best family Ski resort Colorado? | Page 2 | FerrariChat

best family Ski resort Colorado?

Discussion in 'Rocky Mountain' started by rob lay, Nov 5, 2018.

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  1. CornersWell

    CornersWell F1 Rookie

    Nov 24, 2004
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    The macaroon suit is a winner, too, but it reminds me too much of Harry's Aspen outfit in Dumb and Dumber.

    CW
     
  2. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    Dec 1, 2000
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    ohh no, last Sunday rolled my ankle over bad trail running so bad it made noises. pain now acute up leg about 9" and then around lower foot. it is bad, hard to walk, but not bad enough for x-rays or special braces. I'm just wearing compression socks for a little more support during the day.

    what are the thoughts how I will do skiing? right now I'm thinking skiing is out for me. it will be about 3 weeks from when it happened to when we start skiing. also, the higher leg trama should be just under the ski boot line and should have plenty of support. thanks.

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  3. CornersWell

    CornersWell F1 Rookie

    Nov 24, 2004
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    Sorry.

    Um, I'd re-think X-rays. Because, that's a LOT of bruising (blood pooling) and swelling. But, if you don't feel you need them, okay.

    Possible you can ski in 3 weeks? Well, maybe, depending, but it probably won't be comfortable. If you've got bone damage, ~6 weeks for them to heal up. That's just your body's healing cycle. Nothing to do about it. Soft tissue healing can be accelerated by rest, elevation and icing. Also, look at TENS ( https://www.hidow.com ). I have it and use often. I'd think you can get it to a manageably functional point that's reasonably comfortable within 3 weeks. BUT, ski boots do what ski boots do. They will give support, but they also compress, which, with swelling, isn't fun. And, skiing itself stresses the legs and feet. I'd give it another week and see if you can even get a boot on it. If you can, and it feels good enough, try moving around the house. If you can stand on it, I'd think you can ski on it. But, if you rush, you could set yourself back. Aches are okay. Shooting pain isn't.

    I am NOT a doctor, however. I'm just an athlete who's been through many injuries and rehabs. I've always pushed as hard as I could to get back, but the healing process does its' own thing.

    Hope it heals up fast. The snow in Vail is excellent, currently. 100% of terrain is open (which is VERY early). It's 6 degrees this morning, though. So, it's not exactly warm out there.

    CW
     
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  4. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    not broken, just bad sprain. still very painful first few minutes when I put weight back on it I think everything has to break down again setting off the nerves.
     
  5. ralfabco

    ralfabco Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Rob,


    Santa Fe is worth looking into. Zero night life and lodges on the mountain. The town has nice tourist areas to visit and good food.


    Las Alamos is good, if you want nobody around, with no waiting, and cheap prices. Unfortunately it does not have long runs.
     
  6. furmano

    furmano Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Oh man, that sucks. I would say skiing a few weeks will be challenging. If the bruising is healed up by then, maybe. But ski boots are hard on healthy feet. I can't imagine what they would do to an injured foot. :(

    -F
     
  7. CornersWell

    CornersWell F1 Rookie

    Nov 24, 2004
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    How's the recovery going?

    CW
     
  8. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    still pretty sore, especially at night wakes me up. for some reason very little pain when I run. Went 2 miles Wednesday and 3 miles Saturday. If I can do that seems I can try skiing, there will be more ankle movement, but also more support too.
     
  9. CornersWell

    CornersWell F1 Rookie

    Nov 24, 2004
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    Sounds like progress!

    CW
     
  10. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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  11. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    Great first full day at Vail. My ankle held up to over 13k vertical skiing only 20 days after a bad high sprain. The good ankle hurt as much as the bad one, so I guess all good. :D. Mia was in ski school all day doing a great job. Jennie and I skied together the first couple hours and then split up until a spectacular lunch up the mountain at The 10th. Highly recommend, I had the pork belly and a Irish Espresso. Tonight great family dinner at Sweet Basil. This is my new favorite ski resort, so many great cruiser green and blue runs I like. Snow is incredible right now, probably 6-12” fresh just today.

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  12. furmano

    furmano Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Fantastic! I have a Christmas Eve party I have to prepare for so I'm not going to be able to make it up. Maybe next time.

    -F
     
  13. CornersWell

    CornersWell F1 Rookie

    Nov 24, 2004
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    Glad the ankle's holding up. I'm around, if you're interested in catching up when you're done on the hill.

