skiing -- winter usenix meeting in denver

[Greg Woods]

  Just thought I'd go ahead and add my own $0.02 worth to Evi's excellent
summary of Colorado skiing.

> snow -- in the areas close to denver (arapahoe basin, keystone, loveland,
> winter park, copper mountain, breckenridge, vail, beaver creek, berthod, xxx)
> we had lots of snow early in the season, but have had little or none
> in the last two weeks.  xxx is a small area just beyond winter park,

  I think she's referring to Silver Creek. As for the snow, it really doesn't
mean that much. A lot can happen in two weeks. One good snowstorm and it
could be ass-deep powder. The few days right before you go will of course
be the most critical, and who knows what will happen by then. If we don't get
any more snow before the conference it may be very hardpacked and rocky.

> prices -- ouch.

  You said it!

> difficulty -- here is a prejudiced view of the areas mentioned above.

    I'll give my own differently-prejudiced (in some cases) views so you can
have a better sample of local opinions. I've only skiied in the areas near
Denver, except for Steamboat, so I'll limit my comments to them.

>       keystone - good beginner and intermediate, no advanced even though
>               there are trails marked with black diamonds.  has lots of
>               snowmaking.

  Great for recreational skiers who want to do warp speed cruising. I think
Keystone is the best cruiser area around. If you're one of those people who
skis to have fun instead of to prove how good you are or to challenge yourself,
you might like Keystone. On the other hand, if you aren't satisfied unless
the moguls are over your head, you will find Keystone VERY boring.

>       keystone/north peak - good intermediate, ok advanced, since
>               the lift accident here a week ago, you can ski north
>               peak but have to walk/pole out.

  The Teller lift referred to is now back in service. After all the inspections
and tests that have been conducted on it, I'll bet its the safest lift in
Colorado! :-) You can now ski North Peak without poling.

>       arapahoe basin (a-basin) - poor beginner, good intermediate, good
>               advanced.  palivichini is one of the hardest runs in colorado.
>               most of a-basin is above tree line, it can be windy.

   Best powder area in northern Colorado, if they have snow. If they don't,
bring your rock skis, because they also have the biggest rocks. We don't
call it Arockahoe basin for nothing! :-) It should also be pointed out that
Keystone, North Peak and Arapahoe Basin can all be skiied on a single lift
ticket. They run frequent shuttle busses between the bottom of Keystone
and Arapahoe Basin. (North Peak can only be reached by taking a lift to the
top of Keystone).

>       breckenridge - good all around mountain, really 3 mountains, peaks 8,
>               9, and a new one peak 10 open this year for the first time.
>               trying to become another vail, so lots of locals (especially
>               the ones with ski americard) prefer a-basin.

  My personal opinion: Breckenridge sucks. All the good runs converge at
the bottom of this one lift, so if it's not absolutely empty, lift lines
can be a problem. I've only been there once, though, so take this with
a grain of salt.

>       copper mountain - like breckenridge, a good all around mountain, has
>               lots of snowmaking.

  Far better than Breckenridge. Has a good mix of different difficulties, so
if you're in a big crowd with different skiing abilities, Copper or Keystone/
North Peak are good choices.

>       loveland - an old area, under-rated, cheap, lots of locals, good mix
>               of difficulties.

   Highly recommended. As the top is right on the divide, it usually has
the best snow as well. Least commercial of all the areas near Denver.

>       vail - huge, takes a long while to ski it all, best with someone who
>               knows the mountain.  has new fast quad lift that helps the lift
>               lines at mid-vail.  back bowls are great on powder days.

  Vail takes twice as long to get to as the other areas, costs more, is more
commercialized and is owned by Texans. Need I say more. Otherwise I agree
with Evi, especially the part about the back bowls.

>       berthod - another oldie, cheaper, small, above tree line so can be
>               windy.  even mix of difficulties.

  Short runs, but on powder days it's unbelievable.

>       winter park - good all round mountain, beginner and intermediate at
>               winter park, advanced at adjacent area called mary jane, one
>               lift ticket, you can ski between the areas (or take a bus).

  If you are one of those who would hate Keystone based on my above description,
then Mary Jane is definitely the place for you. ALL the runs are advanced,
with a couple of token blue slopes that are much harder than the blue slopes
on the Winter Park side. Also a great place to avoid the crowds if you have
to ski on a weekend (park on the Mary Jane side at Utah Junction. No facilities
so no one ever goes there, but you can get lift tickets there on weekends).
The Winter Park side is mediocre and usually crowded.

>       xxx - new area about 10 miles beyond winter park, cheap, good beginner
>               and intermediate, good family area, small.  free bus from
>               winter park.

  I'm not too impressed with Silver Creek. Runs are short and not very
difficult. Also further away than most of the other areas. Not worth it.
If you want to cruise, go to Keystone.

>       eldora - local area west of boulder, small family area, good beginner
>               and intermediate, cheap.

  Don't even bother unless you like New England-style skiing. The only good
thing about Eldora is it's the closest decent area and the cheapest. Also,
they have the most extensive night skiing setup in the US. Don't be afraid
of night skiing, it's fun and you really can see adequately. Dress warm,
however, because it's COLD up there at night. The only other area with
night skiing is Keystone, and they only have a few lighted runs.

   Summary:

   For cruising: Keystone
   For bumps: Mary Jane
   For all-around areas: Copper Mountain or Keystone/North Peak
   Night Skiing: Eldora

>       steamboat - big, nice tree skiing, bad lines over vacation times,
>               good all round mountain, reasonable accommodations nearby.

  Steamboat is wonderful and well worth the trip if you can afford it. Once
you get to midway, don't come back to the bottom. That's where most of the
crowds are and there's very little worth skiing down there anyway. About
4 1/2 to 5 hours from Denver.

>       aspen - three areas, ajax, aspen highlands, snowmass, vailish but
>               with a european alpine flavor.  ajax is intermediate/advanced,
>               highlands too, snowmass the best all rounder.

  Aspen is too expensive and too commercial. Other places offer just as good
skiing for less.

  Well, there you have it.

--Greg
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