I am so excited to write this blog and share our trip to Steamboat Ski Resort with you. We recently got back from a 5 day, 3 ski day vacation and I took a lot of notes so that you could get as much info as possible about Steamboat Ski Resort.
Located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Steamboat Ski offers 183 named trails and 23 lifts, this resorts gets legendary Champagne Powder Snow, with some ski season seeing over 400 inches of snow! We were fortunate enough to visit Steamboat Ski Resort in a week where they had received close to 5 feet of snow. (the mountain is currently sitting at 231inches of snow fall at the time of this blog post)
When it comes to the vibe, Steamboat Ski Resort passes the test. Everyone was so friendly and kind, and they were there for the skiing not for the scene. Once when the chairlift was stopped mid way up the mountain, a teenage boy and his friends who were skiing on the slopes below, stopped what they were doing and challenged us to a rock, paper, scissor competition. That’s the kind of vibe we love at a mountain.
Steamboat is home to Champagne Powder, and there’s a real scientific reason why. Steamboat is a micro mountain range that includes Mount Werner as wall as Storm, Sunshine, Thunderhead and Christie peaks. The Park Range rises up in the middle of the flight path of these Pacific-Born storms. When the cloud encounter the mountain, they lift rapidly then cool, ultimately losing their ability to hold moisture. The snow falling has incredibly low water content, which helps make these snowflakes the iconic Champagne Powder flakes.
FUN FACT: Champagne Powder Snow is a trademark of Steamboat Ski Resort. Local rancher Joe McElroy coined the phrase before the ski area opened. While out skiing one sunny day in the early 50’s on terrain that eventually would become the ski area, McElroy turned to a few friends and said the stuff tickled his nose like champagne.
Now it’s time to saddle up and settle in as we dive into the the Steamboat Ski Resort In-Depth Review
Getting To Steamboat – It’s Really Easy!
Steamboat Ski Resort is only about a 40 minute drive to Hayden Airport. This season there are 16 nonstop airports accessible via six major airlines. Steamboat continue to be the most accessible mountain airport in Colorado. There are daily direct flights from Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Houston, LA, Dallas Fort Worth, and may other directs from cities across the USA.
We flew on United Airlines from Montreal to Hayden Airport with a simple connection in Chicago. We used my Air Canada Aeroplan points to redeem for the flight.
From the airport, we grabbed one of the many shuttles offered at the airport. It’s suggested to book in advance.
Good news, this is not one of those ski resorts that you are NOT required to rent a car. More on that later. Hint: it’s super to easy to get around with the city bus and hotel shuttles.
The Trails of Steamboat Ski Resort
As mentioned, we were blessed with some really amazing snow while we there. One day we even had a blue bird sky day! With great snow and great conditions, were we excited to check out as much of the hill as possible. Here is a breakdown on how we ventured around the resort.
One day 1: We stuck to Sunshine Peak. Visibility was not great on this day and we ended up spending time in the glades between the trails called One O’Clock and Two O’Clock. We found a ton of fresh tracks, and the gales were a ton a fun.
FUN FACT: Many of the tails on the mountain are arranged with common themes, making it easier to remember where you have been. The trails on Sunshine Peak are names after time references. For example, High Noon, Sun Dial, One O’Clock, Two O’Clock and three O’Clock are the trails names for the hours at which they are hit by the sun.
We then ended up snooping around Heavenly Daze, cutting across to YooHoo then back around on Short Cut on the way back to the base and even jumped into the Lil’ Rodeo’s terrain park, and this old gal even dropped into the Mini May’s Halfpipe.
On Day 2: We went up, WAY UP, and rode the Storm Peak Express and discovered a few trails, then went to the Morning Side of the hill. However seeing as it was a blue bird day, and a Saturday the lift line was very long at the Morning Side lift that is a bit of an older lift so not moving as fast as other lifts. There were signs warning people to avoid the area (we went back the next day).
Other than the Morning Side lift, the crowds were a lot less around the Storm Peak Express lift, and I believe that was most due to a lot more Black Diamond trails. *Sunshine Peak is mostly Green and Blue runs, and so it was a felt busier.
On Day 3: We went back to Storm Peak Express on day 3, but my husband wanted to find even more powder, and found some fresh tracks. So we hiked to the top of Mt Warner @ 10,568 Feet of Elevation (yeah, it was a little tricky to breath.) We headed down Wake Up Call which was super sweet! This took us bask around to Morning Side which was not half as busy as it was the previous day.
We played around this section of the hill and found some really great areas with fresh snow.
We ended the day going down Why Not which is a pretty cool tour of the hill. Great way to close off the day.
