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Skiing in Summit County, Colorado
Summit County may very well be the most diverse ski destination around. Beginning at Arapahoe Basin, and then Keystone, we edge on over to the awesome Breckenridge experience and the family-fun of Copper Mountain. This area is blessed with some of the best skiing to be found anywhere, and enjoys the convenience of being a relatively short drive west of Denver on I-70. You can leave the Denver airport and be on powder slopes in a couple of hours! Once in Summit County, there's ample transportation available, free shuttles from the hotels as well as between the four resort areas.
Breckenridge's fame is found in the back bowls of Peak 9, the terrain parks, and that it's world-class snow so very close to Denver. Arapahoe Basin (A-Basin) boasts sharp verticals and, at 13,050 feet, the highest ski slopes in all of North America. Resort-designed Keystone makes its mark with convenience, night skiing, and groomed slopes. Copper Mountain, designed from the very start as a ski community, seems to be the destination most focused on the family and including pre-teens in the fun! All of these resorts enjoy the benefit of some of the very best ski patrol and instructor staff anywhere in the world. Even the ski tech folks will be looking out for your safety, making sure that you have a great time and come home safe and sound.
Nightlife and aprés-ski? If you've still got energy left after an invigorating day on the slopes, you'll find dancing and top-notch live music and warm, down-to-earth pubs and grub. If you prefer something a bit more refined, not to worry. Formal dining is available as well. You may even find you want to enjoy a sleigh ride, and that can be arranged as well. On moonlit nights, you might even want to give cross-country skiing a try. Keystone offers night skiing, too, if you haven't gotten enough of a good thing yet! By and large, you'll find more off-slope recreational choices in Summit County than. just about anywhere else in Colorado!
One of the things that makes Summit County such a great destination is the elevation. The county's base starts at 9,000 feet, with most of the resorts beginning a thousand higher than that! This plays part in making the fantastic snow and powder so many come to enjoy... and allows for a season that begins around Thanksgiving and sometimes extends all the way through June! This is definitely the Rockies, so you'll want to be sure to have the right clothes. That includes lots of light layers and a seriously capable, durable wind-breaking coat and pants. The slopes of Summit County are favorite to many people, for their diversity. A speed-demon can tuck it town from the top of the mountain, while those who enjoy moguls will find ample bump fields ripe for the picking. Terrain parks abound, making snowboarders giddy. The weather makes for perfect snow. Now make sure you've got the right gear to enjoy it!
One of the most important things you can do to ensure a good time on your ski vacation is to be honest with the technicians. If you're a beginner, say so. (They'll be able to tell anyway.) If you're an intermediate skier, but haven't been skiing in a while, tell them that. They'll set your bindings a bit looser so that you can get your legs under you again. It's no big deal to go into the shack and get them tightened down a bit further if you're popping out to easily, or once you've got your legs back under you again. Dress appropriately, and realize that temperatures on the top of the mountain can be more than 50 degrees colder than it is at the base, between altitude and wind chill. Summit County is the real thing, Colorado Rocky Mountain skiing and snowboarding.
Experts will enjoy A-basin's heights and drops as well as Breckenridge's back bowls and runs. Keystone and Copper Mountain are both respectable slopes with a family slant to them. Each of the mountains has something for everyone, regardless of your skill level and abilities, so you can progress to more difficult runs as you improve. Summit County is held by many to be the very best ski vacation destination in North America. Visit once. The slopes will make a believer of you, too!
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Arapahoe Basin Vertical - 2,257 feet | Summit Elevation - 13,050 feet | Base Elevation - 10,780 feet | Longest Run - 1.5 miles | Number of Trails - 69 | Number of Lifts - 5 Total - 2 Triples, 3 Doubles |
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Breckenridge
Hours of Operation - 8:30am-4:00pm | Summit Elevation - 12,998 feet | Base Elevation - 9,600 feet | Vertical Rise - 3,398 feet | Lifts - 27 Total (2 high-speed 6-passenger lifts, 6 high-speed quad lifts, 1 triple chairlift, 6 double lifts, 5 surface lifts, 7 carpet lifts) | Total Ski/Ride Terrain - 2,208 acres | Groomed Daily - roughly 600 acres | Terrain Parks - 25 acres | Snowmaking - 516 acres | Number of Trails - 146 | Longest Run - Four O'Clock (3.5 miles) | Terrain Classification - 13% Beginner, 32% Intermediate, 55% Expert |
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Keystone Vertical - 2,900 ft | Base elevation - 9,300 ft | Summit elevation - 12,200 ft | Number of Lifts - 21 | Average Yearly Snowfall - 230 in | Number of Trails - 116 | Longest Run - 3 Miles/Schoolmarm | Terrain - 1,861 acres | Degree of Difficulty - Easiest: 12%, More Difficult: 29%, Advanced: 5%, Most Difficult: 54% | Snowmaking - 956 acres | Lifts - 2 high-speed gondolas, 5 high-speed quad chair lifts, 1 high-speed six person lift, 1 quad chair lift, 1 triple chair lift, 4 double chair lifts, 2 surface lifts, 5 carpets |
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| Copper Mountain Base - 9,712 feet | Summit - 12,313 feet | Lifts - 22 total (1 six-person high-speed lift, 4 high-speed quads, 5 triple chair lifts, 5 double chair lifts, 4 surface lifts, and 3 conveyor belts) | Acres - 2,433 acres | Vertical - 2,601 feet | Trails - 125 total | Terrain Classification - 21% beginner, 25% intermediate, 36% advanced, 18% expert | Snowfall - 280 inches | Snowmaking - 380 acres |
