Want to take the family for our 1st ski trip, 2 college kids (who've went with friends a few times) and one a younger first-timer. Targeting Durango or Telluride because these seem to be the best value for folks like us who dont really care about the "nicest" or bestest resorts (not that these are by any stretch sub-par). Flight prices aren't bad for when we want to go in early January. Just thinking that since there are slopes much closer to Denver, these might not be as crowded (thus lodging less as well).

Thoughts?

Telluride and Aspen are the two most expensive ski towns in Colorado. Durango has Purgatory.

You don't hear telluride and best value in the same sentence often.

I don't think I've ever heard it. Never in my whole lifes.

The two towns are about as different as two ski areas can be.

Durango is 30 minutes from skiing (Purgatory) and is more of a river town than a ski town. It is full of roadside hotels and motels. Historic downtown is cool, tons of mid priced restaurants and bars. The ski resort is 30 min up the hill, has a few nicer hotels, and has very little to do after skiing. The mountain is nobody's favorite and caters to mid level and beginner skiing. I would move to Durango tomorrow and absolutely love it, but I would never pick it for a ski vacation. It might be the cheapest ski vacation in Colorado, problem is... it won't feel like a ski vacation.

Telluride is a super historic town and you ride the gondola up to the resort. There are a ton of condos at the ski area but there isn't much to do. Telluride is crazy expensive. The town is completely memorable, incredibly beautiful... there is a reason Oprah and Tom Cruise choose Telluride. Skiing is geared towards intermediate and advanced skiers. I would never live in Telluride even though I love it, but I would absolutely choose it for a ski trip if it wasn't so far away from everything. Telluride is not just an incredible valley, it is THE incredible valley. Just sucks trying to get there and prices are obscene.


If by early January you mean the first week, both placed will be very crowded and very expensive. Durango is always WAY cheaper than Telluride.

Seen on the road into Telluride a few summers ago…

Purgatory has a lot of morning sun and evening shade and can get really icy in certain places in the afternoon. Wolf Creek is really fun but you will have drive every day. Steamboat may a good place to consider. The mountain is not overwhelming and lots of reasonably priced places close to the base and walkable.

We stayed at the Lodge and enjoyed it, Pricing was reasonable, even for New Years.

https://www.vacasa.com/usa/The-Lodge-At-Steamboat-CO/?utm_source=google&gaad_id=672040606461&utm_term=lodge%20at%20steamboat&utm_campaign=911+-+Colorado+-+Steamboat+Springs+-+The+Lodge+at+Steamboat+%7C+USA+%7C+Guest&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=s|pkw|lodge%20at%20steamboat|pmt|e|pdv|c|&utm_campaignid=10890457169&utm_adgroupid=109047615964&utm_adposition=&utm_physicalid=9026829&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0Jq1r6v4gQMVzDbUAR3osww-EAAYASAAEgKGy_D_BwE

If we are throwing out suggestions for other places...

There are a lot of reasons so many people go to Summit County.

Not too expensive (it is skiing so it is always expensive)
Really family friendly
Close to Denver
Breck, Keystone, & Copper all close together
You can stay in Frisco, Breck, Silverton
Tons of restaurants, bars, stuff to do
Other family activities (Frisco Adventure Park)

Yes they all get crowded and yes Keystone isn't the best for beginners.

And you need to buy your stuff NOW because as you get closer prices really go up. The number one thing for an affordable ski vacation is to buy your lifts and get your place early. Day of lift tickets are over $200 everywhere now, you can get them for close to half that if you shop early.

Next time you go, lmk. I do the Vacasa HOA accounting for Eagle, Summit, and Routt. Lodge at Steamboat, Trailhead, Wildhorse, Ptarmigan, Ski-In , etc are all in my portfolio. So are Lion Square Lodge in Eagle, Main Street, Blue Sky, Aspen Mountain Lodge etc in Summit

Great advice on early season pass. Telluride is $214+ for most of the regular season. Vail is close to that but offers day passes for 1/2 off for the next couple of weeks.

