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Originally Posted by Fastskiguy
My wife and I want to try taking a driving vacation for skiing this winter, something maybe 10-12 hours away? Has anybody done this? Where did you go and how did you like it? Thanks 
Joe |
Our wives might have been separated at birth as far as what they want in a ski resort. I struggled for 40 years to find the resort you are seeking. I finally found Crested Butte, Colorado. The Red Lady Express chair from the base takes you 1/2 way up the mountain. There are 5 separate long Green runs back to the base. All are wide and have varying terrain to make it interesting. My wife could ski all and I could "bomb" them from top to bottom. They were the perfect runs for us. In addition, you can divert to a second chair which has several shorter Green runs the wife will enjoy. If she has any sense of adventure, a slightly different run, Paradise, leads from Red Lady to the day lodge. It is marked Blue; however, my wife who NEVER skied hard runs, could easily handle it. From the day lodge another express chair takes you back to the top of Red Lady from where you ski to the base. When you want to go on your own, there is a second express, Silver Queen, from the base which takes you to the top of the mountain where you can have all the blues and blacks you want.
There are three hotels at the base. The furthest from the express lifts is a 5 minute walk. The shortest walk is the Elevation, which is 55 steps from the lifts. Their prices are half or less than what you pay at other Colorado resorts. The town of Crested Butte is a 10 minute drive and a free shuttle bus runs every 1/2 hour. The town advertises itself as the "last genuine ski town", with most of the building dating to the gold mining days. Many "lean"from old age. The bars date to the 1800's. For every Bogner ski suit, you'll see 100 pairs of jeans. This is not Vail, Telluride, or Aspen. Although Vail did buy the resort two years ago, they have yet to ruin it. Lift tickets are still cheap.
I discovered Crested Butte by accident 14 years ago. In addition to my wife, I've introduced many others to the place. Not one has been disappointed. I know this isn't an answer to the question; however, it is good advice.