Despite the dirtbag rep, A-Basin can have some class, too. Book reservations for the full French dinner with Chef Christopher Rybak on February 4—it’s a deal at $78/person. Or just grab $4 margs at the 6th Alley Bar and check out the live music every Friday. arapahoebasin.com
Powder Addiction
Well, it’s not a resort, but the closest cat skiing to Denver may be the best lift ticket on the Front Range. The operaton hauls you up to powder turns in high alpine terrain on Jones Pass between the Interstate and Berthoud Pass (no trip through the tunnel required!). There’s no guarantee of snow, of course but the cat permit area covers several different aspects and the guides can find blown-in slopes even on a marginal day. The guides here are the real highpoint—a single seat costs $400 in the high season, but if you are a true addict, you can buy five full-price seats and get the sixth free. Or just rent the whole cat out for the day for $4,000. powderaddiction.com
Keystone
Keystone gets a bit forgotten alongside the other big Summit County resorts and that’s a shame. It doesn’t have the breadth of Vail or the scene of Breck, but it does have some fine skiing if you know where to look. The best goods are to be found off the Outback Express lift. Hike or ride the $5 cat to the upper bowls. For some reason, the crowds tend to head for South Bowl, so head for North Bowl, which is best if you hit it close to the trees on skier’s left. The tree lines in The Black Forest off to the left at the very beginning of the hike are quite good, too, and don’t get pounded by the wind. The main event here though is the mountain’s Keystone Adventure Tours backcountry cat skiing operation that delivers you to remote glades and open slopes in Independence Bowl then fills you with a delicious hot lunch in a backcountry yurt. It’s a decent value for a cat trip at $225 per person, or you can rent the whole cat for $2,475. Keystone is also one of the few spots in Colorado where you can still go night skiing and jam in a bunch of runs after work in downtown Denver. Or you can turn it into a date night and head to the quirky-yet-classy Ski Tip Lodge (800-354-4386), a former stagecoach stop drenched in mountain culture and history, for a four-course meal. keystoneresort.com
Breckenridge
People just can’t get enough of Breck—and all those hordes from out-of-state can scare off the locals. But the place had a banner year last season, is prime for another solid year, and when it comes down to it, it’s easy to escape the gapers and get up into the goods. There’s really only one piece of advice here: avoid the beginner and intermediate terrain which can suck you into long lift lines and flats and head immediately to the top of Peak 8 on the Imperial Express chair. Send out some good vibes and follow the locals from there, most likely over to Peak 7. When you are in town and hungry head to Amazing Grace. It’s only open for breakfast and lunch, but this quirky little natural foods store and cafe is the absolute best stop for baked goods and healthy sandwhiches in Summit County. Plus owner, pro adventure racer, ski mountaineer and all around adrenaline junkie Monique Merrill and her staff have the skills to hammer when they are not cooking up delicous meals. If you want to pack a lunch to bring up to the hill, stop in the Alpine Market and Deli. The handmade sandwiches at this natural food store in Frisco just off Exit 201 beat any other fast food fare and you can stock up on a little ginseng and eleuthero to keep you mindful while you battle the traffic back. If you want to stay the night but have procrastinated making plans, don’t despair. Check out breckaccommodations.com, where you can bid on last-minute lodging. breckenridge.com
Copper Mountain
When it comes to Copper, the cat is king. Copper’s Tucker Mountain Snowcat Access is basically snowcat terrain within a resort, and, um, yeah, it’s free (as long as you have a lift ticket of course). But, it’s no secret and it is first come, first served, so you need to keep your eyes out for the green flags patrol flies at the cat pick-up and patrol stations across the mountain. In general, the cat will run from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Friday through Sunday. If the line is too long, you can always hike Tucker Mountain too. In fact, you will still have to hike about 400 feet to the top of Tucker Mountain itself after the cat drops you off if you want to access the best lines here. But, hey, you already sat on your butt. coppercolorado.com
Vail
Ah, Vail. We just can’t avoid it. And we are not alone. Here’s a rule to live by: unless there are more than eight inches of fresh, stick to the frontside of the mountain instead of using up so much time and energy getting to the Back Bowls only to find them skied out. The Highline lift or the Northwoods Express lift both offer fast, crowd-free runs and they can be gold on a powder day when everyone else is making the power charge to get to Blue Sky Basin. Wait, a disclaimer here—we are not saying to never ski the Back Bowls, but you may want to wait for a weekday when you aren’t fighting for first tracks with half of Denver. Deals at Vail? Sure, you can find them if you are creative. Park on the frontage road for free outside the Vail Parking lot (they can’t ban it when the lot’s full, and by the time the ticketers get out, it will be full). Want to avoid the Vail parking structure debacle entirely (and get in some fresh tracks, perhaps)? Park at the Saloon in Minturn. Take the bus to Lionshead. Ski hard all day. When you are close to shot, drop from Game Creek Bowl into the Minturn Mile. Ski late freshies (at Vail!), stop for a swig of wine with folks hanging out along the trail, schuss out to the Saloon. Drink margaritas. Head home. Vail also offers a Sunday Sleepover package with rates starting at $79. vail.com
Ski Cooper
Off the main drag of I-70, funky Ski Cooper is often overlooked. It shouldn’t be. Hey a lift ticket here only costs $44! It’s also a great spot for beginnners: the ski and snowboard school offers three lesson programs for first timers that conclude with that student receiving a discounted season pass. And while the area itself is certainly underrated, the true action here is on the cat. With 2,400 acres of big-mountain terrain up at 12,600 feet, Chicago Ridge Snow Cat Tours will give you an average of 12 runs per day, on slopes from 3,000 to 10,000 feet in length, with vertical drops of up to 1,400 feet. And believe it or not, there are some activites off I-70 that don’t require fat skis and Red Bull. The Tennessee Pass Nordic Center offers up high mountain nordic, tele and snowshoeing. Even better, ski or snowshoe in one mile to the rustic Tennessee Pass Cookhouse where you can feast on gourmet food while enjoying tha warmth of a wood stove and a big view of the wild. skicooper.com
Monarch Mountain
Monarch is not a resort per se. It’s simply a rocking no-frills mountain with hike-to-terrain, a snowcat operation and one of the most authentic vibes you’ll find in Colorado. The focus here is simply on skiing and riding. Oh, Monarch also boasts the best independent area season pass in, well, in the history of season passes. It’s called the “One Planet, One Pass” pass and it isn’t just a season pass to Monarch. With prices ranging from $339 for an adult to $109 for 7-12-year-olds, it gives you access to Monarch as well as 21 other ski areas across the globe. You can use the pass in Colorado for days at Loveland, Durango, Powderhorn, Sunlight, Sol Vista, Silverton, Ski Cooper and Telluride. In New Mexico, ski or ride at Taos, Angel Fire, Red River, Pajarito, Sipapu and Ski Apache. It’s good for tickets at Targhee, Wyoming, and Revelstoke, British Columbia. It gets you half-price tickets at Alta, Utah. Plus, there the pass gives you unlimited skiing and riding at Hochfelln, Germany (hochfellnseilbahn.de).
