Ok, my friends and myself have decided to take a little road trip out to Colorado over Christmas break to do some skiing. We are likely planning on checking in on December 16th and heading home on the 21st. We are looking at skiing at Breckenridge or Copper Mountain. The nice thing about Breck is that the lift ticket is also good at Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, and Araphoe Basin. I have been to Big Bear in SoCal, but no one else has been out west before to ski, so anything out there will be mecca compared to what we are used to in the midwest. I have been able to find some good hotel/condo deals at Breck (100-130 a night) and some stuff slightly more expensive at Copper (140-160).

Does anyone have experience at these mountains? Likes, dislikes, preferences? Everyone going has been skiing for at least 3 years (up to 8) and would likely be doing blues with some easy blacks. What would you recommend if price was no object as well as if you were trying to be as economical as possible? Would Copper be worth spending more for or would the flexibility that the Breckenridge lift tickets give us be better?

Thanks for any help

I would prefer the flexibility of doing the Breck/Keystne/ABasin.

Breck has some nice terrain from open bowls to some nice fun trails.

Keystone I think has some more advanced terrain on the back side. Nice feel to it.

ABasin is back to basics, its all about the mountain and thats it. Nothing fancy at all and one base building.

Beaver Creek ehhhh... not a big fan of.

Vail is awesome and well worth hittin the bowls on a snow day. Usually the bowls in the back have twice the snow on the snow report. BUT there are some people over there that have some problems with boarders, this is the only resort I ever get that feeling from the people.

I think that vail is the place to go if you can afford it. Otherwise I love keystone and Breckinridge

I've been to Breckenridge before...but couldn't tell you a thing about it now. :-D

I went back when it was still just Peaks 8 and 9. It wasn't the tourist mecca it is now. (We're talking 1976/77.)

It's gunna be BUSY those times of the year. Lift line wait times could exceed 30 minutes. The snow may not be that good as well (or it could be great, who knows).

Skiing the big resorts like Skistoned (Keystone) or Breck-n-wind (Breckenridge) can be an amazing experience coming from smaller mountains. I too grew up skiing So Cal mountains and was amazed at the terrain, but quickly grew sick of the lines, snobby people, $8.00 beers, $20 parking...

I now ski the small resorts - Wolf Creek in southern Colorado between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs is amazing. They have $25 lift tickets once a month, and you can stay in cabins 1/2 hour away with 2 bedrooms, kitchens, hot tubs... for less than half the price of the big areas.

Back to your question - if you want to ski a variety consider staying in Dillon or Silverthorn and driving. From a central spot you could hit up A-Basin, Skistoned, Breckenwind, Copper, Vail, Steamboat, Lovewind (Loveland), hell even Winter Park all within an hour. Dillon/Silverthorn is a little cheaper as well. Hotel rooms are in the 90's if I remember, but the real jewel are private condos. If you got enough people the private condos pay for themselves.

A-Basin - amazing off-piste riding. Some of the best in the state. Good base atmosphere, cheap beer. New backside lift ruins my anuall Montezuma backcountry run, but added 900 acres.

Breck-n-wind - BUSY. Stopped going after they ruined the hike up peak 8. Flats at bottom piss me off, as does the bus ride in. Good beg/int skiing. Good bumbs, big mountain.

Skistoned - backside is good for advanced. BUSY, and good snow gets tracked out quick. Front is packed. Middle mountains good cords, bumbs, screamers (watch for the ski pigs).

Cooper - I HATE Copper. HATE it. Was riding the top one year when a prick ski piggy closed an area to allow his son and son's friends to ski, but not us, the paying public. Cocksucker asked if I had a "death wish" when I told him the line I wanted to ski, and then proceeded to side step the snow off my line (which I was gunna drop the rope and ski anyway). A confrontation ensued and I was relieved of my pass. F- Copper.

Vail - AWESOME. Ski the Blue Sky area on back. Steep and Deep to Scotty's lift to the backcountry off skier's right. If you think you can handle it, I can show you exactly where to go, but a beacon/shovel/probe is advisable as are expert skills. Cliff drops up to 20 are encountered. Front side good for bumps/groomers.

Lovewind - good, small resort. Chair 9 (Ridge Chair) dumps off the divide into possible 20+ footers, great line skiers left requires a little hiking. Lift 8 is solitude, nobody goes. Love Loveland. Great place to ski.

Steamboat - trees, trees, trees. Love it.

Winter Park/Mary Jane - Good int. mountain. Bumps/trees on Mary Jane are to die for. Hiking the ridge is good, but requires expert status and beacon/shovel/probe.

Loveland Pass - screw paying $80+ lift ticket prices. Park halfway up the pass, thumb rides for the day and ski good backcountry for free. Even better, take a couple friends and rotate driving. Bring the cooler and burgers. Beacon/shovel/probe recommended.

Anything else you wanna know? I ski 60 - 80 days per year, all over the state. My skiing addiction cost me several thousand each year.

Breck is a real town with bars and restaurants on real streets, not in a planned "village" so it might be more fun to get around and explore if you're staring there.

Any of the resorts will have a good amount of the terrain you describe. Copper has a some killer bowls, and if you get the chance to do Vail, you should. Vail's HUGE. Don't even bother with the front side at Vail. If you have a couple of beginners then Copper has a good set of faster greens mixed with some blues that'll keep everyone entertained.

FYI- Black runs in CO tend to get bumped out pretty quickly, which is nice if you're into that. I'm not.

