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2000 SKI & SNOWBOARD SPECTACULAR
by Chris Magyar and |
# 1 COPPER MOUNTAIN
Skiing: A Snowboarding: A
www.skicopper.com
You can't beat Copper. It's one of the closest ski areas to Denver, one of the cheapest, and by far the best overall in terms of lifts, snow, terrain, layout, crowds, parking, instruction ... just thinking about sailing on the Timberline lift or bashing the back bowls makes us shed frozen tears of joy. As long as you take on the terrain that matches your abilities, you won't find a bad run at Copper. Little hint: don't be tempted by the initial parking signs. Your best bet is to drive through to the Union Creek area, where the lifts are closer and parking is always covered in snow (essential if you prefer to ski back to your car and avoid that shoulder-breaking walk). If you can only ski one mountain this season ... ski Copper.
# 2 VAIL
Skiing: C Snowboarding: C
www.vail.com
So how did this behemoth land second place if the judges only gave it a C? Well, to be fair to the fools who might disagree with our divinely-inspired opinions, we took into account numerical factors such as distance from Denver, ticket price per skiable acre, luxury lifts and gondolas, and terrain variance. Using a mathematical formula that was just as divinely inspired as our opinions, we crunched the numbers and groaned when we saw Vail come up second. Sure, it's won worldwide acclaim and installed more highspeed lifts than you can count without a degree in calculus, but the crowds, prices and inferior snow really turned us off (not to mention the monopolizing of the once-great Summit County foursome). We're adults. We can admit Vail is a decent ski area. We just don't have to like it.
# 3 STEAMBOAT
Skiing: A
Snowboarding: A
www.steamboatski.com
It's worth every minute of the four-hour drive. You don't even know what powder is until you've tried Steamboat's slopes in the height of snowfall season. This is where we always send people who claim Utah's got better snow. Although it's not a mountain for beginners, it does have the added bonus of the least-manufactured base camp in the Rockies (especially compared to the tourist traps of Breckenridge and Vail). This is one area worth booking lodging for-- after an exquisite day on the chutes, you can recouperate with the local cowboys over barbecue brisket and peanuts.
# 4 MARY JANE
Skiing: A Snowboarding:
A
www.skiwinterpark.com/maryjane
A mogul-lover's paradise. From the intial Bellmar Bowl spillway to the punishing blacks that slide off Derailer, you'll take on bumps so huge you'll wonder if Anna Nicole Smith's plastic surgeon designed the place. Snowboarders might complain about the final flats on Corona Way to get back to the lift, but the truth is, after taking on Trestle's vertical drops, your body needs to be upright for awhile. Challenger is one of Colorado's best lifts for idiot-watching ... place bets on how many spectacular spills you'll see when greenhorns are hitting the bumps below the lift. Who needs Winter Park?
# 5 BEAVER CREEK
Skiing: B Snowboarding: B
www.beavercreek.com
Once again, we give this Vail-owned mountain our grudging respect. At least Beaver Creek gets better snowfall and doesn't attract the Chinalike crowds that Vail does. There are some puzzling areas of terrain-- on Beaver Creek East, you can be snowplowing down an easy green, take one wrong turn, and end up on a double-diamond. Aside from that area, Beaver Creek is one of the best mountains for beginners, both skiing and snowboarding. Also, cross-country skiiers will enjoy the well-developed and challenging terrian of McCoy Park, the only area of its kind at a Colorado ski resort.
# 6 ARAPAHOE BASIN
Skiing: A Snowboarding: A
www.arapahoebasin.com
There's a reason it's called "The Legend." Best-known for its late spring skiing (where else can you find people skiing topless?), A-Basin also attracts extreme snowhounds, who consider its rarely-open East Wall a rite of passage. The views are unbeatable, and the tickets are still reasonable, especially when you consider that your so-called four-mountain Vail pass also gets you in here. There's not a whole lot of terrain to explore, but every inch of what's there is quality stuff.
