 Poster: A snowHead
|
I'll be in Houston visiting family/friends early next year, and was planning on getting an internal flight over to Denver to fit in a weeks skiing.
I quite like the look of Copper Mountain and Keystone. My GF is a nervous skier, and these both look like they have nice varied terrain, with plenty of Greens (which are proper pistes, rather than cat-tracks) and Blues to keep her busy.
I wondered if anyone had been to either, and could recommend any specific areas in each resort in which to stay, or specific accommodations? We're not on a particularly tight budget, but having said that we aren't looking for 5-star luxury either. A nice block of condos within walking distance or short bus ride of the lifts would be great.
Also, any general words of wisdom on either resort would be happily received!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
jonflat2, from memory, most of Copper is within a 5 minute walk of the slopes. (but it's been a couple of years since I was there). You'll probably get better advice on www.epicski.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
copper is a more interesting hill IMHO,
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
jonflat2, Copper is the local mountain of our very own ssh who teaches there. I would recommend a lesson with him for your GF if you decide to go there. He really built up my confidence 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
No bus rides required in either place unless you decide to stay in Breckenridge or Frisco. I don't rate Keystone that highly but then my criteria are probably very different to yours. Copper was fun and always seems to get good feedback from lots of ability levels. Breck though busy also has a deserved reputation as a fine cruiser's resort.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
i'm not sure anyone answered your question.
both resorts have plenty of condos close to the lifts. merely go to their websites and book. in terms of terrain, i would give a slight nod to copper in terms of ample gbeginner/intermediate terrain.
having said that, i can assure you that every resort in colorado has plenty of terrain to suit every type of skier. my personal favorite for tentative kiers is loveland. it is not a destination resort meaning that it has no housing on site.
a viable option would be to rent a car, book a centrally located condo in dillon or frisco and sample a half dozen or so resorts
in terms of your gf........don't hesitate to e-mail the ski school director at a resort and ask for a recommendation. demand a full time/level III (full cert) ski instructor. ask who their top five instructors are in terms of return rate or request rate. ask who they recommend for tentative females or students with fear issues. with these criteria in hand you will need to book well in advance. every ski school director will know his or her top five instructors.
ski school directors will handle a variety of complaints each year. to mitigate these they will often have superstars that they'll reassign to customers who have had a lousy lesson. every ski school boss knows the good ones and bad ones.
don't settle for less. be sure to ask about their cert level and request rate. it is a very telling statistic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks for the advice guys.
Copper definitely seems like it ticks all the right boxes. Looking at the piste/trail map, it seems a remarkably well organised resort too - with all the Greens / Blues / Blacks having their own area of the moutain. Very clever planning!
Rusty Guy, thanks in particular for your advice. I'll definitely make the effort to do a bit of investigation before we go.
As a matter of interest, what's Copper Mountain's town like? As Wear The Fox Hat says, it looks pretty compact - but I assume there's plenty of places to eat and go for a quiet beer?
[edited for typos]
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Rusty Guy, By the way - am I right in thinking that the Copper lift pass also covers Winter Park?
If so, how easy is it to get to WP?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
by european standards i would not say plenty. i guess i'm the type person that finds a local establishment and drinks from the same stool for twenty years. once i'm "well on my way" i have no desire to stagger around town!
copper is a cluster of condos and eateries close to the mountain. prior to the existence of the ski area there was no "town". transit options to the nearby towns are good.
both resorts are owned by the same company. i am ashamed to say that i don't know whether the lift tickets are interchangeable. season passes may be good at both depending upon which pass is purchased. i'm differentiating between a daily lift ticket and season pass.
http://www.skiwinterpark.com/tickets/seasonpass/index.htm
winter park is two hours away. you'll get various arguments as to the best route. if the weather is bad i drive via kremmling colorado. if good berthoud pass.
out of the union creek area the kokomo and lumberjack lifts service very, very good beginner terrain. i typically take private clients from winter park to copper a couple times a year. union creek is a great spt to build confidence in tentative skiers.
send me a p.m. if you want my personal suggestions for instructors. i'm not soliciting work at copper. i have a full dance card at winter park and only go over to copper as a favor to longstanding clients.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
As far as recommending specific areas, if you do opt for Keystone I would recommend River Run village - a nice little development by Intrawest, with condos, shops and restaurants, and only about 3 mins walk from the lifts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 Bell wrote: |
| As far as recommending specific areas, if you do opt for Keystone I would recommend River Run village - a nice little development by Intrawest, with condos, shops and restaurants, and only about 3 mins walk from the lifts. |
i second that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Martin Bell, Rusty Guy, thanks for the pointers.
Both resorts look ideal for us.
Decisions, decisions ....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
