[Marbles]

I want to take my 19 yo son and my 16 yo daughter skiing the Rockies this year.

We will be skiing a few days before to a few days after Christmas.
I hate crowded lift lines.
Can you recommend a good place for me?
Son is an intermediate skier at best, the daughter and I can ski about anything but double black diamond.

We will probably fly into Denver and drive to the resort.

Thanks

[Pez]

My favorite is winter park. It is a great ski resort for intermediate to advanced skiers, but not good for beginners. It's also not too crowded most of the time. Avoid copper, keystone, Aspen and vail if you want a resort that isn't crowded. Those are always the worst.

[Marbles]

 

That was high on my list, it's great to get some confirmation.

I skied there two winters in a row, but that was about 30 years ago.

[Marbles]

How is Crested Butte?

[macrojack]

I don't ski but my friend Dyer has skied all over the world. He says that Powderhorn right near Grand Junction is as good as it gets. And you can get a flight right into the Grand Junction airport less than 50 miles from the slopes.

There is also a place near Glenwood called Sunlight. Neither is likely to be very crowded since our population is pretty sparse relative to the From Range.

[ArthurDent]

It's been some time (20 years) but if memory serves it will provide some real nice intermediate and expert challenge. More of that terrain than beginner. The town is (was) a lot of fun, and given it's more remote nature not all that crowded, relatively speaking. It will be a drive from Denver, barring significant change mostly 2 lane. Another consideration might be Steamboat Springs. It's also a drive from Dvr, but covers all levels well, with some outstanding intermediate, black diamond, and tree skiing. It will probably be more crowded than the Butte, but has a good bit more terrain as well.

Breckinridge would be more crowded as it's closer in, but also has a good bit of varied terrain for all levels. Steamboat was probably my favorite of Breckinridge, Winter Park, Copper Mtn, Keystone, and Crested Butte. Part will depend on how long you are planning to be there, as the more terrain the more you can hunt out the nice less crowded runs. Should be a great time regardless as it will be with your family. Have fun wherever you finally choose. 

[woodsyi]

I actually thought Aspen Highlands was a great place for skiing without long lines unlike the other 3 but that was a while back.  How is Telluride?  I have heard good things about the place here in the East and want to try it.  If you are not married to Co, Big Sky was the least crowded and Jackson Hole wasn't bad either from what I remember.  Aspen has many great restaurants to choose from if that means anything.

[Tyson]

If you go to Grand Junction, be aware that it's quite a drive from the Denver airport.  Better to fly into the airport out there and save several hours.

[Tyson]

Also, if you come out, we gotta get together for dinner or drinks or something

[ArthurDent]

  If you are not married to Co, Big Sky was the least crowded and Jackson Hole wasn't bad either from what I remember.

+1  Big Sky also has Yellowstone just down the road if you want to take a day, rent snowmobiles, and see a different view of the park.

[Pez]

If I were you I wouldn't travel all the way to Grand junction just for skiing. It's really quite a drive. Grand junction is a great little town though if you do.

Crested Butte is good skiing. Though it seems like their trails are usually a lot easier than their green blue and black markings would indicate. They were far less busy than the ones I mentioned earlier the few times I've been there. Still my vote is for Winter Park.

[woodsyi]

Also, if you come out, we gotta get together for dinner or drinks or something

Absolutely.  It's more about apres-ski than actual skiing nowadays anyway.  I am getting too old to ski from sunup to sundown.  The days of foolishly sliding down Corbet's Couloir is way over.

[Tyson]

Absolutely.  It's more about apres-ski than actual skiing nowadays anyway.  I am getting too old to ski from sunup to sundown.  The days of foolishly sliding down Corbet's Couloir is way over.

But the days (and nights) of drinking copious amounts of microbrews and single malt scotch are faaaar from over

[Pez]

Rim, it's been years since I've skied telluride, but it was great when I did.

[Marbles]

Also, if you come out, we gotta get together for dinner or drinks or something

Sounds great!


So far the three that I'm looking at seriously are (not in any order) Winter Park, Telluride and Crested Butte.

The last two I can fly in close (Gunnison, Co for CB, not sure yet for Telluride) and take a shuttle bus or pay a little more for a private shuttle.  I like the looks of Tell and CB because of the remoteness.  It seems there will be much less crowds between Xmas and New Years day.

Jackson Hole looks a little too expert for my taste.  Haven't looked into Big Sky yet. 

[batmanslc2]

Take a moment and consider flying to salt lake city and be at Park City in 30 minutes.
I live here so I am very biased, check it out
Park City, The canyons and Deer valley, all world class ski resorts

Just sayin, think about it

[Marbles]

Take a moment and consider flying to salt lake city and be at Park City in 30 minutes.
I live here so I am very biased, check it out
Park City, The canyons and Deer valley, all world class ski resorts

Just sayin, think about it

In 1980 the family went to ski Park City...I had mono and strep throat.  My doctor didn't want me to ski because with mono your spleen swells up and apparently a really hard blow might rupture it.

My family was at the resort when I flew into Salt Lake..there was a driver waiting to take me  there.  His name was "Buffalo".  On the trip he told me "if foresight was as good as hindsight, our heads would be as big as our asses!"

I never forgot that ride...I also remember some weird laws regarding booze.  Seemed like we had to become members of a club for like $5 in order to buy a bottle of wine in a restaurant or bring our own wine with us.

I'll look into it, but being so close to Salt Lake, I'm a little leery of  long lift lines after Xmas.

[macrojack]

Well, I hadn't talked to Dyer in years so I called him just now. He still skis 50 days every year and he still owns a condo in Telluride. And he stands by his story about Powderhorn being a world class ski area. It was purchased last year by a partnership involving Gart Bros. sports and Andy Daly, former owner of Eldora. Pockets are deep and plans are big.
Right now I noticed they have a special deal where you can buy 10 half day passes for $156 with no restrictions and no blackouts. These are completely transferable so each of you could have 3 half days with a spare to share or use as a tip. You can't very well beat that pricing.
Any Colorado ski area whose name you know well will be very crowded over the Christmas break if it is a fly in destination like Aspen or Steamboat or a convenient commute from Denver like Vail, Keystone, Copper, Breck, Loveland, Winter Park, Arapahoe, etc.
On the other hand, Dyer tells me that he has never waited more than a few minutes for a lift in Telluride even during the Christmas rush.

Here's the Powderhorn link: http://www.powderhorn.com/

If you fly to GJ via Dallas, the flights are quite reasonably priced considering our podunk status, and lodging near the airport is only about a 35-40 minute drive to the slopes. This gives you ready access to all of whatever the hell GJ is offering that week. I recommend the Nepalese restaurant. And there is always live music at the Avalon Theatre and used vinyl at Triple Play Records. You'll probably find the owner, Rock Cesario, to be a real hoot.

Scenery out here is damned impressive as well.

[batmanslc2]

marbles, the liquor laws have changed due to the 2002 olympics, much better!
personally I dont ski much between christmas and new years, so you are correct there
will be lines during that holiday week.....

[Marbles]

Just made reservations for Crusty Butt!