Im Going to visit my brother in Denver in late March next year and was surprised to see that Loveland ski area had only a 1200 verticle rise out of one of their Lifts(most were lower)...WTF...I thought this was the bad [censored] rockies?...Whiteface and the likes of Stowe Ect blow this away!...Little ole TL has 1000"...Snowshoe has 1500"!!

OK..OK..I know this is just one ski area...Give me some stats that I can be impressed with...we are talkin vert rise for one chairlift ride remember...Resorts like to brag about total vert....

PS...Global Warming is DEAD....Word...

You won't find more than 1200' hardly anywhere! People always question WV skiing and I tell them, "We only have 1000' vert, but you ski all 1000' every single run!" Seems like most chairlifts serve closer to 800'...

Fish, I have a thing for lifts with a lot of vertical and often note those that are exceptional in this regard in my trip reports. Just going off the top of my head, I believe the biggest vert lift in CO is possibly the Aspen Mtn Gondola at about 3200'. Interestingly, Aspen Mtn/Ajax is only a moderate size hill acreage-wise for CO, but is tall vertically and it's one of the rare places where you could ski all day long using one big lift if you don't mind popping your skis off every ride. And it's still plenty big enough for some fun variety from our Easterner's perspective, wild guess about 700 acres. My last visit there was around 1991 when that gondi was quite new. Keystone and Copper Mtn both have one or two long HSQ chairs out of their base areas that climb about 2300 vertical, one at Keystone is a gondi. From Denver those two areas would probably be your best shots for bigger lifts. Not sure about Breckenridge. Snowmass and Telluride may have some 2000+ vert lifts too.

Having said that, Loveland's a cool place and to butcher an old cliche, it's not the size of the lift, but the character of the terrain that will give you the most thrills.

Few western areas give you the whole vertical on one lift. And, I have to agree with Jim. It's the accessible terrain that matters. BTW Whiteface is not accessible on one lift.

True, but the Gondola still takes you up over 2000' vert.

Smugglers Notch has a lift with over 2000' vert as well and another that I think is 1600'.

Fish,
Yes, most lifts in US do not serve multiple thousand vertical feet...BUT
Out west, when you tire of the trail network off one lift, then you take another for 1000' vert and an entire new trail network and challenge. Thant's the difference!!!
The Colonel

snowbird tram - 7,760 when you get on, over 11,00 when you get off.

Yeh...I figured there would have to be some huge vert off a tram/Gondola somewhere...Stowe gives you 2160'.Cannon and Wildcat,NH give ya 2000'+..Short story shorter..the East delivers!

When I get to the bottom of a good run at TL I can really feel it in my legs..Granted, I dont ski enough to be in top Ski Shape..But im pretty Tough. I'm thinking that another 200 feet of good vert would be enough...1500' and I would be stopping before I hit the base. Tory Mtn,WV would give us 1200 to 1500' of vert and to the Colonels point...Variety is the spice of life!..(Bring on Tory/MPC 2000+ vert!)

I was just looking for a couple of day trips from the Denver area (Broomfield,CO) And Eldora was the Closest with Loveland next...Winter park is a little bit of a Haul and it looks like you have to do the MTN Twist to get there! Lovelands Got Attitude according to the many Posts I have Read but its the Altitude that Concerns me...Anyhoot..Ill b there and hopefully my Sea level Butt will be alright

well see that is the thing of it - the most outstanding powder run of my life - one of those shimmery sorts of memories you keep locked up in your head - was well under 1000 vertical - more like around yeah 900. i guess old "stumpy" was right in the vid "how to thril"; ".. it's not the deepness, but the sweetness of your turns" . Or Warren Miller; "Whatever resort you are at, that is the best one in the world."

The largest vert on one chair in Summit/Eagle/Clear Creek counties Colorado is I beleive at Keystone with 2303 on Summit Quad and 2298 on the gondola. Not much black terrain there, but Upper Jackwhacker can be fun. Every high speed lift at Keystone(7 of em) is at least 1600 feet of vert - except for Outback Express which is I believe 1485.

Super Bee at Copper is probably somwhere around 2300 feet of vert, too.

As far as Loveland goes, chair one (only 1000 vert) will give you all the thrills you'll want to handle -- and then there's the quad to the top of the Continental divide.

Unlike Europe, most North American resorts require multiple lift rides to get big vert. It takes 4 rides to access all of Whistler's 5280 feet. I remember taking one double stage gondola to the top of an Italian resort -- 4500 feet of vert. Then there's the tram at Austria's Zell am See that that takes you to the top of the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier and 7500 feet of vert. There's nothing like either of those here.

