 Poster: A snowHead
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Who's been?
Any good?
Much tough skiing?
Thanks.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Cant wait for the replies 
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Good not great terrain.
Normally good snow. Quiet.
There are better options in Colorado.
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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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I've been. Unless you like bumps, I found the ski pretty boring. The snow is fabulous though.
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Sorry to disagree, lads and lasses but....
We've been to WP twice in the last 4 years and love the place!
Great snow, great challenging skiing and a quiet but unpretentious town that offers lots of choice for dining - and fantastic value for money. In fact, very cheap - how does $3 a pint sound? (February 2008). Very reasonable for accommodation too. Oh, and on each occasion that we've visited it was the Presidents' Weekend holiday week and we still had no lift queues of more than 5 minutes and often-deserted runs.
We've also been to Aspen, Breckenridge and Vail in Colorado and whilst WP is not the largest of ski areas (in terms of acreage), the skiing is every bit as challenging as you need it to be. Bump run after bump run (which, if you are prepared to put the time in) means that you are guaranteed to come back an improved bump skiier. There's everything from modest bumps (great for practice) to mile after mile of thigh burning VW Beetle-sized double blacks. I admit that piste options are limited - but that's the attraction to us. If you are prepared to challenge yourself you'll have a great time.
There are also fantastic glades to ski, including a new (for last season) area that has hundreds of steep and varied lines in the trees. Just us and a few squirrels in the glades last year! And that's before you hike (only for 20 minutes or so) to Vasquez Cirque, which offers some fantastic, steep bowls - often in powder. There are also a number of ferocious (and I mean stomach churning at the top..) chutes that will test most mere mortals....
So, in summary, I couldn't disagree more with the "boring" tag - we loved it and will certainly be back there again in the future.
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Whitegold, Don't be swayed by John Crawford, if you're used to large ski areas you'll be disappointed. If you like immaculately pisted, wide runs, then you'll love it.
For 'quiet' substitute 'dead'. Even the pub at the bottom shuts at 6pm. The pisted runs are not interesting. It was fun to learn to bump ski, but if you like setting off for the day and exploring 'an area' you'll be finished by lunchtime. Actually, in Winter Park there isn't a middle ground - it's either easy or hard.
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Whitegold, we loved it, tree (glades) skiing was brilliant and the snow was fanatastic, 10 days of fresh powder. the bump skiing is superb, and mary jane is a wonderful mountain esp. in deep snow. Buying a season pass was a good deal as it was cheaper than a 2 week pass. Ski school was great and the higher level lessons were often one to one for a group lesson and with the season pass discount they worked out at £18 for 90 minutes!
The buses were a bit of a pain, and getting to the supermarket was an adventure, waiting for the bus was freezing..................
Overall really enjoyed it, (apart from the thomsonfly flight back which was grim) would really love to go back, but do a week there and then a week somewhere else
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| carroz wrote: |
| Whitegold...do a week there and then a week somewhere else |
Possibly the best advice.
And although John Crawford went to Breckenride and Vail, that's not the best skiing in that area IMHO.
Beaver Creek, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Loveland are all better than Breckenridge and Vail. And Winter Park.
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We had 4 or 5 holidays in WP in the mid-90s and loved it. OK that was ten years ago, but I had a day's skiing 5 years ago and the character had not changed although the resort was a bit more developed and the acreage had increased.
It is an amazingly friendly & entirely unpretentious resort, the skiing ideally suited to the majority of recreational skiers, although skiers looking for a sophisticated European atmosphere (eg Zermat, Val, Courcheval ..etc) should stay away. We went as keen early-mid intermediates (up on first & last lift). True experts might find it a bit limited although Mary Jane has numerous world-class mogul runs. The resort is perfect for families, mixed ability groups and those looking for good skiing rather than macho-posturing or snobby-chic. Like most North American resorts the skiing is done on hills (albeit high ones!), so those used to European Alpine resorts will miss the dramatic scenery. However the snow conditions more than compensate. We tended to ski in April when we would expect to have 2-3 dumps per week, usually overnight with warmish, sunny days. The snow was amazing, and I don't recall ever experiencing typical European freeze-thaw conditions despite skiing this late. It sits on the continental divide, the locals claiming that this is why it gets so much more snow than other Colorado resorts. Food was surprisingly good & varied.
Of the other N American resorts we have skied (Vail, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Jackson, Snowbird) only Whistler surpasses WP for skiing enjoyment.
The town was a bit limited, but it feels like real America. All the years we went we stayed in a family-run mountain lodge, the Arapahoe Lodge, admittedly completely unlike a top-end hotel or condo, but delightfully old-fashioned adding to the charm & feel of a very different type of ski holiday. Highly recommended- if you do go I bet the photo of Euan skiing in his kilt is still behind the bar! http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arapahoeskilodge.com%2F&ei=yGGCSNPoHpHy7AWv3tCXBw&usg=AFQjCNEUacn5DKAvJsTm8QQuvkyHwqyYFA&sig2=HOhD2r5eMd4CSX6eEpR5aw
WP was also one of the leading centres for disabled skiing in the US & I would imagine still offers an extensive programme.