The ones thing that stood out to me about Steamboat is how many lifts they have. With 23 lifts, there was always one close by, which made things a lot easier to navigate where you where and traversing to a new side of the mountain was not complicated. The lift lines were never very long (except of Morning Side on that blue bird Saturday), and the were efficiently run and maximized. We always made it a point to get on the chairs as early in the day as possible and that strategy really paid off.
Culture Shock Note: Something that seems common to ski resorts in Colorado is that very few people put the chair lift bar down. As a Canadian this is not something we are used to – we love our chair lift bar down. I tried to ride up with the bar up once and I didn’t love. If you are like me, it was super easy to ask the rest of the group of the lift if it was ok to lower the bar. I never got any push back. When I asked a group of 20 somethings why they keep the bar up, they answered “Honestly, we just forgot to do it. But if the chair lift stops, we’ll put it down, but it’s not something we really think about it.” So be warned – and don’t be shy to ask to pull the bar down.
The Resort has a Lot to Do!
Walking around the base area in the evening was one of my favourite things to do (other than skiing). The Range has a DJ most nights, which is super fun place for Après Ski. There are some cute shops in the resort area, and if you’re looking for some adventure there are a ton of off resort options like Snowmobiles or Can-Am’s on Tracks adventures. There are hot springs, and sleigh ride dinners. There is honestly no shortage of things to do while in Steamboat.
The resort hosts a variety of concerts, events and activities. To see the latest happenings, head to their website.
The Food was Good! Here is where we eat:
There are a lot of great options to grab snacks, drinks, and a solid meal after a great day of skiing. Here are all the places we eat while at the resort.
The Range Food & Drink Hall: Paying homage to Steamboat’s Western roots, the Range Food & Drink Hall is steamboats newest dinning outlet featuring a variety of small stops. On the second floor there is a full bar and lounge experience with indoor and outdoors seating options overlooking the mountain. I grabbed a few drinks and a pizza from the second floor and it was perfection.
Los Locos: This was a recommended Mexican après ski joint, and it delivered. If you’re facing the ski hill, Los Locos is to the left of the gondolas around the corner. It was super lively when we had dinner. We ordered a few tacos and a plate of Nachos and they were great! (Maybe I would ask them to go easy on the Cheese the next time, there was a lot of cheese on those nachos.)
Taco Beast: The Taco Beast is a on-mountain snowcat serving 4 types of trail tacos. We caught the Taco Beast beside the rendez-vous lodge, but the next day it was set up near the Sunshine Express lift.
Talay Thai: This Thai restaurant is on the street level of the Steamboat Grand. I had an amazing chicken pad thai, and honestly it was the most reasonably priced meal we had while we were there. It was about $15 and it was delicious.
We did not get a chance to eat at Four Points Lodge, but we heard that this is the place for the best Chicken Pot Pie in the world. I would certainly be open to going back to see if this info is true!
We also took advantage of our in-room kitchen in our hotel room, and went into town to purchase a few items for snacks and breakfast.
Local Transport
As mentioned earlier in the post, we did not rent a Car, and honestly you really don’t need to. Steamboat Springs has a local bus system that is free to use, and easy to navigate. The Gondola Transit Center (the bus terminal) Is right at the pedestrian entrance of the resort and across the stress from the Steamboat Grand hotel. The bus system is easy to navigate, and google maps was a great tool to use to see when the next buses were to arrive. We hopped on the busses to grab some snacks from City Market (a VERY nice grocery store, don’t go to Walmart, the selection was sub par), and we use the Bus to head into town and discover Steamboat Springs.
When visiting downtown Steamboat Springs, be sure to pop into FM Light & Son’s, a more than 100-year-old mercantile selling cowboy boots and hats. They also have these amazing taxidermy squirrels and racoons – trust me, they are pieces of art. I’m also a sucker for western wear and cowboy hats, and this honestly is the place.
Pricing
Daily ski tickets can range from $144 – $262 a day depending on your package and time of year. However, the Ikon Pass is certainly something to consider looking into if you’re looking at skiing at a few other Colorado Resorts or even other resorts in Canada and across the US. The prices for the Ikon pass are not available at the moment as they are done selling for the season, but if you jump onto an Ikon pass early enough in the season this can make your average price per day a lot more advantageous.
Where to Stay
We stayed at the Steamboat Grand Resort which was just across the street from the base of the mountain. A full write up can be found here.
Bottom Line
Steamboat Ski Resort is a great resort for couples, adventure junkies, groups and families. We loved discovering the Mountain and wouldn’t hesitate to head back there some day. If you’re thinking about a Ski Vacation to Colorado, Steamboat Ski Resort should absolutely be on your list!
Thanks for reading!
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