Ski Summit County

SUMMIT COUNTY SKI AREAS

Breckenridge Ski Area
Breckenridge Ski Area provides 2,358 skiable acres on four distinct peaks, and Vail Resorts hopes to expand onto Peak 6 in the future.

In December 2005, the BreckConnect gondola linked the ski area with the town and eliminated the need to ride uncomfortable buses from the parking lot to the base. The gondola soars above newly built luxury homes, which Ten Peaks Lodging offers, allowing ski-in, ski out access to the mountain.

A recent chairlift addition, Imperial Express, is the highest chairlift in North America. It accesses fairly steep, ungroomed terrain, which often holds some of the best snow.

In addition to 55% advanced terrain consisting of bumps, bowls and steeps, Breckenridge Ski Resort has plenty of beginner and intermediate groomed runs. Independence Super Chair serves a handful of intermediate cruisers, and Peaks 8, 9 and 10 all offer their share of easier slopes.

Five immaculately carved terrain parks with jumps, halfpipes and rails help transition and challenge riders throughout their development.

In April, the Spring Massive Festival bursts with a fusion of live music, grueling competitions and family events.

Copper Mountain Resort
Locals often vote Copper Mountain Resort their favorite ski area in annual polls because it tends to be just a little less crowded than Breckenridge and Keystone, plus its naturally divided terrain separates beginners, intermediates and advanced skiers.

Union Creek, at the farthest end of Copper Mountain, caters to beginners (21% of the mountain), while intermediates enjoy groomed runs near the main village (accessed by base lifts Flyer and American Eagle). Advanced bump runs and steep bowls (54% of the mountain) are perched above these runs, with black terrain also tucked away off of Resolution, Sierra and SuperBee lifts.

A back bowl provides open, ungroomed terrain. Within the bowl, accessed by R lift, a free snowcat motors skiers to Tucker Mountain, where it’s a 15- to 20-minute hike to drop into steep chutes.

Copper’s 2,433 skiable acres include a graduated series of terrain parks, which include the Kidz Terrain Park full of mini rails, pipes and jumps at the top of the Flyer lift. Woodward at Copper trains riders to master bigger jumps with its year-round, indoor facility, complete with snowflex ramps, foam pits, trampolines and tumbling floors.

Burning Stones Plaza, located in the main village, ignites with events, festivals, concerts and performers throughout the year.

Keystone Resort
Keystone Resort has always been known as a family-friendly ski area, but advanced riders frequent it for the terrain parks, snowcat skiing and après ski specials. It has the most skiable acres in Summit County, at 3,148.

Keystone offers the most intermediate terrain (32%) of the four areas, with 19% being beginner runs and 49% being advanced.

All-day snowcat tours open up an additional 300 acres of Keystone’s coveted powder. The tours cost about $200 and include powder ski rental and a gourmet lunch prepared by award-winning chefs.

Keystone is the only resort in Summit County that illuminates its mountain at night, extending the ski “day” to a full 12 hours, Wednesdays through Sundays. The 15 lit trails provide the largest night skiing experience in Colorado, and Keystone boasts one of the only nighttime terrain parks in the state.

During the day, a kids’ terrain park trains beginners on rails and jumps so they can eventually graduate to Keystone’s A51. Both Transworld Snowboarding and Freeskier magazines have ranked the main park as one of the top 10 in the nation.

Keystone’s three peaks each have their own personality. The front side, called Dercum Mountain, sprawls with mostly smooth fall lines on groomed runs, while North Peak offers both groomed and bump runs. The farther peak, the Outback, is popular for its open glade skiing.

At the top of the Outback, the Alpenglow Stube serves a high-class European brunch and lunch, while next door, the spacious log building sells organic dairy and meat products in its full-service cafeteria.

Arapahoe Basin
Arapahoe Basin is significantly smaller than Summit County’s other three ski areas, but that’s part of its charm.

Its location within the national forest prevents condos and retail centers from springing up, so A-Basin keeps it simple: A base lodge includes a cafeteria, sports shop and bar, and a mid-station called Black Mountain Lodge serves an alpine-bistro style menu.

A-Basin has a laid-back, local feel. The party comes to life in the spring, when groups of people barbecue and play games in an area called “the beach,” where the parking lot meets the base of the ski area. Parking is usually a breeze at A-Basin, with a main lot located steps from three chairlifts. When the main lot fills up, skiers park in upper lots and take a very short free shuttle to the base.

In 2008, A-Basin expanded its terrain by 80% when it opened Montezuma Bowl, on the backside of the mountain. The new terrain runs the gamut of intermediate terrain, tree skiing and steep bowl skiing with hefty cornices.

A-Basin has the highest terrain park in the United States and the highest summit elevation (at 13,050 feet) in Summit County. Its higher elevation allows the mountain to open in early October and remain strong until early June.

It also has the most advanced terrain in Summit County, with 60% of its mountain devoted to moguls and steep faces, and only 10% being flatter beginner runs. Though the ski area only has seven lifts, expert nooks and crannies make the mountain feel much more expansive.

Posting courtesy of Breckenridge Colorado Lodging