You may also look at a smaller hill: sunlight, monarch, etc

If it was me, I'd look at Winter Park, Steamboat, Avon/Eagle Vail (access to 2 hills). All of those provide easy accessibility and little no driving to the hill.

If you want close to the action, great skiing, and lower prices, look at Copper Mountain. It's the best of the Scummit ski hills and doesn't get as many front rangers or Jerry's. You're also just through officers gulch from Dillon/Frisco and 25 minutes from Breck or 35 minutes from Keystone.

JustPanda said:

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Next time you go, lmk. I do the Vacasa HOA accounting for Eagle, Summit, and Routt. Lodge at Steamboat, Trailhead, Wildhorse, Ptarmigan, Ski-In , etc are all in my portfolio. So are Lion Square Lodge in Eagle, Main Street, Blue Sky, Aspen Mountain Lodge etc in Summit

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will do for sure

knoxtom said:

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The two towns are about as different as two ski areas can be.

Durango is 30 minutes from skiing (Purgatory) and is more of a river town than a ski town. It is full of roadside hotels and motels. Historic downtown is cool, tons of mid priced restaurants and bars. The ski resort is 30 min up the hill, has a few nicer hotels, and has very little to do after skiing. The mountain is nobody's favorite and caters to mid level and beginner skiing. I would move to Durango tomorrow and absolutely love it, but I would never pick it for a ski vacation. It might be the cheapest ski vacation in Colorado, problem is... it won't feel like a ski vacation.

Telluride is a super historic town and you ride the gondola up to the resort. There are a ton of condos at the ski area but there isn't much to do. Telluride is crazy expensive. The town is completely memorable, incredibly beautiful... there is a reason Oprah and Tom Cruise choose Telluride. Skiing is geared towards intermediate and advanced skiers. I would never live in Telluride even though I love it, but I would absolutely choose it for a ski trip if it wasn't so far away from everything. Telluride is not just an incredible valley, it is THE incredible valley. Just sucks trying to get there and prices are obscene.


If by early January you mean the first week, both placed will be very crowded and very expensive. Durango is always WAY cheaper than Telluride.

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Good info all, I really am starting from scratch here, as I haven't been skiing in about 25 years. Not really looking for "cheap" necessarily, just decent value. Also would rather not have to fly into Denver's far flung airport and rather into a Regional airport for a short drive.

For whatever reason, when we want to go (Jan 4-8), the flight price seems to drop. Maybe because public schools start back that week.

Aust Ag said:

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For whatever reason, when we want to go (Jan 4-8), the flight price seems to drop. Maybe because public schools start back that week.

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yep, avoid MLK weekend, Presidents Day weekend and Spring Break as well if you can

Aust Ag said:

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knoxtom said:

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The two towns are about as different as two ski areas can be.

Durango is 30 minutes from skiing (Purgatory) and is more of a river town than a ski town. It is full of roadside hotels and motels. Historic downtown is cool, tons of mid priced restaurants and bars. The ski resort is 30 min up the hill, has a few nicer hotels, and has very little to do after skiing. The mountain is nobody's favorite and caters to mid level and beginner skiing. I would move to Durango tomorrow and absolutely love it, but I would never pick it for a ski vacation. It might be the cheapest ski vacation in Colorado, problem is... it won't feel like a ski vacation.

Telluride is a super historic town and you ride the gondola up to the resort. There are a ton of condos at the ski area but there isn't much to do. Telluride is crazy expensive. The town is completely memorable, incredibly beautiful... there is a reason Oprah and Tom Cruise choose Telluride. Skiing is geared towards intermediate and advanced skiers. I would never live in Telluride even though I love it, but I would absolutely choose it for a ski trip if it wasn't so far away from everything. Telluride is not just an incredible valley, it is THE incredible valley. Just sucks trying to get there and prices are obscene.


