Tourist Office

Loveland Ski Area
PO Box 899
Georgetown
Colorado
USA
CO 80444

Telephone: (303) 5693203
Website: www.skiloveland.com

Description

The tenth largest resort in Colorado and one of the highest in the world. A bigger mountain than Aspen with more snow than Steamboat. Loveland installed the world’s highest quad chair, and probably the world’s highest chair for the ’98 – ’99 season and in the process overtook A Basin as having the highest lift in North America (6th in the world).

Review

In the late 1930′s a group of adventurous skiers headed along the Continental Divide towards what is now known as Loveland and became the first to enjoy some of Colorado’s world famous powder snow. Al Bennett, Loveland’s original owner, is said to have built the first lift from spare parts and sheer tenacity. The current owner, Chet Upham, brought his passion for skiing and engineering expertise to Loveland when he became a partner in the Loveland Ski Tow Company in 1956. In the late 1960′s Loveland was one of the first ski areas in Colorado with an extensive snow-making system, highlighting one of the many technological improvements which he implemented during his association with the resort.

Traditionally, Loveland is one of the first ski areas to open each year and one of the last to close with the season running from mid-October to mid-May enjoying an annual average snowfall of 10m/33ft. A local favourite for decades, Loveland is really 2 areas with one ticket serving both: Loveland Valley and Loveland Basin which are connected by a chairlift and both have their own base area facilities. The resort has a reputation for great snow, reasonable prices and friendly staff, there’s room for everyone, and the attitude is relaxed – the Loveland state of mind.

The 10th largest resort in Colorado and one of the highest in the world, Loveland installed the northern hemisphere’s highest quad chair for the 1998/99 season and in the process overtook Arapahoe Basin as having the highest lift in North America (6th in the world).

Situated on the Continental Divide which runs along the crest of the Rockies from British Columbia, through the United States and continues into Mexico and Central America, Loveland’s 1,365 acres of varied terrain, split between the Basin and Valley areas have kept the faithful coming back for over 60 years. Loveland ski area is situated in North Central Colorado 56 miles west of Denver, the Mile High City and state capital, while the City of Loveland (Sweetheart City) is 45 miles to its north.

The City was named after W A H Loveland, a retired Army general and ex-railroad president so this is probably where the ski area’s name originated. Loveland has become a popular Valentine’s Day destination with dozens of couples tying the knot en masse at the top of the mountain. Couples are required to be either skiers or boarders so they can get back down the mountain afterwards!

Nearest accommodation is in Georgetown 19km/12 miles or Silverthorne 19km/12 miles both historic mining towns dating back to the late 1800′s when mining camps boomed in Colorado after the discovery of gold and silver in the area. Some of the towns are still inhabited but many have become ghost towns.

keywords

Loveland Basin Valley Ski Area, Cllear Creek, Continental Divide, Colorado, Rockies, Rocky Mountains, Rockys

Tourist Office

Vail Resorts
PO Box 7
Vail
Colorado
USA
CO 81658

Telephone: (970) 4765601
Website: www.snow.com

Description

The largest single ski area in the USA with the most high-speed detachable quads on one mountain. Regarded by many as one of the world’s top five all round ski resorts.

Review

One of the world’s most famous resorts and for many the top resort in North America, Vail is a surprisingly young resort, conceived in 1962 by a gentleman called Peter Seibert. In being wholly purpose-built rather than claiming some tenuous link to the ‘Old West’ it differs from many other famous Colorado ski resorts.

It’s different again from the other Colorado resorts that have been started from scratch in that Mr Seibert did a rather nice job – creating a US resort with an Alpine village feel and an ambience that the majority of North American ski centres sadly lack. He was helped on his way by the first business owners in the area – many of them from Austria and Germany, anxious to recreate a little of what they missed from home. The centre of what is now a town has been pedestrianised, further enhancing the holiday atmosphere.

Due to its incredible success the resort has inevitably spread out along the sides of the I 70 valley in both directions, with modern developments linked by an efficient shuttle bus to the central Vail Village. More than 4000 staff are now employed by Vail Resorts alone. The resort has also spawned new resorts such as up-market Beaver Creek and the developments at Arrowhead and Bachelor Gulch, as well as buying up near neighbours in recent years, including Breckenridge and Keystone – creating a very appealing group resort lift ticket in the process.

