My partner and I are taking a month off to snowboard in December and we are planning on going to Colorado. We are competent snowboarders and love snowparks. We went to Whistler a while back and loved it there and would like to find somewhere similar.

We are on a bit of a budget and read that Crested Butte was cheaper and also less busy than some of the other resorts. We have been offered a great price on a condo but don't want to there just because it's cheap if that makes sense.

Do you think Crested Butte is big enough to keep us going for a month and does anyone know what the snowparks are like there?

Is it cheaper to eat out in Crested Butte than other resorts?

All responses hugely appreciated! Thanks.

Have you thought of staying in Frisco or Silverthorne with easy access to lots of different skiing options?

No... ware these close (less than an hour) to most of the main resorts?

Crested Butte has excellent advanced intermediate and expert terrain. CB is a nice western town, but I'd be bored being there for a month.

Consider Lake Tahoe- about a dozen resorts to board and lots to do off the slopes.

Silverthorne or Friso- would have Breck, Keystone, A Basin, Vail, Beaver Creek and Loveland as options and Breck is a good, fun ski town.

Salt Lake City- many, many boarding options (except Deer Valley) and probably the cheapest place to stay long term of the ski resorts mentioned.

One more aspect to consider is that December is early in the ski season, and snow conditions are unpredictable. I'd wait as late as possible to decide in the fall where to go to see who has the best snow.

I think for a whole month, your better off staying in Frisco or Silverthorne. Then you have Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper, Vail, Beaver Creek all within an hour. Keystone, Breck and Copper are probably less than 30 min in good weather. There may also be a free (or cheap) shuttle bus to Keystone and Breckenridge from Frisco I believe, saving you money on parking. You can get a combo lift ticket that covers all the resorts as well.

I have been to Crested Butte three times and while I love the town and the mountain, I always find myself a little bored by the 3rd day of skiing. I don't snowboard so can't comment on what kind of snowpark/half-pipe stuff they have there. There is alot of tough, steep terrain there and they usually have great snow. It definitely won't be crowded in December. Except for Christmas and maybe some weekends, you'll probably never wait in a lift line.

They do have a free town/mountain shuttle that runs all day and late into the night. Once you got to Crested Butte, you really wouldn't even need a car. I've never rented one.

There are lots of great restaurants in town. Some are cheap but most I would consider moderate. For pizza, there is the Secret Stash, which is great. The Last Steep has great sandwiches and bar specials, there's a couple of burrito places and sub shops that are cheap. There aren't any fast food places that I can remember...maybe there is a McDonalds, but I don't know, it's been 2 years since I've been there....There is a place that only serves fried chicken or chicken fried steak and it's awesome...It's called Slogar.

Although Tahoe is great, with so many ski areas within hailing distance of each other, I would NOT choose Tahoe in December -- snow is always iffy and often scant until mid-January.

Wow - thank you all so much. I'm leaning towards the Silverthorne option, having looked up accommodation and found it to be reasonably priced. Wasn't planning on hiring a car but I think we would need to if we stay here? Shuttle bus may suffice though?

All comments and thoughts greatly received - this is helping hugely - thank you

You can do shuttle buses but you'd get much more time on the slopes with a car.

Also, I think Vail, Breck, BC and Keystone have a multi-resort pass. Check out season pass pricing now because there may be some good deals for next season.

I just received an email from Vail Resorts about deals on ski passes including a Summit Pass with unlimited, unrestricted access to Keystone, Breck and A Basin, and the Epic Season Pass for Vail, Breck, Keystone, etc. Definitely look at the season pass deals NOW!