I haven’t skied crested butte yet, but the town is a blast. I’d put that at the top of my list. Also, steamboat springs could be fun.
I don’t board and don’t go on trips with people who board, so I don’t know this for a fact, but my perspective is the best parts of CB are much more conducive to skiing rather than snowboarding. But I’m not 100% sure that’s true. I’d read up on it.
Steamboat is my #1 CO mountain and town. This is 100% skewed by the fact that it dumped almost every time I was there.
Breaking in new boots may be one of the most painful experiences. Each day it gets a little better, but my goodness. It’s terrible.
Was thinking about buying mine for the first this year, have always rented. Something to look forward to
Tell me more about this. Still trying to plan my trip out west in January. Sounds like Telluride has almost no snow still and was talked out of Crested Butte.
I’ve just had good luck at Steamboat so my trips there have been awesome. The town is fun but a little more relaxed (as opposed to the resorts up 70), the mountain is big/open enough, and there is a small airport with direct flights from some places. All of the non I-70 resorts are a huge pain to get to so you’re wasting two days traveling. I went to CU in the late 90s and haven’t been back for about a decade so I’m a little out of touch. As a 30+ year old, we did trips to SS a few years in a row after getting worn out on Breck, Vail, etc. Those places are so crowded 24x7 that it was worth the extra time/money. There’s plenty of ski in/out at Steamboat, tons of restaurants, and enough off mountain entertainment. Telluride, the Butte, Aspen all have the same things. I’m just biased because I’ve gotten great snow at SS.
I got went all in on surefoot liners with heaters in them. My feet still ache to start every season but once the small muscles and ligaments get warmed up as the season goes on they are heaven. I have wide feet, tall arches and a high instep (right word? Top of foot) Renting isn’t a possibility to me. I lose blood circulation
Go see a legit boot fitter and you'll be much better off than in rentals. Properly fit boots make everything better.
Telluride is south Need to look at the global weather patterns whether we have northern band storms (Steamboat and then everything in montana, candada, etc) or mid stream (i70 mountains, and the cali mountains) or southern storms (Telluride, taos, etc)
Long shot but anyone have a recommendation for a boot store in Atlanta? Can easily google obvs but trust TMB on matters such as this
Make sure the boot fitter has great rec's I had to toss my first bought pair bc they didn't fit me right. fucked up
new boots are never comfortable but they should break in after a couple days, If you are still in a ton of pain after a couple days in them, they misfit you
Steamboat is a good balance in that it is a bigger town and bigger resort but without the crowds and ritziness of I-70, Aspen, etc. Has more of a cowboy feel. If you have some guys in your group that are sticking more to intermediate terrain Steamboat probably has more for them than Telluride/Crested Butte.
Steamboat is also flat as shit if the snow is bad--if the snow is great, you can send it on some crazy steep terrain
I will say I don't look forward to dealing with the ritziness of Aspen when I move there--def will impact my spending ability
Similar to JBR I am biased by a couple of experiences there. I went once when I was in college for a week. My last day there was a 2' of fresh powder day. I will probably never have a better day of skiing when considering snow plus my age, ability, etc. The second time I went there was probably 8 years ago I was about 33 or 34 years old, kinda out of shape, and I was there for two days of skiing. It was 45 degrees and sunny so it was the perfect "let's take a few groomers and then go get a beer" on repeat until apres followed by hot tub.
if you want to avoid crowds, you go to SS, Telluride, Butte, Aspen, etc. If you want convenience, you go to Keystone, Winter Park, Breck, Vail, Copper, and Beaver. My friend is working up in SS today and then is going to ski during a powder day this afternoon and tomorrow. lucky dog
Incorrectly purchasing boots at least once that make your shins bleed is a right of passage to skiing
Not sure I’d trust a boot fitter in Atlanta. I did it during a Colorado ski trip. Make sure to do the heat molding etc.
Don’t do this. I made that mistake and suffered through a couple of seasons of poorly fit boots. Next pair was done by a reputable boot fitter out west who knew what he was doing. It was a huge difference. Plan on getting fit your first day out there. May have to sacrifice an hour of skiing but you will have a much better trip.
If you buy from a local bootfitter where you are skiing they can tweak the boot to make it more comfortable
I remember I thought I had an ok pair of boots, and then I went to a ski boot wizard/ski bum that described the physics behind purchasing the right one and how important it is to look for a certain fit in the shop that might feel uncomfortable at the time but will feel better and right after the second run. Changed everything for me. IDK anything about Atlanta ski shops, but I would search out the guru that is up to date on modern boot advancements. You will probably spend 200-1000 dollars on them so get it right.
Steamboat question: I've heard the town/bars/restaurants are down the mountain more. Like there isnt a place to stay that is close to the lifts so that you can walk to ski in the morning and then be in the village/town to be able to go out at night. That true? If so, Ubers readily available or how do you get to the town area best if you dont rent a car?
Ubers always seem like a rare commodity in ski towns with that said I can't state this loudly enough--do NOT drink and drive in the CO mountains.
these mountains always have free shuttles. Crested Butte does from the mountain / resorts into town and vice versa. look into that
There are bars by the base area, but the main town is a drive. They might have bus/shuttle/trolley service
Thanks for answering all my questions, y'all. Telluride/CB is going to have to wait another year. Decided not to chance the snow and booked Steamboat. Havent been out there since 1995 and dont remember anything from back then anyway! This is where i am staying. Lodge at Steamboat F205 2700 Village Dr Building F, 2nd floor (F205) Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
I skied Vail Wednesday and Thursday and will be back out tomorrow. The mountain is ~50% open, but there is plenty to do. It was dumping all morning Thursday so the conditions were great.
I am going up again tomorrow. Will probably due Breck again. I only get 10 days at Vail/Beaver so I don't want to use them too early. And like you said, still fun but probably best when more is open at vail (including the backside). Breck has just gotten more snow than Keystone so it seems like the play.
Just hope it isn’t like last year where Tahoe had a record high December then record low each of January and February.