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Colorado
08-09 Vail Resorts Keystone Review
03 years ago
by User Review
in Colorado
Keystone fffers a little of it all for the boarder in search of the top to the bottom expeirence.
Keystone has a little of it all – Steep, Deep, Fast, and Terrain – I want to talk about the back bowls.
If you want to take a couple of lifts and find yourself lost less then 45 minutes from the time you sit on the chair, then Keystone is your place. Take a total of 3 lifts and be at the entrance to one of the best kept secerets of the rockies. The back bowls of Keystone hold endless potential and powder, trees, exploring inbounds.
An example of the consistancy of this area: On the 14th of April 2 years in a row now we have managed to ride 12-16" of powder with hardly a single line. On the right day, you may ride 1/2 mile of crust and end up in 24" of powder when no snow has fallen. I discovered by accident where that place is hidden. I am not going to say where, but if you take the right wrong turn after a little of hiking, then you will find it too.
08-09 Intrawest Steamboat Springs Review
03 years ago
by User Review
in Colorado
Have never ridden a resort with better snow
Steamboat is amazing. Last season was an epic winter, with the mountain receiving more than 500" of snow. The people are friendly, there is great terrain, and it's just a generally awesome place to be!
I do have to say, their park is pretty lacking compared to the other mountains in Colorado, but it's hard to complain when you're taking advantage of the rest of their terrain.
07-08 Intrawest Winter Park Review
03 years ago
by User Review
in Colorado
Winter Park and Mary Jane provide a lot of terrain to explore and are worth a several day visit. However, the downside is there are many long, green runs that are required to navigate the mountain. The night life is also very slow and does not have much option compared to somewhere along the I-70 corridor or in a bigger town like Steamboat.
Winter Park offers a wide variety of terrain. It just so happens that the mountain is naturally separated into areas of interest. Mary Jane is mostly moguls with some great tree runs and moderately challenging blue runs dispersed throughout. If you are a skier and interested in bumps, there is no other area so purely devoted to them. For snowboarders, the Parsenn Bowl and tree runs are worth the ride. The rest of the moguls get old.
Within Winter Park proper, the middle mountain area is full of sick park features, beginner terrain, beginner park features and some other runs. The most friendly, least visited side of the mountain is the far right hand side where the Pioneer Express accesses several blue trails.
Winter Park and Mary Jane are not the most snowboard friendly in regards to getting from place to place. There are many flat, long cat-tracks that if you don't hold enough speed will have you walking or hitching a ride from a passing ski pole. The long green runs that were absolutely necessary to get place to place drove me crazy but besides that, once on the run your are trying to get to, there are some beautiful, quiet runs with nicely spaced trees to ride through.
The town of Winter Park is beyond boring after a day of exploring. If you combine Winter Park and the few po-dunk towns that surround it, what is offered is very limited. There are a handful of great restaurants, like Hernando's Pizza, but besides riding and going out to dinner in town (not much in the base area, which is under heavy construction right now), there really isn't much else to do.
Winter Park is a mountain I would ride occasionally for specific reasons, being some of the tree runs and certain areas of the mountain I really enjoyed. Besides that, it wouldn't be my destination trip after trip.
07-08 Vail Resorts Keystone Review
03 years ago
by User Review
in Colorado
Good mountain, great beginner terrain
I just spent three days learning to snowboard at Keystone. The snow was decent, but the mountain atmosphere was great. It was very laid back and low-key, I didn't feel totally out of place while falling all the time.
Keystone is a fun mountain, and a great place to learn how to ride. Their instructors are wonderful, and I will definitelly be coming back for more.
03-04 Intrawest Steamboat Springs Review
0Steamboat it is. For all the missing information, look on www.steamboat.com. There is even a daily snow report from the perspective of someone who has been out that very morning riding for about an hour. It is a well-run, magnificent place, deep in the heart of Colorado.
Steamboat is a tree loving cliff dropper’s dreamland. With trees that could not have been placed better if they were planted with snowboarding in mind and enough of change of terrain across the mountain, it is pure playground. Not even to mention the gorgeous Colorado backdrop. What stands out about Steamboat is not just that it is a winter wonderland, but all the care and attention the locals give the mountain. The town of Steamboat houses many committed people who not only participate in winter activities, themselves, but also make it enjoyable for visitors. Take, for example, the guided nature tours where you learn from locals to recognize the vegetation and the many kinds of animal tracks that may be seen from the lifts. Or, have you ever been interested in a Freestyle Park and Pipe Clinic? Steamboat offers them too.
