January 2007

Four Colorado Ski Treasures

I’m an avid skier with a fondness for hidden treasures, those smaller, less expensive, not-so-well-known ski resorts of Colorado. Last year I wrote about four ski areas—Wolf Creek, Durango Mountain, Crested Butte, and Monarch—that are close to our Colorado home. This time I chose four areas that are farther away, but no less fun.

Our tour took us to Ski Cooper, SolVista, Sunlight Mountain Resort and Powderhorn Ski Resort.

My husband, Mike, and I first headed north to Leadville, where we spent two days skiing and two nights at the Ice Palace Inn, a gracious Victorian bed and breakfast inn built at the turn of the century. We stayed in one of six romantic guest rooms and enjoyed a delicious gourmet breakfast each morning.

That afternoon we walked around the quaint town of Leadville, at 10,152 feet, the highest incorporated town in the continental United States. We ate dinner at High Mountain Pies, where we enjoyed a delicious pizza and shared a huge Greek salad. Later we checked out Leadville RV Corral, which is a delightful place for RVers to stay and is open year-round.
Family Ski Resort

Ski Cooper, which is 10 miles north of Leadville, off Highway 24, opened in 1942, and is Colorado’s fifth oldest ski area. It is known for its wide-open runs and friendly lift operators, and is the home of the famed 10th Mountain Division (troops trained for winter mountain conditions here, and the veterans return each year for an anniversary celebration).

It is a wonderful place to learn to ski, and especially nice for families. Nothing about Ski Cooper is intimidating, plus it has the lowest ticket prices in Colorado and an award-winning school. The food was delicious too. I had a scrumptious bean burrito with veggie chili and sour cream on top.

The resort receives an average of 250 inches of snow. Five lifts access 400 acres of mountain, with a vertical rise of 1,200 feet. Advanced skiers can pay extra to ski an additional 2,400 snowcat-served acres. The mountain is split almost equally among beginner, intermediate and advanced runs.

Ski Cooper offers many fun runs. Kristin Lee, the marketing director, said Black Powder is her personal favorite. We enjoyed the long intermediate too. We also thought Mother Lode, a black diamond run, though not very black, was fun. More favorite blacks included Nightmare and Kamikazee. included Nightmare and Kamikazee. Molly Mayfield is a fun run for beginners and for skiers wanting to cruise, with a terrain park complete with jumps and rails off of it.

Great Views
Next we headed up to Silver Creek Lodging and Conference Center, a nice place just two miles south of Granby. We found lodging of all sorts at Silver Creek, with everything from hotel rooms and suites to condominiums and mountain homes. We spent the night at the Inn at Silver Creek. If staying on the mountain is your thing, there are ski-in and ski-out condos on the mountain at SolVista.

SolVista is a family-oriented resort with wonderful views of Rocky Mountain National Park and the Indian Peaks Wilderness. We found all of the runs a treat, but we both agree—Widowmaker is the best black diamond. Skydiver was a fun “more difficult” run; Horn Creek Bowl is good after a fresh powder day.

Two inter-connected mountains totaling 406 acres offer 33 family-friendly ski trails and 25 kilometers of groomed Nordic trails. (Skiers can access the Nordic area by climbing up from the base or by riding the Quick Draw Express high-speed quad for a nominal fee.) Look for beginner and intermediate terrain on the East Mountain and mostly intermediate and advanced on the West Mountain. Check out the fun on Buckhorn with its western facades and tunnels to ski through. In addition, a Pony Surface Lift helps beginners get used to the feel of skis or board.

The ski resort receives an average snowfall of 220 inches and offers a vertical rise of 1,000 feet: The longest trail is 1 1/2 miles and half the runs are geared toward the beginner. SolVista boasts of its Accelerated Learning Center, the first Colorado area to incorporate the teaching techniques of internationally known ski instructor Harald Harb. The center guarantees you’ll learn to ski or snowboard.

Glenwood Springs was our next stop. We found it a perfect spot for a rest day and for a base to ski Sunlight Mountain Resort. The town is known for the Hot Springs Lodge & Pool. Established in 1888, it’s the world’s largest outdoor mineral hot springs pool. Spring flow is 3,500,000 gallons of water per day, and the pool spans more than two blocks.

