When it comes to skiing in Colorado, there’s something for everyone.
That’s the beauty of being one of the premiere ski regions in the world. Some core skiers believe the best skiing in Colorado is tucked away in the remote, gnarly backcountry. Other folks just love that long, soulful groomer at their home hill. And there’s a whole lot of middle ground.
Our staffers shared a baker’s dozen of their favorite in-bounds runs to help settle the debate. Before you accuse us of blowing up your stash—did we? Really?
See our picks for best all-mountain skis.
Over the Rainbow, Loveland
JP: “It goes all the way to the parking l
ot, so every Loveland ski day ends with an ‘OTR to the car’ lap at 4:00pm, followed by beer, stories, and depending on the day, a 30-mph zombie apocalypse deathmarch back down to the city. Also, if you sync Wizard of Oz with Dark Side of the Moon, Dorothy’s Over the Rainbow performance is replaced with Pink Floyd’s ‘On The Run’. The only lyrics in that song are ‘Live for today, gone tomorrow, that’s me! HaHaHaaaaa!’. Which happens to be my personal ski mantra. There’s no place like home.”
The Mary Jane Mushroom Patch, Winter Park
Justin: “The Mushroom Patch gets its name from the countless boulders scattered along its steep, short slope. Those boulders range in size from big to very big to dangerously big, and, when they’re covered in deep snow on a powder day, you can send it off any of them. On the best days, experienced Mushroom Patch-goers can link those boulders together into the sort of pillow lines you see in commercials for heliskiing. Where, exactly, is this Mushroom Patch on the Mary Jane trail map? I swear I’ll never tell you. And I hope nobody else does, either. You kind of just have to wander around until you stumble upon it, like Brigadoon, or some more modern reference from Harry Potter, I guess.”
Six Senses, Breckenridge
Hugh: “The hike-to above-treeline terrain between Peak 6 and Peak 7 always has great soft snow as soon it fills in after February. Don’t forget to turn off the walk-mode in your boots on your descent and enjoy the views of the Ten-Mile Range!”
Pope Chute/Dope Chute, Silverton
Matt: “This one made a man outta me—to the extent that I actually am one at 5’7″ and compensating. On the trail map, it roughly bisects Pope Face and Rope Dee Dope—but skiing Silverton isn’t really about the trail map, is it? It’s about having the mental and physical fortitude to sling your skis on your pack and walk up to 45 minutes on an often-wind-blasted, always-exciting ridgeline around 13,000 feet before dropping into high-consequence, heli-style (read: long and steep) runs between gnarly rocks and restless slide paths—and finish the day brainwashed enough to call it one of your best days of the year. Yeah, it’s pretty great.”
Cinch Lift to Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek
Blake: “3,000 feet of groomer goodness.”
Imperial Bowl, Breckenridge
Samantha B: “I think that my favorite ski zone would be Imperial Bowl at Breckenridge. Tt’s pretty amazing to ride the highest chairlift in North America with the spectacular views and challenging terrain. The first time I skied it, I didn’t think that I would be able to make it down, but I did and had so much fun doing it!”
Highlands Bowl, Aspen Highlands
Brian: “I’ll be honest: I didn’t get it until I hiked it. You hear a ton about it, but it can’t live up to the hype. Then you drive to the mountain, and there it is staring at you. Hop on a couple lifts, take a cat, and then get to walking. You will be tempted to drop in the first or second entry point. Stay strong! Once you make it to the top, you are rewarded with incredible views of the valley on one side, and the Maroon Bells on the other side. After taking in the views, stay strong and keep going to ski the G trees and you will have the best, softest, longest, steepest run of your season. Round trip 1.5 hrs plus of fun.”
Bennett’s Bowl, Loveland
Morgan: “It was two years ago, and my first day riding out west after snowboarding in the southeast my whole life. It was also the first time I’d ever been in true powder, and that run taught me that you really can surf mountains. By far my favorite day. Ever.”
Drunken Frenchman, Winter Park
Jordan: “If you’ve wondered what all of those “No Pain, No Jane” stickers are all about, then this trail will tell you what they’re all about. The big bumps keep going and going and your legs get burning til you can’t take the fire no more. Ski it no stops top to bottom and your friends will call you a legend.”
Spaulding Bowl, Copper
Cara: “My all time favorite run/zone would probably have to be Spaulding Bowl at Copper Mtn. When Spaulding opens you know the season is really getting going. Anticipation builds as you are slowly pulled up by a retro T-bar to the top of a rounded ridge that’s crowned with a 360 degree view of towering jagged peaks. You pop over the edge of the ridge and drop into an absolutely glorious steep bowl with options that excite—tight chutes, gnarly cornices, wide open expanses. And to top it all off, the bowl funnels down into a glade with rhythmically placed trees that nearly always hide little stashes of soft snow. It’s great.”
The Beavers, Arapahoe Basin
Stuart: “I like that it is a zone with a consistent fall line, and plenty of trees. Plus, if I’m feeling extra adventurous I feel like you can get plenty rowdy in there too.”
Cranmer, Winter Park
Amy: “Cranmer is great, because it is #skiingforall at its finest. I took some of my first turns on Cranmer as an adult re-learning to ski after a 12 year hiatus, feeling proud of being able to ski a blue run in the Rockies. Jordan could bust out zipperlines on adjacent mogul runs, and I could weave my way carefully down. Cranmer keeps everyone happy, and if you look around at those skiing it, you’ll see a wide variety of skiers, together, having fun. What could be better?”
The Steep Gullies, Arapahoe Basin
Justin (encore!): “What is it about standing on top of steep, rocky chutes that makes a person feel alive? Probably the terror, I guess. A popular sidecountry stash for years, the Steep Gullies were finally added to A-Basin’s trail map for the winter of 2017-2018—and immediately became some of Colorado’s spiciest inbounds terrain. If the snow is at low tide in these 8 narrow chutes, you can expect mandatory airs, straightlining through rock gardens, and some fun, high-consequence turns. If the snow is at high tide, then you’ll feel like you’re in a ski movie for a few hundred vertical feet. Either way, you’re in for a 30 minute walk back to the Pallavicini Chair afterwards.”
The best skiing in Colorado is also in the backcountry. See: Dragon Tail Couloir.
