LSUsajani

Hi all,

We have a group of about 15 people(25-30yr age group more or less) with no kids and are trying to decide where to ski this January in Colorado. We like going out, bars, clubs, and really love food!
Also, we are on somewhat of a budget, but being that we have so many people.. we were hoping to rent a huge place that we could all split making it cheaper. Oh and this year our lodging MUST BE ski-in ski-out. Driving our rental and hauling our ski gear around for all of us was a pain last year in Breckenridge. We wouldn't mind going to the exact same slopes again this time, but we'd prefer something a little different.
Anyway, any suggestions would be VERY helpful!
ps. We found great deals in Copper Mountain.

LSUsajani

MaureenB

We love Winter Park, but I don't think it would suit you if you want to go out to bars and clubs. There is relatively little nightlife in WP except for restaurants. It's more a family town. And, the only ski in/ski out there would be the one new development of condos at the base of the mountain itself.

padams421

Copper Mtn. doesn't have many bars or clubs, aand it has only a handful of restaurants. It's a pretty sleepy place once the lifts close- that's why you're finding such great deals.

virginia

how about steamboat springs. very cool town, with plenty of places to drink and eat. my cousins used to own a condo that you skied down to the lift for loading. i was totally impressed.
i like it better than breck because the town it "real" while breck 30 years ago was a filthy almost deserted old mining town and well look at it now.
or you could stay at copper and drive to frisco/dillon for more restaurants. or even over to vail. only problem would be the designated driver thing.
i really think you'd enjoy steamboat.

LSUsajani

Thanks for the suggestions. Can I get more info please? Like we realize we will be tired at the end of the day, so clubs/bars won't be AS important as restaurants. You say there's only a handful of restaurants in Copper. Well, we'll only be there 3 nights, so all we really need are 3 good restaurants. Does Copper have that? And how far would we have to drive to get to the other town bars/restaurants like in Vail,etc? As for Steamboat Springs, it sounds really nice. Where is that exactly? Never heard of it.

Thanks!
LSUsajani

furledleader

Steamboat is about 80 miles north of Breckenridge. Can sometimes get awesome snows while other ski areas wilt. Is a world-class area with a mountain on a par with Copper and Winter Park. The downtown area is about 3 miles from the ski mountain base, so if you want ski-in, ski-out lodging, you'll still need a car or use of the shuttles to get to town and back.

Copper Mountain has about 3 restaurants, and no nightlife. It used to have the reputation of being the least crowded of the Summit County ski areas, but that reputation has died over the last 5 years. Lots of day-trippers from Denver on the weekends as a result of deals on ski passes offered to Colorado residents.

I agree with what has been said about Winter Park. Very nice mountain, but with limited ski-in, ski-out lodging, and virtually no nightlife.

If it's nightlife, restaurants, and skiing you're after, I would suggest (in this order):

1) Aspen/Snowmass
2) Vail
3) Telluride
4) Steamboat Springs

Aspen has tons of fine restaurants (and not all of them expensive), and as much nightlife as anyone could want (especially if you go during a festival week or the Winter X games). Unfortunately it has limited (and expensive) lodging. About 6 miles away is the associated resort of Snowmass - an awesome mountain with lots of ski-in possibilities, about 4 reataurants, and virtually no nightlife. Aspen/Snowmass is very UNCROWDED owing to it's reputation as being expensive (which isn't all true), and it's distance from the population centers on the front range.

Vail is about 20 miles west of Copper Mountain over Vail Pass, and has everything in a close. neat (albeit expensive) package. An awesome mountain, and a village with plenty of restaurants and nightlife right at the base of the ski hill. Ski-in, ski-out possibilities are limited. But Vail is so compact that once you get there, you won't need your car again until you're ready to leave.

Telluride is tucked away in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado - about a 7 hour drive from Denver. It is thus usually very UNCROWDED, but also expensive. Beautiful town with plenty of reataurants/nightlife at the base of a great ski mountain. Has lots of ski-in, ski-out possibilities, but mostly in the quieter Mountain Village area on the opposite side of the mountain from the town. Free gondola between the town and Mountain Village runs until late at night. Has probably the most majestic and breath-taking views from the top of the mountain of any ski area in all of Colorado.

Unfortunately, if you're looking for a place that has everything you're after, you're going to be paying $$$$ for it.

LSUsajani

Wow that is great information! I knew I could count on you guys. Thanks so much, we'll keep all of this in mind when choosing a place.

Thanks again!
LSUsajani

BLYVAIL

I totally agree with "FurledLeader" - the listing is also in order of cost - Aspen being the most expensive and Steamboat the least.

Copper is a drag - no nightlife, few restaurants.

As a former hotel sales mgr, when you say ski-in/ski-out, you are limiting yourself to properties that are literally on snow. You strap on your skis and go. If you look at walking distance, your prices will drop dramatically. ie) if you're in town but a couple blocks from the lifts, you could drop your nightly rate in half and still walk to shops, bars & restaurants.

If you're still looking at Breck, there's a huge complex called Beaver Run. They offer a variety of lodging from hotel rooms to large condos and from basic to deluxe. They are ski-in/out, but then you have to walk a few block to main street.

