Winter Park Resort, a Hidden Treasure

 

by Christine Rolfe

 

What’s your favorite ski resort in Colorado?  Is it Vail, Aspen or Steamboat?  What about Winter Park?  Winter what?  What surprises me about Winter Park Resort is that few people here in California consider it when choosing a ski resort destination.   A favorite among Coloradans, Winter Park claims itself as Colorado’s Favorite Ski Resort®.  (Yes, the tagline is even a registered trademark!)  And although it’s a well-known favorite among locals, it seems to be a hidden treasure among the skiers here in Cali. 

 

Winter Park Resorts consists of four adjacent mountains:  Winter Park, Mary Jane, Vasquez Cirque and Vasquez Ridge.  The four distinct sections of the mountain are interconnected with trails and lifts, making it one of the largest ski resorts in Colorado. 

 

Contrary to many of the glitzy neighboring resorts, Winter Park has a relaxed, down-to-earth environment.  The nightlife slows down at 8:00 p.m. and the dining options are “family-friendly.” I find the casual environment appealing, especially after a hard day of skiing and even more so when traveling with the family.

 

So why don’t more Californians visit Winter Park?  I’m not quite sure, especially given the resort’s size, great snow and recent ratings. Winter Park Resort boasts 2,770 acres, 134 trails and 24 chairlifts. Although there are certainly resorts with more skiable acreage, it’s still a big mountain. With an average snowfall of almost 30 feet of great Colorado powder and this much skiable terrain, the resort delivers. And the recent rankings are reflecting just that:  Skiing magazine named Mary Jane mountain #1 for moguls for the third year.  About.com ranked Winter Park #2 for the Top 10 Best Family Ski Vacation Resorts in North America.  And SKI magazine readers scored Winter Park’s “Parks and Pipes” features from a ranking of 29th last season to 9th this season.

 

Unlike many of my fellow skiers here in California, I am familiar with Winter Park and have applauded its attributes to many. However, it had been almost 10 years since my last visit.  I loved the laid-back attitude (and great snow) back then, but was excited to see and experience how the resort had developed during the last decade and find out first hand why it had earned its high marks. 

 

Just this past year, Winter Park Resort has invested $4 million in improvements at the park.  Since this was a “family trip,” I was especially pleased to hear that a major portion of the improvements were made to the beginner’s “learn-to-ski” (or board) area.  With my seven-year-old son just learning to snowboard, this was great news.  Improvements in Discovery Park, Kendrick and Rail Yard highlight the resort’s commitment to teaching beginners, as well as providing challenging terrain for the more advanced. 

 

Discovery Park is where we spent most of the first day with my son.  The easy, green-marked runs were great for him to refresh his techniques just learned in snowboard school.  But as his confidence grew, we were soon heading up the Zephyr Express lift to the more immediate (blue and blue-black) runs.  With 34 percent of the total terrain defined as Intermediate (blue) and Advanced (blue-black), we had plenty of runs to choose from. 

 

The ski and snowboard school is another testament to Winter Park’s commitment to teaching kids (and adults) how to love the slopes.   Snow Tykes, the program for kids three and four years of age, is a non-chairlift riding program with mountain access via a snowmobile and an Adventure Sled.  Explorers is for five to six-year-olds who spend the day on the mountain with other kids of the same ability and age. Freeriders are for kids seven to 17 years old.  My son, a “freerider” for the first day, was accessed for his snowboard ability and placed with a group of only three other kids of the same age range and ability.  A “progress report” was provided to mom and dad at the end of the lesson, which helped gage skill level (as well as gage which runs we would try next).  In addition to these daily programs, kids and adults can also choose to participate in the “Easy Start” first-timer lesson for only $39.  The package includes a two and one-half hour lesson and lift ticket, which is an unbelievable value!  Note to parents:  I cannot emphasis enough the benefits of ski snowboard school for your kids. Do not try to teach them yourself.  I repeat...do not try to teach them yourself.  I don’t think I need to explain further.

 

In addition to great skiing, there are other options for the family to experience at Winter Park.  Ride in a horse-drawn sleigh, explore the snow-covered trails on horseback, glide across the ice-skating rink, spiral uncontrollably in a tube down Fraser Hill or snowmobile to the Continental Divide.  With just one “free day” planned during our four-day trip, my husband (the one who likes motors, fast motors) persuaded my son and me to snowmobile.  Not a bad choice.  We took a two-hour guided tour with Grand Adventures, a company that provides both guided and unguided snowmobile tours.  My son rode along with my husband and I followed.  The views were breathtaking and the open meadows and bowls made a great winter land playground. The adventure was the perfect complement to the three days of skiing. 

 

The mountain, snow, laid-back personality and ski programs will keep me coming back to Winter Park.  It’s a perfect family ski-resort destination, just don’t tell too many Californians!

 

The early snowfall has everyone predicting a strong ski season.  Winter Park Resort is only 85 miles from the Denver International Airport, making it the closest major ski resort to Denver.  To make your reservation, call 800-729-5813 or e-mail:  reservations@skiwinterpark.com