Vail or Beaver Creek
 

How far is Vail from Aspen? If we stay in Vail, can we rent a car in winter and drive to Aspen for the day? Best resort for 2 middle age "beg/intermediate" skiers who also like cross country/snow shoeing/snow mobiling to go (Vail, Beaver Creek, Telluride) and a great town atmosphere with restaurants? Probably will travel in February... Thanks!

I think Aspen is too far to drive from Vail or Beaver Creek in Winter for a day trip. You have to go west to Glenwood Springs then south. I agree that Beaver Creek has some great green runs at the top of the mountain but I'd vote for staying at Vail. The mountain is huge so there is plenty of intermediate and beginner terrain. It would be better to take the shuttle bus from Vail to Beaver Creek to ski during the day than to take the bus from Beaver Creek to Vail for the nightlife. I think that you can cross country ski at the Vail golf course but I've never done the cross country so I'm not sure on that. I'd mostly pick Vail for the restaurants, night life, etc. It will be less crowded if you avoid President's weekend. I've never been to Telluride so can't comment on that one.

It's about a 2 hour drive to Aspen from Vail. BUT Aspen (Ajax) is 'way beyond beginner/intermediate. It is one steep mountain and the blue/green mountains nearby are not any more desirable than Vail. I love Vail, in particular--lots of blues and greens up at the top. And at the end of the day if you don't want to ski all the way down just take the gondola.

Buttermilk at Aspen is an easy mountain, and Snowmass is a great intermediate. You can drive easily to Aspen from Vail. In good weather it takes an hour to Glenwood Springs where you should go no matter what, especiallly in the evening. Then Aspen is 45 minutes to 1 hour from there in good weather, and mid week no traffic. We drive 2 hrs.for skiing all the time from Denver so it is doable. But, there really is no superior reason for doing so as Vail is a terrific place to ski. For cross country you might want back track toward the Frisco area, or along the golf course at Vail. The back country trails near Vail are pretty steep. I think there is more snowmobiling around Glenwood and Carbondale, but I'm not sure. Telluride is way to far from Vail. I prefer Vail to Beaver Creek for the variety of slopes, but BC tends to be more groomed and more beginner to intermediate. But, you might look at the cost of tickets. Package of tickets offer the best deal while day tickets purchased on the spot with no discount could be $70 at any of those resorts. However, at King Soopers or Safeway grocery stores, you can buy a discount ticket. I also believe you can buy them at the Safeway store in Glenwood or you might be able buy them from Breeze Ski rental from home-check the internet.

Thanks all for your responses. I think we're definitely going to stay in Vail.... Now to find affordable lodging....

Gail, you are sure to have fun. For places to find resonable lodging try http://www.econovail.com also
http://denver.craigslist.org/vac/ sometimes has owners trying to rent out their places last minute.