If by early January you mean the first week, both placed will be very crowded and very expensive. Durango is always WAY cheaper than Telluride.

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Good info all, I really am starting from scratch here, as I haven't been skiing in about 25 years. Not really looking for "cheap" necessarily, just decent value. Also would rather not have to fly into Denver's far flung airport and rather into a Regional airport for a short drive.

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Consider flying into Gunnison and going to Crested Butte. You can do a whole trip there and never need a car. There are very good and relatively inexpensive shuttles that will take you the 30 miles or so from Gunnison to Mt Crested Butte (at base of ski area). And they have a very good free shuttle system running around the ski area and down into the town of Crested Butte where most of the restaurants and shops are. Just get a condo somewhere on the shuttle route and you will have no need for a car.

Hayden: Steamboat
Eagle Vail: Vail/BC
Aspen: Aspen/Snowmass
Gunnison: CB
Montrose: Telluride

Purgatory is one of my favorite places. But, it is not the only ski area in Durango. There is a very small place called Hesperus. No frills. GREAT prices for lifts and lessons.

When last there, spent the first couple of days getting my mountain legs back at Hesperus before hitting Purgatory.

https://www.ski-hesperus.com/

I can get round trip now for $287 on American to Montrose, and nice relatively close condos for around $450/night….thinking about Telluride now. Maybe I'll hit Pause when I look up lift , rentals, etc?

When you say relatively close, where exactly? I used to live there and can tell you if that's a vibe you want

If you fly into Montrose, get everything, literally everything before you leave town. Skis, groceries, marijuana, alcohol, and don't fill up with gas until you get back into town.

So don't buy anything in Telluride? Get groceries, booze, etc in Montrose? Dang!

JustPanda said:

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If you fly into Montrose, get everything, literally everything before you leave town. Skis, groceries, marijuana, alcohol, and don't fill up with gas until you get back into town.

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Well, my son just looked at the ski equipment for 5 people for 4 days at Telluride is a whopping $1875! Now I'm starting to see the deal with Telluride...

If you're truly set on SW Colorado, might I suggest wolf creek. It's a smaller mountain, but they boast the most snow in Colorado. Like Durango, the hill is 30ish minutes from town. It's definitely the cheapest ski trip I've ever taken, and pagosa springs has great hot springs to soak the bones after a day of skiing.

$93 after tax for Demo skis isn't a terrible deal. Not sure if they got performance/beginner or demo but that's really not a crazy price if it includes helmets too.

Wait till you go out to eat. Just wait. It's like eating in Monaco.

The problem with Wolf Creek is the drive. If they get hit, WCP closes and you're either stuck in town or stuck on the hill.

If I'm going on vacation, I want to know that I can at the minimum can get to the hill on a POW day.

That can be pretty easily handled with a 3 of 4 day lift ticket. If it comes down to the point of them closing the pass one day, head to the springs resort, and enjoy the day in town then pick back up. If the weather is great the whole time, get that extra day of skiing. If I was shooting for an economical ski trip, I'd hit winter park personally, but seems the OP was targeting SW CO

knoxtom said:

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The two towns are about as different as two ski areas can be.

Durango is 30 minutes from skiing (Purgatory) and is more of a river town than a ski town. It is full of roadside hotels and motels. Historic downtown is cool, tons of mid priced restaurants and bars. The ski resort is 30 min up the hill, has a few nicer hotels, and has very little to do after skiing. The mountain is nobody's favorite and caters to mid level and beginner skiing. I would move to Durango tomorrow and absolutely love it, but I would never pick it for a ski vacation. It might be the cheapest ski vacation in Colorado, problem is... it won't feel like a ski vacation.

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Still feels like a ski vacation to somebody from Texas. It is a great town and a good cheaper option if driving.

What about something like Mt Hood or Targee?

How big of a resort are you wanting?

