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Not been a great year business-wise so not sure what we're going to do.  No flying for sure.

Current candidates are reachable by roadtrip

Crested Butte

Taos

Maybe Wolf Creek (?)

OR considering a five day, five mountain mini-trip with my son in NM (not in this order)

Taos

Sipapu

Ski Santa Fe

Angel Fire

Red River 

I don't know.  Hope the snow doesn't suck in Taos like it did last year.  Our trip to Taos was spend skiing the same runs over and over again and a few hikes up to ski Juarez since it was the only thing open :/ .  

Random photo from last year in Montgenevre with a fort from the "Lingne Maginot Alpine" in France

image.thumb.png.1402db02fd2f4222ec9431af525595ff.png

Edited by texasdago

  • 4 months later...
  • Author

Ooofff... been a rough year this year but skiing is always in the back of my mind.  Looking at driveable options this year that include something for family members who don't want to ski.  Current options are:

Purgatory - Durango is kick ass and lift ticket prices are reasonable.  Will Hesperus ever be open?

Taos - duh but Taos and NM is just risky from a coverage standpoint.  Seems like another good dump coming this week.

Santa Fe - use SF as the base.  Ski some at SF, maybe drive up to Taos a couple of times or even fart around in Sipapu

Wolf Creek - don't know squat about Pagosa Springs but Wolf Creek already 80% open with something like 1200 acres 

Monarch - Salida any good or crap?

Would love to do CB because its my favorite mountain but the F'ing Epic Day pass goes off sales in two days and I hate how they force you to decide in advance like this.

Juarez on Highline in Taos looks like its getting packed...

image.thumb.png.8cdf7b211b57e1aa9e80b4b4bd3fe46e.png

 

  • Author

Well, since I'm mostly talking to myself here, here's what we're going to do for Spring Break (I might change my mind)

Rented a condo in Dillon for five days of skiing.  I'm basically going to do what I used to do in college... wake up and say, where do we want to ski today (esp factoring in weather)

A-Basin and Loveland are not far and have "reasonable" day rates

Keystone is closest... day pass sucks since Epic closed the window but for one day, maybe I'll suck it up.  There's a lot of advanced terrain I've never skied there.  Never skied the Outback or the Bowls.  Winter Park... its an hour but could maybe meet a friend there who can get me cheaper tickets on his Ikon Pass.  Then there's Copper Mountain... haven't skied in years but used to love Copper Mountain.  Not going to Breck unless its to hit up the town.  

Thoughts?  Stupid?  BTW, I'm happing hitting up mostly A-Basin if the weather is good and the terrain is open.  

Note: Austin spring break does not align with Houston but it does line up with Dallas.  Skiing would be only M-F.

Edited by texasdago

image.thumb.png.c28d1cc5b5262b4ca5d1d9deb46e4f6d.png
 

don’t think I’ll be breaking the seal on my season pass for a while. Last year they opened the day after thanksgiving. 

  • Author
6 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

image.thumb.png.c28d1cc5b5262b4ca5d1d9deb46e4f6d.png
 

don’t think I’ll be breaking the seal on my season pass for a while. Last year they opened the day after thanksgiving. 

Have a friend who has a cabin right by there.  Brutal. I mean, they won't even show you a live feed...

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Equally depressing - https://www.mtbachelor.com/the-mountain/webcams/

Edited by texasdago

18 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Have a friend who has a cabin right by there.  Brutal. I mean, they won't even show you a live feed...

image.png.02996273e92715f6d5cd08761f887ef9.png

Equally depressing - https://www.mtbachelor.com/the-mountain/webcams/

Timely bump. I started poking around for places to do another quick run with my sons on President's Day and the snow situation is looking pretty grim at Steamboat. It's hard to throw down the cash on a hope and a prayer that it starts dumping.

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

Well, since I'm mostly talking to myself here, here's what we're going to do for Spring Break (I might change my mind)

Rented a condo in Dillon for five days of skiing.  I'm basically going to do what I used to do in college... wake up and say, where do we want to ski today (esp factoring in weather)

A-Basin and Loveland are not far and have "reasonable" day rates

Keystone is closest... day pass sucks since Epic closed the window but for one day, maybe I'll suck it up.  There's a lot of advanced terrain I've never skied there.  Never skied the Outback or the Bowls.  Winter Park... its an hour but could maybe meet a friend there who can get me cheaper tickets on his Ikon Pass.  Then there's Copper Mountain... haven't skied in years but used to love Copper Mountain.  Not going to Breck unless its to hit up the town.  

Thoughts?  Stupid?  BTW, I'm happing hitting up mostly A-Basin if the weather is good and the terrain is open.  

Note: Austin spring break does not align with Houston but it does line up with Dallas.  Skiing would be only M-F.

ABay is always the right choice in the spring.  They stay open later than everyone due to the elevation. WP/Copper/Keystone could be good if they get snow. Not a bad plan, just hope the weather holds.  

Going to South Lake Tahoe in late January. Apparently the snow isn’t looking so good thus far. But it’s early. 

Just drove over snowqualmie pass yesterday. Nothing there. I got through right before the freeway closed due to mudslides. Warm and wet in the pacific/inland north west right now. 

10 minutes ago, pops said:

Just drove over snowqualmie pass yesterday. Nothing there. I got through right before the freeway closed due to mudslides. Warm and wet in the pacific/inland north west right now. 

Did you stop to look at the falls?  It has been crazy at times. 

  • Author
6 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

ABay is always the right choice in the spring.  They stay open later than everyone due to the elevation. WP/Copper/Keystone could be good if they get snow. Not a bad plan, just hope the weather holds.  

