The Colorado Challenge
Photography Greg Burke
We don’t recommend you try
this. Our mission was to ski the best of the Colorado Rockies in one
week. 126 ski runs for 235,030 total vertical feet of skiing and 24
pillows (4 heads x 6 resorts) later, we were supremely rewarded (and
exhausted) from a phenomenal week.
Each of the six resorts we
encountered would keep you amused for an entire week. Here are some
of the highs and lows of our Colorado frenzy.
Our first stop was Copper.
This 2,450-acre ski resort is a convenient 1 ½ hours from Denver. The
U.S Forest Service deemed Copper, “the most naturally perfect ski mountain
in the country.”
Reason being, Copper’s terrain
is naturally divided among four mountains with gentle beginner terrain
to the west, blue intermediate trails in the middle and black diamond
steeps to the east. This is one reason families love Copper. Another
reason is the Intrawest-designed resort village at the base, complete
with luxurious condos, a heated walkway plaza and underground parking.
We loved Copper’s Super Bee
six-passenger chair that whisks you up 2,300’ of vertical in just over
8 minutes. If we skied this lift all day, we could acquire as much skiing
as two Everest descents. But our duty included checking out some of
the four back bowls and the pleasant cruisers on the mid mountain. Could
have stayed longer…
Our next goal was to conquer
Aspen Skiing Company’s four ski areas. We started with the biggest,
and what we later deemed the best of the four pack, Snowmass. The name
alone implies the size, with 3,010 skiable acres, this beautiful resort
is massive and boasts the most vertical in North America at 4,406’.
The most heavenly skiing we
encountered was on Big Burn, named for the forest fire damage that cleared
all but a sprinkling of towering pines on this perfectly pitched mountain
top acreage. Not only is the skiing sweet, the views of the 14,156’
Maroon Bells and Snowmass Mountain in the distance are fantastic.
Another winner at Snowmass
is the kids’ trail map. Snowmass is the family oriented area of Aspen’s
four, and our kids loved cruising the mountain’s adventure zones, skiing
through an Indian village, and even petting live reindeer on Rudolph’s
Run by following their own animated kid guide.
Snowmass has seven high-speed
quads and tons of terrain for everyone. The Long Shot was our most unique
run, a 10 minute climb (not for everyone) leads you to 3.7 mile adventure
– that feels more out-a-bounds than in.
Aspen Mountain, the original
ski mountain dating back to 1936 and referred to locally as Ajax, is
serviced by the flagship lift, the Silver Queen gondola, that lifts
skiers from the heart of the celebrated town to the summit. Despite
Aspen’s reputation of being a glitzy, catered-to town – the terrain
is steep and shy on groomed ego runs. The gladed chutes at Ajax could
keep you hop turning for a week. Snowboarders are now welcome, since
Aspen lifted the board ban last April Fools’ Day– but timid skiers still
need not apply.
“First tracks” at Aspen is
our best tip for you here. It’s a free service with a lift ticket. You
must sign up two days prior with their ski concierge (only 8 slots),
then you can board the gondola at 8:00am, for fresh tracks with a guide
an hour before the other paying customers. We really scored with seven
inches of freshies on our first track morning. The early morning sun
on the shimmering Aspen groves was worth getting up for, the effortless
turns in the fresh powder was worth flying across the country for.
Another thing we like about
Aspen was that you ski literally in to town. Descending Aspen’s ski
runs, which funnel to a narrow gully, you look down on the quaint Victorian
town. Ski Ruthie’s to the American Downhill course or shop Prada and
the oodles of chi-chi designer shops - that was our conundrum - so we
opted for both!
Highlands was our third stop
among Aspen’s awesome foursome. Highlands has a similarly expert reputation
to Aspen, this is where the local powder hounds ski. The steep mountain
has some of the best inbounds extreme skiing in North America. It’s
lift serviced backcountry style terrain, a sweet blend.
There are a few groomed runs,
to cater to the wallets investing in the rising base village anchored
by a posh new Ritz Carlton. Our thoughts here – Highlands is ideal for
those who like it steep and radical. When you work up an appetite, head
to the Willow Creek grill for lunch at the slopeside Ritz and you’ll
be reminded you’re in Aspen.
Last of Aspen’s mountains is
Buttermilk, which was hosting the X-Games during our visit. This is
the smallest and tamest, a great spot for beginners and kids. We skipped
over Buttermilk because it was heavily populated with gen-Xers for the
big event.
The best oxymoron among Aspenites
is that so few ski. Most people come to see and be seen. This makes
for fantastic un-crowded skiing and admittedly great people watching
with a parade of furs, celebs, and cowboy boots with spurs. Our First
Tracks ski instructor eagerly volunteered that he lives next to the
“Dons,” Henley and Johnson. Name-dropping is all the rage in Aspen.
So here is my attempt. We had a drink with comedian Carrot Top at the swank St. Regis
Hotel Lobby Bar, and apparently
just missed Melanie Griffith who frequents Cindy Crawford and Rande
Gerber’s trendy bar, Whiskey Rocks.
Our next vertical village was
Beaver Creek. This resort could easily pass as Deer Valley’s sister.
Actually, Beaver Creek’s roots are Vail, the nearby sibling resort who
started this resort in 1980. The beautifully designed slopeside village
and impressive hillside mansions, that appear to be never occupied,
are a few clues that this is an upscale gathering ground.