Two weeks in WP is quite long (but you can hire a car and take day trips as we did and you're only two hours from Denver). Alternatively, why not take a two centre holiday, and contrast a week at the Arapahoe Lodge in WP, then a week in Chateau Whistler.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Mike_Pow, erica2004, John_Crawford, carroz, al.p, Thanks for the feedback. Some great info.
After much research, we've decided to give Winter Park a miss this time around.
The ski area, on- and off-piste, looks too small to keep me entertained.
However, it does sound mogul-friendly and we may do it as part of a planned three-stopper Colorado tour in 2010.
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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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Where is Rusty Guy?
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Whitegold - a shame you've decided to give WP a miss this time but interesting that a place we rate so highly (after skiing in about 120 ski destinations) is not everyone's cup of tea. We skiied 7 days there and were still wanting more.
Maybe the fact that we are stuck with school holidays and have become "used to large ski areas" in Europe at Feb half term and New Year has coloured our judgement somewhat. And maybe we are in the minority in enjoying skiing smaller, steep, challenging areas, where you are often the only skiers in sight on a piste during a bank holiday week. However, we much prefer that to fighting for space on dangerously crowded pistes in huge ski areas in France, where some of the runs at half term have to be experienced to be believed.
Still, each to their own - but here's me thinking "size isn't important!"
Nice though that WP will (hopefully) never become a major "destination resort" alongside the like of some of the biggies mentioned above.
Regards.
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You know it makes sense.
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I have to agree with John C on this one:
I've also skied over 120 areas in 15 or 16 countries and - irrespective of size (and this is from a high mileage lover of the 3 vallees, Espace Killy etc)
- would rate Winter Park in the top 15 0r 20 for challenge and in the top 2 or 3 of resorts where (if you are prepared to put the time in on the steeps and the bumps) you WILL come back from your trip a better skier.
No queues, fantastic snow, empty runs, very challenging skiing - definitely recommended.
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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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Whitegold, WP is good skiing - cant believe that people say it's just wide and groomed - there are great bump runs and some great glade/off piste skiing - the ski area in terms of skiable terraine is larger than Breckenridge 3060 acres vs 2358. Just because it is quiet, down to earth and doesnt have the same marketing capabilities of Vail Resorts (who own Breck, Vail, Keystone) doesnt make it less of a ski area.
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Poster: A snowHead
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JC, MA, N, Great info. I can't change my schedule for 2008 / 2009 now, as I'm already locked into 4 weeks of skiing elsewhere. But it is definitely on my radarscreen for 2009 / 2010.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Out of interest Mountainaddict - which 15 to 20 ski areas do you think are more challenging than Winter Park?
I'd love to give some of them a whirl....
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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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| John Crawford wrote: |
Out of interest Mountainaddict - which 15 to 20 ski areas do you think are more challenging than Winter Park?
I'd love to give some of them a whirl.... |
Yeah, that should be a fun list to have! Should give the dull summer a nice lift! 
Let's see, of the ones I think are really challenging, how do they measure up against WP:
Squaw Valley, Jackson Hole, Snowmass/Aspen Highland, Taos, Cretted Butte, Chamonix, Verbia...
I'm only listing mountains I don't dare to roam carelessly without a map for fear of ending up in cliffs or chutes I can't get down safely! (or woods so thick it'll take me hours to ski out of!) All of the above have big chunk of their terrain that falls into that catagary.   (Can't decide if I'm happy or unhappy with that )
Ooops, I forgot the parannual crowd pleaser, Whistler!
Which of them are more or less challenging than WP?
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I guess everyone likes different things. I'm a 'practising' off piste skier and bump skier. I did find it fun in WP to learn to bump ski on the blue man-made bump runs. We even had a go on Mary Jane. But it is a small
area. Mary Jane is just bump runs. There were no steep pisted runs anywhere that we could find in WP resort. I think there were a couple of blacks but they were hardly steep. If I were a beginner then WP would
be fabulous. Having said that, I didn't much rate the couple of lessons I had.
More than that, I didn't like being on just one hill. If you go to somewhere like 3V or Arlberg you can ski a mountain range and not just one hill. Even at 3000m (or whatever) WP didn't feel particularly high!
WP is also very 'Disney' - sniffle stations and the like. The food - well everyone to there own. At the end of 10 days I was sick of barbeque sauce and fast food. There were some reasonable places in town but mostly
steak houses and pizza joints. There was one 'faux' Austrian restaurant but the food was average.
I don't have a problem with 'crowds' in Europe - I can ski well enough to avoid them. WP had no soul.
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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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sorry - sp 'their' own
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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JC:
Come to think of it, I might be downgrading my original (and now seemingly hasty) answer...........!! In terms of overall challenge - I concede that I am really struggling to come up with anywhere that is more challenging overall than WP....
