Best Boomer Towns Blog

The Locals guide to the 2009-2010 Ski & Snowboarding season in Colorado

The much anticipated ski and snowboarding season is finally here! For those of us that are fortunate to live in Colorado with its World Class ski resorts, this is one of the most anticipated seasons so dust off those boots and boards and get planning your next ski visit!

Loveland kicked off the Colorado ski/snowboard season Oct. 7, and it was followed by Arapahoe Basin (A-Basin to the locals), Breckenridge, Copper Mountain (great boarding mountain), Keystone (night skiing too), Wolf Creek (averages 465 inches of snow annually!!) and Winter Park openings. By Thanksgiving weekend, Aspen Mountain, Beaver Creek, Crested Butte, Durango, Eldora, Monarch, Ski Cooper, Snowmass, Steamboat and Telluride will open!! So after you finish carving the turkey, go carve some turns!

And because this is Colorado, you WILL need sunscreen, sunglasses and plenty of water...trust me as I learned the hard way when I first moved out here from Massachusetts...you will get a sunburn if you don't wear sun block!

Here's a look at Colorado resorts, including opening dates, mountain stats and what's new.
Arapahoe Basin

Scheduled opening date: Oct. 9

Number of lifts: Seven

Skiable acres: 900; 60 percent expert, 30 percent intermediate and 10 percent beginner

Mountain talk: Ski Magazine ranked it No. 4 in its best-value category and Skiing Magazine in its Top 10 in steeps. Recent upgrades helped it post its second-best year (409,810 visits) last season.

Web site: http://www.arapahoebasin.com
Aspen Mountain

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 26

Number of lifts: Eight

Skiable acres: 673; 52 percent expert and 48 percent intermediate

Mountain talk: Ski Magazine ranked it No. 2 in best après, and Skiing Magazine ranked it No. 3 in après and among the top 10 in steeps. More than $130 million has been pumped into the resort over the past six years, including 11 new lifts, two new gondolas, the Treehouse Kids' Adventure Center, three new restaurants and additional terrain. It will once again host the ESPN Winter X Games in January for the 10th time.

Web site: http://www.aspensnowmass.com
Aspen Highlands

Scheduled opening date: Dec. 12

Number of lifts: Five

Skiable acres: 1,028; 52 percent expert, 30 percent intermediate and 18 percent beginner

Mountain talk: Skiing Magazine ranked No. 6 in the best overall resort category. It also ranked No. 5 in scenery by Ski Magazine, No. 6 by Skiing Magazine and No. 8 by Ski Magazine in steeps and No.7 by Ski Magazine for weather.

Web site: http://www.aspensnowmass.com
Beaver Creek

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 25

Number of lifts:17

Skiable acres: 1,815; 38 percent expert, 43 percent intermediate and 19 percent beginner

Mountain talk: Moved up one notch to No. 6 in Ski Magazine's overall best resort category. This resort is among the most luxurious in Colorado. The Birds of Prey Run is legendary.

Web site: http://www.beavercreek.com
Breckenridge

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 12

Number of lifts: 30

Skiable acres: 2,358

Mountain talk: Ranked No. 15 in Ski Magazine's top overall resorts. The Peak 7 base debuted last year while reconstruction of the Peak 8 base is on track with a proposed late-spring opening. This year marks the 25th year of snowboarding here. This year, it will host the Winter Dew Tour on Dec. 18-20. It offers four terrain parks and three pipes, including the top-ranked Freeway Terrain Park/Pipe, a park progression system for beginners and intermediates. Also boasts 720 acres of bowl skiing/riding.

Web site: http://www.breckenridge.com
Buttermilk

Scheduled opening date: Dec. 12

Number of lifts: Nine

Skiable acres: 470; 26 percent expert, 39 percent intermediate and 35 percent beginner

Mountain talk: Transworld Snowboarding ranked the terrain park and half pipe No. 1 and the resort No. 3 overall.

Web site: http://www.aspensnowmass.com
Copper Mountain

Scheduled opening date: Opened Nov. 6

Number of lifts: 22

Skiable acres: 2,465; 54 percent expert, 25 percent intermediate and 21 percent beginner

Mountain talk: Ski Magazine ranked it No. 18 on its top overall resort list and No. 9 in the best park category. Recently opened the Woodward at Copper, which is the first indoor/outdoor ski and snowboard camp. The 20,000-squarefoot Woodward at Copper Barn gives campers access to jumps, foam pits, spring floor, trampolines and indoor skateboard features.

Web site: http://www.coppercolorado.com
Crested Butte

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 25

Number of lifts: 16

Skiable acres: 1,125; 20 percent expert, 57 percent intermediate and 23 percent beginner

Mountain talk: It topped Colorado's resorts in Skiing Magazine's steeps category, ranking No. 5, while ranking No. 10 in Ski Magazine's steeps category. The resort continues to go through a major rebuilding mode. Highlights include a new base area Adventure Park, including an ice skating rink that is the first in Colorado to use synthetic ice, and a lift-served tubing hill. The beginner area has a new learning area. And the DC Terrain Park has been expanded.

Web site: http://www.skicb.com
Durango (Purgatory)

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 27

Number of lifts: 10

Skiable acres: 1,200; 26 percent expert, 51 percent intermediate and 23 percent beginner

Web site: http://www.durangomountainresort.com
Echo Mountain

Scheduled opening date: Dec. 2

Number of lifts: Three

Skiable acres: 85; 20 percent expert, 60 percent intermediate and 20 percent beginner

Mountain talk: The closest riding to Denver, it is launching a new ski and ride program. Guests can choose from several multi-week programs for kids ages 4-14 and their parents.