    CW
     
  14. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    Our last full day in Vail was special. After 2 days of Mia in ski school, today was first time ever she joined us on the mountain and she did great! We did several of the big Vail green runs. A little bit of deficient parenting, but Mia loaded, rode, and unloaded one of the big lifts all by herself. :D. Tonight maybe one of the better meals of my life at La Tour. Fois Gras, Beet Salad, and Seafood mix.

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  15. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    I'll be back! I LOVE this place, best lodging, my type of skiing, and fine dining combination of anywhere I've been. Thanks for the recommendation. I was even browsing through the condo listings. :D I would actually enjoy this place more in the summer with the hiking and fishing. I'll try to rent a place for more than a week this summer.
     
  16. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    So here is my "favorites" list so far. It will take many more trips to complete it, but I think this was a good start. Based on my list what I experienced, please throw out ideas for future trips.

    Dining
    1. La Tour - maybe not an exceptional attmosphere as very crowded and chaotic with waitstaff bumping around everywhere, but the food was exceptional, maybe one of the best meals I've ever had and that says a bunch. I had the Fois Gras, Beet Salad, and Chef Seafood Mix.
    2. Sweet Basil - Hard to put at #2 as Sweet Basil was so good too. Just an exceptional meal and their atmosphere was much better and relaxed than La Tour.
    3. The 10th - Up on the mountain top of #1 lift this supposedly new restaurant had a spectacular menu with open view windows of the mountain all around. For a ski in and out the atmosphere was beyond anything you could expect, if you were just riding up the gondola for dinner I don't know, but I'm sure still a good experience riding the gondola pretty views.
    4. Tavern on the Square - We didn't eat here, but stopped for drinks enjoying the atmosphere and live music.
    5. El Sabor - This was located in our lodge, so we ate here several times. Great casual menu for burgers or Colorado-Mex. Great cocktails menu.
    6. Blue Moose Pizza - For casual quick meal we loved this place as the pizza was good as anywhere.
    7. Bistro Fourteen - At Eagles Nest top of lift 19 this was a great ski in and out restaurant.
    My only negative comment would be a place we never even stepped into! I called Vail Chophouse at 4:30 Sunday about a reservation, he said no reservations at all early or even late. 90 minutes later we walked by and I counted 12 tables that were open and hadn't been sat in all evening. Even returning from our meal 7:30 prime time there were 8 table wide open. The owner needs to fire that manager ASAP, some lazy hippy dude that just doesn't want to work hard filling all the tables.

    Ski Runs - again, I'm not a great skier. I started at age 20 and have only gone a dozen times or so in my life. I weigh 210 pounds and 6'1" have a high center of gravity. I wear myself out doing too much cutting on harder blue runs steep parts. My favorite runs are just long cruising not much cutting. With my weight I actually do better some of those runs where flat sections everyone else is cross country skiing. :)


    1. Lost Boy - a perfect run for me flat and straight first part with some short steeper sections followed by flat areas again to pick up the speed little cutting.
    2. Born Free - combo green/blue, but wide open looking down on valley most of the way. The very top part under the gondola with steep and light moguls pushes my comfort zone, but that's a short section. I like nice long runs like this goes all the way from Eagles Nest to our Lodge.
    3. Sleepy Time Road - rated a blue trail as on back side, but really just a green. I had made a wrong turn on top and didn't intend to go down the back side, but glad I did! So pretty back there and was fun run although just a trail. Also one of my longest runs down to the bottom of Orient Express (21).
    4. Eagles Nest Ridge to Game Trail - I liked this long green flat cruiser run. Was also made more special as first time up on mountain Mia was able to handle this, so we did it over and over 5 times yesterday.
    Can't really remember which ones I preferred, but enjoyed exploring all the green runs like The Meadows, Swingsville, Boomer, and Tin Pants. Flap Jack was nice long run to bottom of Lift 11, but hated the cross country part by the top of #10 lift.

    Next time with my ankle and confidence 100% would like to explore more of the Blues, especially back side like Poppyfields and Cloud 9.
     
  17. furmano

    furmano Three Time F1 World Champ
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    What is not to love?!? Let us know if you swing back around in 2019. :)

    -F
     
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  18. timjen88

    timjen88 Karting

    Aug 20, 2015
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    Lol, I was in Southlake fighting the traffic and shoppers at Town Square while you were enjoying Vail, although the mid-60's temperature felt good. Glad you liked Vail, great weekend getaway for us in the summer, definitely love the summers out there. You'll have to check it out, we like summers better than winters in Vail. Looks like a great time.
     
  19. ralfabco

    ralfabco Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #46 ralfabco, Oct 12, 2020
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2020
    I purchased an IKON Pass. Unlimited skiing at Eldora, Copper Mountain and Winter Park. Never heard about Eldora. I do not like moguls but I like advanced intermediate and expert fast runs.