ABC:
From your list I have only "done" Cham & Verbier. While they undoubtedly have challenging skiing, in my view WP is more consistently challenging in that there is more of it without having to do cruisey blue runs etc to join the challenges together.
Erica 2004:
I can also happily ski crowded runs "well enough" - but would question:
a. Do you (or anyone) actually find it enjoyable to ski a piste which resembles an out take from Zulu? Why ski crowded runs if you can ski empty ones? (Sado masochists need not reply.)
b. Whether it occurs to you that it's not just a case of having faith in your own ability but realising that (on a very crowded or any other run) some speeding nutter can wipe you out from behind at any time? Always a very real threat if you ask me.
c.Are you one of the "accident waiting to happen" types (see b. above) who think it's fine to practise human slalom and ski such runs at (potentially literally) breakneck speed?
Mind it's a bit surprising to find a US resort full of barbeQue (sic) sauce, fast food, pizza and steaks. I'm just back from Austria and was a bit shocked to find stuff like Wienerschnitzel and Apfelstrudel. Just what the Hell's going on in the world of resort food??
I was also surprised that WP "didn't feel particularly high." Bit stuck on that one - although I do concede that although I am typing at sea level I don't feel particularly low.
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From this thread I can form an impression that WP is a challenging resort even not having looked at its piste map.
I am think giving it a whirl next March in a 3-week sting. Intial thought is as follow
(1) Hire a 4x4 on arrival of the Denver airport then drive to WP, stay for two nights. On finishing the 2nd day skiing drive to Steamboat.
(2) Stay in Steamboat for 2 nights then moved to Vail
(3) Stay in Vail for 4 nights hoping to cover Breaver Creek, then moved to Aspen
(4) Stay 4 night in Aspen and ski the local resorts, then move to somewhere near Dillon
(5) Stay in Dillon 7 nights hoping to try Copper Mountains, Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe and Loveland.
(6) Ski the last day and return to Denver airport, hand in the car and bug off.
Choose WP and Dillon as they are close to Denver so easy to get in and out. Anticipating when changing hotel I would finish the day's skiing and drive 2 to 3 hours if needed to the next hotel.
Anybody know if the road between Steamboat and Dillon open all year round? This is to say not going back via WP.
Another question is the small cheapy 4x4 hired from Denver Airport man enough to do such a trip? It would if it is fitted with snow tyres. Pressumably snow chains not needed or can be hired.
Not done as many areas or countries as mountainaddict but have seen 100+ areas in about 13 countries. First time to USA so it would be nice to see as many as possible and compare them with those in Europe.
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mountainaddict, Well if Chamonix and Verbier are more challenging than Winter Park, I'll put them on my list of to dos. I'm obviously a better skier than I thought.
I'm not a speeding nutter as you suggest, I just like a little company. Funnily enough, some 'speeding nutters' took my husband out twice in WP, flying out of the trees and out of control. This hasn't happened to us ever in Europe.
I've never been in a resort that resembles Zulu. Are there horses?
Re the food - America can do decent food - my sister lives there with her family, so I have experienced this. Plus, getting on a 1950's school bus for a ride to get my grub ain't my idea of fun.
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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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Bones,
Haven't booked anything yet.
Looking at the car hire companies in Denver the smallest one on hire seems to be the Chevy Equinox. A 4x4 can be fitted with high speed road-going tyres, all season tyres, all terrain tyres or snow tyres. The last one has soft compound, good for gripping the snow but would be too weak to tackle rocky surface which the 4x4 can be hired to go in winter times. People in Europe swap the winter tyres with tyres with a harder compound in summer as winter tyres wear out very quickly in hot weather.
If I book the 4 locations I need to make sure I could arrive each time.
I am used to driving in winter in European countries as I use my own vehicle but not sure how bad the roads and snow clearing operation in Colorado. Driving a 4x4 on a wrong set of tyres can be more risky than a 2WD car with the right tyres.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Erica 2004
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Well if Chamonix and Verbier are more challenging than Winter Park, I'll put them on my list of to dos.
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Nowhere in my post does it say that and I can't see how it could be read in that way. It actually says that IN MY VIEW (which is, of course, no more valid or less valid than that of any other  ) WP is more consistently challenging than those 2 areas.
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I'm not a speeding nutter as you suggest
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Again, nowhere in my post does it say that - I simply asked a question (See original query (c)).
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I've never been in a resort that resembles Zulu.
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I have - but never in North America. Worst examples being (some pistes of) Tignes and Verbier at peak times. Fortunately I haven't been hit by any other skier/boarder in Europe or the US - but I know on which continent it's more likely to happen based on near misses involving me/family/friends/everyday observation from chairlifts. This is not anti-Europe (as it's where I ski 99% of the time and I love it) it's just the reality based on volumes of users on the slopes. At the (approx) 15 North American resorts I have skied slopes were empty compared to Europe.
I concede that this one is so witty that I have no idea what it means.... (though I'm sure that most people will be able to identify with the original analogy of pistes resembling scenes from Zulu).
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