Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.
Colorado snow trip....where? Suggestions? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter eoMMan
- Start date
Parrothead
Footballguy
If you aren't skiing, then I'd say Estes Park / Rock Mtn National Park..
![[icon]](/data/avatars/m/5/5167.jpg?1660313464){kind=avatar}
Drifter
Footballguy
If you can, push it to March or at least late February. February is actually a pretty dry month. You can lucky, but March is all about the powder.
I always push Steamboat Springs - great little town, awesome mountain, tons of snow (in March), natural hot spring nearby and lots of alternative activities on Rabbit Ears pass (snowmobiling, x-country, etc). The drawback is it's a little further from Denver (3 hours depending on weather), it's just one small ski town so variety is somewhat limited.
Summit County (Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin) is convenient and has a lot of variety with all 4 mountains being pretty close to each other and only 90 minutes to 2 hours from Denver.. Breck has a great village, lots of shopping in the area, etc.
Vail is awesome and also a fantastic mountain. Good village - larger than Steamboat - and more expensive.
Off the beaten path, there's Aspen, Telluride and Crested Butte all of which have things going for them but the 3 above are probably more inline with someone just starting to explore Colorado.
I always push Steamboat Springs - great little town, awesome mountain, tons of snow (in March), natural hot spring nearby and lots of alternative activities on Rabbit Ears pass (snowmobiling, x-country, etc). The drawback is it's a little further from Denver (3 hours depending on weather), it's just one small ski town so variety is somewhat limited.
Summit County (Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin) is convenient and has a lot of variety with all 4 mountains being pretty close to each other and only 90 minutes to 2 hours from Denver.. Breck has a great village, lots of shopping in the area, etc.
Vail is awesome and also a fantastic mountain. Good village - larger than Steamboat - and more expensive.
Off the beaten path, there's Aspen, Telluride and Crested Butte all of which have things going for them but the 3 above are probably more inline with someone just starting to explore Colorado.
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
Aspen all the way.
bierfiend
Footballguy
A lot of great options to choose from....
- i am a big fan of vail/beaver creek (resemble austrian ski towns).
- winter park is not far from denver (can take a train to the town)
- cested butte- was far for me. never been, but good reports
- love telluride- again, pretty remote
- steamboat- i like the mountain. did not love the town
summit county:
- with it just being you and the mrs, give the ski tip a look. cute lodge in keystone.
- breckenridge has a nice hill and town
- copper- reminds me of a more challenging keystone
summit is about 30 min to vail, so you could stay at one and check out the various mountains or towns rather easily. from 01-11 i lived in breck and worked in vail. when you get a little closer to a decision, i am happy to offer dining/bar recs, though i know there have been wonderful new additions since i moved back west.
Prost!
- i am a big fan of vail/beaver creek (resemble austrian ski towns).
- winter park is not far from denver (can take a train to the town)
- cested butte- was far for me. never been, but good reports
- love telluride- again, pretty remote
- steamboat- i like the mountain. did not love the town
summit county:
- with it just being you and the mrs, give the ski tip a look. cute lodge in keystone.
- breckenridge has a nice hill and town
- copper- reminds me of a more challenging keystone
summit is about 30 min to vail, so you could stay at one and check out the various mountains or towns rather easily. from 01-11 i lived in breck and worked in vail. when you get a little closer to a decision, i am happy to offer dining/bar recs, though i know there have been wonderful new additions since i moved back west.
Prost!
ChiefD
Footballguy
Drifter
Footballguy
How important is the town to you? ie - nightlife, shopping, etc. If it's important, do Summit County. If a smaller town but better mountain and surrounding area is tops, then go with Steamboat Springs. I'm assuming you don't want to spend the dow or travel time for Aspen and travel time x2 for Telluride.
bierfiend
Footballguy
Somewhat important. I think Keystone was the one that my wife was eyeing up when she did some preliminary research. I think we both want the town/community/village to be relatively close (walking distance) to where we are staying. It would be nice to not have to rent a car and just get a shuttle or cab to and from the airport.
We're not huge partiers who plan on staying out to 2 AM clubbing, by the way.
siffoin
Footballguy
Is one of the primary reasons for choosing Colorado over other Rocky Mountain states - legalized weed?
