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Crossing the pond to ski Colorado

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Not yet a report just fishing for ideas for a trip next Feb/Mar in 2010

I am keen to try out Colorado next year as the first time to ski America.

There is a circle of area of about 50 miles radius with the following resorts inside

Winter Park
Araphoe
Loveland
Keystone
Brenkenridge
Copper mountains
Vail
Beaver Creek

Aspen and Steamboat are only 85 and 100 miles from it.

I have read a few reports by other SH who all reported a fantastic time. So any feedback is appreciated on the following

(1) Do the America have a busy mid term break in February-early March? The flights seem cheaper in this period. Will the resorts be crowded regardless.

(2) Any recommended scheme to cover all the above including Aspen and Steamboat? Distance wise the trip is a lot more manageable if I opt out Steamboat which seems to be a bit out of the way.

(3) Any recommendation on hired car? Think I need a AWD or a light 4x4 for such a trip. Got a Tom Tom Sat Nav that has NA map .

(4) Accommodation suggestion. I often book it through Internet and arrange everything myself. Can this work? especially if I choose to stay for less than a full week.

(5) Any do and don't for such a trip?

(6) Will allow for a total of 3 weeks of a leisurely tour around the various resorts. I suppose this is not too push if during a change camp I check out in the morning, ski the whole day and drive a couple of hours to the next accommodation stop. Will fly to Denver most likely. BA planes arrive 15:25 and depart 18:20 there. The KLM flights need an extra stop and are cheaper. Any comment on the flights and on the selection of places to stop.

(7) Is there other resorts nearby that I have missed out?

Thanks in advance
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
1 - The Americans have President's Day on Feb 15th, which might make things a bit busier for the whole of that week (it's our busiest week in Tahoe). Generally schools have their Spring Break at different times from mid-Feb onwards, but that shouldn't make too much of a difference since college students prefer to go to the beach!

2 - People tend to drive further in the US than in Europe - I stayed in Glenwood Springs on I-70 and didn't consider driving to Loveland and A-Basin too far at all. Just don't try to get from Denver to anywhere in a hurry on a Friday afternoon, or back again on a Sunday! There used to be a snowtrain, but I don't know if it still runs. Aspen does have a local airport, I think it is Summit County.

3. - People tend to drive AWD and 4x4 - Subaru Forester and Jeep Liberty (Jeep Cherokee in the UK) would be about the smallest. Most car hire firms will hire 2 or three sizes of 4x4 with a Chevy Suburban the largest - carries 7 or 8 people easily. The roads are much larger, so don't be put off by car size! Be prepared to drive in snow, and aware that the roads can close because of snow!

4 - Check out the accomodation on the I-70 corridor for cheaper deals and greater flexibility of movement. Some hotels in the US can be terrible, but most motels are OK, if basic. Depends on what you need, but if you're there to ski basic might be fine! I usually book everything myself and haven't had a problem yet. The big chains are usually fairly predictable on what you'll get.

5 - Do check road conditions before you set off - Summit County and Colorado Dept of Transport will have a web site and phone number to check with. Some roads are fully
closed during the winter including the back way out of Aspen. Other roads will close depending on the snowfall.

6 - The BA flight at least gets you there in the daytime, although you might want to consider staying in Denver the first night and having a leisurely drive the next day. Denver airport sometimes closes because of snow, but that is fairly unusual.

I hope this helps! snowHead snowHead
snow conditions
 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?
saikee wrote:
(1) Do the America have a busy mid term break in February-early March? The flights seem cheaper in this period. Will the resorts be crowded regardless.

For 2010, President's Day is Feb 14. So the weekend of Feb 12-14 will be quite busy. and the rest of the week (Feb 15-19) will also be on the busy side. That said, There're several resort in the Summit County area that are less affected than other: Loveland & Beaver Creek.

Aspen and Steamboat are much less affected than Summit County. Though lodging will be more expensive during that week. No two ways around it.

Quote:

(2) Any recommended scheme to cover all the above including Aspen and Steamboat? Distance wise the trip is a lot more manageable if I opt out Steamboat which seems to be a bit out of the way.

Will allow for a total of 3 weeks of a leisurely tour around the various resorts. I suppose this is not too push if during a change camp I check out in the morning, ski the whole day and drive a couple of hours to the next accommodation stop.

3 weeks is actually enough time to enjoy Aspen and/or Steamboat (4 would be a tad more leasurely for hitting BOTH). Both Aspen and Steamboat are less busy than the Summit County resorts during the madness Presidents Day weekend. So keep that in mind when planning.

You can do a circuit of Summit County to Aspen to Steamboat, by staying at Breck/Frisco/Dillon (eastern Summit), Aspen, Vail (Vail/Breaver Creek), Steamboat, and stop at Winter Park on last day or two. Although for non-bump lover, I'm not too sure about Winter Park. May still worth a day though. In that order, all the driving are only about 2 hrs, easily done at the end of a day by quitting just a tad early.

Take notice that Copper is part way in between Summit County and Vail (or Aspen) so good candidate to do during a transfer day. Similarly, Loveland is also a part way between Denver and Summit County.

