Introduction

I have been skiing in Colorado for over eighteen years and a goal of mine was to ski all the resorts in Colorado, so I did it! I am here to tell you about my experience with the resorts, to help you narrow down your choices to ensure the perfect getaway trip to the mountains in Colorado. Although as I said before, you can make your choice but you cannot control the weather!

There are some resorts I have frequented more often than others due to accessibility. These are the resorts closest to Denver and along the I-70 corridor. Other resorts I only had the opportunity to ski once. For each resort, I will be describing the terrain, lift ticket prices, food and drink prices, free parking, road conditions for traveling to and from the resort, and I will be talking to locals and assessing the general vibe of the resorts. 

For the terrain, I will do my best to cover all of the areas of the resorts. As an advanced skier I do enjoy skiing mainly double black tree runs, moguls and who doesn’t love a good back bowl of a mountain? I am also a ski instructor so I am always looking for areas that are great for kids and those learning how to ski or board. I do partake in some park riding here and there and won’t say no to a good groomed run every now and then.

Free parking at resorts can be a pain to find sometimes, but all resorts do offer free parking. I will give you information on where the free parking is. I will also provide information on the roads getting to the resorts. Most resorts are accessible via winding mountain roads that tend to be snow covered in the winter. Although some can be worse than others, it is always important to have the proper winter equipment for your car.

As for pricing, no matter which resort you go to there is always, what I like to call it, a mountain tax. Lift ticket, rental and lesson prices are usually set prices, but when eating out or grabbing a drink after a great ski day, beware of the mountain tax. It can be more than most expect, but is at every resort. This tax is what helps mountains reopen each winter. Most resorts have cafeterias with food and beverage options. A few resorts do not have any options for food and some have amazing restaurants that really stand out. I will be rating prices of food and drinks from one to three $:

$= beers/pizza slice $5-6, sandwiches/burgers/cocktails $10-13

$$= beers/pizza slice $7-8, sandwiches/burgers/cocktails $13-16

$$$= beers/pizza slice $9-10, sandwiches/burgers/cocktails $16+

Along with food pricing I will add information on prices for tickets, lessons and rentals. For Rental most resorts have packages, which include all required equipment; e.i, skis, boots poles or board and boots. Pricing can play a huge decision on where you choose to ski or board. I have put all the pricing information together so you don’t have to search resort websites for hours searching for their pricing, thus making for an easy comparison.

Colorado has three main season passes that cover multiple mountains; the Epic Pass, Ikon Pass and the Power Pass. The Epic and Ikon passes cover most resorts along I-70, while the Power pass has random mountains throughout Colorado. The Power Pass includes unlimited riding at Purgatory and Hesperus with a few days at Copper, Loveland, Sunlight, Eldora, Cooper, Powderhorn and Monarch. The Power Pass is perfect for skiers and boarders who ride mainly in the San Juan mountain range, i.e. SouthWest Colorado. The Epic Pass has a few options for different passes with different days at resorts, but they mainly cover Vail, Keystone, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Crested Butte and Telluride. The Ikon Pass also has a few different passes but covers Copper, Winter Park, Eldora, the Aspen Mountains and Steamboat. The resorts also offer their own personal season passes, but those who love to ride their favorite mountain all the time.