We spent our nights at the Glenwood Canyon Resort, a wonderful RV park just outside of town. It is the only park in the canyon and serves RVs up to 40 feet long. The campsites include high-speed Internet access. In addition, there are ten fully furnished resort cabins (park models) stocked with kitchen utensils and a whole lot more.

We took a day off from skiing to visit Glenwood Caverns. The Iron Mountain Tramway took us to the top of the mountain in 10 minutes. In fact, the 4,300-foot scenic tram ride is the only means for visitors to access the caverns. Our 70-minute cave tour was an obvious delight for those in our group.

In addition to the caverns and view from Exclamation Point Restaurant (a wonderful place for lunch or dinner), there are rides for young and old alike. The Canyon Flyer, the first alpine coaster in the country, permits riders (one or two per car) to control their own cars and race 3,400 feet down the mountainside. Other fun rides include Alpine Rush, Swing Shot, and Doc’s Rock, a 32-foot climbing wall.

Historic Hotel
In the evening, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Hotel Colorado, with its classic Victorian hospitality and charm, and we spent time planning a future holiday visit. Before each holiday season the Hotel Colorado is decorated with more than 2,000 strands of lights, which means volunteers put up about 200,000 lights and string up more than 4.5 miles of wire. The festivities begin with an annual courtyard lighting ceremony with complimentary cookies and hot beverages.

Built in 1893, the hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many legendary guests have stayed there, including Al Capone, Titanic-survivor Molly Brown, and President Theodore Roosevelt. On our second night in town we had dinner at the Italian Underground Ristorante, a long-time local favorite.

Sunlight Mountain Resort is about 10 miles south of Glenwood Springs. The place doesn’t sport high-speed chairs, but it doesn’t matter because four lifts get you to the top, where there are nice views of Mount Sopris and beyond. The resort promises something for everyone, including Ute Run, at 2 1/2 miles one of the longest cruisers in the state. If you’re an expert skier, you’ll want to try the Heathen, one of the state’s steepest runs with a 52 percent pitch. In addition, cross-country skiers will enjoy 29 kilometers of groomed trails. The mountain boasts an average snowfall of 250 inches and a vertical rise of 2,010 feet. More than half the runs are aimed at intermediate skiers.

The mountain is known for its affordable tickets. Better yet, there are Ski-Swim-Stay Packages that include skiing at Sunlight Mountain, swimming at the Hot Springs pool and lodging at participating properties. For details, see www.skiswimstay.com.

Ski Bargains
We spent the last two days of our 10-day journey on the slopes of Powderhorn Ski Resort, and we quickly learned that last isn’t least.

Powderhorn is a special resort with ample snow and views that are one of a kind. Known for its outstanding tree and glade skiing, Powderhorn overlooks the desert like an island in the sky. From the slopes, skiers look out over the valleys, cliffs, and canyons of western Colorado. The resort has a high elevation of 9,850 feet, a vertical rise of 1,650 feet, and 550 skiable acres. Three lifts access the runs, half of which were made with the intermediate skier in mind.

Kathy Dirks, marketing director at the resort, described some of the attractions. She told us that the Progressive Terrain Park is a fun place for kids to learn to “jib” and “grind.” She also told us about some amazing programs aimed at beginners and seniors. Beginner skiers need to take advantage of the Learn to Ski/Snowboard Season Pass Series. Aimed at first timers only, if skiers attend all three sessions they ski/ride free for the rest of the season. Cost is $195 and includes lessons, lift and rental.

Young at Heart was formed in 2005. Aimed at skiers 50 years and older, those with similar skiing abilities are grouped together. A guide stays with each group to help skiers improve their skills. Cost is $20 for the day.

Another wonderful program includes staying slope-side at the Inn at Wildewood. Rooms start at $89 for two people. Special packages include lift tickets and breakfast. We stayed slope-side and enjoyed it. After skiing all day, there’s nothing like skiing to the inn, showering in your room, and then walking upstairs to dinner. Dinner at the Inn was extra special. Be sure to try the pizza with pesto, feta cheese, and pine nuts.

If you’d rather stay in the city, be sure to check out Grand Junction. Located 35 miles west, Grand Junction is also a nice place for a rest day. Here you’ll find five public golf courses and more than two-dozen wineries.