Indeed Vail is marketed very much as a ‘Valley’. Apart from the resort’s own developments they include revitalised original settlements such as the former rail centre at Minturn, home of quaint art galleries and a winery and the tiny community of Redcliff, an 1890s gold-mining centre in a picturesque canyon over Battle Mountain Pass.

Avon, between Vail and Beaver Creek (10 miles/16km apart) has developed from a ranching community into the administrative and commercial heart of Vail Valley. Beaver Creek, still marketed alongside Vail, has very much established itself as a unique resort in its own right whilst the newer-still Arrowhead, closest to the local Eagle County Airport, is centred around a Jack Nicklaus-designed Country Club of the Rockies. Because of Vail’s phenomonal success, building in the area shows no sign of slowing, to the alarm of some locals and environmentalists from outside the area who are becoming increasingly vocal in their concerns of ‘over development’.

In common with other Western North American resorts Vail gets huge powder snow falls each season, in Vail’s case averaging 27 feet / 842 cms per annum.

keywords

Colorado, The Colorado Ticket, USA, Blue Sky Basin, Beaver Creek, Vail, Rocky Mountains, Rockys, Rockies

Tourist Office

Deer Valley Resort Company
PO Box 1525
Park City
Utah
USA
UT 84060

Telephone: (435) 6491000
Email: info@deervalley.com
Website: www.deervalley.com

Description

World famous for customer service and trail grooming and often promoted with neighbouring Park City resorts of Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons, Deer Valley was one of the venues for the 2002 Winter Olympics , the slalom, aerial and mogul competitions were staged here.

Review

Deer Valley is one of three world-class ski areas located in Park City, Utah, a short drive from Salt Lake City, a key venue for Winter Olympics in 2002. Apart from being highly regarded for its skiing Deer Valley has carefully built a reputation for brilliant service standards in a country which is generally renowned in any case for its service standards. In other words it aims to provide the ‘crème de la crème’ of on and off-slope service and facilities, and if the independent skier surveys in US publications is anything to go by, it succeeds in this aim. Deer Valley normally makes the number one slot in this category, year in, year out and is often top 5 ‘overall’ for US resorts.

Following the 2002 Olympics , Utah and particularly Park City is arguably the world’s top skiing boom town. No other can claim to have three international-calibre ski areas on its doorstep – Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and rapidly expanding ‘The Canyons’. The combined terrain of these three areas gives Park City one of the largest ski areas in the world, and the fact that all three have separate ownership means that the competitive nature is there, which can only benefit visitors. All three have added new lifts and terrain over recent seasons.

Although the Park City Mountain Resort is long established, Deer Valley itself was conceived and opened as recently as 1981 to a modern design and remains independently owned and operated (an increasingly rare asset for a major North American resort). It is located a mile from Park City’s central Main Street. The legendary service standards were there from inception, and currently include the option to send your skis ahead to the resort, and back home afterwards by courier. Or, if you decide to drive up with your skis, guest service attendants are available to help you load and unload your gear. You can also expect your ski teacher to come round and meet you at your condo before your private lesson if you’d like. Free daytime and overnight ski storage is also provided. Off the slope’s Deer Valley’s reputation for high culinary and lodging quality is as high as its other service standards.

keywords

Deer Valley Resort, Park City, Rocky Mountains, Rockies, Utah, Wasatch, USA, Bald Mountain, Bald Eagle Mountain, Flagstaff Mountain, Empire Canyon

Tourist Office

Whitefish Mountain Resort
PO Box 1400
Whitefish
Montana
USA
MT 59937

Telephone: (406) 8622900
Email: info@bigmtn.com
Website: www.WhitefishMountainResort.com

Description

One of the largest resorts in North America with a surprisingly limited international reputation to date. Close to the town of Whitefish, which has more facilities and attractions.

Review

Located in the old railroad town of Whitefish, just 60 miles south of the Canadian border, Big Mountain caters to skiers and snowboarders of all ability levels. Famous for its snow ghosts, uncrowded slopes, abundant snowfall and unsurpassed views, Big Mountain is among the 10 largest ski resorts in the U.S. offering over 3,000 skiable acres, 85 marked runs and eleven lifts including two high-speed quad chairlifts.

