@treemaven
Deer Mountain all the way in Estes Park in Larimer County? It has one ski run off of a hiking trail and is very far away. Perhaps, you are confusing with Deer Valley in Utah?
There actually is a locals’ mountain named Cooper, but I am guessing you ‘spent most of our time at Copper’ not Cooper. Don’t want someone from out of state booking Cooper, thinking it is Copper.
I would rent a car and maybe do a day of skiing at Breckenridge or Copper. We have skied that area a lot (not in recent years) and really liked Copper. Stayed in Frisco (good, fun dining choices there, too) or Breckenridge.
The snow in California is different than snow in Utah (I haven’t skied Colorado yet). Tahoe snow is heavier with a higher water content. I have skied Tahoe many times, but prefer Utah.
Would also recommend SLC Utah, particularly when one of the skiers may not be skiing every day. Park City, Deer Valley, Snowbird, Alta and Solitude are all within an hour driver of downtown SLC. Lots to do in SLC, and as much major terrain as you can handle within an hour.drive
I go to Steamboat every year, but as often as not the drive is terrible. Great mountain and town though. Lots of people around here will drive it even though it is further than the other options. Personally my favorite.
Keystone is huge with something for everyone.
Loveland is cheap and everyone is super friendly. But you are skiing on top of the continental divide. It is pretty much always cold and windy. Tons of snow.
Bad Colorado skiing is still better than great skiing most places in the US. Have fun!
Steamboat is open for the season. First time in something like 45 years it has opened early (usually opens the day before thanksgiving). New gondola opens Dec 23.
There is a ton of snow.
@TS0104
I lived in CO. I’ve made the trek on I-70 many, many times. It is usually a white knuckle drive due to a combination of weather on either/both sides of the Continental Divide, the highway itself, cross-country trucks, traffic, and a few crazy drivers who mistakenly think that 4wd means they can stop on a dime.
Located on the far eastern side of the city, Denver International Airport, is perfectly situated to make for a driver’s nightmare, but you really have to drive if you are staying at Keystone for 4-5 days and want to see the area. There is a bus service, but meh.
Arapahoe Basin and Loveland have the highest base elevation in Colorado, so they get snow earlier in the season and have consistent snow at the bottom. The tradeoff is the local infrastructure and both are often very, very windy and cold.
Keystone is a good locals mountain slowly trying to turn into a destination resort.
Copper - Good on a good day. I encountered fog too often.
Vail - If Sun Valley, Idaho is the best shaped, ski mountain on earth, Vail is amongst the worst from my snowboarder’s perspective, because runs funnel into each other (you will think you are back on I-70) and there is too much gentle, flat and even some up-hill traversing. Vail and Breckenridge are the 2 busiest U.S. ski resorts. Both are massive too.
My second favorite of this bunch is Breckenridge, but only because it is the best town and I know where to snowboard to get away from the crowds. Like Aspen and the prettiest Telluride, Breck was a real mining town, rather than a purpose-built faux Euro resort. The town of Breckenridge has all the amenities and is a keeper, though it gets rather busy too. The green runs are like a table top and extremely crowded, many if not most blues would be called greens everywhere else in the area and again are mostly crowded. However if you are an expert skier or boarder hiking up to the top of Peak 8 (13,000 feet) on a snowy, blustery day makes you feel like Sir Edmund Hillary before you even drop in. Plus, on a blue sky day like this, you can chuckle at people from either coast when they do this.
P.S. This skier is in the Imperial Bowl, not the Lake Chutes.
If you never skied out West, consider taking a lesson. Powder skiing is very different and you may need to relearn all essential skills starting from beginner level. I never feel safe on blue runs due to amateur out-of-control skiers coming from all directions, so I would consider the least crowded resort for the first trip (unless you can ski expert runs). And get a MIPS helmet. Enjoy the best skiing in CO!
@bloomfield88 You didn’t mention Crested Butte- my favorite summer and winter. You can fly to Gunnison in winter and take a shuttle up to the resort (40 minutes or so) or rent a car. I think CB is the best town and the skiing is great, but it is definitely off the beaten path.
@MomofWildChild "You didn’t mention Crested Butte- my favorite summer and winter. "
Yep, The Butte is clearly under my statement, “Not including the four Aspen resorts, Steamboat or the western Colorado resorts, because they are more of a hike and not in the area you are headed.” I wanted to stick to the OP’s query.
If someone is interested in comparisons or recommendations outside the easily commutable area of Denver, I’ve snowboarded and skied in France, Italy, Switzerland, both eastern and western Canada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, California, Nevada, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, both Honshu and Hokkaido Islands in Japan, and most states in the Northeast U.S. The only two destinations left on my snowboard wishlist are Chile and Alaska.
@TS0104 Re: Heavenly
The lake is the big attraction to me. It is beautiful. However, the VW Beetle-sized moguls leading down to the lake are zero fun on a snowboard.
Personally, I dread casinos and the casino crowd that come with it. Heavenly is right there on that CA/NV border. The snow is certainly heavier than all the Rocky Mountain states east of there (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico are much drier conditions). Not Whistler/Blackcomb wet, but not my cup of tea either if making the trek out west.
Yes, bloomfield88, I did mean Copper.
As for the “Deer” resort I referenced, I have a fuzzy memory. It may have been one closer to Vail (which is not one of our favored mountains). It was the “ritzy” resort in that area. So I probably got a few confused. We haven’t gone in quite a few years.
We did all the ones in Utah around SLC several times, but given our druthers, we preferred Aspen or Summit County.
@treemaven Ahh, then you meant Beaver Creek. No “Deer” resort near Vail.