Terrain:
Howelsen Hill is a very small resort but has some fun terrain. Mountain view was my favorite run to do. I was surprised at how playful the terrain could be. I expected the blues to be just groomed runs but they were open runs over fun rolling terrain. This resort is definitely not for beginners. There are a few greens that can take you to the bottom, but the rest of the resort is steep blues and black tree runs. There is also a tiny terrain park with a jump and some rails. To get to the terrain park you have to ski through a black tree run, which is fun and helps keep non-terrain park riders out of the park.
There are two main lifts; Barrows Chair and Schnackenberg Poma lift. When Barrows is not running then you can only use Schnackenberg. This lift is a Poma lift, not a chair lift, which means you put the seat between your legs and the lift pulls you up the mountain. For someone who is not a confident skier or boarder, these lifts tend to be tricky. If you are a beginner who has never used a poma lift before, I would only go to Howelsen hill on the weekends when the chairlift is open and running.
With only one lift running most of the time, you often have to traverse back to the lift. I got stuck a few times on the cat walks trying to get back to the lift. If you are on a board you will most likely have to get a boot out skate back to the lift if you go too far right or left on the resort. Although, the black runs to lookers left of the resort are fun and worth the short skate back to the lift.
Base Elevation – 6,696 ft
Peak Elevation – 7,136 ft
Number of Lifts – 4
Number of Trails – 17
Total Terrain – 50 acres
Easiest Terrain (Greens) – 20%
More Difficult Terrain (Blues) – 30%
Most Difficult Terrain (Blacks) – 50%
Resort Hours – 11am-6pm Tuesday, 11am-8pm Wednesday-Thursday, 11am-6pm Friday, 10-4pm Saturday-Sunday
Atmosphere and Locals:
Because Howelsen Hill has been a resort since 1915, there is a lot of history at the resort. The base lodge has an Olympic hall which shows what Olympians had been through there and commemorates them. The old Olympic jumps are still on the slopes and you can ski under one of them. This gives the resort a historic feel. It was cool to see where Olympains use to train and why Howelsen Hill has been around for so long.
Accessibility and Parking:
Free parking at the base for easy access to the lifts. Howelsen is only a few minutes away from downtown Steamboat Springs so it is easy to get to if you are staying in Steamboat.
Pricing: >$
Lift Tickets –
Adult (19-64): $30
Senior (65+): $20
Youth (6-18): $20
Children (5 and under): $10
Ski Free Sundays
Associated Season Pass – None
Lessons –
None, but Howelsen is home to the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club which uses the hill for training of various winter sports (https://www.sswsc.org/).
Rentals –
No resort rentals, but rentals can be found in town.
For more information visit https://steamboatsprings.net/131/Howelsen-Hill-Ski-Area
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