Colorado Snow » Keystone

Keystone 1/24/10

Devin Reams — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:48:07 +0000

It was so cold and so windy I didn’t take a single picture or enjoy much of the day. Although Summit had received a few inches by Sunday, it had all been blown off the slopes by Sunday morning. Everything was hard-packed, icy and wind-blown. I wish we had gone to Vail.

Anyway, we did a few runs on the front. There was a bit of a crowd in the morning but as soon as everyone realized it wasn’t worth it, they went home. The gondola was closed all day due to the high-winds and the visibility was pretty poor. So, luckily we had the place to ourselves by 10:30.

And to top it all off, the commute to and from Denver was delayed over an hour due to the roads and metering at the tunnel. From 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM, there was a 60 minute delay (the drive usually takes about 9 minutes) from Silverthorne to the east entrance to the Eisenhower Tunnel.

I’m likely not the only one getting frustrated at this point…

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Keystone 1/16/10

Devin Reams — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:31:30 +0000

It’s fairly easy to sum up the conditions in Summit County lately: Spring weather with Fall snow and February crowds. In other words, it’s unseasonably warm, beautiful blue skies, temperatures upwards of 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit, a base of 20-30 inches, and too many people headed to the hills on the weekend.

From Skiing at Keystone

Most terrain, I’m sure you’re aware, has been packed (man-made) powder. Many resorts don’t have nearly enough Expert terrain open because there isn’t enough cover. So that leaves two options: the front of the mountain or the terrain park. Frankly, I’m not interested in either. I’d much rather be sipping on a bloody mary on the deck in the sun than risk colliding with the dozens of other weekend warriors on the hill.

From Skiing at Keystone

Hopefully this is changing with the latest storm but most of the big Vail resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge) have only received a few inches each day.

If you like to play in the park I can see how you could make the most of the conditions but this is horrible. The traffic on Saturday was the most congested it has been all season… and for what? I’m becoming a bit bearish on this snow market.

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Upgrade Summit Pass or Colorado Pass

Devin Reams — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:37:15 +0000

If you’re curious, yes, you can upgrade your Vail Resorts passes (Summit to Colorado or Epic, Colorado to Epic). I confirmed that you can upgrade even after the pass purchase deadline.

I had opted for the lowest pass this season (Summit Pass: Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge) but had a change in plans (days at Beaver Creek). All I had to do was call the customer support line at 877-204-7881 and press ‘8′ to speak with a representative.

If you have your old pass (say you’re upgrading Summit to Colorado) and have previously owned a Colorado pass, you’re all set, they’ll simply re-activate the old pass.

If you don’t have your old pass, you can either opt to pick up your new pass at the office at Keystone, or they can mail the new pass (with additional shipping charges) to you directly.

I’m sure the Intrawest Resorts (Copper, Winter Park, Steamboat) can do the same.

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Keystone (November 7, 2009)

Devin Reams — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:33:08 +0000

Keystone had opened just this Thursday (check the excellent write-up of opening day over at Snowboarder Guide) and so we decided to check out opening weekend. It sounds like it was busy on Thursday and it surely was twice as busy today (Saturday). The drive up is really nice this time of the year and the weather is unbeatable (Fall skiing is basically the same as Spring skiing) so either way it was going to be a great time. The scenery is disappointing in the sense that there’s hardly much snow around yet.

We got up bright and early for first chair (8:30 AM on weekends) and were parked in first row and on Gondola #6 or so… not a bad start to the season.

But, by mid-morning (10:00 or four runs in) it seems everybody turned up at the same time. In fact, the Gondola line at River Run was backed up past the ticket counters, over the bridge, and into the village. Needless to say the time to take a break (bloody mary) quickly presented itself. So we headed over to Inxpot (a favorite bar slash café).

Luckily, Summit Express, the lift parallel to the gondola had opened around 10:15 AM and things thinned out.

Overall, the snow was clearly man-made (slushy in the sun, hard in the shade) with most of the grooming worn by lunch time. The afternoon was a slick, crowded, tired mess of people as expected so you found most folks in the terrain park. Over 20 items had opened which seemed to accommodate everyone from beginners to experts. Needless to say, there were some early-season spills.

Overall, I’m excited for new snow. This season has already proven to be a stronger start than the last and I’m excited for many more days ahead.

Check out more photos below. Also check out others’ photos in our flickr group, and check for daily updates on twitter.

