Ski Season in Colorado

One of my reasons for taking an assignment in Colorado during winter was the chance to ski out west. I've done plenty of skiing in New England: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, but never out west. I've been wanting to go for awhile, so this year was the perfect chance. I got the Epic Season Pass which gave me access to all Vail Resorts.

Vail
The Mountain: LOTS of terrain. There were several good black diamond and double black trails, as well as many blues and greens. The back bowls were closed when I was there. It would be even better with all the bowls and glades open. It can be hard to get from one side of the mountain to the other to ski it all.
The Resort: Vail is ritzy. There are lots of expensive stores and restaurants, and it's hard to find bargain lodging if you want to stay close to the slopes. The nice thing is that everything's within walking distance. The wide cobblestone streets are really pretty, and it's nice to be able to walk around without worrying about traffic. (I did find one great cheaper restaurant called George's - it's in a basement and set up with couches amid tables. It was so cozy and the food was delicious!)

Breckenridge
The Mountain: Breck is similar to Vail in terms of the type and amount of terrain. There's plenty of black diamonds, glades, and bowls. When I skied, the conditions were slightly better at Breck. It takes a little more time to get to the base of peaks 7 and 8 - you have to take a gondola lift from the parking lot.
The Resort: Breck had a lot more bargain options than Vail for lodging. I stayed in a two bedroom condo off of the four o'clock run for less than $200 a night. Breck's main street has lots of dining options and shops that are more affordable than Vail. It's a little farther to walk, but there's street parking and parking lots that are free after 4pm.

Keystone
The Mountain: I had so much fun at Keystone! It may have been that it was just a good powder day, but every run was awesome. I skied the North and South bowls, which was my first time skiing hike-to terrain. The bowls had wonderful barely touched snow, then the trails dumped into pristine glades. Those were my favorite runs of the year!
The Resort: I can't comment on the lodging because I didn't actually stay at Keystone. One of the great things about Keystone is that it's within an hour drive of Golden, Colorado. I stayed there and drove in for the day. It seemed like there were more locals than at Vail or Breck. I ate lunch at LaBonte's BBQ and their signature bowl was amazing.

It wasn't the best ski season- it's been unseasonably warm this year in Colorado. But I did get a few good days of powder, and I'm glad I finally got the chance to ski out west - I loved it! I already want to come back to Colorado to ski again next year.