Tulsa-Smith:- emotional...: American Skiing Trivia

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

American Skiing Trivia

If only I were being paid to do this but, hey, altruism must be promoted sometimes - like now!

Trivial pursuit for skiers and non-skiers – good to know these ‘best of…’ stuff, just in case you’ll need it one day:

[What do you like best about your favorite place to ski? It's not always the trail from the top of the mountain to the bottom that makes a ski destination special. Sometimes it's the terrain, but sometimes it's the view, the food, the price or even the hot springs. Here is an unscientific list, drawing on reputation, recommendations, personal experiences and best-of lists from a variety of sources, of what some ski areas around the West are best-known for.

COLORADO: Best of the Rockies

BEST DEAL: The Colorado Pass, which gets you unlimited lift access to Keystone, Breckenridge and Arapahoe Basin, plus 10 days at Vail or Beaver Creek (restricted). If adults bought early this year, it could be had for just under $400. With single-day lift tickets to Vail Resort going for $81 last season, the pass can pay for itself after five visits to Vail. The pass also qualifies you for half-price lift tickets at Heavenly Lake Tahoe.

BEST EXTREME TERRAIN: Silverton Mountain. But hey, most of the resorts have double-black diamond runs (for experts only).

BEST OUT-OF-THE-WAY RESORT: Telluride. It's nestled in a box canyon in the San Juan Mountains 330 miles from Denver, and flying here often requires a stop somewhere else first. Jaw-dropping views of 13,000-foot peaks.

BEST POWDER: Steamboat Springs.

BEST VIEWS: Aspen Highlands or Aspen; Telluride (view the old mining town from atop the Plunge or turn your head and you can see all the way to Utah); Loveland (not too many areas where you can slide a few feet from a lift to the Continental Divide).

BEST TERRAIN PARK: Years ago, hucksters loved heading for the big kickers at Breckenridge, but resorts like Keystone, Copper Mountain and others have been luring them with more features and parks closer to lifts. This winter, Echo Mountain Park could sneak away with the title. The whole place is a terrain park, and one of its proudest features is Knuckles, a 17-foot feature lit up from inside at night so you can approach from nearly any direction.

BEST FAMILY AREA: Winter Park. Every ski area makes this claim, but here, it's second-nature to let the teens hit the bumps or the terrain park while you take a cruiser before you all meet at the bottom. Bonus: Take the Ski Train home to Denver and avoid the commute.

BEST MOGULS: Mary Jane at Winter Park for years has styled itself as the place for the best bumps in Colorado. But everyone has 'em: Aspen and Vail have killer bumps, and so does Copper Mountain (led by Far East and other tough customers off the Alpine lift).

BEST ON-THE-MOUNTAIN MEAL: Sage at Snowmass. Beano's at Beaver Breek.

BEST LURE (this season): 36 Days of Chocolate at Keystone's various restaurants. Every resort has a festival or event of some kind; sue us for having a sweet tooth.

BEST SLEEPER AREA: Arapahoe Basin. Wolf Creek a close No. 2.

LONGEST RUN: Snowmass claims it has a run 5.3 miles long.

BEST TREE SKIING: Steamboat Springs.

BEST HOT SPRINGS: Steamboat Springs. Duh. But visitors to Telluride who save a few dollars by staying in tiny Ouray can enjoy that town's natural hot springs pool for next to nothing. And if you ski Sunlight, the famous Glenwood Springs hot pool is nearby….]