The sculptures and escalators
that line your walk from the underground parking to the high-speed lifts
confirms that they do things to excess here, in a highly enjoyable way.
We fell for Beaver Creek, well
not literally – actually we carved it up for a record day of 34,200’
vertical.
The Centennial lift gave us
plenty of bang for our buck, launching from the base up 2,000’ vertical
in a quick eight minutes. From here we explored meticulously groomed
steep pitches on the front face, and fantastic glade shots, with a quick
pass through the fun kids’ Zoom Room and Rowdy Ridge.
The Birds of Prey area has
“chase your spit” steep runs including the heralded Golden Eagle Downhill
course. Grouse Mountain offers up additional serious fall-line trails.
The western reach of the expansive ski area makes for tamer territory,
a fitting site for a brand new base village called Bachelor Gulch -
the home to tremendous private residences and a Ritz Carlton.
We boarded all six high-speed
quads for run after run on the 1,600 acres of terrain, to formulate
our family conclusion that Beaver Creek has the most consistent fall
line skiing. Also, it has one of the nicest mid-mountain lodges, Spruce
Saddle, with panoramic views of the Rockies outside and a wildlife décor
inside.
Last but not least we skied
Vail, the big daddy of Colorado and North America for that matter. With
5,289 acres and 33 lifts, Vail has the most terrain in the U.S. The
Vail trail map requires three sides.
There’s the Front Side, with
tons of traditional trails served by quads galore and a classy 12-passenger
gondola. Then there’s the beloved Back Bowls, seven of them covering
a six-mile expanse of wide-open, above tree line “ski anywhere you like”
landscape. And there’s Blue Sky Basin and Pete’s Bowl, a third mountain
face added in 2000 which is adventure skiing on uniquely groomed glade
runs.
Vail gets several high marks
–the most, best ski terrain, particularly for the Back Bowl experience.
It is accessible to intermediate and above, all serviced by quads, and
it is inevitably either in the sun or snowing.
The best mountain top lodge
is the Two Elk. Jeers to the environmentalists who burned this magnificent
lodge in 1998 as protest to Vail’s expansion. Cheers to Vail Associates
for rebuilding this monumental on-mountain centerpiece to its previous
perfection in time for the following season.
Vail’s lift system is incredible,
as are the lift status signs at each peak indicating any lift lines
so that you can avoid the crowds. Vail is busy, the words is out, but
with all this terrain, you can find your own pocket – be it western
Game Creek Bowl or eastern Fort Whippersnapper- a terrific model fort
for the kids to explore on skis.
Vail’s Tyrolean village is
chock full of fine lodges, restaurants and bars – all prime real estate
in this 1962 town started by Pete Seibert of the original 10th
Mountain Division.
Vail may also be the best party
town, though Aspen gives it a run. After all the skiing we did, I did
not have the energy to tackle a fair assessment on the nightlife scene.
We came to ski and we were
highly successful, quite high literally too. Skiing at elevations over
10,000’ was an adjustment for we New Englanders who dwell at 20’ above
sea level.
The best gesture we experienced
was water coolers at every turn. It is critical to stay hydrated to
avoid altitude sickness. Our son experienced that woozy feeling on our
first day. The ski patroller informed us that 40% of visitors experience
symptoms, usually on day one due to dehydration, lack of sleep and overexertion.
Our motto for the week – water, water, water – and it worked like a
charm thanks to the gratis water dispenser at every ski resort.
One of our dilemmas of moving
from one resort to the next was remembering our room numbers during
our mega-resort mania combo plate. Having the corresponding trail map
in your pocket was also a challenge. Fortunately all 4 of Aspen’s ski
areas are on one multi-fold map.
I recommend you bring the pace down a notch, settle in to one of these incredible resorts and stay awhile. Pick the resort that suits your personality. Copper would be an ideal family ski vacation spot. Aspen’s four mountains and fabulous ski town will amuse anyone for days, weeks, months. Vail alone takes a week to conquer and with Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe on the same ticket – your boards will be humming.
***
If You Go:
Copper Mountain Resort offers
lift and lodging packages in the well-designed slopeside village, 1-800-458-8368
or www.coppercolorado.com
Aspen Skiing Company lift tickets
are interchangeable at all four mountains and can be purchased with
multi-day savings. 1-800-525-4841 or www.aspensnowmass.com
Snowmass Club, just a short
(free) shuttle from the mountain, has beautiful 1 – 3 bedroom villas,
with all the amenities and services of a full service hotel, including
4 outdoor pools. The concierge will arrange for lift tickets, dinner
reservations, even stock your condo with groceries prior to your arrival.
1-800-525-0710 or www.snowmassclub.com
St Regis Hotel is an elegant
mountain hotel. The location of this downtown Aspen hotel is choice,
and the Ski Butler service means they pamper you from bathrobes to drying
your ski boots. The Hotel’s Lobby Bar and Whiskey Rocks are great for
après people watching.1-888-454-9005 or www.stregisaspen.com
Ski and lodging information
for Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone and Breckenridge: www.vail.com or 1-800-427-8308
Vail Cascade Resort is a four-diamond
resort with its own quad to Vail’s vast terrain. With 291 guestrooms,
a superb restaurant and bar, pools and hot tubs plus a spa, you should
be all set. 1-800-420-2424 or www.vailcascade.com
The Lodge at Vail is a traditional
European style hotel, right in the center of Vail village and closest
to the slopes. 1-800-331-5634 or www.lodgeatvail.com
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