Looking for advice please. I am considering renting a place for as many as 8 people in CO to ski. Only two dates work- week of 2/20 or 4/10. Is 4/10 too late? Can anyone recommend a place to stay? I am open to any resort. Thanks.
I’m no expert but have visited a few of the Co ski resort towns during the off season. I really like the feel of Telluride.
I really like Breckenridge. They have many types of accomodations at various price-points.
Beaver Run Resort is right across the street from a gondola, but there are many other places that are also Close to slopes. They have a good bus system that’s free, so if you choose to rent a house you can rely on it.
They also have a transportation center that will take you to other resorts.
Adding - I think April 10th is too late to count on good snow.
I loved Telluride in September, but my impression is that it’s more for “expert” skiers. That could be incorrect though.
Crystal Peak, Breckenridge. Ski in/ski out. LOVED IT.
April 10 is too late. If the area is still open (many will have closed) the number of runs open will be limited. Feb 20 is perfect. Are you all flying in? Telluride, Aspen, Crested Butte are far from Denver and would probably require you to fly into closer airports. Sometimes that’s more expensive, sometimes not. You can also fly to Steamboat.
You can easily rent a house in Summit County and ski several areas (Keystone, Breck, Copper, Vail). If you want more of a town, Steamboat or Winter Park are nice. If cost is an issue, stay away from Vail, Aspen, or Telluride as they are very expensive for everything, from the actual tickets to restaurants.
If money isn’t an issue and you have a variety of skier levels, I really like Snowmass. If you have some more experienced skiers, they could go into Aspen Mtn for the day.
Fantastic. Years ago I skied Copper. It was just 2 of us then so the idea of renting a house is new.
Steamboat is my favorite! Great hot springs.
April 10th is pretty late so check closing dates carefully. It’s rare that the mainstream resorts are open that late. A-Basin will be open. Telluride is spectacular…it is also very expensive and probably suited to good skiers. If you have a mixed crowd (of intermediate and better or a few beginners), Breckenridge is always good for a wide variety of skill levels. I happen to love Crested Butte, but it depends on where you are flying from. Crested Butte also doesn’t have the really, really, easy green runs if you have a beginner skier. But housing is super reasonable in Crested Butte and everything is seriously close with lots of ski-in/ski-out options. It’s our go-to favorite ski place. For the OP, I vote for staying in Keystone - you’ll have access to Keystone, Breckenridge, and A-Basin and a short jaunt to Vail or Copper for variety. I like the townhomes at the edge of River Run, but there are many options. Steamboat and Aspen are also possibilities but for sheer accessibility, ease of getting there, relative costs, variety of things to do when not skiing, … I’d vote for Keystone or Breck.
April may be too risky, (end of the season) I’d definitely recommend February instead.
As a Coloradan who skis, I can tell you, there’s plenty to choose from… It all depends on your budget, and how far you want to travel. After that, what you’re looking for. Breckenridge, Vail, Telluride and Aspen all have very nice towns outside or at the base of the ski resorts. Winter Park, Keystone, Copper Mountain aren’t really towns, just resorts.
If money were no object, I’d recommend Aspen, Telluride, Vail or Beaver Creek… pretty much in that order. If a long drive isn’t a problem, Steamboat and Crested Butte are dreamy. (Though warning, there aren’t that many easy runs in Crested Butte.) Of the big resorts Winter Park is the least expensive. Breckenridge and Keystone may be the most family-friendly.
One last note: Feburary 20 is President’s Day weekend. The weekend from he**, as far as skiing is concerned: very, very crowded.
Looks like a good year as the closing dates look “later” than normal - here’s the tentative closing dates, hopefully I got them all correct, but double check if you pick April. If you go in April i hope you have good snow. We typically are out to see our son, which is usually the first week of April and we’ve had blizzards and we’ve had days where the grass was peaking through the snow but generally we plan our real skiing for late January or February.
Vail April 23
Beaver Creek April 16
Breckenridge April 23
Keystone April 9
Aspen April 16
Copper Mountain April 16
Crested Butte April 9
Snowmass April 16
Steamboat Springs April 16
Telluride April 2
Winter Park April 23
The biggest vote for Steamboat Springs is the transit. You don’t need a car to get to anywhere. Free bus from downtown to most condo areas to the bottom of the lift. And it’s a real town, kids who are developing their jumping skills are across the way at the city owned hill.
We have rented a home in Frisco thru VRBO and skied at Copper Mountain. Frisco has nice town amenities. Stayed at Copper and Keystone and if you can manage a large enough condo then you really don’t need a car as there is easy access.
A small resort in southern Colorado called Wolf Creek has been touted as receiving the most snow in Colorado though we have only been there once. It did indeed have a lot of snowfall that season. Only problem is you have a pass to drive over when coming from the town where you would rent something in Pagosa Springs. The pass closed one of the days we were there so that was a bummer.
Breckinridge, Keystone and Copper Mountain will have a lot of options but if you have to wait till April maybe see what the forecast will be for Wolf Creek.
@busyparent What are the ages and skiing abilities of your group?
I’d love to catch Wolf Creek on clear day, everytime I go it is snowing hard. I love Pagosa Hot Springs. Durango/Purgatory is another option in this part of the state.
My vote is for Crested Butte. You can fly to Gunnison. You don’t need a car because the resort busses are great. I’ve been to most of the resorts winter and summer and Crested Butte is my favorite. I am a very average skier and find plenty of easier runs there.
Keystone is the perfect family resort. Lots of green and blue runs and enough runs for the experts. Close enough to a few other resorts if you want to go anywhere else to ski and a easy drive from Denver.
I am not much of a skier, but my kids are. My son-in-law (who is the best skier in the family) spent 6 months in Telluride after he graduated from college–says it was his gap year. He worked as a reservation clerk in a hotel, just so he could be in Telluride to ski. After that, he went back east and found a job in his field.
Do you all enjoy skiing for an entire week? I was in Copper for a week decades ago but I don’t remember if that was a good amount of time. We are moderate to beginner skiiers
We used to take a day off mid-week. Maybe go snowshoeing or cross country skiing- or just hang out! 4 days of downhill was plenty for me.