# 7 BERTHOUD PASS
Skiing: B Snowboarding: A
www.berthoudpass.com
Skiiers may find the open nature of this little-known area a bit tedious, but snowboarders swear by its open, mostly ungroomed terrain. Lift tickets are priced based on how much fresh snow is on the slopes (an idea more ski areas should embrace), and tours are available for those wanting to explore the deep pockets of powder lurking in the backcountry. As you'd expect from an open ski resort (loosely marked trails and tons of uncharted area), there are classes in avalanche safety for the skiers and snowboarders who actually value their lives above killer snow (a rare thing indeed).
# 8 SNOWMASS
Skiing: B Snowboarding: B
www.aspensnowmass.com
This is the best of the Aspen mountains by far. Though it's a little too far to drive for an experience that you can get just as easily at Copper or Mary Jane, Snowmass does promise tranquility, and it delivers. The area is so freakin' huge that you can forget about lift lines and clusters of ski school dropouts. Some claim to have stayed in the Campground lift area all day without seeing more than ten people. The runs are long, the snow is good, and then there's just the whole Aspen side of the deal, which is nice scenery if you can afford it.
# 9 BRECKENRIDGE
Skiing: B Snowboarding: C
www.breckenridge.com
One of the great Summit County ski areas that has declined since its heyday in the '80s and early '90s. The good news is that you can spend a week there exploring all the terrain spread between Peak 7 and Peak 10. The bad news is that you'll probably spend more time getting from one pocket of good runs to the other for the same reason (particularly a pain for snowboarders). The bowls are still the best reason to go for experts, and the lower portions of the peaks are still great for beginners. Just go on a weekday during February to avoid the crowds.
# 10 KEYSTONE
Skiing: C Snowboarding: B
www.keystoneresort.com
Opinions are torn on this mountain, which has suffered the same fate as Breckenridge. Crowds are a major factor here, as the traffic from all three of Keystone's mountains has to come down one of three runs at the end of the day, making an icy and claustrophobic experience for a horde of dog-tired people. Some think the night skiing is a brilliant way to extend the day, while others think it's an interesting experiment that's ruined by generally crusty snow conditions. You can't argue with the vast terrain, or the quality lifts, or the good snowfall. But you can argue that there's better places to ski right next door.
| Ski Resort Ranks | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Ski Resort | Skiing Grade | Snowboarding Grade | Adult Lift Price1 | Distance (in miles)2 | Cost/ acre (in cents) |
Gondolas/ hi-speed lifts |
 /
 /
 |
| 1 | Copper Mountain | A | A | $49* | 75 | 2 | 5 | 21/25/54 |
| 2 | Vail | C | C | $57 | 120 | <1 | 15 | 18/29/53 |
| 3 | Steamboat | A | A | $58 | 157 | 2 | 5 | 13/56/31 |
| 4 | Mary Jane | A | A | $45 | 56 | 2 | 2 | 3/36/61 |
| 5 | Beaver Creek | B | B | $57 | 110 | <1 | 6 | 34/39/27 |
| 6 | Arapahoe Basin | A | A | $44 | 102 | 2 | 0 | 15/45/40 |
| 7 | Berthoud Pass | B | A | $34 | 57 | 3 | 0 | 20/30/50 |
| 8 | Snowmass | B | B | $62 | 219 | 1 | 7 | 7/55/38 |
| 9 | Breckenridge | B | C | $57 | 104 | <1 | 6 | 15/28/57 |
| 10 | Keystone | C | B | $57 | 96 | <1 | 8 | 12/29/59 |
| 11 | Winter Park | B | D | $45 | 67 | 2 | 6 | 33/42/25 |
| 12 | Silver Creek | B | B | $39 | 80 | 14 | 1 | 30/50/20 |
| 13 | Telluride | A | B | $61 | 335 | 6 | 5 | 21/47/32 |