MaureenB

Since you're all young adults with no kids, I recommend you go for it and try Aspen. Personally, I'd stay in Aspen town itself because you can walk to all the restaurants and shops, but it would probably be rather expensive, and Ajax, the mountain in town is more for experts (I am not sure if they still call it Ajax, but die-hard Coloradans still do). Try The Gant and Aspen Square for two condo properties in Aspen itself. The Gant is a short walk to town, but they also have free shuttle buses. Aspen Square is a couple of blocks from the base of Ajax.
And if you look in Snowmass, I'll bet you could find affordablity and practically ski-in/ski-out.
The reason I suggest Aspen/Snowmass is for its night scene. Unlike other places, Aspen is where people go to see and be seen, to party and dine, in addition to enjoying its four spectacular mountains and its gorgeous surroundings.
Breckenridge has lots of families, as does most of Summit County. Since you have no kids along, I'd avoid those places myself, unless you want to be in family-central.
Second choices would be Telluride and Steamboat, but Aspen is the epitome IMHO.

BeanMan

LSU,

My vote would go to Steamboat. My Family has been skiing there since it was called Mount Werner (how 'bout that MaureenB, Yeah, I remember Ajax). While the main town is about 3 miles from the base area there are as many Restaurants and Bars in the base area as in town. You would be able to ski in and out. Mount werner is a great Mountain and you would enjoy it as much as any in the state. In January you would have the best of snow conditions for Steamboat. Telluride would be pretty awesome too.

Go with the best 'deal' you can find.

BeanMan

furledleader

Whichever area you choose, if you're unfamiliar with the mountain, check into whether they offer "ambassador skiing tours" of the mountain. These tours are free, and are led by locals (referred to as "ambassadors") who basically ski around the mountain with you for about 2 hours, showing you the best runs, the hidden nooks & crannies that only the locals know about, teach a little history, and are a font of knowledge about the area. I know that each of the 4 ski areas in the Aspen/Snowmass complex offer them each day, and I think Telluride and Vail do too. These people are there to help you get the most enjoyment out of the skiing available for your ability, as well as get the most out of what the town and resort have to offer. It's a great opportunity to pick a local's brain.

By the way, if you DO chose Aspen, and take the ambassador tour of Ajax (aka Aspen Mountain), ask the ambassador to take you to at least a couple of the hidden "memorials" scattered around the ski hill.

Ajax may be geared more toward expert skiers in that it doesn't have any green runs, but you don't have to be an expert to ski it. The top half of the mountain has more than enough great blue runs to keep a cruiser happy all day.

LSUsajani

Thank you so much. We were not considering Steamboat and Aspen as much, because Steamboat is so far out from Denver (stir-crazy bunch + the drive time takes away from our very few actual ski days) and Aspen is a bit pricey for us. Great idea on the Ambassador tours! We'll definately have to look into that. We don't mind driving a bit in the evenings to get to a good restaurant or fun nightlife. Our main issue was being able to afford a great big place for all of us to be comfortable, ski-in and ski-out so as to not lug all our equipment around, and nice slopes for beginner/amateurs and a couple of risk takers. Honestly, we didn't mind the kids on the slopes as much, some were better than us! So we're leaning towards Copper Mtn. and Winter Park. It all depends on where we find suitable lodging now. Thanks so much!

MaureenB

To research homes and condos in Winter Park, try Destinations West at http://www.mtnlodging.com/ It's a business owned and operated by a local woman who knows her market, and has been in business in Winter Park about 20 years.
They are running a special right now (quoted from website):

It’s a “Free 4 All!”
Save big with one night of FREE lodging!
Here’s how:
Purchase at least three nights lodging from Destinations West or Distinctive Homes and get one night FREE!
 
Join the “Free 4 All” Today!
Terms & Conditions:
Valid during Ski Season 2005-2006, black out dates 12/23/05-1/2/06 (6th night is free on these dates)
Must be booked by 12/15/05
Call 800-545-9378 for details.

Jacqueline1212

With your criteria, I'd recommend Breck.- large, varied ski area, lots of restaurants, shops and bars, ski-in,out available, not long drive from Denver. Whichever area you choose, check out direct-from-owner rental websites like VRBO.com. Sometimes you can save alot by cutting out the middle man.

phieaglefan

Here's a 'second' for Breckenridge. Gobs of lodging choices. Have fun!
H

Barblab

I realize this is the Colorado board but have you considered Park City, Utah? Close enough to the airport you can take an early flight and be on the slopes the same day. Plenty of bars and resturants to choose from. Just a thought.

LSUsajani

Well, we went to Breck last year, and the group we're going with has gone to Breck 5 years in a row. We figured it was time to try something new. Park City is expensive to fly to vs. Colorado. So I think we're going with Copper Mountain. Have found great lodging there, and we have decided to just drive into Frisco and other nearby towns to eat/go out. I'll post a trip report when we return.

THANKS!
LSUsajani

skibum39

While Copper does not have a large number of eateries it does have approximately 12 restaurants, Alexandra's on the Creek is excellent (a bit pricey), Double Diamond has great ribs, steak and a fish fry on Fridays (all you can eat), Endos is a great place for a light meal, Blue Moose has the best pizza in Summit County. JJ's has good food and take in one afternoon of Moe Dixon entertaining Thur - Sat 3-6 at JJ's. Go to coppercolorado.com and click on Village, then dining for more info.

Copper has the best ski terrain in Summit County and if you want to ski Vail for a day it is 20 minutes away

Copper has a continous running bus loop. Summit County (Summit Stage) also has free bus service connecting all of Summit County.

sylvia3

a little surfing is required here--Winter Park has lots of new lodging on the mountain, ditto Copper; I would suggest, given your large group and available $$, give a peak at Beaver Creek, next to Vail, for a fancy-schmancy house.

architectlink

We stayed at Copper two years ago and have been everywhere with our kids. We loved getting the fast pass and being first in line on everything, which came with our room. The only drawback was the high altitude was so bad that my daughter was sick all week in bed. Other than that, I think it was one of the nicest resorts anywhere...