As someone who lives in Colorado and enjoys getting on the snowboard as often as possible each season, I feel pretty lucky. Let’s just say there are a huge variety of options when it comes to skiing or snowboarding in Colorado. The state boasts a ridiculous 34 different ski resorts operating during peak season (you’ll see that number vary by a few depending on the source and how they combine different mountains or split them out).
With such a huge selection, it’s hard to say which ones are best. But, I’ll take a stab at it. My criteria are entirely subjective, but I will include things like the number of lifts, skiable acres, and available amenities in the process.
Vail
Vail is going to show up on just about any list of top ski resorts in CO. It has to because it is in a league by itself when it comes to sheer size. Vail is one of the largest ski resorts in the world, boasting 200 trails, over 30 lifts, and well over 5,000 skiable acres. The resort receives an average of 350 inches of snow each year.
The terrain is an amazing mix of groomed trails along the front of the mountain with a whopping 7 back bowls for the more adventurous. This massive size means that you should be able to find good conditions somewhere on the mountain just about any day you visit.
The mountain provides plenty of options for all levels of skiers and boarders, from beginners to world-class experts. In fact, many Olympic and professional skiers train at Vail. The town of Vail also is a big draw, featuring plenty of amenities for visitors. You have a wide selection of apres-ski locations for drinks, food, and shopping.
Basically, Vail has earned a place on any top ski resorts list worldwide, let alone just focused on Colorado.
Steamboat
The resort has a trademark on the term Champagne Powder Snow, to describe the piles of white stuff that come down every year. It’s not as big as Vail or the 4-mountain beast that Aspen delivers, but with nearly 3,000 skiable acres and 170 runs, it has more than enough space to let skiers and boarders find a huge variety of terrain, from beginner greens to extreme triple black diamond runs in the back bowls.
Some of the runs are legendary, with friendly (ish) tree runs where there is ample room to maneuver amidst huge groves of Aspens.
The town of Steamboat is more of a typical mountain town than places like Vail, Breckenridge or some of the other popular resorts. It has a strong western heritage and cowboy culture that runs through the bars, restaurants, and shops.
A bit like Aspen, Steamboat is off the beaten path, about a 3-hour drive from Denver. This gives it a bit of a remote vibe, where you don’t get many day-skiers or riders.
With epic terrain and a unique, authentic town vibe, Steamboat is an easy pick for my list.
Wolf Creek
So, let’s be clear. You don’t go to Wolf Creek for the amenities. You go for one thing only – powder. So much powder you may not know how to handle it. The mountain is located in the southwest corner of CO and it receives a stunning 430 inches of snow annually (that’s over 35 feet!). That’s over 100 more inches than Vail.
There is simply no other ski resort quite like it in CO. The mountain has about 1,600 skiable acres with a mix of runs from beginner to expert. The advanced and expert runs make up about half of the terrain. It is truly a skiers and boarders mountain. Powderhounds rejoice because Wolf Creek has your back.
The town… wait. What town? There is in fact no town around Wolf Creek. There is also really no resort. While there is food available at the base of the mountain, finding lodging will force you elsewhere, like Pagosa Springs about 35 minutes away.
Wolf Creek makes the list because of that mind-boggling amount of snow. Yes, I love powder.
Aspen
So, Aspen is actually a combination of 4 mountains (Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk). By combing the 4 mountains you get a huge amount of terrain that approaches (but still doesn’t quite meet) Vail’s size.
The 4 mountains also offer different types of skiing and snowboarding options. Snowmass is more family-friendly, with a large amount of intermediate terrain. Buttermilk is a regular host to the Winter X-games and features a mix of beginner and intermediate runs. Aspen Highlands features more advanced and expert runs. Aspen Mountain effectively has no beginner runs at all.
The town of Aspen is renowned for being a celebrity haven. Hollywood actors, pro athletes, and many other famous folks own property in the Aspen area. Aspen is also a bit removed from Denver, as it sits about 3 ½ hours away (over 100 miles) from the city. This makes it a bit more remote than some of the other resorts and keeps the crowds down a bit.
The town offers world-class hotels and extremely high-end amenities, catering to the crowd that lives in the area. Not to say that Vail isn’t extremely high-end (it surely is), but Aspen takes it to another level.
With a fantastic mix of terrain for literally every skill level and a fantastic town, Aspen makes my list of top 5 CO ski resorts.
Copper Mountain
This might be the most controversial one on my list. No Breckenridge? What about Keystone or A-Basin? Winter Park? Seriously, Copper? Yes, seriously Copper. The mountain, about an hour’s drive from Denver, has always been a bit more locally-focused than some of its more famous neighbors.
Despite its lack of acclaim nationally, it compares nicely to Vail, Breck, Keystone, etc. in terms of snowfall (they are all within 30 minutes of each other). It isn’t quite as large as some of the others at 2,500 acres and 23 lifts, but it also happens to be one of the most well-layed out ski mountains you will find.
The terrain naturally pushes most of the beginner runs to the west side, the intermediate runs in the middle, and the expert runs to the east. Then the back bowls (which have been expanded significantly in recent years) offer some fantastic open spaces for advanced and expert skiers and riders to find fresh powder. The mountain layout makes it easy for every visitor to stick to the terrain they can handle, rather than making a mistake on one run and suddenly being a beginner at the top of a black diamond mogul run.
The town around Copper Mountain has grown nicely in recent years, offering a wider variety of shops, lodging, bars, and restaurants. This has made it more of a tourist destination than it was 10 years ago, but it still doesn’t draw the big crowds of some of the other resorts.
It may be a personal choice, but I cut my teeth as a snowboarder at Copper Mountain years ago and since I know the mountain better than any other, I always put it on my favorites list.