Drifter
Footballguy
You want a car if you want to do some of the other things available (like cross country skiing or snow mobiling). It will also give you more flexibility in going out to eat and shopping. I think Breck is the best self contained little town, and while Keystone is a better mountain, for you guys, it wouldn't matter much. Still, I'd be aiming for seeing if you can get a condo and a car.
bierfiend
Footballguy
many other things to do than ski/board:
sled, skate, dogsled, carriage rides, bars/restaurants, ice fish, hike, snowshoe, CC ski, snow mobile
all of the towns offer something a little different. they are so close that you can check them out..... also, not sure of your duration, but a night or two in denver is pretty fun as well.
Last edited by a moderator:
siffoin
Footballguy
Not to throw a wrench in your plans (and Colorado is AWESOME), but because you don't smoke and for what you want - why not consider a place like Jackson Hole.
1) Fun town.
2) Snowmobiling to a place like Old Faithful will beat any snowmobile trip in Colorado. (other options might be a place like Granite Hot Springs - or up the pass to the Idaho side. Though I've never done it personally there- I'd imagine backcountry snowshowing would be epic.
3) Targhee (on the Idaho side of the Tetons but maybe an hour drive) has just amazing powder pretty much all the time. It's not a steep "resort" so ideal for someone at an intermediate level boarder/skier. Jackson is a TOP ski resort, but make no mistake it is steep.
4) Wildlife
5) As incredible as the mountains are in Colorado - the scenery/views of the Tetons in winter time are 10x.
Kev4029
Footballguy
I fully agree with this. I frequent Summit and Eagle Counties on a dozen or so weekends a year, and while we end up skiing Keystone or Vail more often than Breck, we spend more time in the town of Breckenridge. IMO, Breckenridge is the best ski town in Colorado if you aren't looking to spend a lot of money. Dozens of restaurants and bars (and Breckenridge Distillery which they claim is the highest in the world), some decent shopping, and pretty much everything is within walking distance.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
I'll second that for Keystone. Was there about 5 years ago. Great place. Winterpark isn't too bad either, but there are some spots that aren't fun for boarders. I remember this one traverse where I was on my toe edge for over a minute crossing a big expanse...f-ing killed my toes.
ffldrew
Footballguy
If you want to have a great time at Keystone River Run - grab a beer at the end of the day(maybe smoke a bowl) and watch people come down the icy face under the gondola. Tons of beginners are coming down real slow and wiping out and sliding down the hill and they take out other skiers - it's like bowling and it is hilarious. You get a Warren Miller movie live.
Last edited by a moderator:
FreeBaGeL
Footballguy
I'm a total skinerd now but 2 years ago I had never done it before and went to Breckenridge. I can see now why major skinerds aren't usually huge fans of the mountain but it was perfect for us as noobs. The village is expensive to stay at but you can find plenty of really nice alternatives on VRBO for cheap that are walkable both to the slopes and the town (bars, restaurants, etc). At the time we could've given two ####s about the skiing part of it but we just loved being in the town during winter. And the skiing ended up awesome as Breckenridge has some really great terrain for never-evers. My sister in law still gets frustrated whenever she comes out here to Utah because the terrain is too difficult for her, but she was floating around and having a good time on the gentle terrain at the bottom of Breck her first time out.
I don't really know much about the snowmachine, snow-shoeing, and cross country options there though. I will say that visually it's not as spectacular as some places might be. I mean, for an east coaster it's still going to be awesome but the mountains are a little more rounded towards the top there and there aren't really the jagged, super sharp looking rocky peaks.
Another quick note about snowboarding vs. skiing. If you're only going to spend 1 or 2 days on the slopes I would strongly advise skiing over boarding. Unless you're a 15 year old kid that enjoys falling hard on your face, the first couple days of snowboarding are very much putting in work to get to the fun part. If you're only going to do it for 2 days then you'll probably be getting to the fun part right when you're getting ready to leave. Meanwhile, on skis you can probably progress far enough to have fun cruising down a green run within a couple hours of your first day out there.
I'll also second the recommendation of Jackson if you would really put the skiing part of the trip down towards the bottom of the list. The scenery there is incredible with the Tetons and the town of Jackson is a great spot. You can't go wrong with either there or Breckenridge.
I don't really know much about the snowmachine, snow-shoeing, and cross country options there though. I will say that visually it's not as spectacular as some places might be. I mean, for an east coaster it's still going to be awesome but the mountains are a little more rounded towards the top there and there aren't really the jagged, super sharp looking rocky peaks.
Another quick note about snowboarding vs. skiing. If you're only going to spend 1 or 2 days on the slopes I would strongly advise skiing over boarding. Unless you're a 15 year old kid that enjoys falling hard on your face, the first couple days of snowboarding are very much putting in work to get to the fun part. If you're only going to do it for 2 days then you'll probably be getting to the fun part right when you're getting ready to leave. Meanwhile, on skis you can probably progress far enough to have fun cruising down a green run within a couple hours of your first day out there.