    Will spend time and travel from Santa Fe. I will wait until after mid January before I begin to ski. Just interested in the best skiing with the least number of people. Which mountain is better between the three. Thanks.
     
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  20. CornersWell

    CornersWell F1 Rookie

    Nov 24, 2004
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    IKON is the principal competitor to Vail Resort's Epic pass. I believe they're at the same price point (for the full Epic). I haven't spoken to anyone with an IKON, so I can't offer any insight into it, but for this coming season, given the COVID mess, Vail Resorts has imposed some unusual restrictions. For example, skiing will be by reservation only, and they need to be made IN ADVANCE. I honestly don't know how that will work, and, when I spoke with the customer service number about it, they didn't seem to have a good understanding, either. But, for now, that's their policy. It may change.

    It's one thing to have restrictions at a small(er) mountain like Eldora, and quite another in a destination like Vail (which is multiples larger), though. That said, I anticipate the holidays to be a total clown show. Maybe they'll have things sorted out by then, but Xmas to NYE is the busiest time of the ski season (along with President's Day, Spring Break and Easter). So, they will have to figure it out, or it will be chaos.

    CW
     
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  21. CornersWell

    CornersWell F1 Rookie

    Nov 24, 2004
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    To answer your specific question, though (sorry)...

    Eldora is small, but I haven't skied it. So, I can't give you a first-hand account. It's West of Denver and in the path East between Steamboat and Breckenridge. So, should get decent snowfall and accumulations. Generally, The Boat gets more than Summit County.

    Winter Park, like Mary Jane, is known for steeps and moguls. I've skied it a couple of times. It tends to get the Denver day skiers and families more than the other mountains because it's the shortest drive. There's also the skier train that goes there, if they're still running it. I'm not sure how much lodging or food is close by. In fact, I don't think much at all. But, it's been a while since I've been there, and that may have changed.

    Copper is the farthest of the three from Denver. It's also right on I-70 (between Vail and the Summit resorts). Not much there other than the mountain and some lodging. It's higher, and it's generally where the US Ski Team (and others, possibly) begin their early season training. It's got several sections of the mountain. Some steeps. I can't say that I've seen a lot of moguls there. The top is above treeline, so it's bald, windy and can get cold. Of the three, likely the best, based on your preferences. Saturday traffic to Copper is a MESS on I70 and can back up for miles at the exit. So, if that's your plan, just be prepared to sit and wait a bit.

    Also keep in mind that last season Arapahoe Basin jumped ship from Epic to IKON. So, that's worth considering, maybe. It's higher (a good portion of it is above treeline). Grooming is spotty there, IMO. Nothing there but the mountain (no lodging or restaurants). So, it's "just" a day mountain. That said, it has some good terrain. You can hike up to and around the bowls to drop into fresh powder. Montezuma bowl expanded their terrain on the backside. And, then, of course, there's Pallavacini. If you don't like bumps, you probably won't like many of the runs it services, but it's one of the few 2-person, slow chair lifts left in the US, which is nostalgic.

    Anyway, some thoughts for you to consider and research.

    CW
     
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  22. Tcar

    Tcar F1 Rookie

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    Eldora has 100% snowmaking on the whole area. It's small. Short runs. It's not far from Boulder for lodging, none at Eldora. It only has about 1,500 vertical fall. It can get VERY icy (wind). Have not been there for about 10 years.

    Winter Park has tons of lodging/restaurants. There's a town there.
    No Ski Train from Denver in the Age of the China Virus.

    You already know this but Taos has better snow than all the above, being from Santa Fe.
     
  23. ralfabco

    ralfabco Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Thank you for the detailed reviews. I purchased the IKON pass due to the military discount. It’s been years since I have skied in CO. Santa Fe, NM immediately sold out the limited season passes and also have a reservation system. The pass permits five days of skiing, at Taos. What I hope to do is to briefly travel to Colorado by myself and ski for a few days and return to TX and return and repeat again and again. After Taos, it looks like Copper Mountain is my best option.

    Does Arapahoe have any nice steep long runs without a lot of moguls. Arapahoe may be interesting when I return. If I am by myself lodging, amenities, and food have little concern.

    Eldora sounds similar to Parajito Mountain, NM. In the case of Parajito it has little to no advertising and just a few locals on the short runs.

    The pass is limited to five days, at Taos. In addition Steamboat and Arapahoe permit five days of skiing with the pass. Thanks for the information.
     

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