Steamboat vs Breck/Keystone

I am biased but here's the difference imho

the boat doesn't have a lot of steeps; steep meaning 30* or more so that is limited but what we do have is the best glade skiing in North America; hands down.  We have some fun and decent side country. Lots of fun terrain that is often never seen by most skiers.  We also don't have the front range crowds. Mid-week storms can hold for days so you can ski more powder. If you want to get more powder, we have Steamboat Powdercats up on Buff' pass which gets the most snow in all of Colorado, over 500" per season,  The boat Its more laid back. And yes, we do have freakishly light powder when the conditions are right (but it's not guaranteed) but you will find the snow does stay softer longer there due to the dryness; its high desert really. Another nice thing about the boat is that you don't' need a car and everything is close. Fly right into Hayden airport. 

The advantage for you to go to Summit county is the ability to hit more resorts. A-basin offers steeps and some great hike to terrain. Its a gem of a mountain. Breck is huge and offers a bit of everything, Keystone is a resort I don't know much about but it does offer a lot more than meets the eye and I would like to ski there with a local in their side country. But you also have access to Loveland, Copper so if you want a real mix of terrain and options, its hard to beat summit county. You will need to drive about 30-60 minutes depending on where yu stay road conditions. There is no doubt that if you stay in Summit and work the surrounding resorts, you can have anything you want. 

Spring Break tends to be pretty crowded here in Summit.  

Keystone tends to get less snow than Breck .which averages a bit less than Steamboat.  Keystone doesn`t have much in the way of true steeps, but has some very good tree skiing when there is enough snow and also has some nice bump runs.  

Breck has a bit of everything with the top offering some nice steeps and the bottom having some flat cruisers.  

The free Summit stage runs from Breck to Keystone to A-Basin, so you can stay in one and access the other two without a car.  I`d recommend staying in the village at KS or near the gondi in Breck if you plan to do this. 

When you went to Vail/BC did you stay in one slopeside place and ski everything from there, or did you do a short commute to one or both of the mountains from your accommodations?  I guess I'm asking if you prefer to stay slopeside or if you don't mind driving to different ski areas each day.  If you prefer to settle in slopeside at one mountain then Steamboat would be a stronger contender because it's pretty big for a single ski area.  If you like to drive around and sample multiple areas then Summit County excels at that.  Did the altitude bother either of you at Vail?  Summit County is even higher.  Steamboat is significantly lower and easier to take in that regard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kneale Brownson 

Adding to MeFree: The Summit Stage also can get you to Copper if the Vail resorts in the county don't provide sufficient variety. The free bus in Breck can get you to the Summit Stage easily from almost any of the lodging there.
Breck's grooming seems to surpass Keystone by a long way. I've never skied Keystone when they didn't have hard snow on the groomers.
If your dad likes groomed cruising, he'd probably enjoy Breck the most in Summit.

I agree that Motzart (and a few others at KS) are often rock hard (by western standards)  However, this spring I thought Keystone did a good job of keeping what they had open skiable- more effort to cover up bare spots and loosen up the snow than Vail and at least as good as Breck.  

As far as blue cruising goes, Breck definitely has some easier blue runs than KS.  Copper definitely has a mix of everything and can be less crowded at times.  

Hockley

I ski Breck quite extensively.  I skied three days at Steamboat this last season, the first time in 30 years, which is quite remarkable as when I was a kid Steamboat was my absolute favorite place to ski.  My family also were the original settlers in Steamboat.

All that being said, if you are coming over spring break, then I think you'd be better off in Steamboat.  It is further away from Denver and while it will still be crowded for spring break, it won't be as crazy as Summit County/Vail.  Steamboat is a large resort and you will have more than enough terrain to keep you occupied for 5 days.  I myself personally could spend a couple of days in Shadows/Closets without getting bored, the glade skiing in those two runs (which are immense) is that good.  But there's a ton of good glade skiing.  And there's a ton of intermediate cruisers for your father as well.

I'm not knocking Summit County/Vail generally or Breckenridge specifically.  But without a way to cut the lift lines, like taking lessons everyday, you'll spend far more time than you'd care to standing in line.  

What Breck has that Steamboat doesn't is steeps and some of them quite long.  There are lines in Horseshoe Bowl that are over 45 degrees.  And off of the tope of Peak 7, you've got some long lines that are in the mid 40's.  You can also hike the Lake Chutes where some of the lines have real exposure (rock bands below) with grades that are close or slightly above 50 degrees.

Steamboat has some real short steep shots, but they require a pretty significant traverse out of them.  But the skiing is incredibly good.  Given what you've said you're looking for, I'd say it fits perfectly.

An alternative would be Aspen, but that wasn't on your list.

Mike

Steamboat is lower and does have some exposure issues.  I'd still pick it above Breck/Keystone because of crowds and I would pick Aspen over them all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHREDHEAD 

Steamboat is lower and does have some exposure issues.  I'd still pick it above Breck/Keystone because of crowds and I would pick Aspen over them all.

I agree -- you're going early enough in March that it shouldn't be a problem. Unless all of March in all of the state is a problem, like the past few Marches have been. (March is historically a great snow month, but it's been bad the past few years, until the end of March. This year even the end of March didn't deliver. I'm thinking this means next year, March will rock. RIGHT?????)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hockley Valley 

 if I'm going out west id like to have a shot at a powder day.

You always have a shot at a powder day out west in March...sun is possible also- some resorts may have better chances than others, but weather is always luck of the dice.  Checking out http://bestsnow.net/ can improve your odds when advance booking.