Don’t miss the First Tracks program that, for only $35 extra, lets you onto the lifts early to catch the fresh groom or fresh mountains of pow with you can follow up with an included (and very hearty) buffet breakfast at Thunderhead. First Tracks can also be included (at no cost) in a full day private lesson. Lessons at Steamboat are organized based on how many people show up in a level and what the interests of the group are. The instructors are fun loving, knowledgeable and very helpful. Many of the instructors are from New Zealand, but there are also instructors from other countries, so a snowboard lesson may include a bonus cultural lesson. The Steamboat website will be a good reference for any specifics (there are many) that I am missing in this review. Scott Anfang, who is one of Steamboat’s top instructors is written up in the January issue of Snowboarder Magazine. There is a half page about a blind snowboarder, who Scott coaches. From getting to know Scott and some of the other employees, it became obvious to us that Steamboat only hires people truly worth their weight in gold. They are all committed to the sport and to helping people improve their skills and have a good time.
There is always the constant reminder of Steamboat’s fine Western history. How do cowboys and snow sports work hand in hand? Very well, actually, as Steamboat proves through its tasteful Western atmosphere, both on and off the mountain. Each year they celebrate their history with different activities and events pertaining to the Western theme. Everyone there makes it clear that they aren’t just any old generic resort.
After raving about the awesome people and opportunities at Steamboat, maybe I should cover the resort itself. Though, it is hard to separate all the pieces. Really, Steamboat is made up of all the different features that make it the whole experience. The mountain provides a lot of option, from its backcountry, to its outstanding trees and rocks. The runs are very smooth and easy to navigate. The base area, near the gondola, is fenced off for learning and instruction and the rest of the mountain is mostly blues and blacks. Steamboat has oodles of blue runs to choose from and for the average to advanced rider there is a lot to explore. With the snow dumps, even blacks become manageable for the intermediate rider.
03-04 Intrawest Steamboat Springs Review
0Overall, if you’ve been to Steamboat you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, then you need to. The terrain is epic, the people are nice, and the quality of the snow is unbeatable.
Steamboat has had a great start on the ’02/’03 season. They have been getting good snow and their “Maverick” super pipe was the first to open in Colorado. Being the second largest ski resort in Colorado, the mountain offers a vast variety and quantity of terrain to ride. The numerous Aspen glades provide the best tree riding I’ve ever experienced; there are plenty of steep and deep slopes and numerous cliffs just a short hike from the “Storm Peak Express” lift, and there are lots of cruiser runs for all the speed demons out there. Steamboat has a great first-tracks program as well. For $35 you can beat the crowds to the powder. The experience of being the first ones on the mountain with fields of untracked snow or sheets of untouched corduroy is truly unique, plus, included in the price, you get a buffet style breakfast at the mid-mountain lodge.
From my experience, Steamboat is not as crowded as many of the other ski resorts in Colorado. Many resorts are located off of Interstate 70, which makes for lots of traffic and big lift lines. Steamboat is off the beaten path but is still easily accessible, being only 3 hours from both Denver and Fort Collins. They also offer a “Steamboat Card” that costs only $10 and is good for all future seasons. The card is aimed at attracting Colorado residents and allows you to get both ticket and lodging discounts throughout the season.
During our visit it snowed steadily for 3 of the 4 days we were there, giving us well over 40 inches of the fluffy stuff; this is a common occurrence in Steamboat. We also had the pleasure of riding with Scott Anfang, one of the snowboard instructors, for two days. He was a great guide and showed us some of the favorite local spots. Scott and the other instructors I met were very energetic and enthusiastic about sharing the superb experience of riding Steamboat. I would definitely recommend them to anyone who is interested. Even if you don’t need instruction it’s a great way to find the best spots on the mountain and skip any of the lift lines. Scott also told us about the freestyle instruction program that is another unique characteristic of Steamboat. There are beginning to intermediate instruction programs for riding rails, half pipe, and jumps for those who have the desire and need some pointers. Another thing that I really like about the mountain is the ease of mobility. In most cases you can get to where you want from just about anywhere on the mountain in one run (2 tops). This way you don’t waste time and can ride the entire mountain instead of staying on one peak or one side for the whole day.
