Colorado Top 3 Colorado resorts for well-groomed blue runs in your opinion?

[speedster]

Hello all,

Want to gather some opinions on what, in your opinion, are the top 3 major resorts with good snow quality, good grooming quality (and runs staying flat without bumps until late in the day), and wide, fun blue runs (cruisers?) in Colorado?

I tried to create a poll, but it would not let me use more than 10 options, so I'm just listing some of the options here:

• Vail
• Beaver Creek
• Breckenridge
• Telluride
• Arapahoe Basin
• Aspen Snowmass
• Aspen Mountain (Ajax)
• Aspen Highlands
• Buttermilk Mountain (Aspen)
• Copper Mountain
• Winter Park
• Keystone
• Crested Butte
• Steamboat
• Wolf Creek
• Loveland
• Purgatory
• Eldora
• Monarch

Thank you!

 

[PlainsSkier]

Snowmass, Beaver Creek and Copper

 

[PinnacleJim]

Keystone has the best collection of blue groomed runs in Summit County. Especially if you want some steepness, length, and variety to them. No real need to venture beyond the Zuma chair if you just want groomers.

 

[Noodler]

Snowmass is #1

Keystone might be #2

#3 is probably a really big tie between a few places.

Oh, and the "well-groomed" criteria knocks many of the places off the list. Lots of places have great terrain and well-laid out runs, but their grooming is sub-par.

 

[Marker]

Snowmass is #1

Keystone might be #2

#3 is probably a really big tie between a few places.

Oh, and the "well-groomed" criteria knocks many of the places off the list. Lots of places have great terrain and well-laid out runs, but their grooming is sub-par.

How would you rate Winter Park? Some friends and I are visiting in mid-March, and while I am excited to visit the bumps in Mary Jane, the rest might be less so.

 

[Noodler]

How would you rate Winter Park? Some friends and I are visiting in mid-March, and while I am excited to visit the bumps in Mary Jane, the rest might be less so.

Not so great. WP main area is not really the land for groomer zoomin'. Grooming is usually sub-par and considering the size of the place, there really aren't many great groomer runs. That said, it's a fantastic mountain with plenty of fun. It was my home mountain for about 5 years.

 

[JoeSchmoe]

Steamboat has to be in the top 3. I'd say Keystone, Vail, and Snowmass too but that's a top 4.

 

[Bill Miles]

I always liked Aspen Mt. Often has one or two steeper groomers. A real treat when Aztec and Spring Pitch are groomed.

 

[tomahawkins]

@speedster, you forgot Silverton on your list.

 

[SBrown]

Snowmass, Snowmass, and Snowmass.

 

[dbostedo]

Doing this quickly...

• Vail - #2
• Beaver Creek - #4
• Breckenridge - #6
• Telluride - Haven't been
• Arapahoe Basin - #12
• Aspen Snowmass - #1
• Aspen Mountain (Ajax) - #9
• Aspen Highlands - #8
• Buttermilk Mountain (Aspen) - #10
• Copper Mountain - #5
• Winter Park - Haven't been
• Keystone - #3
• Crested Butte - Haven't been
• Steamboat - #7
• Wolf Creek - Haven't been
• Loveland - #11
• Purgatory - Haven't been
• Eldora - Haven't been
• Monarch - Haven't been

Numerical order of the places I've been:

• Aspen Snowmass - #1
• Vail - #2
• Keystone - #3
• Beaver Creek - #4
• Copper Mountain - #5
• Breckenridge - #6
• Steamboat - #7
• Aspen Highlands - #8
• Aspen Mountain (Ajax) - #9
• Buttermilk Mountain (Aspen) - #10
• Loveland - #11
• Arapahoe Basin - #12

 

[Marker]

Not so great. WP main area is not really the land for groomer zoomin'. Grooming is usually sub-par and considering the size of the place, there really aren't many great groomer runs. That said, it's a fantastic mountain with plenty of fun. It was my home mountain for about 5 years.

Well, I'm probably the most zoomie going on this trip, but also most likely to hit the bumps. Just wondering about the grooming.

 

[Noodler]

Doing this quickly...

• Vail - #2
• Beaver Creek - #4
• Breckenridge - #6
• Telluride - Haven't been
• Arapahoe Basin - #12
• Aspen Snowmass - #1
• Aspen Mountain (Ajax) - #9
• Aspen Highlands - #8
• Buttermilk Mountain (Aspen) - #10
• Copper Mountain - #5
• Winter Park - Haven't been
• Keystone - #3
• Crested Butte - Haven't been
• Steamboat - #7
• Wolf Creek - Haven't been
• Loveland - #11
• Purgatory - Haven't been
• Eldora - Haven't been
• Monarch - Haven't been

Numerical order of the places I've been:

• Aspen Snowmass - #1
• Vail - #2
• Keystone - #3
• Beaver Creek - #4
• Copper Mountain - #5
• Breckenridge - #6
• Steamboat - #7
• Aspen Highlands - #8
• Aspen Mountain (Ajax) - #9
• Buttermilk Mountain (Aspen) - #10
• Loveland - #11
• Arapahoe Basin - #12

That's a pretty fair assessment. I think I would swap Keystone and Vail, but other than that, pretty spot on.

 

[dbostedo]

That's a pretty fair assessment. I think I would swap Keystone and Vail, but other than that, pretty spot on.

I've got a lot more time at Vail... I need to get more familiar with Keystone when everything is open.

 

[Tom K.]

Another for Snowmass.

 

[Noodler]

I've got a lot more time at Vail... I need to get more familiar with Keystone when everything is open.

Part of my assessment is the "fun factor" of the groomer. So what kind of terrain does the trail cut through? It's not just the excellence in grooming. I love Keystones groomers. They have interesting rollers and turns along with the immaculate grooming. I don't recall any groomer runs at Vail being all that interesting, but I haven't skied Vail in at least 7 years (but did ski it lot before then).

 

[dbostedo]

I don't recall any groomer runs at Vail being all that interesting, but I haven't skied Vail in at least 7 years (but did ski it lot before then).

Some of the Avanti runs are great and have some rolls and variety. Northwoods and Northstar are great. Some of the stuff on the Lions Head side is fun. The runs in Game Creek are really good though shorter. And China Bowl and BSB groomers are a lot of fun with rolls and half-pipes and tree islands. Mid-Vail is a bit blah, but I still like skiing them. And then there's Riva Ridge, which is wonderfully long when groomed.

But yeah, Keystone terrain that I've skied does have some fun meandering and variety on the groomers.

 

[mikes781]

Well, I'm probably the most zoomie going on this trip, but also most likely to hit the bumps. Just wondering about the grooming.

I made my first trip to Colorado last March and spent a day in Winter Park, day in Copper and a few days in Steamboat. I loved them all but wish we had another day,or two in Winter Park. There are plenty of groomers to keep an east coast skier occupied. Mary Jane was my favorite. I’m heading back to Colorado the 2nd week of March and spending most of the week in Snowmass/Aspen but hoping to squeeze a day or two in WP.

 

[New2]

My Colorado experience is all out of date. But late-in-the day groomed run quality is largely about lack of crowds, with initial groom quality another important factor in my opinion. Telluride, Crested Butte, and Keystone are the top 3 I've experienced, but they're all more crowded than they used to be. Snowmass, Buttermilk, and Powderhorn would be my best guesses for other contenders based on lower crowds. Maybe Purgatory.

 

[Jim Kenney]

Snowmass, Snowmass, and Snowmass.

DITTO.