Coskier

The hustle bustle of Summit County? That cracks me up.

We spend most weekends in Summit, like Grasshopper in Keystone. With the exception of peak weekends it is pretty darn sleepy. Maureen maybe the intersection of 1-70 and hwy 6 meets your description other than that I found your summit county unrecognizable from mine.

To each his own, thankfully, or we would all end up in the same place.

needthemountain

We need the help of all of you Coloradians. We are going on our first ski trip to Colorado March 31. We love Sun Valley, laid back, wide, smooth, intermediate to advanced runs. Don't need lots of night life, but do enjoy walking and shopping quaint towns and good restaruants. Can't stand snobs and crowds. Thanks for any input!

Ani

BeanMan:
I'm also a RMHS grad ('89)-such a small world! I, however, went to U of Wyo

MaureenB

Are you flying in? What length of stay?
For quaint towns, Crested Butte is charming. Or Telluride. Or Steamboat Springs. You might research the snow conditions at each different mountain in late March. With its south-facing slopes, Steamboat can be slushy in the afternoons with chunks of ice in the mornings-- not fun.

ElendilPickle

Maureen, thanks for the camp suggestion. I'll mention it to the people who are in charge of planning.

Lee Ann

needthemountain

We are flying into Denver, so a resort within 1-2 hour drive would be desireable. We will have 3 days to play. So far, Winter Park or Copper Mountain seem to fit the criteria, but we need first hand opinions. Thanks!

MaureenB

Will you have a car? If not, you can take a shuttle from DIA to Summit County, which run rather frequently, I think. Or the train to Winter Park, except you would need to take a shuttle from DIA to the downtown Union Station to catch Amtrak. Amtrak's California Zephyr to Winter Park/Fraser goes up at 8:20a.m. and departs for the return trip around 4:30pm. It's $33OW, as I recall.

For a quaint town about 2 hours from Denver (a bit longer from DIA), you might look into staying at Breckenridge. That town has a Victorian influence and lots of restaurants and lodging to choose from. And you could ski at Copper, Keystone, Breckenridge or Arapahoe. The good thing about that plan is that Arapahoe is open later in the season because it's higher. End of March can be iffy, but you'd have four mountains to choose from, and a nice non-snobby atmosphere. It might be spring break, so prepare for crowds, though. You could even drive the extra 30 minutes or so to Vail.

MaureenB

P.S. That's $33 OW, of course (not $330!)

MaureenB

ttt

coteacher

I laugh as I read this thread. I am an ex-New Yorker living in Colorado (suburban-not mountains) and when I first came here in 1992 to now -- huge change! Not only has the population doubled but once vacant areas are now filled in.
No offense, could never live in the mountains, you guys get way too much snow and cold--a reason why I left NY. Also I hate to drive to far to go to the market....but nevertheless, love it here in Colorado.

flamingomonkey

The real question is Colorado versus Dallas. Personally I'd rather vacation in Dallas, which is of course substantially the same as Colorado. For that matter, it also has a striking similiarity to Maui and Alaska. In fact, the only place that Dallas doesn't resemble is Chicago.

flamingomonkey

I'm sorry, I know it's off topic and I should just let it go. I don't know what got into me.

MaureenB

flamingomonkey, I don't get it. Off topic, but also maybe an inside joke?

seniormsuedu

there is a humungous post on whether chicago or dallas has more to offer. the vote is about 20,000 for chicago to one for dallas. got pretty tiresome!

BetsyG

Needthemountain - I, too, vote for Breckenridge. I think there is more of a town than Copper or Winter Park.

Stephie

Maureen, thanks for your perspective. While I too like the rugged, more rural Colorado best, thank GOD for I-70. It has made travel thru the mountains so easy. The construction in some places (Glenwood Springs) is amazing and the tunnels thru the mountains are impressive too.

However, we are choosing Crested Butte for our ski trip this year because we want a contrast to Copper/Summit county for a nice change. I'm looking forward to our drive south of Summit County thru Colorado Springs and west along smaller highways and thru less populated countryside to get there.

MaureenB

Stephie, Crested Butte is a great choice. That part of the state still maintains the more rugged and rural aspects of Colorado, also. We haven't been there for years, but did spend a few Christmases there before we bought our place in Grand County. You will love it there. Try to remember to post a travel report, ok?

BeanMan

Crested Butte should be a good choice this year. The snow conditions are much better in the southern/Central mountains this year than the Summit area or Steamboat. That could change of course but for now it is true