28 Colorado Ski Resorts | COME TO LIFE 6. Buttermilk With a reputation as a great venue for beginner skiers and snowboarders, Buttermilk’s wide, rolling trails are ideal for those just getting their snow legs. For two decades, it has been the home of ESPN’s Winter X Games. 9. Crested Butte Mountain Crested Butte has it all: wide-open green and blue trails, expert bowls, plenty of unexplored lines and uncrowded slopes. Make time to explore one of the state’s most colorful and beloved ski towns. 7. Cooper Cooper’s soft, all-natural snow and sweeping runs follow some of the same trails near Leadville used for training by WWII’s 10th Mountain Division soldiers. It’s popular for those looking for a low-stress ski holiday and often still has fresh powder days after a storm. 10. Echo Mountain The closest to Denver, Echo Mountain near Idaho Springs is an affordable option with six trails on 60 acres of mostly intermediate terrain. For those who can’t get there in daylight, the slopes are open til 9pm for skiing under the stars (and lights). Aspen Highlands 1. Arapahoe Basin Known for having one of the longest ski seasons in North America (mid-October to early June), A-Basin also boasts North America’s highest elevation terrain park, the sustainable Snow Plume Refuge with Green River il Rifugio bistro and panoramic views. 80 191 8. Copper Mountain 287 2. Aspen Highlands When new snow at Aspen Highlands Manila reaches mammoth proportions, you’re in for an epic day of Colorado’s signature light-and-dry powder. Insiders at the ski area recommend studying the trail Vernal map to find hidden gems that drop into gladed, untouched expert areas. 40 Mother Nature arranged Copper’s slopes so that beginner, intermediate and expert runs are clustered with like-leveled terrain, ensuring beginners won’t make a surprise trip down a too-steep run. New family-friendly Wyoming adventure zones sweeten the deal. 80 130 789 230 70 Rawlins 11. Eldora Mountain 30 85 230 Proximity to Boulder and Denver is one reason Eldora is known as a “locals’ mountain.” Terrain to keep the Laramie whole family busy doesn’t hurt, and neither does nearly 40 kilometers of Cheyenne cross-country and snowshoe trails steps from the downhill ski area. 80 130 230 25 Hayden HOWELSEN HILL SKI AREA 14 Steamboat Springs 23 STEAMBOAT Fort Collins 34 36 34 85 25 3. Aspen Mountain While Aspen is known throughout the world as a posh winter playground, more skiers are discovering the mountain’s challenging double blacks Utah and chutes and amazing-view dining — all steps from downtown Aspen. 70 12 40 GRANBY RANCH 76 WINTER PARK LOVELAND SKI AREA Edwards 27 70 11 10 Boulder 36 287 ELDORA MOUNTAIN RESORT 24 Glenwood Springs SUNLIGHT MOUNTAIN RESORT BUTTERMILK 70 Avon VAIL BEAVER CREEK RESORT MOUNTAIN 4 26 COPPER MOUNTAIN RESORT 70 17 1 ECHO MOUNTAIN 76 Denver 225 270 8 5 6 2 7 Breckenridge COOPER ARAPAHOE BASIN 285 KEYSTONE RESORT BRECKENRIDGE SKI RESORT 16 70 85 25 Castle Rock 4. Beaver Creek BC charms with heated moving walkways, a first-tracks program for early risers, a white-carpet club and Moab acres of corduroy. The McCoy Park expansion brings two new lifts, 17 new trails and 250 more skiable acres. 70 SNOWMASS 22 3 ASPEN MOUNTAIN Aspen Leadville Fairplay 24 Grand Junction 19 POWDERHORN RESORT ASPEN HIGHLANDS Arches NP 9 CRESTED BUTTE MOUNTAIN RESORT 24 191 Colorado Springs Gunnison Salida 50 Montrose 50 18 MONARCH MOUNTAIN Cañon City Canyonlands NP Pueblo 5. Breckenridge Breck is beloved for its Monticello variety of terrain across five peaks. The resort was one of the first to allow snowboarding, and its terrain parks are first rate. The super chair on Peak 7 has visitors anxious to try new, wide-open terrain. Natural Bridges NM 163 Telluride 25 TELLURIDE 21 MOUNTAIN Silverton 15 KENDALL MOUNTAIN SILVERTON 285 550 160 THE LITTLE NELL. Cortez 20 160 28 Pagosa Springs Alamosa 285 160 13 Durango PURGATORY WOLF CREEK SKI AREA 25 HESPERUS 84 160 Conejos Trinidad Arizona 64 Aztec Ruins NM Aztec 64 New 285 Raton COLORADO . COM Mexic o 15 Tierra Amarilla 522
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2023: Page 15