There are many other things that make the town of Steamboat great aside from the mountain itself. Not far away there is Steamboat Powder Cats, a cat service that operates on Buffalo Pass, which usually receives more snow than the rest of Colorado. Also, there is another local mountain called Howelson, which is the longest running ski resort in Colorado. Howelsen offers night skiing and is used by a lot of ski clubs that cater to the youth of Steamboat. The local scene, my favorite, is great. There are a number of great restaurants and bars both at the mountain (Slopeside, Bear River, Gondola Pub) and in town where everyone seemed to know one another. Everybody was upbeat and friendly and portrayed a sense of being in one big family.
03-04 Intrawest Winter Park Review
0I really liked Winter Park, and I recommend it to all riders, especially those from the beginner and intermediate range. It is a friendly mountain with a good view, a lot of option and we had a lot of fun there.
As very accurately quoted in one of the Winter Park brochures, Winter Park is "genuine . . . honest [and it is a resort in which you will find] life stripped clean of all the extraneous fluff so you can focus on the essentials that matter." Spread over five mountains, Winter Park has a small, local feel while containing the terrain and opportunity of a large resort. Everyone from all levels will find a place to ride. And, the view is gorgeous as you look over the mountains and the Continental Divide.
Parsenn Bowl and the famous Mary Jane provide awesome terrain for most all riders, except beginners. There are good opportunities to pick your path with the bowl runs and the tree runs, as well as some challenging blue-black runs. Winter Park, in relation to the Forest Service, has a policy in which they let nature take its course. Where tree branches fall and where rocks lie, they are not removed or moved. Therefore, the terrain, especially in the trees, is always different and that much more challenging. As a second year rider I found a lot of terrain on Mary Jane and in Parsenn's to "master." Access to Mary Jane and Parsenn's Bowl may be attained through the Winter Park Village or the Mary Jane Base Area.
I highly recommend Winter Park for the beginning to intermediate rider. There is a nice set of green runs that are spacious and long. Discovery Park is a set of green runs that is fenced off from the other runs and the result is a very comfortable beginner/slow zone that is bigger than most I have seen. As scary as it is to learn, it is even more scary to be terrified for your life as people rush by. Discovery Park eliminates some of the cause of this fear and is a secure place to take kids, the whole family or to go learn yourself. Once you become good enough to leave Discovery Park there are many other good runs like March Hare, Allan Phipps, Switchyard and Whistlestop that you can take as the next step in becoming a good rider. I would like to mention, however, that many of the lifts (outside of Discovery Park) are high speed and do not slow down. Getting off is a challenge until you are really comfortable with lifts.
The lodges on the mountain are there for rider convenience, be it a good lunch (the soup is fantastic), a warm up or a bathroom break. The friendly local atmosphere is really relaxed and comfortable. Lots of local businessmen do their business on the mountain.
03-04 Intrawest Winter Park Review
0Winter Park is a fun mountain with a lot of terrain to explore. It still has that undeveloped feel, which is so rare in Colorado these days, and it's definitely on the road to mainstream riding.
We had an excellent couple of days at Winter Park. The resort is large and spread out, giving riders lots of room to play with as they explore. While much of Mary Jane is moguls, it is also steep, and with the right snow conditions can be just as fun to board. Up higher, above Mary Jane there is some excellent freeride terrain. Although the trees are well spaced, they can be dangerous until the snowpack is sufficiently high. Parsenn's bowl gives a great view of all of Winter Park's terrain, as well as excellent runs.
Their park wasn't into full swing yet when we visited, but from what I saw, it should be some pretty good terrain. A dedicated park team works hard to make sure everything is in order and that the jumps won't kill anyone. The terrain park is set on a nice long run with easy lift access. There will be lots of variation, from rollers to rails, and both small and large tabletops.
Winter Park is definitely a local's mountain, with the "C lift" servicing the "C lot", just below Mary Jane. Around lunchtime C lot turns into a huge tailgate and barbeque party zone as all the locals take breaks and chill with their friends. This is an excellent mountain for family vacations because there is terrain for all abilities and interests. You won't find a lot of bad attitudes; it seems that friendliness is a requirement for locals.