorado resort in ten days. just keep exploring. utilize the free mountain guides or take a lesson with a seasoned instructor.

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I think RIskier has it about right. As much as I’ve enjoyed my trips to Steamboat and Winter Park I would not fly half way around the world to spend 10 days there. Park City, Aspen and Vail have more variety and more to do for the non-skier and the folks who want to take a day off. There will also be more shopping and more chance of some cultural event that might also be fun.

It might help to understand my point of view. I’m taking my first family ski trip to Europe this March. We’ll go to Chamonix. I’m sure there are dozens other resorts we could have visited but if I was going to invest the time to get there I wanted to go to one of the larger areas.

The drive to Vail is usually an easy 1.5 to 2 hours from the Denver airport. Aspen is two more hours down with same superhighway. You can probably drive to your condo or hotel in Vail as quickly as you can fly and not risk losing your luggage, like happened to me on my last trip. Flying into Aspen may save you an hour or two over the drive. Park City is 45 minutes on a superhighway that’s almost always clear and dry but you will probably need to change planes to get to Salt Lake City. You can find a relatively high glitz factor at all three resorts or you can shop a block over and avoid it. I personally enjoy the people watching.

Snow should be good anywhere and the crowds will not be significant. The only February holiday over here is President’s Day on Monday the 19th. It will not attract enough people to make a difference anywhere except your first lift up in the morning.

Vail is undergoing major remodeling. I would avoid the Lions Head base area.

If you have several people who will take a day or two off from skiing Park City may have an advantage with their close proximity to Salt Lake City.

I’ve been to every location that’s been mentioned and enjoyed them all. You would too.

You know it makes sense.

I know this might be daft... but I've always loved Steamboat Springs website and their marketing (and it's been good for at least 5 years).

For me, if a company hasn't got a good website these days I'm not interested. I bought my car because I liked the website.

Yes, I am a bimbo.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

I went to Steamboat a couple of years ago with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Having visited towns all over the American West, I was impressed with the downtown area. It featured a nice array of restaurants, shops and bars. I talked to alot of locals, who were incredibly friendly, and really seemed to enjoy living there. One of the things that really appealed to me about Steamboat was the fact that it was a real town, not just purpose built ski resort. I would certainly reccomend staying in town, as opposed to the base area. It's an easy drive or bus ride up to the slopes. It may not be the most picturesque town, but it may be the most real.

As far as terrain goes, there's certainly alot of it, altough 10 days might be a bit much. The mountain features abundant, long cruisers. It's quite possible to log an impressive amount of vertical since lift lines are rare and high speed lifts prevail. I know that on my visit, I was averaging 30,000+ feet of vertical per day, and enjoying the skiing thoroughly. Steamboat is notable for it's excellent tree skiing, which is reputably some of the best in the country. The only drawback, in my opinion, is the lack of above treeline skiing.

My advise would be, spend five days at Steamboat and then five days somewhere else (i.e. Vail, Winter Park, Aspen, etc.)

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Rusty Guy, I'm seriously tempted for all those reasons, I'd love an old horsey-cowboy town. Perhaps one day I'll be able to lure my gang away from Banff/LL. Smile

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CP, went there 3 times in 97,98 and 99 and loved the place! Would happily go back now, but the arrival of twins put an end to USA trips. All the trips there were for 2 weeks and we certainly found enough skiing to entertain us.

It isn't a huge ski area but for Intermediates and beginners there is enough to keep you happy. For experts it is more limited, although the new runs opened up in 99 are more challenging. Would thouroughlly recommend the back bowl behind Cowboy Coffee as it pretty much unmarked, but is within ski area, so allows you to have a good time off piste without risk. They have also opned a couple of snow parks as well which should entertain.

There are also numerous other activities to pass the time, trip in hot air balloon, skimobile and thouroughlly recommend trip to Strawberry Park - outdoor natural hot springs. Odd to be sitting in a river which is bath temperature in the middle of Feb.

