Skiing in Colorado
In recent years, downhill skiing has become an increasingly popular sport. Since the early 1970s, mountain scenes around the world have gone from relatively poor regions where only farmers could make a living to densely populated landscapes with many hotels, pensions, etc. In Europe, Switzerland and Austria are definitely the most popular ski nations. However, skiing is also famous in New Zealand and even in Australia. It is fascinating that there are five huge ski resorts (Mt. Buller, Hotham, Falls Creek, Thredbo and Perisher Blue) in the middle of the so-called Snowy Mountains, which are located in the south of a dry as dust continent. North America boasts of having one of the best skiing regions on earth.
Whistler has become synonymous with powder skiing in Canada. However, in the United States, Colorado claims to be the best place for skiers and snowboarders. Resorts like Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge or Aspen are well known even by skiers and snowboarders in Europe. Ski resorts in the US are famous for the very dry, light snow that blankets the Colorado Rockies every year over and over again. The Back Bowls in Vail offer a variety of expert terrain accessible via five state-of-the-art chairlifts. The so-called Blue Sky Basin offers even more demanding Black Diamond Runs. But there’s more to skiing in Colorado than just the Back Bowls in Vail. The expression “champagne powder” was found in Steamboat, one of the northernmost resorts in Colorado.
Steamboat offers incredible tree skiing, especially near the top of Storm Peak (10,372 feet). While Steamboat is for expert skiers and powder fanatics, Colorado’s most luxurious resort is definitely Beaver Creek. The ski resort is located near Interstate 70 which crosses the Rocky Mountains from Denver to Utah. Therefore, Beaver Creek is among the most easily accessible resorts in Colorado. The town of Beaver Creek is a charming place. It mimics an old European-style mountain village, but offers guests luxurious hotels and bars. Many Beaver Creek trails, which are marked Intermediate Level (blue), are undemanding. Especially on Arrowhead Mountain, the slopes are more suited to beginner skiers than sporty intermediate skiers. However, there is also enough to discover for experts. The terrain between the “Centennial Express Lift” and the “Birds of Prey Express Lift” is quite demanding and the Back Bowls in Vail are only a 10 minute drive away.