Best out west ski resort for long blue groomers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jackson Hole. Lots of long blue and double blue tuns.

Not as family friendly and the few blues they have are steeper. Also the snow is not as great when compared to Breckenridge or Keystone. Keystone isn't really a town though, if you are also looking for that. It's kind of like Vail - Disney with skiing.

I would stay away from all resorts on the Epic Pass after the Park City Ski Patrol strike this break. Vail is totally out of line. The request to move patrollers' wages from $21 to $23 is very reasonable, considering Patrollers at neighboring Deer Valley get paid well over $23/hour. Vail ruined many people's holiday vacations by taking such a ridiculous and unwavering position. If you were staying at the Canyons Base, you had only the gondola and High Meadows to ski, meaning you didn't ski. I generally dislike Unions, but on this issue, they are warranted, and their ask was reasonable.

[Anonymous]

OP—I would try Steamboat. I’ve heard Jackson Hole is very steep. Steamboat is so family friendly, runs for all types of skiers. Known for their ski school program for kids. Great town.

[Anonymous]

Steamboat's addition of the new "Wild Blue" gondola that takes you from the base to the Sunshine area is a game changer. Tons of long blue runs up there and many people just ride the gondola down at the end of the day. Steamboat has also moved the learning area up the mountain to a mid-point of the Wild Blue.

I agree that Breck has great blue runs as well, but the super-high altitude leaves me with a headache the entire week.

[Anonymous]

Maybe Northstar -- the Back Side has a number of long runs, a mix of blue and black. They are usually uber-groomed, with the exception of The Rapids, and even the black runs are not particularly steep. Plenty of other blue runs elsewhere on the resort, but not as long as those on the Back Side. It's a Vail-owned resort and therefore on Epic, if that is a factor.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Steamboat's addition of the new "Wild Blue" gondola that takes you from the base to the Sunshine area is a game changer. Tons of long blue runs up there and many people just ride the gondola down at the end of the day. Steamboat has also moved the learning area up the mountain to a mid-point of the Wild Blue.

I agree that Breck has great blue runs as well, but the super-high altitude leaves me with a headache the entire week.

This 100%. Steamboat. This gondola even has beginners able to ski the whole way down on maybe the longest green out there.

[Anonymous]

Snowmass! Strongly disagree with the recommendations for Jackson Hole. I love skiing there but it is not the place I would recommend for intermediates and beginners.

[Anonymous]

As someone who is an avid skier who has skied all of the mountains mentioned here, hands down the answer is Steamboat. It is the best for lots of intermediate terrain. It isn't a bad drive from Denver (3 hours) but you need an AWD SUV. You can also fly into Hayden, but that is a pricy option. I believe there is a non-stop from IAD on Saturdays. Steamboat is a great mountain/resort with lots of lodging options. The town is nice. You can visit the hot springs at Strawberry Park. There is a community rec center/pool that is right downtown. The cool thing is that the pool is hot springs fed.

Stay away from the Vail Resorts. They are a mess right now.

[Anonymous]

Ski Magazine just covered this: https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/best-resorts-to-ski-groomers/

I disagree with DV being number one, though. The runs aren't long, and there are too many homes on the mountain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prefer park city to Breckenridge for those runs because at Breckenridge you usually have to go down to the bases for them. At PC there are more mid mountain lift options so you can do shorter lines.

We were just in PC and will never return. 30-60 min lift time waits. Lodge served cold food with no where to sit. A lady with clear broken leg waited 20 mins for help. Terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ski Magazine just covered this: https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/best-resorts-to-ski-groomers/

I disagree with DV being number one, though. The runs aren't long, and there are too many homes on the mountain.

We have skied Vail, Aspen, Whistler, and Breck and Breck has so many more blue runs and better ones then all the ones we have been to.

Aspen and Whistler are more challenging blues so I would not go there if you are not at least a solid advanced blue. We haven’t been to Jackson Hole but heard it’s a very difficult mountain and so agree with PP who said that. Waiting till DC gets better before going to JH.

[Anonymous]

Steamboat is such a great mountain for intermediates. Reliable conditions, great mountain town, tons of blue runs, lots of lodging, not as crowded as Breck. Breck is also pretty miserable to get to on weekends since so many people go there from Denver. Deer Valley also has a lot of blue runs but I think Steamboat is better for blue runs and is also much cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jackson Hole. Lots of long blue and double blue tuns.

Not as family friendly and the few blues they have are steeper. Also the snow is not as great when compared to Breckenridge or Keystone. Keystone isn't really a town though, if you are also looking for that. It's kind of like Vail - Disney with skiing.

I would stay away from all resorts on the Epic Pass after the Park City Ski Patrol strike this break. Vail is totally out of line. The request to move patrollers' wages from $21 to $23 is very reasonable, considering Patrollers at neighboring Deer Valley get paid well over $23/hour. Vail ruined many people's holiday vacations by taking such a ridiculous and unwavering position. If you were staying at the Canyons Base, you had only the gondola and High Meadows to ski, meaning you didn't ski. I generally dislike Unions, but on this issue, they are warranted, and their ask was reasonable.

The $2 increase is for the bottom rung, and is not the only ask. The Union is also complaining about wage "compression" with the top earners, and wants those wages increased. There were also demands for additional benefits. The Union clearly tried to leverage the proximity of the holidays, and lost.

[Anonymous]

What about the best ski resort for near- beginners looking for long green runs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who is an avid skier who has skied all of the mountains mentioned here, hands down the answer is Steamboat. It is the best for lots of intermediate terrain. It isn't a bad drive from Denver (3 hours) but you need an AWD SUV. You can also fly into Hayden, but that is a pricy option. I believe there is a non-stop from IAD on Saturdays. Steamboat is a great mountain/resort with lots of lodging options. The town is nice. You can visit the hot springs at Strawberry Park. There is a community rec center/pool that is right downtown. The cool thing is that the pool is hot springs fed.

Stay away from the Vail Resorts. They are a mess right now.

Renting an awd vehicle is slightly better than a fwd vehicle. Only slightly better because rentals usually have bogus tires. I’d fly to Hayden or take a bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the best ski resort for near- beginners looking for long green runs?

We found a ton of long green runs in Vail.