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Ask CS: Tips for first time at Keystone?

Categories: Keystone, Recommendations
Written By: Devin Reams

We’ve had a few readers ask for our suggestions here at Colorado Snow so without delay here is our first ‘Ask CS’ entry.

Latt asked:

This will be my first time skiing at Keystone. I will be taking my wife, 14 y.o. son and 14 y.o. nephew March 23-28. Any tips on great runs, good ski rentals, good food, other facts that would be helpful? We are staying at River Run. We are moderate skiiers (we are from Louisiana and only ski one week per year) and handle blues well but not so much the blacks and definately not the moguls.


A great question and we’ve got plenty of answers. Nicole says:

I just recently spent a weekend up there and stayed at River Run! There are a lot of blues off the River Run Gondola/Summit Express lift — Flying Dutchman, Frenchman, Wild Irishman, etc. We ended up always taking the Summit Express lift (and not the gondola) as it never had a line. I felt a little crowded on the slopes, but there was rarely a line at Summit Express. The beginner we were with really liked Mozart (blue run) down the backside. From the bottom of that, you can take Santiago Express which has a couple steeper blues. Beware that these might be a little crusty if there hasn’t been snow recently.

As for ski rentals, I’m not sure I can be of much help as I haven’t rented at the resort. I do know that unless you have a deal with your condo, it will be cheaper to rent in Breckenridge, Dillon, or Silverthorne — you can’t really miss the rental shops as you drive through. :)

I can vouch for Devin’s recommendation of the Wolf Rock Brewery — good atmosphere, good food and good beer. I would also recommend checking out Breckenridge at least one night. It also has a good brewery and a cute main street with lots of shops and will be more “happening” in the evening than at the resort.

All good points: 1) don’t rent at the resort unless you’ve got a lodging deal already, 2) River Run has plenty on the front, and 3) eat at Wolf Rock. Devin also says:

The front slopes that Nicole recommends are all good but if the snow isn’t great or if it starts to get crowded I would head half-way up the hill to the Montezuma Lift. You can get to it by going up the gondola (which is always a fun for first-timers) or if you’re over at Mountain House just head up Peru and move (skiiers) right.

Montezuma has plenty of fun blues right off of Schoolmarm and, as Nicole said, there is always Mozart right off the back side. Just be cautious, if you want to go back further there are a bunch of flat spots so keep up your speed.

If you’re looking for some excellent mexican food (the real deal) head back into Silverthorne and stop at Fiesta Jalisco. The nacho appetizer is enough to feed both kids and they’re the best I’ve had.

Be sure to see what the ‘Adventure Passport’ (most lodging deals give you it) has to offer. There are plenty of things to do (sleigh rides, ice skating, tubing and plenty of other things for the whole family).

Take lots of good pictures, Latt and let us know how the trip goes!

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3 Responses to “Ask CS: Tips for first time at Keystone?”

  1. Awesome information, thanks a million. If you ever need advice for Lake Tahoe skiing let me know. I have skiied there for 12 years now. I have skiied Breck once and also Taos and Angelfire. We are looking forward to keystone immensely.

  2. I’d love to go to Lake Tahoe! I’ll definitely come to you for tips. Thanks, Latt.

  3. [...] Just the other day we gave Latt (from Louisiana) some suggestions on his first time to Keystone. [...]

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There are a ton of parties, events, and concerts coming to Denver this week as the snowsports industry descends on Denver, Colorado. The 2010 SIA Snow Show trade expo will be taking over downtown. Even if you’re not attending the show, you should be downtown this week as there will be plenty of fun to be had. Check out the Apres Ski website for the comprehensive list of events: http://www.denver.org/apresski/home.aspx

I’ll be downtown all week at various parties and events. If you’re around and would like to meet up, feel free to follow Colorado Snow on twitter or send an email to devin@cosnow.com.

Here we are half-way through January 2010 and most of Colorado’s most popular resorts are at 20-30″ bases. Most resorts don’t have enough snow to open up expert (non-man-made snow) terrain such as the Montezuma Bowl at Arapahoe Basin. So, it’s with even one or two inches that we get excited. It’s not much to get excited for, but it’s something. Given the state of things, every little bit helps. Joel Gratz has more information on the wave of storms moving through Colorado this week. Expect some good snow by this weekend!

Congratulations to Lindsey Vonn, alpine ski racer, U.S. Ski Team member, and Vail celebrity. The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame named her the 2009 Athlete of the Year. This year she re-claimed the overall World Cup champion title and became the first American woman to win the world Super-G title. You can follow Lindsey on her blog at lindseyvonn.com, and is active on twitter at @lindseyvonn.

If you hadn’t heard, Arapahoe Basin is losing it’s “hard core” exterior and becoming “resortized” by Vail Resorts. With the parking upgrades and Montezuma Bowl lift, it’s hard to argue the resort isn’t trying to stay competitive with the major resorts. So, this summer A-Basin will be adding a high-speed quad lift to replace Exhibition at the bottom of the mountain. Suggestions for the name of the lift are being accepted at alanh@a-basin.net with the winner reciving a 2010-11 Arapahoe Basin Season Pass or $300 gift certificate to Arapahoe Sports. (via DenverPost)

It’s going to be a busy weekend January 28 – January 31, not only with the SIA Snow Show be in Denver, but the Winter X Games will be in Aspen. Winter X Games 14 will be broadcast on ESPN and online coverage can be found on their Snowboarding blog and Freeskiing blog.

If you’re a Vail Resorts season pass holder (Summit Pass, Colorado Pass, Epic Pass), keep in mind you have 6 “Ski With A Friend” passes to use this season. This entitles you to discounted lift tickets at the window. We recently visited Beaver Creek where a $97 adult ticket became $65 with the discount. For pricing details (as it varies during the season) visit snow.com or call 888-215-3867.

Updated: As Nicole pointed out, ‘buddy passes’ are different than ’ski with a friend’ passes and prices are posted online. Thanks!