Ski Trip to Rockies (January)
 

I'm planning a half-ski half-other trip to the rockies and am looking for input as to destination. Timeframe is early January. Right now we're thinking some place in Colorado (Aspen / Vail / Steamboat), Jackson Hole, or Canada (Whistler). We have ~9 days and want to stay in one place for most of the trip (maybe a night or two in airport city). We would like about 4-5 days of skiing with some hiking / sight seeing as well. We also have one non-skier who would like a fun town to spend her days.

Any thoughts?

Breckenridge, CO - Great "real" town, big and diversified ski area. You can fly into either Denver or Vail/Eagle. Aspen is another choice, larger town and much more upscale (too much so, IMO). Many may recommend Whistler. My problem with the area is that it's very prone to rain. When we were there, mid-Jan a few years ago, it rained for 7 days and 7 nts. Very depressing.

Of those that you listed, I would choose Vail. It's a nice in between town as far as atmosphere and activities go. Plus the skiing is great!

I agree with the previous poster that Breckenridge is one of Colorado's best all-around towns for skiing, exploring Summit County and other activities. And it's within easy driving distance to other resorts such as Keystone and Copper Mountain.

Vail and Aspen will have more "other" things to do than Whistler. As noted above, Whistler's weather is more iffy. However, after the bad snow season Whistler had last year, this year should be better.

I would go to Vail if I were you because then you are close enough to Beaver Creek and Breckinridge to explore those areas.

Whistler is pretty self-contained, not a lot of sightseeing. Some nice restaurants and nightclub. Plenty to do in Aspen or Vail for a non-skier. I also like Banff alot, but not in January. When we were there 2 years ago, it was -10 every morning.

Aspen!!! It has the most other stuff to do and a ton of great restaurants. There are (4) different mountains to ski as well.

Vail is also nice with Beaver Creek but is more "touristy" than Aspen IMO.

I love Jackson Hole and going to Yellowstone on an off day would be a HUGE plus. However, it's a small town and options are limited.

All of your choices are good and I've been to all except Whistler. I currently live in Colorado and Vail is nice but more upscale. Breckenridge is very family friendly and the town is just cute!!!! It's close enough too that you could drive to Vail for a day. Having said that, The mountain of Vail is top knotch and by far my favorite. It is HUGE with so much terrain. Isn't it the largest ski resort in the U.S.? On a good powder day, the back bowls are amzing. The town is cute, and there's definitely a lot to do. But Breckenridge is really affordable and like I said, family friendly. Book now. Everything fills up fast!!!!

I vote for Steamboat. More reasonable than the others - extremely nice people and great ski mtn. Small town - far enough from Denver so you don't get the day-trippers, less crowded. You could fly into Steamboat or Denver would be a 3-4 hr drive but is a gorgeous drive. Lower altitude also - in case any of you suffer from altitude sickness. Side note: last trip there we were sitting in a bar/restaurant when a man across the way was waving and saying hello... thought he was waving to someone else. No.. turned out he was the owner of the shop wehre we rented skis a few days prior !! Have fun... Colorado is heavenly !

Each resort has a different personality. Aspen is very fancy, but with Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass (2nd biggest in CO)included in your lift ticket, you can get variety by skiing different mountains. Aspen mountain is mostly expert runs, but Snowmass has great blue "cruisers" for intermediate skiiers. Aspen has great shopping and night life, and a "real town" feel. It is also very expensive.
Vail is huge, and rated #1 in North America. It is a great place if you are going to ski for your entire trip. Vail Village is (to me) a Yuppie-ville, much more focused on appearances. We think it lacks community. It also has a lot of retirees. (My spouse works there)
Steamboat is awesome for families and also has a real, 100 year old town with character. Kids 12 and under ski free with a paying adult. Kids can also fly free with lodging. It has hot springs (2) for alternate days that are a destination all by themselves. People in Steamboat (3rd largest in Colorado) may have the same amount of $$$ as Vail and Aspenites, but they wear Wranglers and cowboy hats, not fur coats. It is pretty laid back and EXTREMELY friendly.
SOOOOO, where you should go depends on if you are taking the family, a girlfriend, or a group of friends intent on partying as hard as you ski. Let us know what you pick!