From the sounds of it, I think you'd enjoy flying into Hayden and going to Steamboat but that's just me. I love WC but I wouldn't pick it for a vacation. Again, if 160 gets hit, you may not be able to reach WC for at least a day sometimes an entire weekend or couple of days depending on the storm cycle. WC is fun to visit for a day or two but not what I'd build a vacation around. I'd honestly probs say the same about Purgatory. It's a fun 1-2 day hill but not much left to explore on the mountain after about 2 days

Aust Ag said:

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JustPanda said:

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If you fly into Montrose, get everything, literally everything before you leave town. Skis, groceries, marijuana, alcohol, and don't fill up with gas until you get back into town.

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Well, my son just looked at the ski equipment for 5 people for 4 days at Telluride is a whopping $1875! Now I'm starting to see the deal with Telluride...

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Your son looked at the most expensive demo skis they had, which is completely unnecessary for a bunch of beginners.

mpl35 said:

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knoxtom said:

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The two towns are about as different as two ski areas can be.

Durango is 30 minutes from skiing (Purgatory) and is more of a river town than a ski town. It is full of roadside hotels and motels. Historic downtown is cool, tons of mid priced restaurants and bars. The ski resort is 30 min up the hill, has a few nicer hotels, and has very little to do after skiing. The mountain is nobody's favorite and caters to mid level and beginner skiing. I would move to Durango tomorrow and absolutely love it, but I would never pick it for a ski vacation. It might be the cheapest ski vacation in Colorado, problem is... it won't feel like a ski vacation.

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Still feels like a ski vacation to somebody from Texas. It is a great town and a good cheaper option if driving.

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I Love Durango, one of my very favorite places anywhere. Tons of friends there, I go every year in the summer. But it isn't a ski town. It is completely apples and oranges compared to Telluride. Not saying which one is better as both have greatness and crap, but it is completely different.

As I said before.

I would live in Durango but never take a ski vacation there
I would take a ski vacation to Telluride but never live there

I also checked the rental packages at Christy Sports in Telluride.

4 days of entry level kids package is $150 bucks. Personally I think damage waivers are a rip off. Never in my life have I seen a ski shop guy claim someone damaged a ski and boots are impossible to damage.

4 days of premium adult is $220 bucks

You can order helmets on amazon for $50 to 75 bucks. Why use something someone else had on their nappy head? I would never rent a helmet


You should also get your ski pants and ski jackets off amazon. They cost $30 bucks there for pants and $50 for a jacket and you don't need expensive ones. Costco in Colorado also has them for around $30 bucks for the pants and 50 for the ski coat. Add in $20bucks for gloves at Amazon or Costco. Good googles are also available at Costco, for $50.


Ski vacations aren't cheap, but they don't cost nearly what people pay, if you just look around a little

I get what you're saying. My point is that a Texan coming up here will still get good value and feel in Durango. Unless they are big ski vacation types which from reading this thread they aren't. I've done it that way and now have lived in Colorado for 8 years and really "done ski vacations". I would never discount a place like Purgatory just because Durango is down the road and not a true ski town. That would hold true to many places in Colorado.

I work in a ski shop and people break skis and bindings ALL the time.

Most people don't buy helmets because they take up a lot of room in your checked bag. Do not ever ski without a helmet.

Looks like it $292 for 4 days on performance gear + helmet + waiver. Take $16 off if you decide on no damage waiver.

If you get a helmet get one with MIPS. If it doesn't, it's not worth a darn in a serious accident.

Telluride is one of my favorite places on Earth. I grew up taking ski trips to Summit County - A Basin, Copper, Breck - but they do get crowded.

We were in Telluride a few years ago during Christmas and New Year's and it still wasn't crowded like Summit Co.

If you have the means, Telluride is awesome. Remember though, for your family's first ski trip they won't know what "bad" skiing is, so I would also consider some closer, cheaper New Mexico options like Red River and Taos.