Hi I am thinking of taking a ski vacation next christmas break. What is the best area for a family with kids 10 and 12 years old that is a nice resort with a nice town? Also, do you recommend any specific condo complexes and why?
Thanks........

Sorry I am thinking of Colorado and probably flying into denver airport.

Hi there. You?re going to get many differing opinions. Depends on your level of skier, your budget, and car or not.

Keystone rates very high for families. Vail is great for more advanced skiers and if budget is not a worry. I have a place at Keystone we bought there because we like all the amenities that Keystone offers in addition to the skiing. It is easy to get around; everyone can come and go as they please. Condos that are close to the lifts, all condos at River Run are near the Gondola. Note that many will advertise themselves as ski in/ski out but really only Timbers and Lone Eagle are. Those are also very pricey. Others that are close is Key Condos, good location as it is at the less busy Mountain House base, plus if your kids are in ski school much less hassle at the one at Mountain House than the River Run area. Key Condos are close to River Run too making it a very convenient location. Key Condos are moderately priced. Then Ironwood, located next to Key Condos again very nice, pricey but not as much as the Timbers/Lone Eagle.

Your smart to start thinking about Christmas now, most of the better condos will be booked by Sept no matter the ski area you choose.

coskier, You obviously know your colorado. We are all beginner skiers(my husband would say more intermediate-ha ha.)Is Breckenridge nice? Tell me more about Keystone. How far is it from Denver? Is there a nice little town to walk around in at night? You say the condos are family friendly-Do they have special things going on at Christmastime? Also, how cold is it in Dec-Jan? Is it absolutely freezing? Also, what is the price range for a two bedroom condo for the week after Christmas thanks...

While I like Keystone, the snow there is not as abundant as the surrounding area (sad but true). Thus you'll hear a lot of people complain about the icy conditions at Keystone. However, if there's plenty of snow like when we were there last year, it is very nice. Breckenridge is nice as is Vail (I love it but it is pricey as noted above). We're heading to Winter Park next weekend (never been but have heard wonderful things by a lot of different people) and will post something about our findings when we return.

You can't go wrong at any of the major ski areas in Colorado. Keystone, Breckenridge, Winter Park, Steamboat, Aspen, Vail. All have many things to do to keep the kids busy, and if you have a car, Keystone, Breck,Copper and Vail are within a short driving distance from each. If you are going for two weeks, a stop at Glenwood Hot Springs is well worth it. Check www.vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owners) for some nice condos. Decide whether or not you want to be in town, or outside of town (cheaper,but easy drive) Most condo complexes seem to be kept up pretty well, from the simple to the luxury. As for icy conditions-in general, if it is icy in one area, it is probably icy in another. Steamboat or Winter Park could have a little different conditions than the others, but usually the same storms hit all of central colorado. In December, it is always a little more iffy with ski conditions because the snow doesn't really fall a lot until the end of Jan. But, there could be and usually is a good snowfall during the Christmas break. All the areas have great grooming, so icy conditions that make it so difficult to ski are an exception rather than the rule.

We have found Keystone to be icy when Breckenridge and Copper are not, so we only go to Keystone when the conditions are excellent. Just a personal preference.

If you stay in Frisco or Dillon, the condos are cheaper, but you're pretty centrally located to several resorts. We found Mountainview in Frisco quite suitable for our family.

Vail and Breckenridge are the best towns to wander about in the evening, and although they can be pricey, not all accomodations are.

One of our favorite ski areas is Winter park, although there isn't juch town to pseak of. Our favorite place to saty is the Timber House Ski Lodge, where breakfast, afternoon snacks and dinner are included. It's so easy and relaxing for me, the mom.

We just got back from Breckenridge and Beaver Creek. We are beginner skiers. We spent a weekend in Breckenridge and it is a great town to walk around-- it has some of its Victorian character left, lots of shops, a river, beautifully lit up at night. We stayed in a comfortable condo walking distance to town. We only skied for one day at breckenridge and it seems that there isn't much for beginners although it was a good first day of the season. Beaver Creek, on the other hand, is perfect for beginners (as well as more advanced skiers), it is beautiful, compact, escalators, fresh cookies, upscale but friendly, incredible scenery. There was an article in the New York Times this past Friday (in the escapes section) which included it among the best resorts for families. We stayed nearby in Minturn and spent most evenings in Vail (fun to walk around, free gondola ride to top or mountain with ice skating, snow tubing). But Vail seems like it could be overwhelming, especially at a crowded time like christmas.

Go to Steamboat! They have a great town and kids 12 and under ski and rent FREE!! There are a lot of blue 'cruiser' trails that are perfect for families. Because of the Kids Ski Free program, there are many families. We were there over Christmas this past year and it was perfect!! The drive from Denver airport is a a bit more than some of the other resorts, but is very doable. It is about 160 miles, so takes between 3-4 hours depending on the snow conditions on the roads.

Hi, I posted a trip report on my trip to Crested Butte, Colorado if you're interested. We went in the beginning of January and it was one of our best vacations. If you do a search on Crested Butte it will pop up. Snow wise, apparently CB is always a good bet. It dumped 46 inches the week we were there! Also great skiing for beginner and intermediates.

Hello again. Breck is a fun town but I do not care for it to ski, especially for beginners at that time of year. Keystone is a resort not a town, we have spent the past several Holidays at Keystone and I wish they did more "holiday" things. Expect to pay about 300.00 a night for a 2 bed 2 bath condo at Keystone for dates of 12-26 though the first of the year. Right before Christmas and leaving on the 26th will be much less. As to temps who knows it can be mild around 30's or freezing around 10, temps change fast. This weekend Sat was in the 40's Sunday in the 20's today colder still.

Keystone can get icy though all areas can. The past 2 Saturdays I skied at Beaver Creek, the groomers were icy the bumps nice. Skied Keystone the past 2 Sundays, just the opposite, groomers very nice, bumps icy.

Just a note to all, Keystone does get less snow typically, but they have the most snowmaking. Also they need much less snow to open most runs. They have mowed down and removed much debris so for instance say Vail needs 40 inches to open advanced terrain, Keystone only needs about 20. Hope that makes sense. Due to the snowmaking Keystone usually will have more beginner terrain open early in the season than some of the other resorts.

Steamboat is a great area. I think you would like it. I have never been there during the holidays so cannot say much about that. I would not do the drive from Denver, however. The pass is quite long and can be treacherous. Also the highway goes through pretty remote areas without cell phone coverage so if you need help, help can be a long time coming. You can fly into Hayden though which is very close to the ski area making it an easy destination. Drawback is that I have found lodging to be higher than Summit County with lift tickets higher too. It is easy to find discounted lifts to all the Summit County Resorts. Not so much at Steamboat.

Take a look at www.summitnet.com they have information on all the Summit resorts. They have both activities and lodging information that might be helpful.

Forgot, Keystone is about 90 min from the airport in light traffic.