Yeh Bob...Keystone is prob the next closest to Denver but we still have this elevation issue..I felt it big time When I went to Vail/Beaver Creek which are a thousand foot or more lower...

WOW.....Some of those Verts u posted are more like Camping trips than runs!!!

I do have another Concern....My Brother and his Girlfriend drove from Annapolis,MD to Denver in a Honda Fit (They Found Snow Chains for the little bugger)...I estimated that it would cost 200 bucks for gas for the trip and like a great big bro I gave them that as a gift....WELL...they went to Breckenridge and skied a half day which cost them 189 bucks!...In APRIL!!!!
Now...I am an EXTREMELY Rich Dude but I have a Moral Compass..this no good...Give me tips for cheaper skiing late March!

For the altitude issue get your Dr. to prescribe Diamox (Acetazolamide generic) and start taking it about three days prior to arrival. It is a diuretic that improves the ability of red blood cells to transport oxigen. Side effects (for me at least) are that it occassionally gives me the sniffles and it will make any diet soda taste like crap.

Big resort lift tickets are a great big rip -- even in April. I don't know how families can afford to come to Colorado to ski/ride.

To limit expense your best bet would be to buy "four packs" early season for use at Loveland and another at A-Basin. Cost might be $30-$40/day. I think that Copper still offers 'em, too.

Vail resorts does offer different season passses that are downright reasonable in cost. I'm not aware of any "cheap" single day tickets at anything that Vail owns.

To ski at A-Basin and Keystone ONLY, the Keystone A-Basin pass costs $279

To ski A-Basin, Keystone and Breckenridge ONLY, the Summit Value pass costs $439

To ski A-Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge plus 10 days at Vail/Breaver Creek there's the Epic Local Pass at $529. It also gives date limited access to the Tahoe resorts and I presume the Canyons.

http://www.snow.com/epic-pass/passes.aspx

The Loveland four packs would be one way to go, sold in the fall preseason over the internet for around $140 and are transferable, so you could share with brother. Also, could try liftopia nearer to dates of trip, probably get A-Basin for about $45 per single day and Copper maybe $65-70 per day. Don't tell anybody I said this, but also some folks check Denver craigslist (buyer beware) 2 weeks before trip, often lots of folks reselling extra discount tics for front range ski areas by mid March.

yeah but whistler (or just about any other 'big' mtn) is not just like 4 tlines stacked on top of each other, more like 40 spread out up and down with a variety of terrain, views, aspects. i know andy is just prodding us in the down season, but we can play along. 300" of snow and consistent cold lets you cover a lot more steeper terrain. and if those crackers drove to colorado to save money at breckenridge, well then oops - good learning experience (and hahahahahahahahahahahahaha). nonetheless, i am grateful for the mountains we do have in west by god. hope is snows like hell next year.

"yeah but i know andy is just prodding us in the down season"

OUCH...Truth hurts!...As far as size goes..."More than a handful.........."

4 Pack Info is Much appreciated...
Im betting Eldora will be affordable and Im thinking that with a 1600' Vert with maybe 1200 to 1400' of that being of the "Solid" vert we have talked about it should give up some nice runs to go along with some great views as it is banked up to a large Mtn range.

Eldora is real nice and worth a visit especially if close to your lodgings. The drive there is through a very cool canyon that can be short and pretty, but tricky if fresh snow. Not as big as Loveland because most of the layout is standard tree-lined runs as opposed to Loveland's many acres of wide open terrain above treeline. For a WV comparison, Eldora is maybe about the size of Snowshoe if all of Snowshoe's runs were the length of Cupp Run. A number of runs are as difficult or more difficult than Cupp and Shays, and there are some fairly extensive black diamond glades too. Not as much easy intermediate terrain as Loveland. Eldora used to sell a four pack of tickets too and may also sell discounted tickets through Liftopia and local ski stores and maybe Costco. Not sure about this now that they have a connection with the Vail empire.

Attaching links to a few pictures from my visit to Eldora ten years ago. It has an especially interesting view east towards the great plains because it is closer to the plains than probably any other CO ski area, but you can also get some views west into the front range from some of the highest points on the trail layout.
First pic in this story is Eldora: http://www.dcski.com/articles/view_article.php?article_id=281
Pics with paras 3 and 8 in this story are Eldora: http://www.dcski.com/articles/view_article.php?article_id=753&mode=headlines

Eldora trail map: http://www.sangres.com/cimages/skiareas/eldora_trailmap_lrg.jpg

Nice read Mr K...Thx for sharing!
I know im going to hit Eldora and loveland (Ill have to take Dr bobs dosage recommendation!)...might try to add winterpark at the end...just like u all did.

