1

Snowfall is always unpredictable, but most of the major Colorado resorts will offer snowmaking, thus taking care of "reliability of conditions." You will want to avoid the tiny "non-resort" mountains, but those are usually aimed at locals anyway, not Christmas vacationers like yourself.

As for cost, well, the most expensive time of the year to ski in Colorado (or anywhere in NA) is Christmastime, in terms of both lift tickets and lodging. You will save a lot of money if you are willing to stay in lodging away from the base village--i.e., if each day you are willing to drive in (via rental car, although then you'll pay for parking) or take a bus to the base. Most of the major resorts offer circulating buses that will take care of this. You can also drive/bus in for nightlife.

Cost of lift tickets varies across resorts, but it is impossible to provide more details since lift ticket prices are always changing and there are various options for 3-, 5- or 7-day passes. Check the resorts' websites. In general, a place like Vail will be more expensive than a place like Winter Park, but then again, Vail has better and more diverse skiing. Certain other resorts offer multi-day passes that can be used across several resorts; again, consult the respective web sites for more details.

Do you care at all about nightlife/ambiance? What about proximity to Denver? Winter Park is very close to Denver; Telluride is very far.

2

I like Keystone and Arapahoe Basin. A-Basin is quite high, so you have a better chance of good snow there.

3

Thanks, will look into those suggestions.

In terms of cost - the lift pass isn't a huge concern - my benefits package with work covers most of it (nice deal to have!) so main cost concern is lodging. Happy to be a little inconvenient to have cheaper lodging, but probably don't want to commute in and out of Denver.

Nightlife is not a concern either - as long as I can have a beer or two at the end of the day, that's enough for me!

4

Copper Mountain is also in the area and is a nice resortish atmosphere.

Winter Park/Mary Jane are closer than the above, but a bit lower elevation, so they might not have as good a snow conditions.

5

Agree with Kahua....

Vail is nice too but not cheap. Aspen is the best but $$$ overall. I like Telluride...
Many places do have promotions for lift tickets/ski packages with lodging, search internet...even Expedia and Groupon...

6

Thanks all for your input! Seems like I can't go wrong in that there's a lot of options. Telluride looks incredible, though perhaps a little difficult to get to... Though I do have time, so if I can work out how to get there it's definitely an option!

I'm looking mainly around Breckenridge/Keystone area - seems like the shuttle between the different resorts and towns is a little complicated - how easy is it really to get around? I get cheaper deals at Keystone, but I'd like to go to Breckenridge as well, and maybe A-Basin, but the website for the shuttle makes it all look a little complicated.

7

Another possibility is the towns of Avon or Eagle-Vail. Accommodation should be cheaper than on the mountain and there are free shuttles up to Beaver Creek (not sure about to Vail). Unless they change reciprocity rules next season, the lift ticket allows you to ski Beaver Creek, Bachelor Gulch, Arrowhead, and Vail. The first 3 are all accessible from the Beaver Creek lifts. Keystone/A-Basin are about 50 miles away if you wanted to drive over and ski there for a day.

Another way to save money is to rent your car somewhere other than DIA...the airport fees are large.

8

If you are flying into Denver and do not plan to rent a car, check out CME (Colorado Mountain Express). CME is a shuttle service that will take you from the airport to the ski resorts.

In terms of where to ski, you mentioned that you are looking around the Breck/Keystone area, but I will give my 2 cents on a few others.

A-Basin will be your cheapest option in terms of lift tickets, and while I love to ski here, I do not recommend it as a 'first ski trip to Colorado' type of place. More locals, less of a town to explore in the evenings.

Winter Park is an excellent ski vacation spot! There is a variety of terrain on the mountain (Winter Park and Mary Jane sides) and the town itself it great - not lux and glam like Vail, but more options than A-Basin. You will also find more affordable accommodations by staying in the towns of Frasier or Granby, and from there it's a quick drive to the ski parking lots. Not sure on the availability of shuttle buses here.

Vail is one of the most expensive ski resorts in terms of lift tickets and lodging, however, the size of the resort and quality of runs makes it one of the best places to ski. Wide variety of runs; you would absolutely not be bored exploring this place on a pair of skis for a week.

As for lodging, check out vrbo.com.

Many grocery stores in Denver sell discounted 4-packs, so if you're staying a night in town before heading up to the mountains, stop by King Soopers. It will not only save you $$ but prevent you from standing in lines at the base of the mountain.

Enjoy your ski vacation!

9

If you are considering summit county area (breck, keystone,abasin, copper, loveland) then check out lodging options in Frisco, Dilllon, Silverthorne. Abay is fun, but if you arent able to ride expert terrain competently, a lot of the other options there do tend to be a bit boring.

Edited by: Untracked