Try not to drink too much your first night in town, the altitude will make you a cheaper date. Drink lots of water.

Enjoy.

ETA: Mineman, I don't think they're core based on the initial post. If you wanna guide them in the backcountry, feel free, but I wouldn't want to send a bunch of midwesterners out there without a guide or training.

BTW, what days off do you have? I usually get about 30 days a year but had to cut back last year. Not going to make that mistake again.

Oh and my best tip....

GO DURING THE WEEK!!! That is the only time I go and I dont know what these crowds are everyone talks about. I am used to riding right to the lift and maybe waiting 1-2 min to get on a chair.

Matty - He's got a guy with 8 years under his belt, it may be about time to start into the backcountry. Vail is a good place to start. All the pits I've dug have shown good stability on the back of Scotty's. It gets skied just enough to get a solid base, but not so much to be skied out. Gotta keep pushing yourself. Thats all I know about the mountains anyway, been a little while since I ran groomers.

Good advice on the water and beer, though. Add to that - don't plan on skiing the first day into town. Get to the resort, tool around, but don't ski. Get acclimated (spell ?) first.

I have a powder rule here at work. 8" = 1/2 day. 12" = all day. I work M-Th in the winter, with the occasional Friday, when the snow is bad. Take 1-2 weeks each year off for various destinations. Whistler last year, probably WY this year. I do a lot of weekend trips as well, pop down to Wolf Creek for a couple days, out to Aspen, wherever the snow is good.

Matty, You live down in Boulder don't you, near BCH. I think I saw your yellow? X on the way to BCH the other day. You ever ski Eldora? I've invested 100 plus days there in the last two years and have found some AMAZING runs, when the snow is good.

MM, I live in Boulder but I've got a red X. I've been to Eldora a couple times on deep powder days. I like the place, but I can only get so many season passes.... I just end up buying a ticket on those few deep powder days when I don't have to work. I'd like to check out those amazing runs you found.

I started school last spring, still working full time, so I dropped from 30 days a season to 8. I'm not taking so many classes this spring, so I can get my priorities straight.

Some of those guys have just three years, and we can't know their comfort level. You're right, though. Gotta push yourself. I just think they could reach their limits as infrequent skiers while staying inbounds.

Edited for clarity.

Matty - Your probably right about reaching their limits inbounds. I love getting good skiers out and showing them what "real" skiing or riding is though. Proper tools, a little training, and some big balls gets you pretty far.

Garrett, PM me if you like. I wouldn't mind taking you out and showing you a couple good runs, if I get a few beers after. I know most of these mountains really well. Worked as a ski instructor for four years at Loveland and a year at Keystone as well. We could work something out.

Matty - wait for a good powder day, and I will show you Eldora. There are some spots in the Corona lift area that look very similar to Riva Ridge for example. Steep as hell, treed, no room for error, you fall you might die type stuff. Add a couple good drops, 10 - 15 footers, in with the trees, some really good chutes... For a small mountain, it's got some good terrain, just gotta find it. On really good snow years, like last year, the ridge is hikable to Lost Lake, but the run out to the town below is a bitch. As we get closer, I'll send a PM with my info..

Guys thanks for all the input.

At this point I would say that staying at Breck with the flexibility of the lift tickets is likely where we are headed. MineMan I appreciate the offer and I will keep that in mind as we get closer, but our experience may have come across a bit overstated. Myself and another friend of mine have been skiing for about 8 years, but thats 3-4 times a year up in wisconsin and once for me out at Big Bear. Colorado will likely be a huge test to our skiing abilities and I am not sure any of us are necessarily ready for the back country.

I will definitely be drinking as much water as possible and will remember that the alcohol is going to hit me faster and harder.

Any good recommendations on the nightlife in Breck? Everyone going is either 19 or 20 and only a guy or two have id's. Any places that don't care? Thanks

Nightlife-
Breck
Sherpa and Yeti's - may be 21 and up, don't know. String Cheese Incident (spelling?) plays there a lot.
Breck brewery - assorted bands when I was skiing Breck, like 5 years ago
Keystone
Snake River Brewery - good beer, don't know ages
Dillon
The Ba - not a hippy/yuppy bar, more down to earth.
I am a nerd, so I don't stay out too late. I might not be the best resource for nightlife. All of the above, with the exception of Sherpa and Yetis, has good food.

Quick tip - check Skiing magazine and snow.com. If you are certain of the dates and location, now is the time to buy, good deals. Condos for lots of people save $$$. Packages avaliable right now too.

As for the backcountry, when you are ready you'll know. Backcountry just means out of the gate and untracked, not steep or crazy (although it can mean steep and crazy). I've got a couple nice easy runs perfect for the beginners off of Loveland Pass, when and if you are ready. Thats where I take my buddies. 1/2 a day of beacon training and digging pits and we are off. I am always the first one down anyway, so if it slides, it is me caught.

Steamboat is a little off the beaten path and might not be quite so crowded.

MM,
Sweet! Thanks for the offer. Like I said I had a slow season last year but this year I'm gonna try to go forty days. I got the go-ahead from my chief accountant (wife) to purchase a new board, I was gonna get a NeverSummer Heritage. I'm going to try to dial in fast and make up for lost time- hitting the gym today as a matter of fact.

All this snow talk's getting me all worked up.

GPrsh924- Sorry, I rarely stay at any resort, and when I do I usually bring beer. I think there's a pizza place in Breck that has a bar and arcade, but is primarily a restaurant. Beware the vicious Rocky Mountain Cougar....