I'll also second the recommendation of Jackson if you would really put the skiing part of the trip down towards the bottom of the list. The scenery there is incredible with the Tetons and the town of Jackson is a great spot. You can't go wrong with either there or Breckenridge.
Buckfast 1
Footballguy
I agree with everything in this post.
I was going to recommend Breckenridge for what you are looking for. I think it has some good runs to learn how to ski/snowboard, and it is one of my favorite ski towns in Colorado. I can give you some restaurant/bar recommendations in Breckenridge if you end up going there.
Ditkaless Wonders
Footballguy
Woke up in Grand County this morning. 6 inches of snow fell overnight.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
Amen to this...I never did winter sports. When I first started dating my now-wife, she invited me to go snowboarding with her family up in NY. I was 29 at the time. Why not...always good to learn something new. I fell...over and over and over and over...My knees were black and blue, as was my ###, and my arms and shoulders ached. I think I probably got a concussion too b/c I was stupid and had no helmet. I lived on the bunny slope at Lake Placid and survived. I went again the next year to Okemo, VT...horrible conditions. All ice. I was worse than I was the 1st time. I almost gave up...then we went out west and I found good snow and it just clicked. I've been going every year since then and always have a blast.
It's SO much easier to learn young just b/c you can fall more. We'll be putting our son out on the slopes as soon as we can. I spent my first few days boarding sliding about 10-15 yards and falling, then flopping around to get up.
Joe T
Footballguy
How close is snowboarding to wakeboarding? I've wakeboarded a lot, but never snowboard.
FreeBaGeL
Footballguy
No idea, I've never wakeboarded.
I would imagine it would give you some advantage but you're not going to be out there shredding the slopes on your first day or anything. One of my buddies water skied a lot and when he came out to snow ski for the first time I was impressed by how quickly he picked it up, but it's not like he instantly knew how to do it or anything.
Apple Jack
Footballguy
It'll help in the sense that you obviously have decent balance and have had forces trying to knock you over repeatedly and have experience staying up. And you're familiar with standing perpendicular to your movement. But the nuances are very different. It'll take some work.
The most important thing based on years of viewing classes from above on chairlifts...be very conscious of your downhill edge. The wipeouts from people catching their downhill edge are brutal. Hilarious to watch, but have to be a bit shocking to the victim.
The most important thing based on years of viewing classes from above on chairlifts...be very conscious of your downhill edge. The wipeouts from people catching their downhill edge are brutal. Hilarious to watch, but have to be a bit shocking to the victim.
ffldrew
Footballguy
Depends on how much snow is out there - I like a Merrell pull on - either high or low. I hate tying laces with snow on them.
http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/Product.mvc.aspx/35400M/88056/Mens/Polarand-Rove-Pull-Waterproof?dimensions=0
Buttonhook
Footballguy
This will help a lot, but will depend mostly on the condition of the snow. If it's icy, you will probably struggle. If you're lucky to get on some fresh snow you should be able to tear it up fairly quickly.
Doesn't really matter for a guy. Just make sure you get your wife some UGGs - and do NOT buy her a knock-off brand. Unless you want to get shut down the whole trip.
5Rings
Lurker
Snowboarding = long boarding (skateboard)
Kev4029
Footballguy
There won't be a lot of snow on sidewalks or parking lots. I wear slippers (I'm classy like that) to and from skiing and usually just wear whatever shoes I feel comfortable in around town. I'm up in the Keystone/Breck area 15-20 weekends a year and I don't even own a pair of boots.Joe T said:
Joe T
Footballguy
This was genius advice.
Thx GB.
ETA: ended up going with these because I think the low cut is a bit more versatile.
http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/Product.mvc.aspx/29007M/69272/Mens/Shiver-Moc-2-Waterproof?dimensions=0
Last edited by a moderator:
Apple Jack
Footballguy
Headed out for four or five days to try to get some good snow from this storm. Anybody on I-70 or the San Juans with some thoughts would be appreciated. I'm familiar with the mountains, mostly looking for snow reports. Probably solo at least one day.
Apple Jack
Footballguy
Hallelujah! Latest forecasts call for highest totals between Aspen and I-70 resorts. Was not looking forward to spending 12 hours in the car between Denver and the San Juans.
![[icon]](/data/avatars/s/5/5167.jpg?1660313464){kind=avatar}