Cutting out Steamboat, you can simply do Summit (Frisco/Breck) -> Aspen -> Vail. The drive back from Vail to Denver should be managable. But then, you're missing out on one of the best piste skiing resort of the states.

Quote:

(3) Any recommendation on hired car? Think I need a AWD or a light 4x4 for such a trip. Got a Tom Tom Sat Nav that has NA map .

If you're going to Steamboat, yes, hire a small 4x4, such as a Subara as recommended by pollittcl. Otherwise, I wouldn't pay extra for the 4x4. Roads are well cleared once they're open (and if closed, 4x4 won't help you). Although sometimes you can get lucky and pay no extra for 4x4. Since fuel is much cheaper in the states, it's your chance to get the thrill of driving a behemoth! Smile

Quote:

(4) Accommodation suggestion. I often book it through Internet and arrange everything myself. Can this work? especially if I choose to stay for less than a full week.

US isn't really that fixiated on week to week booking. So any combination of stay would be acceptable.

Quote:

(5) Any do and don't for such a trip?

DO check weather forecast a day or two in advance of your travel days. Big weather system could come in, causing roads to close to affect your plan. Also check forecast daily to decide which resort to hit on a particular day.

DO take advantage of the free mountain tours offered in each resort. The volunteer host will show you the layout of the mountain, where you may find trail of your liking, and where the snow is better at which part of the day.

DO go off the edge of piste and play a little bit. Or take a lesson to learn how. Else you might find the miles of pistes limited to your taste.

DON'T ...

Not sure what NOT to do. I'm, after all, a local. So it's hard for me to tell what NOT to do.

Quote:

(6) Will fly to Denver most likely. BA planes arrive 15:25 and depart 18:20 there. The KLM flights need an extra stop and are cheaper. Any comment on the flights and on the selection of places to stop.

The 18:20 departure means you don't get to ski the last day (not that you want to ski too hard prior to such a long flight though).

Where's the KLM layover? If it's in the east coast, it helps to break the long journey. But if it's in Europe, it just prolongs the overall suffering.

Quote:

(7) Is there other resorts nearby that I have missed out?

There're more smaller resorts than on your list. But I'm not sure they're worth stopping by.
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I did a DIY trip to Winter Park last year. Took the KLM/Northwest flight from Teesside... it took AGES and went via Amsterdam and Minneapolis - I think in total it was something like 23 hours of travelling including drive up to WP -which is the closest resort to Denver. If you can get away with only 2 flights to Denver it might be worthwhile if that kind of thing bothers you. I can tell you it is not fun driving up into the mountains very tired. The altitude also affected me quite badly there too. Perhaps I am just one of those unfortunate people who suffers with it though.

We hired a 4x4 using carrental.co.uk I think it cost about 220 for 10 days. Sat Nav will be a big help for you, we took our Tom Tom also. Drive to Winter Park takes about 1hr45 and crosses a high elevation pass (Berthoud Pass) it was fine when we went out there but on the way back to the airport I found it a little hairy as a storm came in, I think they close it when weather is really bad. I would not have liked to drive it without the 4x4 but I am probably a sissy. There were plenty of FWD cars out there.

As I am just starting out with skiing etc, I can't compare WP with other resorts because I haven't been to any!!! If you are advanced I believe Mary Jane may be better suited to you which is WP sister mountain.
I was very impressed with the ski school and resort host/mountain guide people.

Oh - WP gets rather busy on weekends because it is closest to Denver and gets a lot of city people coming for a days skiing.

We stayed at the Winter Park Mountain Lodge, close to slopes but that's about it, it was nothing fancy.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
KLM flights seem to involve an additional stop at Minneapolis elongating the travelling time from 13 -14 hours to 17-23 hours, probably at a saving of about 10% on fare.

Thanks for the mountain pass information as I haven't included in my planning. I am used to travel 600+ miles a day on European highway in winter but on a white out mountain pass that is another story. Like some of you said the pass can be closed during the time I travel so I need to avoid such risk on the arrival and departure days.

Two more questions -

(1) Assuming I go for a place like Dillon first and from there to Aspen which would be the better route

(a) By driving to the west along Highway 70 to Glenwood Springs and then turn south to Aspen going via the northern end of Road 82.

or

(b) By leaving Highway 70 after Copper Mountains into Road 91 travelling south to Balltown and then turn North-west to Aspen via the southern end of road 82.


(2) From Dillon to Steamboat

Road No. 9 appears to be a small minor road. How is the condition there in winter? I am assuming the trunk route of Road 40 From Kremmling to Steamboat is busier and less problematic.
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saikee, There is only one way into Aspen over the winter, which is from Glenwood Springs as far as as I recall. The back way in gets closed as soon as the first significant snowfall - last time I was there was in mid-October and it had closed just before I got there. You will need to check Colarado DOT for the latest road closures. Alternatively, the AAA office will have the info and maps you need although you'll have to pay for them since you won't be a member. I know that the AAA maps do show which roads have seasonal closures, but all my colorado maps are in my car which is no where near where I am at the moment!
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I've just looked at the map - it is the southern end of Rt 82 (south of Aspen) that closes, so you won't be able to go that way!

I don't know about Dillon to Steamboat (try asking over on Epic wink ). But Dillon does have a nice outlet mall!
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