Pictures and Descriptions. (Scroll Down)
I want to take this trip, what details should I know? Details and Trip Planning
Another fast 4 day ski trip to Colorado. It's hard to switch ski destinations when both Raleigh and Denver are Southwest hubs. The low cost of airfare, non-stop flights, and short distance to the slopes make it difficult to beat. I did want to try a little change this year so instead of Breckenridge I thought I would try out Keystone. And given that A-Basin was only 6 miles down the road I was told not to miss it either.
In Short, I can't recommend Keystone as a large part of the mountain is either "hike to" terrain or expert tree skiing. No good 'rolling' blues that I could find. A-Basin on the other hand is a must for the views alone. They also tend towards the more advanced slopes but they had more intermediates than Keystone, and the view was out of this world.
That being said, if you do plan to go to Keystone, the Inn at Keystone is a hotel I can recommend. Good location, nice rooms, and an excellent staff. And it does happen to be about as close to A-basin as you can get. Just be aware of the high elevation. At 9,200' feet its bad for any that suffer from altitude sickness.
The Best
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Keystone
1. View from the front mountain looking back toward the outback area
2. You can see Breckenridge Resort in the distance
3. The Outback area. You can pay $5 to take a snow-cat or hike the 1 mile to the top. I took the snow-cat
4. The North Bowl
5. The North Bowl
6. Tree Skiing
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Arapahoe Basin
Before my trip I was thinking of skiing Loveland pass, but I thought I would seed out a general call for information via facebook to see if anyone had comments. They did and while Loveland sounded good, the consensus was definitely A-Basin. I'm glad I asked, thanks folks!
Incredible View, no crowds, good variety, great on mountain food, and a great price. Has it all.
Almost half of the slope are above treeline so if that's your thing its heaven on earth. The views are some of the best I have ever seen. The weather is highly variable so come prepared. I saw everything from clear Sky's to fog so thick you could barely see the slope all in one day. As a trick, use the fact that the resort includes both sides of the mountain. While the wind was strong in the morning on the front side, I just skied the back and when the fog rolled in the back, I switched to skiing the front. I had an absolute blast.
And finally, for lunch, eat at the new Black Mountain Lodge on the mountain. The best on mountain food I've ever had. Actually the smoked brisket here was the best food I had all week. Talking to the employees I found out they smoke it right there on the mountain. Wonderful.
7. Top of the first lift
8. 2nd chairlift to the top. All above the treeline by this point
9. View from the top
10. From the top of the new Montezuma Bowl
11. Some perspective on the steepness
12-13. The Montezuma Bowl, from the bottom
14-17. The view while eating lunch
18. Last Chair of the Day
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Loveland Pass
I had some time to kill on my way back, so I decided to try the scenic route back over Loveland pass. If the weather is good I can definitely recommend this.
19. Looking back at A-Basin
20-22. Scenic Overlooks. You can see A-Basin on the right
23. Note the ski track from an earlier snowboarder
24. Skiing the pass
25. Loveland Pass, 11.990'
26. Loveland Pass, Hiking trail. I would love to come back in the summer and see where this goes.
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Misc
And with even more time to kill before my flight I took a couple more side trips.
27. View from Buffalo Bills Grave Scenic Overlook
28. Denver Airport
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