dht@druri.UUCP (Davis Tucker) (01/04/86)
>> keystone - good beginner and intermediate, no advanced even though >> there are trails marked with black diamonds. has lots of >> snowmaking. > Great for recreational skiers who want to do warp speed cruising. I think >Keystone is the best cruiser area around. If you're one of those people who >skis to have fun instead of to prove how good you are or to challenge yourself, >you might like Keystone. I agree with the first posting, and the consensus in Colorado is on her side. Keystone, it is true, could be a great cruiser mountain - but it's always too crowded. Which means you'll get your ticket pulled if you try and do some reasonably fun "warp speed" cruising. Also, because Keystone has such a deservedly good reputation as being a solely beginner mountain, it (big surprise) has lots of beginners on it - which means lots of stopped lifts, out-of-control skiers, crazy adolescent males, etc. Keystone is boring, and too crowded. And if you think Vail has lots of Texans... North Peak has been a bust for Ralston Purina (who own Keystone and A-Basin, too). Last year it was always icy and never had a lot of snow on it, and it would get windpacked too much. Mary Jane, the East side of Vail Mountain, Ajax, and the Birds of Prey at Beaver Creek are better choices for bumps. > My personal opinion: Breckenridge sucks. All the good runs converge at >the bottom of this one lift, so if it's not absolutely empty, lift lines >can be a problem. I've also found this to be true. Breckenridge is always very crowded, it seems. The other problem is that the kinds of slopes (beginner, intermediate, advanced) are *very* separated, so it's impossible to keep a group together of differing abilities. It's even hard to meet for lunch, because you all have to go to the bottom (and then wait 45 minutes to get out of the base). I second the recommendation for Copper. It's probably the best cruiser mountain in the state, with the only real competitor being Snowmass. It has a good bump side, and a good green side. Once again, though, because they segregate the terrain, a generally good idea for those of us who hate beginner catwalks across black bump runs, it is hard to keep a large group together. Don't bother trying - however, it is easier to meet for lunch. Loveland is a good deal, a nice little down-home kind of place, but it does get boring after a while. I wouldn't ski it more than one day. > Vail takes twice as long to get to as the other areas, costs more, is more >commercialized and is owned by Texans. Need I say more. Otherwise I agree >with Evi, especially the part about the back bowls. Well, Vail always does take its knocks - but with the new lifts, there are virtually no problems with lines anymore. Game Creek Bowl is vastly improved, with a high-speed quad and some great new blue cruisers. Also, the Mid-Vail area is a great place to keep a large group skiing different levels - there is a green, a blue cruiser, a steep blue cruiser, a blue bump run, a black bump run, a cliff, another green, and a black bump wall right in front of the lodge ("Look Ma"). It also now has a high-speed quad. Believe me, these new fast lifts make all the difference in the world. Vail is not owned by Texans - it is now owned by the Gillet company, out of North Dakota or somewhere thereabouts. As for being more commercialized, it at least offers about ten ski rental shops, demo shops, and many more restaraunts than, say, Copper Mountain. It is a large mountain, easy to get around on, and you can keep a large group together in many areas (Game Creek also offers a Mid-Vailish variety, all feeding into a common lift). For cruising: Copper For bumps: Vail, Mary Jane, North Peak For all-around: Vail/Beaver Creek For night skiing: Keystone For cheap: Loveland > Aspen is too expensive and too commercial. Other places offer just as good >skiing for less. Actually, I and many people find the Aspen area a nice, laid-back, *town*, as opposed to a resort, and find that it offers the best variety of skiing in the state - with an expert mountain (Ajax) that is twice or three times the size of A-Basin, a cruiser mountain (Snowmass) that is bigger than Copper), a beginner mountain (Buttermilk) that is bigger than Winter Park or Keystone, and a good all-around mountain (Aspen Highlands) that, be- sides being the last family-owned ski area in the state, offers the longest vertical drop in the state. Also, you can ski anything you want to at High- lands - snowboards, monoskis, teles, etc. A great local's mountain. The nightlife in Aspen is the best of any ski resort, and I found many inex- pensive places to eat if that's your pleasure. Lots of good architecture, nice homes with yards, 100-year-old buildings, etc. Plus the last time I was there I saw Karen Allen (Raiders, Starman) buying long underwear in a second-hand coat looking very pregnant. Davis Tucker (A Texan who grows more ashamed of it every time he skis)
woods@hao.UUCP (Greg Woods) (01/05/86)
> Keystone, it is true, could be a great cruiser mountain - but it's always > too crowded. I wouldn't say "always", since the last time I was there there was no one there. However, it's not a good place to go on weekends or during school vacations. > Also, because Keystone has such > a deservedly good reputation as being a solely beginner mountain, it (big > surprise) has lots of beginners on it - which means lots of stopped lifts, > out-of-control skiers, crazy adolescent males, etc. Only during the above times. Definitely not the place to go during a "peak" period. > Well, Vail always does take its knocks - but with the new lifts, there are > virtually no problems with lines anymore. That's good to hear. That was a SERIOUS problem the last time I was there. > Vail is not owned by Texans - it is now owned by the Gillet company, out > of North Dakota or somewhere thereabouts. I didn't mean the actual ski area, I meant the town. Something like half the businesses, condos, etc. in town. > As for being more commercialized, > it at least offers about ten ski rental shops, demo shops, and many more > restaraunts than, say, Copper Mountain. Not to mention condos and crowds. --Greg