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2009 Gatorade Free Flow Tour schedule announced

Devin Reams — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:06:21 +0000

If you’re looking to get noticed this season, then put these dates in your calendar. The Gatorade Free Flow Tour will be stopping by Colorado not once, but twice this season. “Being able to bring amateurs in snowboarding and freeskiing the same stepping stone to the pros we offer skateboarders and BMX riders through the summer Free Flow Tour is something we are really excited about,” said Kenny Mitchell, Gatorade action sports team manager.

January 9-10, 2009: Vail
January 23-24, 2009: Keystone

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Keystone opens 2009 early due to snow, others will follow?

Devin Reams — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:57:37 +0000

Great snow conditions have prompted Keystone officials to open the slopes a day early. Keystone will now be opening on Thursday, November 5th at 9:00 AM. I’m guessing that the resorts that are slated to open Thanksgiving week (Beaver Creek, Crested Butte, Steamboat, Snowmass) will do the same so that out-of-towners and local vacationers can get more days in (and more money flowing) at the resorts during the break. Of course, that’s only if this snow keeps it up…

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2009/2010 Colorado resort opening days

Devin Reams — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:26:01 +0000

Well, I said I wasn’t going to do it this year but I did. Frankly, I’m annoyed with 1) resort websites that don’t have their opening day listed front and center ~~(not even CSCUSA)~~ and 2) other websites claiming dates that are flat out incorrect. So, I have hand-verified each of the dates listed below on each resort’s official website. If it’s not listed, they didn’t list it (email me if one is missing).

UPDATE: awesome! CSCUSA has posted the 2009 season dates to their resort pages. Note that the cosnow listing includes non-member resorts (Vail, Keystone, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek).

Here you have it, the comprehensive list of scheduled opening days for ski and snowboard resorts in Colorado by date.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Loveland

Friday, October 9, 2009

Arapahoe Basin

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Wolf Creek

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Keystone

Friday, November 6, 2009

Copper

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Breckenridge

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Telluride
Aspen Snowmass
Ski Cooper

Friday, November 27, 2009

Purgatory

Friday, December 4, 2009

Sunlight

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Silverton

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Aspen Highlands
Buttermilk

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Powderhorn

As always, you can find these dates listed on the CoSnow events calendar. Just search for “opening day”.

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Unlimited equipment rental passes

Devin Reams — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:19:10 +0000

Did you realize you can get a season pass that includes your gear rental? A great option for beginners, check out the three equipment rental passes offered by Vail Resorts: Unlimited Sport Equipment ($359 beginner to intermediate), Unlimited Demo Equipment ($459 intermediate to expert), Unlimited Junior Equipment ($199 for 12 and under). These passes and rentals are good at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly Sports locations. I might consider the demo pass myself next year as I continue to turn my new skis into a pair of rock skis.

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Recap: Keystone 12-6-2008

Devin Reams — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 16:44:58 +0000

I’ll be honest, the snow hasn’t been great in Summit County. It’s only been in the last few weeks that we’ve seen a lot of fresh snow up there. This was the first “real” day of skiing for me (opening weekend was just for practice).

We headed up to Keystone on Friday night to catch the Friday Night Lights free concert by Girl Talk. The turnout was amazing and as long as you kept dancing around you could stay warm in the 20-degree air.

After the concert a lot of people stuck around in River Run and headed to spots like Parrot Eyes, Wolf Rock Brewing Company, etc. We hung out for a bit and then went back to the condo. We woke up in the morning and were ready to hit the slopes.

Saturday morning saw a lot of new runs opened. Going from 7 to 44 was a dramatic difference, but meant huge crowds. This was the first time ski patrol allowed access to the Outback via the Outpost Gondola (runs like Mozart aren’t opened yet). Apparently a lot of people were excited for extremely rough, pre-season terrain. Check out the line to the Outpost Gondola:

This weekend also saw the opening of Area51, Keystone’s terrain park (with small, medium, and large areas).

Overall this weekend was a great time to “start” the season at Keystone. With some new snow this week, new terrain, and a fun concert, I couldn’t have asked for much more.

COSNOW TIP: if you’re coming down the front side towards the Montezuma lift, don’t expect a short line. Go beyond it and head towards River Run. Follow the signs to the Mid Mountain lift. Sure, you have to take off your gear but there is significant lack of lines.

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Free Girl Talk concert, free night ski tickets

Devin Reams — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:01:51 +0000

If you’ve been following the CoSnow events calendar you’d know tonight there is a free concert and party up at Keystone. Girl Talk will be performing and we’ll be there for it! BONUS: the first e-mail to devin@cosnow.com will get TWO free night ski tickets, tonight only. Hurry, our Twitter friends have a 10 minute head start.

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