CO skiing next winter break - don’t even bother?

[Anonymous]

We have been planning to visit relatives in CO next winter break and also go skiing. After the Park City strike I’m nervous as we would be staying in Avon, CO and visiting nearby resorts which are Vail owned.

Will it be unbearably crowded and miserable over winter break? We don’t get a long break in Jan or Feb and our kids are in HS so don’t want to pull them more than a day or two.

[Anonymous]

We had very low lines at Winter Park. It was bitterly cold but a great skiing experience with lots of fresh snow. It’s obviously not a Vail resort.

[Anonymous]

Winter break is crowded. If you're willing to drive you can be most anywhere in CO with decent access to an independent ski area (or at least non-Vail).

[Anonymous]

We skied in Breckenridge over winter break. It was crowded but not unbearably so. The beginner lifts are always the busiest one, but get out there first thing in the day. If you're more advanced go up higher and the lifts rarely have lines. The resorts there (in CO) are huge and don't feel as crowded as the more local ones.

[Anonymous]

It will always be crowded over the holidays. The bigger issue is snow. CO is having a great year this year but other years there is more limited terrain open. So that makes it seem more crowded if everyone is being funneled on to the same runs.

[Anonymous]

Vail should be fine. A little crowded at base but enough room to spread out. Plus Vail, Beaver Creek are blacked out over holidays for regular Epic pass holders (CO residents) so Breckenridge is always more crowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vail should be fine. A little crowded at base but enough room to spread out. Plus Vail, Beaver Creek are blacked out over holidays for regular Epic pass holders (CO residents) so Breckenridge is always more crowded.

OP here. Yes, we plan to buy the Epic Day pass for our number of days and we are aware we will need to pay for the unrestricted option for our dates.

[Anonymous]

why not go spring break?

Winter break is insanely expensive, crowded and there is limited terrain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We skied in Breckenridge over winter break. It was crowded but not unbearably so. The beginner lifts are always the busiest one, but get out there first thing in the day. If you're more advanced go up higher and the lifts rarely have lines. The resorts there (in CO) are huge and don't feel as crowded as the more local ones.

+1
Breck is awesome and only the beginner terrain gets crowded. If you ski easy blacks, you can stay on peak 10 until your legs can't take it anymore, because there is never a line. 6 chair is also tons of fun, but those are proper blacks, not easy blacks.

[Anonymous]

Avon is adjacent to Beaver Creek. We were there Christmas of 2023 and didn't find it to be that crowded. Went to Vail for a day and thought it was more crowded, especially the plazas. Lots of people wandering around, clearly not skiing.

Important point about snow - resort was probably 70% open.

[Anonymous]

Those I-70 ski resorts have become unmitigated dumpster fires, with only a couple spared the carnage. It’s really sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We skied in Breckenridge over winter break. It was crowded but not unbearably so. The beginner lifts are always the busiest one, but get out there first thing in the day. If you're more advanced go up higher and the lifts rarely have lines. The resorts there (in CO) are huge and don't feel as crowded as the more local ones.

+1
Breck is awesome and only the beginner terrain gets crowded. If you ski easy blacks, you can stay on peak 10 until your legs can't take it anymore, because there is never a line. 6 chair is also tons of fun, but those are proper blacks, not easy blacks.

About to ski Breck tomorrow for the first time with my kids. They are good skiers on the east coast, we usually go to MA and sometimes VT. How do the runs compare to eastern mountains?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We skied in Breckenridge over winter break. It was crowded but not unbearably so. The beginner lifts are always the busiest one, but get out there first thing in the day. If you're more advanced go up higher and the lifts rarely have lines. The resorts there (in CO) are huge and don't feel as crowded as the more local ones.

+1
Breck is awesome and only the beginner terrain gets crowded. If you ski easy blacks, you can stay on peak 10 until your legs can't take it anymore, because there is never a line. 6 chair is also tons of fun, but those are proper blacks, not easy blacks.

About to ski Breck tomorrow for the first time with my kids. They are good skiers on the east coast, we usually go to MA and sometimes VT. How do the runs compare to eastern mountains?

Wider, less ice

What are you looking for? I prefer groomed so I like the following.

Cruising:
Peak 7 - Monte Cristo, Angels Rest, Wirepatch, Lincoln Meadows
Peak 9 - Country Boy, Briar Rose, Upper Lehman

Groomed but steep:
Peak 10 - whatever is listed groomed, usually Centennial, Double Jack, Ciimaron, Crystal
Peak 6 - whatever is listed groomed, usually Bliss & Reverie

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We skied in Breckenridge over winter break. It was crowded but not unbearably so. The beginner lifts are always the busiest one, but get out there first thing in the day. If you're more advanced go up higher and the lifts rarely have lines. The resorts there (in CO) are huge and don't feel as crowded as the more local ones.

+1
Breck is awesome and only the beginner terrain gets crowded. If you ski easy blacks, you can stay on peak 10 until your legs can't take it anymore, because there is never a line. 6 chair is also tons of fun, but those are proper blacks, not easy blacks.

About to ski Breck tomorrow for the first time with my kids. They are good skiers on the east coast, we usually go to MA and sometimes VT. How do the runs compare to eastern mountains?

Wider, less ice

What are you looking for? I prefer groomed so I like the following.

Cruising:
Peak 7 - Monte Cristo, Angels Rest, Wirepatch, Lincoln Meadows
Peak 9 - Country Boy, Briar Rose, Upper Lehman

Groomed but steep:
Peak 10 - whatever is listed groomed, usually Centennial, Double Jack, Ciimaron, Crystal
Peak 6 - whatever is listed groomed, usually Bliss & Reverie

+1 To all this. Love peak 10 groomed runs.

If they ski the East they will be really good skiers out west. The snow is so much better and the runs are wide, even when those out west say the snow is bad it is still better than the best day in the east. This makes is so much easier to ski out west. There is also a huge misconception that blacks or blues are harder out west and this is not really true and very much mountain dependent. The blues in breck and even the blacks on peak 10 are not incredibly steep. However, the blues on peak 6 are pretty steep, steeper than the ones on peak 10, and should really be blacks.

[Anonymous]

If you can go at the start of break / before or including Christmas Day crowds aren’t bad—just a gamble condition wise. We went to Copper this year around that time and loved it-got lucked with good snow. We intentionally booked a hotel that could be canceled within a few days (vs a condo with restrictions) in case the season was a bust…also have kids in hs so I get it