I completely agree with etpiv's observations. But I think for the non-skier especially, Aspen might be your best choice. If you can afford it, that is. Eating, shopping, lodging-- all are sky-high at Aspen during ski season. But, if you can swing it, I'd suggest you stay in Aspen town so you can literally walk to the Aspen Mountain lift , and your friend would have things to do in walking town while you're skiing.
The Gant is a very good condo/hotel complex that's a short walk from 'downtown' Aspen, and Aspen Square is another nice condo/hotel that's right in Aspen proper. The scenery around Aspen is breath-taking and your friend could find day-trips of interest, too, if there's a car to use.
I'd make reservations ASAP, wherever you end up.

I think the non-skier would be bored in Steamboat.

We live in Denver and have never skiied in Aspen or been to Steamboat during the winter. However, we do have quite a bit of experience with the I-70 resorts.

As a former non-skiier (learned after we moved to Colorado) I can tell you that Breck and the surrounding area has a lot to offer the non-skiier, as well as great terrain for the hotdogs, lol. Vail is huge, but be prepared to park far, far away ad walk/shuttle yourselves extensively. Copper Mountain is our personal favorite, can't beat the friendly employees, many Ozzies and Kiwis among them.

Keystone has a huge outdoor ice rink where you can rent skates. They also have a tubing hill, snowbikes and other non-skiier activities. Vail's Eagle Gondola is free after 2 or 3 pm I believe, and it takes you up to their hilltop activity center as well. Small ice rink, great tube hill, small cafes, snowmobile and snowbike rentals, even a laser tag arena.

As far as Breck, yes the town is awesome! Just a great Victorian-funky quaint ski town. And the best news of all is that you will be in town for Ullr Fest, the annual festivities dedicated to the Nordic god of snow. We attended the parade last year and it is HI-larious! Bring your best Viking hat. Here is a link to some photos from previous years, along with link about Ullr Fest 2006:

http://www.funtripslive.com/co_ski_c...ridge/ullr.htm

http://www.summitcolorado.com/brecke...al-2005-24.php

http://www.gobreck.com/page.php?pnam...ts/annual/ullr

Other activites could include snowshoeing, dog sledding, cross crountry skiing, yurt dining, etc... Just do some searches based on your interests, resorts or businesses close to them offer tons of fun things to do. Have a great time and bring lots of warm clothes, January is COLD.

Wherever you go (unless you have unlimited funds, Aspen shouldn't be on that list, and Vail tickets are also overpriced), check into the pass deals on sale right now. Copper Mt. 4 pass $69, Winter Park/Mary Jane $89 (for these, go to passwagon.com, but they have limited numbers to sell). Keystone/Breck also have 4 packs for about $99--now's the time to buy! Our favorite for 35 yrs is Arapahoe Basin, usually included in the Breck/Keystone tickets (small, very high, very cold, no high-speed lifts--but if you really ski, wow).

Be sure to check the blackout dates for those multi-day lift passes. If you're here after New Year's in January you should be fine.

The blackout days for Copper/Winter Park (which should be about the same as Vail resorts) are:

Dec. 27- Jan. 5
Jan. 14 and 15
Feb. 18 and 19
March 18th and March 25th

If at all possible, I'd avoid these dates anyway.

Winter Park/Copper four-pack blackout dates correction below gives more days in early January than previous post.

From the passwagon.com website:

"Four Passes valid for one person, per day. Excluding: Dec 27-31, 2005; Jan 14-15, 2006 and Feb 18-19, Mar. 18 and 25, 2006.
OFFER EXPIRES OCTOBER 16, 2005."

The Keystone/Breck 4 packs have to be purchased in person by the person using the pass. That offer also expires 10/16/05.

wtm003... is this new? the Keystone/Breck 4 pass has never been tied to a specific person in the past.
I always buy a bunch for out of state friends to use when they visit.

I agree about the Breckenridge area. Cute shops in the towns and a large outlet mall in Silverthorne. Hiking was mentioned. Not sure how that will work out with the snow cover. By the way, in Dillon, there is ashop where you can buy a "pass for the day" at a discount. They are personal passes donated to a charity who "leases" them for the day.

Julie, see the attached link:

http://www.snow.com/passsales/info/4pack.asp

I didn't realize this until I went to Park Meadows yesterday to pick up a pass for my husband. Now he has to make a trip to the mall & they are only for sale on Friday, Saturday & Sunday. I had no trouble buying a couple of Winter Park passes at King Soopers.

If you have a different result let me know.

