roger

Where should I go in Colorado? This will be my first trip. I hear the Summit is good. I understand that is Copper, Breckenrikge and Keystone? Vail ,I am told is further away. Which resort is the nicest to stay for an old first timer..Thank you

Kristi

My husband now went out to Vail for culinary school and I had the opporotunity to visit him a number of times and i LOVE IT! It is a beautiful little ski village not as ultra pricey as Aspen. It is in close proximity to Breckenridge and Beaver Creek so it might be nice to see more than one resort while you are out there...have fun!

barbara

Breckenridge is an adorable little village in its own right, so there is much more to do when one is not skiing than there is in Vail, however, Vail is larger and more diverse in terms of skiing, I belive. I believe the ski lift pass that you purchase is good on various mountains -- breck, keystone and others, so you can vary your trip. Also, the drive between Breck and Vail is less than an hour, and quite do-able.

lenleigh

I personally prefer Keystone and Breck.Breckenridge has a fun town and is very close to Keystone. They both have a good variety of runs. If you are looking for really easy skiing I would suggest Winter Park, they have a lot of runs that don't have much of an incline to them. Vail is nice and definitly has a lot of runs but is further (about 45 min to an hour) from Breck and Vail tends to be more expensive. Copper is a little farther than Breckenridge (heading towards vail) and they have good runs but some are more dificult and they dont have as much of a town as Breckenridge has.Dont know when you are thinking of going but Jan/Feb is a better time to go, even March. I didnt go up this year but from what I heard the snow wasnt very good in the early season.

eric

Vail is great and so is Beaver Creek. Fly into Eagle and bypass the 1.5 hour drive from Denver. I guess further is in the eye of the beholder and Denver is not always the closest city to great skiing in CO.

xxx

Aspen is great. You have four mountains within half an hour of eachother... all have very different personalities and the town of Aspen is loads of fun and more authentic than Vail/Summit...

coskier

Hi Roger, well it depnds on if you want to drive or park your car and stay put.

Vail first choice no matter, pricey though depends on your budget.

Then well it all depends on the snow, I like Keystone the most of the Summit County Resorts. Breck is very crowded and gets windy. Copper is good but the village is pretty small.

If you want to ski em all stay central, Frisco, Silverthorne but you will need a car.

Which is nicest? Vail hands down. You might take a look at www.summitnet.com as it has information on all the resorts.

sn

Keystone is a poor excuse for a ski mountain. By "further away" I guess you mean the Denver airport and frankly, all of Summit County is now far away due to horrendous trafic and that monstrosity of an airport that's closer to Kansas than Denver. I'd fly to Aspen or even Eagle--you can go direct into places like these from cities like Chicago and Dallas during ski season. In my opinion, Beaver Creek is preferable to Vail--all the terrain with less of a crowd which might be more satisfying for an "old first timer". Of course, the southern resorts of Crested Butte and Telluride are even better.....

gb

All the resorts are great. Each has its own uniqueness. Vail definitely has the most diverse terrain and the longest runs for intermediate skiers (with the exception of Snowmass). Vail is expensive in lodging, parking, food. It is not further away from the airport in time unless road conditions are bad. Keystone has the most variety for the less advanced skier. Keystone tends to be very crowded near the bottoms of trails.Prices for everything is a little lower than Vail. There isn't much of a "town" in Keystone. Breckenridge is the most versatile town. With it western style look, shops typical in the style of a town, many reasonable restaurant, Breckenridge offers a lot apres ski. As for the ski slope, I personally do not like to ski Breckenridge. I have found the lift system to be inconvenient and often have difficulty getting back to where I came from (unless things have change in recent years). And I found that the lift lines seem to be slower. Copper Mountain is another alternative for skiing. Discount found in Denver have been good in the last few year. The slopes are varied, and the lift system moves people quickly. I don't think any choice is bad. But, if money was not a concern, I'd choose Vail.

skier

Another vote for Crested Butte and Telluride.

melinda

Need to know if you want to be pampered,if you want a resort or a ski town, do you want easy or crazy runs, if long ski lines is something you want to avoid, if scenery is impotant or if you want a party or sleepy town or ease of getting there and such. ALl of Colorado is gorgeous but I think Aspen and Telluride are really extra pretty while Crested Butte has great restaurants and a real Colorado feel etc. We need to know your wants. I like to be out in the middle of nowhere with few people and gorgeous scenery and could care less about nightlife as I am dead tired at night so that is why Telluride is my favorite and the fact that it is in a box canyon which makes it so pretty. I think Beaver Creek is the fine pampering place with beginning runs on top of the mountain. I have never been but you will find info on this site.