Editors Note: This is our first contributor article from a new writer, David.
I live in Denver, Colorado and my friends from outside of the state, when they call me up, always ask me “What are the best snowboarding resorts in Colorado”? I can always answer that question with a question, “What do you like to do when you snowboard”?
All of my friends are at varying levels of experience and so I need to feel them out as to what it is they want to do. Some are going to want to head straight for a park and never be seen again. Another may want to spend the entire day carving it up in the trees. And, some even want to break every rule book there is and hike up to some pristine back bowl to prove their mettle.
While another may want to just gracefully carve up a groomed slope in a more relaxed at meditative fashion. Still others are more focused on the apres ski options, and others may be interested in what’s for dinner.
There is one thing to point out, however, there are some 2 million Coloradans who live in the area known as the Front Range, that geological region where the Great Plains meet the base of the Rockies. This is where Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and Pueblo reside. On any given weekend, those very same inhabitants want to spend some time in their very own backyard. This adds a variable to any planning.
After all, if you are coming in from out-of-state, the very last thing you want to do is stand in endless lines to get on a chair lift. You gave your hard-earned money to snowboard, not stand around getting your legs cramped up waiting to go again.
Given the proximity of Denver and certain mountains, this list is composed of resorts that get a little less traffic than other resorts. The basic mathematics for how crowded a resort gets is based on how close the resort is to Denver.
The more work someone from the Front Range has to put in to get to a resort the less likely they are to actually go there. At the same time, what is fun for me to do while my feet are strapped in is different for others. So, when I put this list together I considered that there are varying interests and degree of experience.
Some would say that Colorado has the best conditions in America for snowboarding. Also, some of the amenities make certain destinations some of the best snowboarding resorts in Colorado. But, having lived in both California and Colorado, I can speak from experience that both have great aspects to them. Colorado, however, gets more consistent conditions and those conditions are better.
So, here are some of the best snowboarding resorts in Colorado, and I am pointing at least one key feature of the mountain the separates it from others:
Best Snowboarding Resorts in Colorado
Steamboat
Why did Steamboat make it on a list of the best snowboarding resorts in Colorado? It’s a great all-around mountain and it’s got it all for everyone in the family. It’s a solid three hour drive from Denver, so rarely does anyone from the Front Range ever bother to go there, there are quicker options for those folks.
Steamboat gets its fair share of snow. I have had many days where I felt like I was the only one to ride a certain area. The lines are short and the powder is deep. I enjoy the challenge of riding in the trees and Steamboat has some of my favorite trees to play in, mostly they have aspens versus conifers.
The town is right at the base of the mountain and has a great deal to offer as well as Strawberry Park Natural Hot Springs, a very popular place to visit on the side.
Purgatory a.k.a. Durango
This is the further possible place from Denver you can get, a solid seven hours of driving on roads that at times feel like the backcountry. In fact, do not drive. Fly. They have a great airport. Although it is smaller it does a great job of servicing snowboarders and then shuttling them to town and up to the mountain.
This is a great all-around mountain with excellent terrain and challenging slopes. Purgatory gets plenty of snow without the big crowds. And the town is quite large so anything you need is available. But, while you are carving it up you may stop for a time and take in the views, one of the most spectacular and serene vistas I have ever laid eyes on.
You’ll certainly tell all those who listen about the excellent snowboarding you got in but are likely to have no words to explain what you were able to look at while you did so. All of these reasons put Purgatory at #2 on the list of best snowboarding resorts in Colorado.
Snowmass (And Aspen)
If you’re a snowboarder you should want to go to Snowmass, not Aspen. Aspen is great for skiing but not snowboarding, and vice-versa. The slopes at Aspen are a bit too narrow and the trees are bit too crowded, whereas Snowmass has everything that makes a mountain one of the best snowboarding resorts in Colorado.
I have had some of my best days on this mountain. The two mountains are a few minutes apart, so if you are into snowboarding hit up Snowmass. Then for apres, hit up the town of Aspen for the nightlife, but expect to party hard. That’s how they do it in this town. And, while you are at the top of Snowmass, don’t forget to grab slice of pizza on top of the mountain at Up4Pizza.
