Hi there!
three of us planning a ski trip - late season (March) for 4-5 days - to Colorado. We don't know where to yet, but we will be flying to Denver so best would be something not far away from the city... the question is: hotel room or vacation rental?
anyone can recommend a lodging that is close to ski lifts or lift shuttle?
really, anywhere fairly close to Denver - none of us ski in Colorado yet.
Thanks a lot!

I recently sought info from Fodorites as a novice skiier; recommendation in Colorado was Copper Mt, so we booked a condo there for a few nights.

http://www.coppercolorado.com/index.htm

thanks, rncheryl!
so I googled 'cooper vacation rentals' and got this http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals...opper-mountain - I've noticed they have reviews of the properties - I can go that way and choose something or again, any of you used rental there?

I am curious what you mean by late season. March is the height of Spring skiing -- prices and crowd tend to be a higher at that time. Copper is a good choice for beginners. The resort is small enough that just about any rental will be convenient to the slopes and restaurants. There is also a shuttle bus that runs the length of Copper. At lot of places will insist on a week rental so you may have to look harder. VRBO works well for Copper.

Go to this form (United States) and select Colorado and read the responses to prior questions on this subject. In an earlier response I posted detailed info on the shuttle bus from DIA to Copper.

thanks for the info!

Will you have a car? If so, and you don't mind driving, I suggest Winter Park. It's about 2 hours from DIA. There's a shuttle in town to take you to the ski area. The Trademark condo development is very nice. It's near the ski area base, and you can easily catch the shuttle at the front gate. Or call Destinations West for help with renting nice condos.

We much prefer renting a condo or house as it gives us the opportunity to fix a breakfast, lots of room to hang out together and it just feel like a more relaxing trip to us.

Plus, it's almost always cheaper than all of us getting hotel rooms.

Good luck on your planning!

I failed to mention I have used vrbo and cyberrentals in the past for many locations and have had very good experiences.

Peaceout, is WinterPark a ski resort (a la Snowmass) or a town with a ski mountain (a la Aspen, Breckenridge, Park City, Vail)?

Actually it is one of Denver's city parks. More like Snowmass or Copper with a condo development around the base. Winter Park is about the same distance as the Summit Cty ski areas (Copper, Breckenrige, Keystone). If the weather is bad it is a little tougher getting there since you have to go over

What is your skiing level or ability? Copper was recommended for rncheny because they were first time skiers. If experienced skiers you might find aspects of Breckenridge and Keystone more challenging. One small problem with Winter Park is that it is kind of by itself. Whereas, Copper, Keystone, & Breck are about equal distance for each other and can be easily reach via free public buses if you wanted a little more variety.

Staying in Frisco which is the hub of Summitt Cty would be convenient if skiing all three areas and the price for condos in Frisco would probably be 20 to 30% cheaper.

Yes, Winter Park is owned by Denver and has been run as a city park for years. Now it's a 50/50 management deal with Intrawest, and they've been doing a lot more to develop the base area. So there's a new Village at the base of WP now. Although it is fledgling, there are good places in operation there already. I would not say it's "More like Snowmass or Copper"-- not at all.

It's a matter of taste which you would prefer. Summit County has all that fmpden describes. There's a lot of development there, including Wendy's and some big stores. Winter Park is more laid-back and 'homegrown' to my way of thinking. Berthoud Pass can intimidate some, and it is to be respected, but we'd always prefer driving it instead of the Eisenhower tunnel, actually. Just feel we have more control on the pass than on the tunnel ascent and descent.

Winter Park, Mary Jane, and the Vasquez section comprise "Winter Park ski area", and they offer any type of skiing you want.