It is a fair way out of Denver (4 hour drive) so would consider short flight to local airport or overnight stop in Denver - does have the benefit of reducing the number of Brits who go there!

Town is split into two. The new ski area has plenty of hotels, condos and bars, restaurants etc and is generally ski in and out, or at least short walk. Old town is where most of the shops and bars are and is slightly cheaper. There is (was) a regular free bus service so really wasn't an issue for us.

In short I really want to go back!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Thanks again for all the replies it has helped the decision process in that I am still keen to try Steamboat - the idea of a two centre holiday will be put to the other group members. Although I would be happy not to have to pack up and ship out somewhere else after 5 or days.

I have no problem with flying half way around the world for a 10 day holiday - I often have to fly just as far for 2 or 3 days of meetings and no skiing - unless it's Vermont in the winter of course, which has happened before Very Happy

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CP, If you're there in Feb, you may be lucky enought to catch the Winter Carnival - they cover the streets of Old Town with snow and run horse races, skiers behind horses etc. The Cowboy Downhill is definately worth catching

There are often evening events at Halsowen Hill in downtown - this was (I think) the original ski area and isn't covered by lift ticket, there are only 2 runs! But they have ski jumping and downhill bikes to watch

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

CP, Another vote for Steamboat as a good place, and certainly ok for 10 days skiing. Stanton's description of the layout seems pretty accurate to me. There are some nice gladed tree runs. It certainly is a good time to cross the pond and avoid the scrum (which is why we will be in JH).

After all it is free

>> For experts it is more limited,

You have to be joking!! It has some great powder and tree skiing, which in good snow would keep most experts delirously happy!!

That's the reason it's on my list of places to visit!

Cheers

Greg

stoatsbrother, JH? now that's a thought - how would that fit our requirements? We were booked to go there with another couple many moons ago then Mrs CP bust her leg big time, walking in Wales, and finished her skiing exploits for good.

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As far as over the water goes, I've only been to Fernie and Winter Park. But I will say that I spent 2 weeks in both and could have happily spent longer. Yes, there are bigger resorts in Europe, but the bigger resorts there are busy to say the least. Moreover, I love the whole in-bounds/out-bounds thing in the US as opposed to on/off-piste. In the US, you tend to have a whole playground of in-bounds skiing that is all patrolled and safe within reason (ie. common sense).

You don't feel so restricted to piste skiing without a guide and have lots of opportunity to explore the trees etc. Europe is awesome of course, but in different ways.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

CP, For your non-skier it might be a bit boring - but so might anywhere, and I think there is probably more to do at JH than at Stemboat where, from memory, when you have done the springs and the mainstreet thats almost it. At JH there is dog-sledding, snow-mobiling into yellowstone and trips to other places.

conor, yep - agree with eveything you say....

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how is it that ski instructors work at a resort for ten years and manage to maintain their enthusiasm?

keep exploring!

i think conor has hit the nail on the head. he and hiw wife did a superb job of getting around at winter park last year, however, i promise he just began to learn the subtlties of the place. the really good stuff is hidden in the trees!

You know it makes sense.

Had lunch with some of the folks that will be making the trip and we discussed the 'venue' at length. Canada seems to be featuring high on the list, Lake Louise coming up as a suggestion along with Banff.

Anybody have any feedback on Lake Louise as a base for our trip?

TIA

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

I would suggest Banff would be a more suitable base for non-skiiers, I usually stay in Louise but this year my beginner sister is coming so we're staying in Banff. This way she'll be able to visit spas, shop, drink cocktails, go to the hot springs etc and somehow convince herself it isn't minus 10! haha

Edit: I stay in Louise when I'm travelling alone because for me it's all about the skiing, but if the novices decide they hate snow, it might not be the place for them... unless they're newly married and can make their own entertainment! Toofy Grin

A snowHead

I'd second fatbob and Alexandra re Lake Louise, especially if it's cold! When it's -34C, you don't even want to go outdoors (except to ski, of course wink

) so not much good for non-skiers as the resort is tiny

Help!!

Steamboat Springs - what's it like?

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