Arapahoe was my favorite for years until I went to Crested Butte.  Such a great mountain... can't wait to introduce my son.  Last two ski visits were in May so Pallavicini had stopped spinning so we should be good in March.  I'm excited.  Such a fun mountain!

4 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Did you stop to look at the falls?  It has been crazy at times. 

 

On 12/2/2025 at 11:32 AM, texasdago said:

Ooofff... been a rough year this year but skiing is always in the back of my mind.  Looking at driveable options this year that include something for family members who don't want to ski.  Current options are:

Purgatory - Durango is kick ass and lift ticket prices are reasonable.  Will Hesperus ever be open?

Taos - duh but Taos and NM is just risky from a coverage standpoint.  Seems like another good dump coming this week.

Santa Fe - use SF as the base.  Ski some at SF, maybe drive up to Taos a couple of times or even fart around in Sipapu

Wolf Creek - don't know squat about Pagosa Springs but Wolf Creek already 80% open with something like 1200 acres 

Monarch - Salida any good or crap?

Would love to do CB because its my favorite mountain but the F'ing Epic Day pass goes off sales in two days and I hate how they force you to decide in advance like this.

Juarez on Highline in Taos looks like its getting packed...

image.thumb.png.8cdf7b211b57e1aa9e80b4b4bd3fe46e.png

 

I like Salida/Buena Vista quite a bit.  Never been in winter.

  • Author
48 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I like Salida/Buena Vista quite a bit.  Never been in winter.

Right now we've got the Dillon place on hold. Really pissed I didn't buy some Epic Day passes in advance but I hate how they force you to decide especially on a year when you can't trust the snow.

32 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Right now we've got the Dillon place on hold. Really pissed I didn't buy some Epic Day passes in advance but I hate how they force you to decide especially on a year when you can't trust the snow.

A buddy of mine has done Monarch and kinda raves about.  Cheaper, great snow, smaller crowds.  Downside is less than world class terrain.

But he’s (like me) an easily impressed flatlander

  • Author
1 hour ago, Al_4_ISU said:

A buddy of mine has done Monarch and kinda raves about.  Cheaper, great snow, smaller crowds.  Downside is less than world class terrain.

But he’s (like me) an easily impressed flatlander

So I'm curious about Monarch especially the hike-out terrain but I wonder how long it will keep us occupied beyond 2 days, maybe 3.  I want to ski it - Salida looks like a great town and I guess Cooper is 1:15 and Copper Mountain is 1:30 away from Salida.  

 

XC in December is a rare commodity these days around here
a3b314916b633631714518f67ec28f80.jpg

2 hours ago, texasdago said:

So I'm curious about Monarch especially the hike-out terrain but I wonder how long it will keep us occupied beyond 2 days, maybe 3.  I want to ski it - Salida looks like a great town and I guess Cooper is 1:15 and Copper Mountain is 1:30 away from Salida.  

 

I think you’d have skied it all in a couple days.

  • Author
On 12/12/2025 at 1:38 PM, Al_4_ISU said:

XC in December is a rare commodity these days around here
a3b314916b633631714518f67ec28f80.jpg

I think you’d have skied it all in a couple days.

I think we'll get a three day pass to A-Basin, one day at Copper and then either Loveland or WP unless someone knows a secret way to get cheap tix at Keystone (which is a no) 

Living up here, I don't think there is any way to get cheap tickets anymore. You either buy your pass or you sign up for pain. That's about it.

  • Author
9 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

Living up here, I don't think there is any way to get cheap tickets anymore. You either buy your pass or you sign up for pain. That's about it.

Really the only things I've seen are multi-day packs at places like A-Basin or maybe "cheap" rates at smaller mountains but if its an Epic resort, you're pretty much fully screwed.  Even their friends and family rates are pretty absurd.

  • Author

"Other trouble spots include milepost 72 near the Stevens Pass summit, where there are several miles of the road which have been completely eroded"

Several miles. Brutal 

  • Author

Bought the three-day pack at A-Basin today since they are no longer available after tomorrow.  Two people, two three-packs come out to about $83/person/day 

  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/11/2025 at 12:47 PM, Pato del Muerto said:

image.thumb.png.c28d1cc5b5262b4ca5d1d9deb46e4f6d.png
 

don’t think I’ll be breaking the seal on my season pass for a while. Last year they opened the day after thanksgiving. 

image.png

Last 10 days has seen improvement. And the road I think is open, but it’s one lane at some point with pilot cars alternating traffic so that will be a mfer for traffic when they open.

On 12/15/2025 at 8:52 AM, texasdago said:

Really the only things I've seen are multi-day packs at places like A-Basin or maybe "cheap" rates at smaller mountains but if its an Epic resort, you're pretty much fully screwed.  Even their friends and family rates are pretty absurd.

My default destination is Telluride (not Epic) so I normally don’t pay attention to the Epic stuff, but this year we wanted to mix it up and we’re skiing with some friends who are Epic Pass holders, so that was part of the criteria.

Knowing that we would choose an Epic mountain for our friends’ sake, I booked an Epic Day Pass for 2 days at a rate of $146/day, which was a slightly higher rate because I included holidays (not yet knowing location or dates). We landed on Breckenridge over MLK weekend, which is now showing $289/day, so that was almost a 50% savings. It also saves me 20% on gear rentals and saves 30% on lessons for my daughter. I consider that a pretty big win.

There is a deadline in early December for booking the Epic Day Pass, but something to keep in mind for any of you next year who want < 5 days skiing at an Epic mountain.

Also, very glad we aren’t doing Telluride this year because their mountain is now closed due to a ski patrol strike. Yikes.

(not that much of Colorado has good snow anyways)

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