A-Basin
The good news about A-Basin is that it is one of the very first resorts you get to when you travel I-70 out of Denver. The bad news about A-Basin is that it is one of the very first resorts you get to when you travel I-70. However, the reason this resort gets on the list of best snowboarding resorts in Colorado is that this resort is not exactly a resort as much as it is an area where really, really great snowboarding happens.
A-Basin is a mountain pass and it goes to the very top of a mountain well above the tree line. It gets well more than its fair share of snow. But, because of its difficulty and altitude, it keeps the intermediates away. This is expert only terrain.
Most of us from Denver will bypass this resort simply because there is someone in the car who can’t handle the terrain or conditions. And often, when you’re driving by you can’t see the top of the mountain because it’s typically white-out conditions. For some that is very good news. For others, well, not so much. This is a combination of true alpine-snowboarding minus overwhelming crowds. The amenities are limited, you’re not here for the after-hours. You’re here to shred.
Crested Butte
For me, CB is a great option to make the list of best snowboarding resorts in Colorado because, like Steamboat, it has it all. There is a great mix of mountain features combined with a vibrant town. I’m not really one who likes to do just one thing all day long on a mountain but enjoy mixing it up. And, afterwards, I want options to do in town with eating great food and hitting one of the breweries in town pretty high on the priority list.
Crested Butte is a ways away from Denver so gets limited traffic. That, of course translates into less crowds. Yet, the terrain and snow is some of the best in Colorado. I don’t mind putting in the drive to this place because of what a great all-around experience I am going to have.
Telluride
Telluride makes the list of best snowboarding resorts in Colorado because of a lot of reasons. First, it is one of the most beautiful destinations in all of Colorado. Period.
A lot very high-profile Hollywood elite have homes here including Tom Cruise and Oprah to name just two. The town is one of the best party towns there is and, because of its location, the crowds are very small. As for actual snowboarding, the terrain has everything you are looking for.
And, the out-of-bounds is some of the very best in all of Colorado, but you did NOT here that from me.
Wolf Creek
In a lot of ways, I am saving the very best for last for this list of best snowboarding resorts in Colorado. Ask anyone in Denver about Wolf Creek and their eyes gloss over. You have never seen so much snow in your life. And, it seems as if it is a continuous dump of snow with an annual average over 400 inches.
Almost every time I’ve been to this place there has been well over a foot of fresh snow every morning. You’re giddy all day long while riding freshies. But it’s got a downside for the Front Range, it’s a solid five hour drive away from Denver, and there are no short-cuts. You are flat out driving for five hours, plus you can forget any kind of amenities. The mountain is actually a mountain pass. The chair lift starts at the crest of that mountain pass. There is nothing else around, and barely any place to park.
You are very likely to have to drive a ways to get a good motel. If you’re going here you’re an expert who loves challenging terrain and deep snow…. and nothing else matters. Often, you get to the bottom of the slope and there is no one else waiting in line to get on the chair simply because it’s a five hour drive from Denver.
Honorable UN-mention: Vail
I have to say this… whenever anyone asks me to take them around to resorts in Colorado, invariably one resort ALWAYS gets brought up: Vail. Ask anyone who lives in Denver and what they think of Vail, and it is a near unanimous opinion, we hate it.
First, it is overcrowded beyond belief. And that overcrowding is usually tourists who are mediocre at best. Plus, half of the mountain’s slopes are in direct sunlight so that portion always melts and then freezes up overnight; you are snowboarding on a sheet of ice. And, it just might be one of the most expensive resorts there is. Great. You get to pay a premium for your dissatisfaction. There. That’s a local tip for you.
Wrap Up
These are some of the best snowboarding resorts in Colorado. The truth is as long as there is fresh snow it really doesn’t matter where you go. But, then again it does. If you are going to spend your hard-earned dollars on a lift ticket you don’t want to be waiting in long lines and that eliminates a lot of resorts. And while the companies may lower their prices in recognition of the longer lines, there is a give and take involved.
A great town along with a great mountain are what matter most, without the long lines. You’ll have to put in a bit more effort to get to these places, but it’s time well spent. The ticket prices tend to be slightly lower simply because there are fewer people so the resorts try and draw in more people. But, human nature as it is, that often does not pan out. My list of best snowboarding resorts in Colorado includes a mix of varying degrees of difficulty. You’ll want to have an honest conversation with yourself and ask where you are and where you want to ride. This will help you determine where you want to go.
See you out there!