In case this applies to anyone here, I posted this message on another thread:

There's a special offer now for college students who open new accounts at Wells Fargo banks in Colorado. They will get vouchers for two SuperPasses for the price of one ($329), good at both Winter Park and Copper. I think the students need to go together in person before November 27, to purchase the passes and get photos taken. They need to show college IDs. It's not clear if the colleges have to be Colorado schools, but I was told not. Best to call the season pass offices for details.

Aspen CAN be as expensive as you want it to be. It does not HAVE to be expensive, especially if you aren't going the week between Christmas and NYE. My dad is a barber, my mom a teacher (you know, blue collar/ middle class) and they started taking our family to Aspen for Christmas over 25 years ago. I'm still a middle class, midwestern girl and take my family for at least a week each Christmas without breaking the bank. And my parents are retired now and are still managing their own yearly trips to Aspen on their retirement funds.

The varied skiing, the great restaurants in ALL price ranges, and the beautiful old silver mining town make Aspen my favorite of all that have been mentioned (not been to Whistler because of the reputation fort wet snow, rainy weather, and an often unskiable bottom part of the mountain).

There are ridiculously expensive fur and jewelry shops and art galleries that are just plain vicarious fun. There are also shops you can afford regardless of your bank account. I don't go on vacation to do actual shopping anyway so its alot more fun to window shop in Aspen where there are beautiful clothes and artwork to see. I did have my engagement ring reset by a local Aspen jeweler and his prices were better than what I could get at the nicer jewelry stores in Indianapolis.

When we want to stay inexpensively in the Aspen area we stay at Pokolodi Lodge just a 300 yard walk from the slopes at Snowmass. It is typically $79-129/nt for two queen beds (and a pretty lame breakfast of cold cereal, pop tarts, coffee, milk and juice) except for the very highest week between XMas & NYE. This Christmas we're paying $159/nt.

Pokolodi Inn is definitely the least expensive place to stay in the area but there are a number of moderate lodges in Snowmass and Aspen. Go to www.aspensnowmass.com (then click Plan & Buy, then Stay Here) and look at places like Mountain Chalet, Tyrolean Lodge, Limelite Lodge, Molly Gibson Lodge, Chalet Lisl, & Boomerang Lodge in Aspen then click Snowmass Village and check out the hotels and lodges. Condos are typically a bit more expensive but can still be affordable.

For an idea of available restaurants click on Events & Activities then In Town Activities then Dining to look at restaurants. Many have links to the restaurant websites which include menus. Yes, you can eat expensively but you do not HAVE to do so. Even the best Aspen restaurants don't rival NYC or Chicago fine dining prices.

Aspen has no daytrippers so the mountains and ski lifts are never crowded. There is a great free shuttle that connects all four mountains. Aspen is a 4 hr drive from Denver or you can fly right into Aspen from Denver (or on America West thru Phoenix).

Aspen seems to be a town people either love or hate with few in the middle ground. Guess you can tell which side of the fence I'm on.

On Snowmass Mtn. my whole family LOVES the long blue, wide open cruiser runs on Elk Camp and then we go on down through the Two Creeks Area to the base. Makes for some great long runs.

If you happen to be in Colorado in October or November, the best deal for skiing Aspen is to pick up one of their 4 or 7 day Classic Passes. Both are good at any of the 4 Aspen mountains. There are NO BLACKOUT DATES. The 4 day pass is $139 for adults, and $109 for ages 7-17 or college students 24 years old or younger. The 7 day pass is $219 for adults and $169 for 7-17 year olds and college students. You have to purchase them IN PERSON and get your picture taken at selected sale locations:

10/15 & 10/16: Christy Sports in Boulder
10/22 & 10/23: Christy Sports @ Denver West, and WestStar Bank in Glenwood Springs.
10/29 & 10/30: Christy Sports in Cherry Creek Shopping Mall (Denver), and Gene Taylor's in Grand Junction.
11/4 - 11/6: Colorado Snowsports Expo in Denver, and the Buttermilk ticket office.
11/12 & 11/13: WestStar Bank in Edwards, and Christy Sports at Flatiron Crossings Mall (Denver).
11/19 & 11/20: Christy Sports in Park Meadows Mall (Denver).

This is the 4th year they have been offering these passes. The first year they were $99 for adults and allowed you to ski 2 days over Thanksgiving in addition for free. Well, they've gone up in price $10 every year, and they've dropped the 2 free Thanksgiving days, BUT they still allow you to ski the Aspen area with no blackout dates for only $39 per day.

Thank you all for your suggestions. We ended up settling on Steamboat and are looking forwad to a great time!