Ive had Eldora's Cam on my favs list since early march and since its so close to the Boulder area where Im staying Im hoping to take a couple day trips there.

Depends on the size of yer hands.

Crap dude, you are over thinking the obvious. If there is a drink in front of you, drink it. If there is a fish in front of you, catch it then eat it. If yer wife is in front of you grab her. If you can go to a ski area, ski it.

Srsly, those "small" areas in CO are pretty rockin.

Tossing one more idea out, Steamboat.

Steamboat is great, but pricey.

But Andy is an EXTREMELY Rich Dude.

eldora and loveland are not real close together, and eldora is not that big. spend too much time driving. if you want cheap big variety, you can stay in a frisco vrbo and get loveland, abasin, and copper pretty cheaply. chase the snow. eat at butterhorn breakfast and that little pizza joint across the corner. you might never come back.

There is a road from Eldora back to 70 near georgetown so Loveland is not too far, probably 40 miles or so. You go by a casino, Blackhawk I think. So if you are feeling lucky maybe you can finance the trip with your winnings.

Well, JH takes two rides.

And Kicking Horse requires one.

well there you go, solid travel and investment advice in one shot. hit the jackpot and go to aspen. nice. i'll still be in frisco with the frozen burritos....

There is a shortcut from Eldora to Winterpark too.....

http://www.veiks.com/hiking/rollinspass/8658.jpg

Some nice vert Spilling off that mamma Jamma!

Makes me appreciate the trees off of lanesville road up to the Sods...Glades for the the Grades!

PS,,Im cking out your Heckling Johnny..
Nice post on the Quality vs Quantity Crush!

Sorta in that neck of the woods. The lost ski areas in Colorado have a bit more heft than those in the East.

http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/skiestespark.html

I went to a casino in Blackhawk/Central City once about five years ago with my family. It was around 5pm and we were finished skiing Loveland and heading east to the Denver airport for an early flight home the next morning. Saw billboard on I70 for $5 steak dinners at the casino and so I took the wife and three kids there for cheap eats. The road from 70 to Blackhawk is the Central City Parkway and is a quick and nice divided hwy paid for with state and/or casino money I'm sure. Not sure if it's that nice all the way over to Eldora/Nederland, but could be a pretty neat little stopover for a night in between ski days at Eldora and Loveland if you're into that sort of thing.

Hi JimK so how were the $5 steaks?

AndyAndy if you are going to Colorado, takin Dr. Bob's altitude potion #9, skiing at Loveland and not going to ski Arapahoe Basin THE LEGEND, well...dude it's like passing up Mount Porte Crayon to ski.........just sayin it's the kind of place we're used to, cool vibe, laid back, if i was stuck skiing one place the rest of my life, it would probably be at Abasin. You'll want to be careful about the altitude if you are sensitive, I am not and the altitude still kicks my [censored] the first day or two, 10,500 feet above sea level, IN THE PARKING LOT, so yea take yer potions.

I'm not allowed to even /think/ about going to A-basin. Ever again.

I'd like to comment on this but since I only have one experience in Colorada I'm probably not qualified. However, Telluride seemed like it went on forever, damn I was tired.
Going to work on a trip to the West next season. JohnL, Jimmy, any help?

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Im getting dizzy just thinkin about it!..Ill be training at an ave elevation of 3800' to get ready...sort of like having some pillow fights before u take on Tyson

I tell everybody when they are going to Disney-world to not try to do the Whole world in one trip...save something for the next time and enjoy what you see to the fullest.
As long as my bro hangs up there in CO I hope to have a few trips out west before I take that long chairlift ride up into the sky....(hopefully something new with greater Vert in WV bfore that final lift ride!)

Speaking of chairlifts...didn't Timberline get their lifts from that extinct ski area u posted about JL?
And..that area only got 156 inches of Snow a year?

I bet you could name any ski area...maybe anywhere in the world and you could get some great info here on this site...long live DCSKI!

Interesting article and pics/brochures about Estes Park Ski Area. How did a skier get from lower trails to upper trails without a connecting lift?
The Colonel

One tried and proven strategy for performing at altitude is to sleep lower. Some altitudes near A basin; Breckinridge, 9600, Frisco, 9000, Georgetown, 8500, Idaho Springs, 7500. This is also why folks often overnight in Denver before skiing in Colorado.

According to one of the articles, http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/images/hv_liftremoval.jpg , uring the beginning and the end times of the resorts, the upper area was served by shuttle buses from the base lodge. from 71-77, there was a double ski lift that ran from the base lodge to the bottom of the upper lift.

To answer anotehr question, according to the website the removed lifts were sold to Vail, not Timberline.

MPC!