| 14 | Loveland | B | B | $41 | 56 | 3 | 0 | 17/42/41 |
| 15 | Crested Butte | C | A | $52 | 231 | 5 | 3 | 13/29/58 |
| 16 | Wolf Creek | B | A | $38 | 276 | 2 | 0 | 20/35/45 |
| 17 | Eldora | D | C | 29 | 45 | 4 | 0 | 20/50/30 |
| 18 | Monarch | C | C | 35 | 157 | 5 | 0 | 21/37/42 |
| 19 | Durango Mountain | C | B | 45 | 340 | 4 | 2 | 23/51/26 |
| 20 | Chuchara | C | C | 20* | 185 | 9 | 0 | 40/40/20 |
| 21 | Buttermilk | D | B | $62 | 219 | 1 | 1 | 35/39/26 |
| 22 | Ski Cooper | C | D | $29 | 120 | 7 | 0 | 30/40/30 |
| 23 | Ajax | B | F | $62 | 219 | 1 | 3 | 0/35/65 |
| 24 | Aspen Highlands | C | D | $62 | 219 | 1 | 3 | 20/33/47 |
| 25 | Powderhorn | D | C | $35 | 250 | 7 | 0 | 20/50/30 |
| 26 | Sunlight | D | D | $30 | 167 | 6 | 0 | 20/55/25 |
Notes:
1 Based on a one-day pass during peak season.
2 From downtown Denver.
* Based on 1999-2000 ticket-- new official ticket price TBA.
# 11 WINTER PARK
Skiing: B Snowboarding: D
www.skiwinterpark.com
A great mountain for intermediate skiers, but snowboarders will be inventing new curse words when .they find themselves trapped on one of Winter Park's many flat zones. The Park wins points for being an acclaimed area for disabled skiers and very young beginners, but the question keeps nagging ... shouldn't you be over at Mary Jane?
# 13 TELLURIDE
Skiing: A Snowboarding: B
www.telski.com
This is a great destination if you think Aspen and Steamboat aren't far away or expensive enough. The experience at Telluride is world-class, especially for skiers, but man what a drive. The jury's still out on the Surge Air Garden Terrain Park, but that might be a good enough draw to get the snowboarders down to Four Corners. Telluride the town is a nice enough place, with a laid-back Boulder vibe that's ensnared many a ski bum. You've got to try it at least once in your life.
# 14 LOVELAND
Skiing: B Snowboarding: B
www.skiloveland.com
It's the closest decent ski area to Denver, but holy shit is it cold. Loveland is a very nice ski area with one very bad problem: wind. The terrain at the top of the mountain is amazing, and there's plenty of snow all season long, and we'll even argue that Loveland has the best Bloody Mary of any ski area in Colorado. However, when one of those old lifts halts and you're stuck there, dangling in an Arctic wind ... just be glad it's not a long drive home.
# 23 AJAX
Skiing: B Snowboarding: F
www.aspensnowmass.com
This mountain, most recently known as Aspen Mountain, has so much to offer in terms of quality terrain and challenging bumps. So why do the powers that be still refuse to allow snowboarders on the slopes of Ajax? They might think they're preserving a nostalgic board-free environment for skiers who remember what it was like back in the day, but to us it smacks of a country club that won't open its doors to minorities. Let the dudes in, Ajax, then we'll talk.
Is this the next snow toy to hit the slopes? You can rent it at Copper Mountain and find out. The Rush Downhiller is a bike designed for downhill riding that converts into a sort of snowboard scooter in ten quick steps.
Created by Arete Outdoors, the low-slung frame is supposed to give you an unprecedented amount of control maneuvering down the steep mountainside-- the brochure promises you can do it "without the crash-plagued learning curve of skiing and snowboarding." It's an odd little gadget that may or may not catch on. You'll have to try it for yourself, mostly to see if the 22-pound frame is worth hauling up on the lifts. For more information, visit www.areteoutdoors.com
