Steamboat

Terrain:

When arriving at Steamboat, the resort does not seem as big as it really is. Everytime I visit Steamboat I can always find new and exciting runs to take, different areas to explore and people to meet. With my latest exploration of Steamboat I found some great advanced terrain I never knew existed until I searched the map repeatedly. These were the runs off of Mt. Werner and the Christmas Tree Bowl chutes. For the Mt Werner runs you do have to hike to the terrain which makes these runs have very limited traffic, so you usually have the runs to yourself. My favorite run over here was No Names, which did have some cliffs and chutes that open up between tree runs. The Christmas Tree Bowl and Chutes can be accessed from the Morningside Lift in the back down and don’t require any hiking.

Another advanced terrain area that rarely sees traffic are the runs off of Pony Express Lift on the far North East side of Steamboat.  Morningside Park or the back bowl of Steamboat is another fun advanced area. Although the lift line can get quite long and lift tends to stop often which makes lapping the back bowl often burdensome, especially on a great champagne powder day.

Since Steamboat is so vast and open, it may seem like there are a lot of people at the base but once everyone gets skiing, you often find runs open to you. But it does tend to funnel tons of people into certain areas which can create higher traffic volume and longer lift lines. Otherwise Steamboat is strewn with tons of great blacks and blues all over the resort. This resort is a great place to just pick any lift, see where it takes you and choose a run. I love getting lost and exploring Steamboat but, do beware there are not that many green runs. If you are a beginner skier make sure to check the map so you do not get stuck somewhere you are not comfortable going down.

Steamboat also has some fun terrain parks, but most are hidden around the resort. The smaller terrain park at the base is my favorite for rails and the mini pipe is quite fun. This park does get very crowded because it is so easily accessible. Be patient with the features you want to hit. This park is also a part of the night skiing terrain so you can hit this park all day and into the night if you want. For the rest of the terrain parks, I always tend to run into them randomly while exploring the rest of the mountain. For bigger jumps go to the Rabbit Ears Terrain Park which you can get to from Bashor Lift or taking the run Yoo Hoo from Cristie III lift. The last terrain park, Rough Riders Fun Park has small features for beginner park riders. Many people do not come to Steamboat for the park, but they are fun to ski in every now and then.

Base Elevation – 6,900 ft

Peak Elevation – 10,568 ft

Number of Lifts – 18

Number of Trails – 169

Total Terrain – 2,965 acres

Easiest Terrain (Greens) – 14%

More Difficult Terrain (Blues) – 42%

Most Difficult Terrain (Blacks)  – 44%

Resort Hours – 8:30am-4pm Daily

Atmosphere and Locals:

Steamboat has the infamous champagne powder, for which the locals rave about, and it is true. I have had the lovely opportunity to ski this champagne powder and it is addicting. It feels like you’re surfing in skis. The snow is so light and fluffy you feel like you could ski anything. It’s hard to leave the mountain at the end of the day, which is why people chose to make Steamboat their permanent home mountain.

There tends to be a decent amount of tourists at Steamboat, because Steamboat is not a resort you would usually make a day trip to, but instead spend a weekend with friends or family. The downtown area is always hustling and bustling with excited skiers and boarders. Since you usually spend a few days at Steamboat, most people on the mountain are having fun in groups and enjoying the great terrain with their friends and family. Steamboat is one of my favorite places to take my family weekend ski trip.

Accessibility and Parking:

There are two free parking lots; Upper Knoll lot and The Meadows lot. The Upper Knoll lot you are able to walk to the base of the resort. For the Meadows lot, there is a free shuttle that will take you to the base. There are other paid parking lots that are closer to the base as well. Finding parking is not as easy as most other resorts where you can just drive up to the base and find something. Steamboat resort is surrounded by hotels, condos and many other great ski-in, ski-out housing. This tends to make driving to the base a touch confusing.

Steamboat is the furthest north Colorado resort and is secluded. This lowers the traffic and crowds at Steamboat, but it can be difficult to get to. Coming from Denver you can take I-70 to HWY 9 or coming from Fort Collins you can take Rabbit Ears Pass HWY 14. These routes go through mountain passes that can be sketchy in snow storms, so always be careful and watch the weather. Steamboat is about 3 hours from Denver and 3.5 hours from Fort Collins. When visiting Steamboat, it is best to stay at the resort and enjoy the mountain life. 

Pricing: $$

Lift Tickets – 

Adult (13-69): $215 

Senior (70+): $205

Children (5-12): $149

4 and Under: $10

Associated Season Pass – Ikon Pass

Lessons – 

Adult First Time: $289

Adult Group (18+): $289

Children Group(1st grade-17): $289

Rentals – 

Sport: $41.65

All-Mountain: $50.15

Demo: $58.65

Junior: $28.90

For more information visit https://www.steamboat.com/