Web site: http://www.echomt.com
Eldora

Scheduled opening date: Dec. 2

Number of lifts: 12

Skiable acres: 680; 30 percent expert, 50 percent intermediate and 20 percent beginner.

Mountain talk: The resort has significantly upgraded its Web site to make it more interactive.

Web site: http://www.eldora.com
Keystone

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 5

Number of lifts: 20

Skiable acres: 3,148; 49 percent expert, 32 percent intermediate and 19 percent beginner

Mountain talk: Last year, it began the new state-of-the-art eight-passenger gondola in River Run Village

Web site: http://www.keystoneresort.com
Loveland

Scheduled opening date: Oct. 7

Number of lifts: 10

Skiable acres: 1,365; 46 percent expert, 41 percent intermediate and 13 percent beginner

Mountain talk: Loveland was the first ski area in North America to open. The opening was its earliest in 40 years. It topped Ski Magazine's list of best-value resorts. This year, it added a Magic Carpet lift to Loveland Valley for its children's ski programs. It also did $500,000 in renovations to its base.

Web site: http://www.skiloveland.com
Monarch

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 25

Number of lifts: Seven

Skiable acres: 800; 58 percent expert, 28 percent intermediate and 14 percent beginner

Web site: http://www.skimonarch.com
Powderhorn

Scheduled opening date: Dec. 17

Number of lifts: Four

Skiable acres: 1,600; 30 percent expert, 50 percent intermediate and 20 percent beginner

Web site: http://www.powderhorn.com
Sol Vista

Scheduled opening date: Mid-December

Number of lifts: Five

Skiable acres: 406; 20 percent expert, 30 percent intermediate and 50 percent beginner

Mountain talk: Good place for the beginner skiing/riding family

Web site: http://www.solvista.com
Ski Cooper

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 26

Number of lifts: Five

Skiable acres: 400; 30 percent expert, 40 percent intermediate and 30 percent beginner

Web site: http://www.skicooper.com
Snowmass

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 26

Number of lifts: 21

Skiable acres: 3,132

Mountain talk: Ranked No. 1 snowboarding resort by Transworld Snowboarding Magazine, No. 2 by Freeskier Magazine and No. 6 by Ski Magazine. Also ranked No. 3 by Freeskier, No. 4 by Transworld and No. 7 by Ski Magazine in best terrain park category. Ranked No. 3 best pipe by Transworld, No. 7 best park by Ski Magazine, and No. 9 best snow by Ski Magazine and No. 10 best lodging.

Web site: http://www.aspensnowmass.com
Steamboat

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 25

Number of lifts: 18

Skiable acres: 2,965; 44 percent expert, 42 percent intermediate and 14 percent beginner

Mountain talk: Another year, another round of accolades. Ranked No. 1 in tree skiing by Skiing Magazine, No.1 best family resort by Skiing Magazine and No. 2 in best snow by Ski Magazine. Mountain improvements have been ongoing for the past four years, with more than $30 million pumped into improvements. This year's upgrades include the Kids' Vacation Center, a new ski and snowboard school ticket office and patrol facility.

Web site: http://www.steamboat.com
Sunlight

Scheduled opening date: Dec. 4

Number of lifts: Three

Skiable acres: 470; 25 percent expert, 55 percent intermediate and 20 percent beginner

Web site: http://www.sunlightmtn.com
Telluride

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 26

Number of lifts: 18

Skiable acres: 2,000; 41 percent expert,
36 percent intermediate and 23 percent
beginner

Mountain talk: Ranked No. 2 for scenery by Ski Magazine, No. 7 best overall resort by Skiing Magazine and No. 8 by Freeskier Magazine. Also ranked No. 6 for best dining and weather by Ski Magazine, No. 8 for best après skiing by Skiing Magazine and No. X for best terrain by Ski Magazine.

Web site: http://www.tellurideskiresort.com
Vail

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 20

Number of lifts: 33

Skiable acres: 5,289; 53 percent expert, 29 percent intermediate and 18 percent beginner

Mountain talk: The largest ski resort in North America slipped from No. 2 to No. 3 as the best overall resort by Ski Magazine. However, it still was the best of any Colorado resort. The resort has finished in first place 14 of the 23 years the magazine has done the survey. It boasts more than 3,600 acres of bowl skiing/riding with the Back Bowls comprising more than 3,000 acres.

Web site: http://www.vail.com
Winter Park

Scheduled opening date: Nov. 18

Number of lifts: 24

Skiable acres: 3,078; 55 percent expert, 37 percent intermediate and 8 percent beginner

Mountain talk: Checked in at No. 10 best tree skiing, according to Skiing Magazine. It is celebrating its 70th year of operation and is putting the finishing touches on a $30 million redevelopment of both on mountain and village facilities.

Web site: http://www.winterparkresort.com
Wolf Creek

Scheduled opening date: Oct. 31

Number of lifts: Seven

Skiable acres: 1,600

Web site: http://www.wolfcreekski.com

Please share this blog with your fellow ski and boarding buddies...here's to some fresh pow-pow and carving turns.

Your boarding friend,

Mike

 

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