For spring break in particular, Aspen is your best bet of avoiding crowds since it's so much further from Denver.

Otherwise, I'd probably go with Steamboat only on holiday weeks / weekends.  For a regular week / weekend I'd choose summit county for the variety.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHREDHEAD 

Steamboat is lower and does have some exposure issues.  I'd still pick it above Breck/Keystone because of crowds and I would pick Aspen over them all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by segbrown 

 

I agree -- you're going early enough in March that it shouldn't be a problem. Unless all of March in all of the state is a problem, like the past few Marches have been. (March is historically a great snow month, but it's been bad the past few years, until the end of March. This year even the end of March didn't deliver. I'm thinking this means next year, March will rock. RIGHT?????)

I sure hope so, I was down in steamboat on their closing day (not to ski). It looked terrible, absolutley the worst I've ever seen steamboat. We only had 5" in march in the snowies... pretty pathetic. However I did wake up to a thin layer of snow in Laramie and the Snowies covered in white today, maybe the weather pattern is setting back to normal.

5 minutes at Vail during spring break.... Houston, we have a problem

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finndog 

5 minutes at Vail during spring break.... Houston, we have a problem

a problem called "no damn snow."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hockley Valley 

Just for the record (even though it is march break) we did go during the week (Mon-Fri) and crowds were not a problem at Vail except for the gondola in the morning, and chairs four and three.

Also i can wait in line for up to five mins and it isn't that bad. If you ski at a public resort in Ontario (where i live) waits on weekends are normally half an hour in the singles line.

I'm going to guess that was likely not the case the year before last, you know, when they actually had snow to ski on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hockley Valley 

I've only been to Colorado once and have only been to Vail and Beaver Creek.

I looked at aspen trail maps (all four) and noticed there wasn't that much blue terrain for my dad? especially Aspen mountain and highlands.

Ajax certainly isn`t a good beginner mountain, but there are blue runs.  the face is a tad steep for a low blue skier at the end of the day, but Snowmass (and likely Buttermilk) has plenty of blue cruisers.  

The great thing about Aspen is it is one lift ticket for 4 mountains.  There's a ton of great terrain for everyone at Snowmass:  groomers, glades, steeps, you name it, you've got it.  While Ajax certainly has some great expert skiing, it has a fair amount of groomers as well -- people do tend to ski them at pretty much max speed though.  Let me assure you there is more than enough terrain at Aspen to keep you and your father entertained for a week.

Mike

Um, you're a Canadian. What's wrong with British Columbia?

OK, we've got that out of the way.

I lived in Colorado for 23 years. It sounds like Steamboat is probably a better fit for you than Breck. I like the town and the spring break crowds will not be as bad. Coming from the east, you'll find there is plenty of terrain to keep you occupied for 5 days.

Steamboat is lower elevation than many others in Colorado, with a southern aspect on many of its runs. Weather is always a gamble, but it could certainly be warm (and sunny and pleasant) in Steamboat. I've been there in February when it was over 60 degrees F. That's the exception, though, not the rule.

I'm not surprised you chose Vail.  Your Dad sounds a tad bit like mine, which is why we always went and still go to Vail.  Although Vail isn't known for it's steeps, they can be found, especially around the Northwoods Area(The peak where chairs 4, 5, and 11 meet).  If you take Chair 11 up(Northwoods), to the lookers right there is a prominent cliff band on North Rim and Prima Cornice.  There's also a few nice little pillows in the trees there.  Further along that ridge, there is Prima, which will satisfy your taste for bumps.  For you Dad, he can take Riva Ridge(A black but is groomed a few times a week), which can be taken all the way down to the base.  There's also some steeps and great tree skiing in Blue Sky basin.  If you have the skill, there's an easy side country gate by Champagne Glade that puts you out on the ridge of Earl's Bowl.  Always bring avalanche equipment/beacon, but it's within sight of the lift and you can ski right back to the lift.

Quote:

Originally Posted by habacomike 

If those were his favorite runs at Vail, he'd like Aspen Mountain and much of the groomed terrain at Aspen Highlands. Again, try something different: Steamboat, which is as flat as Vail, or Aspen, which has a lot more terrain than either Vail or the 'boat.
Btw, while there is a small amount of terrain in Northwoods at Vail, it is very short and quickly becomes uninteresting. vail is notable for the immensity.y of it's terrain, not for it's intensity. Aspen, on the other hand, has as much terrain as Vail, but it also has much more intense terrain if that's what you want. It also has lots of whatever you want. A much more rounded resort, IMO.
Mile

I agree with you 100%.  Vail's terrain is nothing special.  But some people like just having everything in one resort(I'm not familiar with how easily it is to get from resort to resort, but with Vail, it's all in one, just not that great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hockley Valley 

Yup his favorite runs were grand review, Riva ridge, and blue ox.

I skied prima cornice when i went there but it was nuts because of the low snow; it was super steep and there was huge cliffs everywhere. And North/South rim were my favorite runs.

You really can't lose at almost any of the major areas including Aspen, but having read a few more of your posts I'm now thinking you might like the combo of Keystone and Arapahoe Basin (and Breck), particularly if snow conditions are substantially better at higher elevations approaching your trip dates.  Lots of accommodations near Keystone and it will be groomer paradise for your dad and you will get a big kick out of the bumps and steeps at A-Basin only a few miles up the road.  Both are about 75-80 miles from Denver airport.

Palaviccini trail pod at A-Basin:

Schoolmarm at Keystone