#WOLF CREEK SKI PASS HOW TO#
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Lift Ticket Price: Adult tickets $99, Junior tickets $52 Photo courtesy of Monarch Mountain Monarch Mountain If you’re looking to stay the night, check out Sunlight’s Ski, Swim, Stay package for deals on lodging, lift tickets and an aprés-ski hot springs soak. Sunlight offers one of the best deals for single day lift tickets. Sunlight prides itself on offering a simpler, cheaper experience than the nearby mega-resorts along the I-70 corridor. The small resort offers abundant terrain ranging from beginner groomers to expert tree runs. The Lowdown: Sunlight Mountain Resort is located outside the town of Glenwood Springs. Photo courtesy of Sunlight Mountain Resort Sunlight Mountain Resort If you’re more interested in nordic skiing, Eldora offers a mix of cross-country ski trails at the base. Eldora has partnered with Woodward and offers several options for terrain parks. Although the terrain selection isn’t amazing, there are a fair number of groomers and some advanced terrain. The ski area lies just 30 minutes west of Boulder. The Lowdown: If you live in, or near, Boulder, it’s hard to beat the proximity of Eldora. Lift Ticket Price: Adult ticket - $149, Junior ticket $99 Photo by Samuel Bricker, courtesy of Wolf Creek Ski Area Eldora Mountain Resort If you’d prefer to hike, rather than ride the lifts, check out the ski area’s uphill access policy. In normal years, A-Basin’s parking lot, affectionately known as the Beach, offers opportunities for world-class tailgating with a view. A-Basin is known for its variety of expert terrain, including Montezuma Bowl, the Steep Gullies and the East Wall.

Some years the resort offers Fourth of July skiing. The Lowdown: Lying on the other side of Loveland Pass from Loveland Ski Area, A-Basin also benefits from its high altitude. Lift Ticket Price: Adult tickets From $99, Child tickets from $45 Photo by Dustin Schaefer, courtesy of Loveland Ski Area Arapahoe Basin Ski and Snowboard Area

#WOLF CREEK SKI PASS FREE#

Although the ski area is not offering cat skiing this year, it usually runs free snow cats to help skiers access additional terrain. Loveland offers a great mix of beginner, intermediate and expert terrain.

#WOLF CREEK SKI PASS HOW TO#

Loveland is an excellent place for those learning how to ski, Denver residents going up for the day and spring skiers looking to squeeze every drop of snow out of winter. The mountain typically opens in late October and doesn’t close until early May. Loveland’s high elevation and deep snow totals allow it to open earlier and close later than many places. That’s more than any other Front Range ski area.

Although Loveland can be quite windy, the ski area receives 422 inches of snow on average. The ski area sits high along the Continental Divide. The Lowdown:Loveland is the first ski area you’ll come across driving west on I-70 from Denver. Best small ski areas in Colorado Photo by Dustin Schaefer, courtesy of Loveland Ski Area Loveland Ski Area Other places on the list, like A-Basin or Eldora, are on the Ikon Pass, but they still offer a change of pace for skiers. Silverton Mountain is an experts only ski area. Specialty ski areas, like Silverton are not small in terms of terrain options. Since you’ll spend most of your time on groomers, there’s no need to worry about a ski resort’s acreage or the number of expert trails larger resorts boast.įor experts, however, ski areas like Wolf Creek offer deep powder. If you’re new to the sport, learning to ski or ride at a smaller mountain makes sense. Sure the lifts may be slower or acreage smaller, but smaller Colorado ski areas still offer world-class skiing. Small ski areas get the same dry, fluffy powder Colorado’s larger resorts market, without many of lift lines. If you’re like me and would prefer to sleep in, walk to the lifts and not pay for parking, small ski areas offer a more laid back atmosphere. Photo courtesy of Monarch Mountain What’s great about small ski areas in Colorado? Although ski areas continue to face consolidation and high costs to fund snowmaking, grooming, expensive lodges and gondola construction, there are many great Colorado ski areas that are smaller, more affordable and, often, less crowded.

If you’re sick of long lift lines, paying to park and traffic, check out some of Colorado’s best small ski areas. And let’s be honest, if you’re paying $200 for a day pass, you’re not riding the bus. At the price, even if you rode the bus to avoid parking fees, managed to snag the first lift at 8:30 a.m., ate a sandwich on the lift for lunch and skied until 4:00 p.m., you’d still be paying nearly $30 an hour to ski. In 2019, Vail made headlines when the resort began charging over $200 for a single day of skiing.

Wolf creek ski pass