They call the Flathead Valley of Montana “the last best place” . The sixty by sixty mile valley floor is dominated by Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, and Whitefish Lake, virtually at the foot of the Big Mountain. Considered the recreation capitol of Montana, the Whitefish region and Glacier National Park are winter sports enthusiasts’ playgrounds, offering not only world-class skiing and snowboarding, but also snow shoeing, Nordic trails, snow tubing, snowmobiling, cat skiing, ice skating, dog sledding and more.

Whitefish boasts all the creature comforts of the more well-known resorts – including a jet-served international airport 19 miles (30km) away, luxury accommodations and fine dining – but what sets it apart from the rest is its remoteness, natural beauty and genuine hospitality. Skiing has been part of the Whitefish area for more than 60 years. In 1937, the Whitefish Lake Ski Club obtained a special permit from the U.S. Forest Service enabling them to build cabins and trails in the Hellroaring Creek region. Great Falls businessmen Ed Schenck and George Prentice quickly recognized the area’s potential and shortly after World War II they began efforts to develop a full-fledged ski resort on the mountain. It was a community enterprise from the start with local people selling shares of stock to meet payrolls, donating labour, preparing the slopes, even giving up free time to help push through an all-weather mountain road.

On the morning of December 14, 1947, Schenck, Prentice and a thousand townsfolk stood on the slopes of the newly christened Big Mountain Resort to watch the brand new T-bar lift bring their community vision to life. Growth during those early years was steady and by 1960, the first major expansion of the resort was undertaken. Fifteen miles of new ski terrain were opened up that year with the completion of Chair No 1, aptly named Going To The Sun, in that for the first time skiers were effortlessly transported to the very summit of The Big Mountain. Eight years later Chair No 2 was built to replace the original T-bar lift. A T-bar was set in to the west and overnight accommodations were expanded with the construction of a 54 unit hotel, the Alpinglow Inn. Big Mountain soon directed its efforts toward catering to the increasingly specialized interest of modern day skiers. As a result, more beginner and intermediate level slopes were opened up in 1975 with the construction of the Tenderfoot Chair No 3, replacing the nearly 20 year old Poma lift.

The first stages of an extensive Big Mountain Resort Master Plan were adopted during the 1985/86 season with the opening of the Summit House restaurant and the construction of Chair No 7 on the North Slope adding a further 75 acres of skiing terrain. The $4.8 million expansion of 1989/90 included replacing the original Chair No 1 with a new high speed quad, the Glacier Chaser, as well as installation of The Big Mountain’s first snowmaking system.

New for the 1992/93 ski season was Chair No 6, the Village Lift. With it came 3 new beginner runs, an access trail – Home Again, and a skier bridge which allowed ski in/ski out access to virtually all lodging properties and private homes. New single-family home sites, townhouse sites, Ranger and Inspiration runs, and expanded snowmaking capacity were also added.

The Outpost was constructed during the summer of 1993. Located at the base of Chair No 6, this facility contains a ski rental shop, ski patrol, lockers, and the Trail’s End Cafe. 1997 was one of the largest expansion years with investments of over $3.5 million, which included the building of a new high speed quad which halved the trip time of the old Chair 7 on the north side. The Hellroaring Lift was also constructed and work began on Kintla Lodge which opened for guests in December 1998. Located at the base of Chair 3, Kintla includes 2 and 3 bedroom slope-side condominium units, as well as new retail spaces.

In the summer of 1999, initial development began on “Moose Run” that consists of 52 townhouse lots and one single-family lot. It is located slope-side along Chair 6 and will include a two-acre park with lighted hiking and biking trails.

The Big Mountain Freestyle Team has one of only five permanent inverted aerial jump sites in the nation, and the only one that is available for season long competitions and training. Built by the Big Mountain and the Flathead Valley Ski Foundation in the fall of 1998, the jump hill has become a training site for Olympic Gold Medallist Eric Bergoust. The team also enjoys a permanent mogul training line where mogul skiers can ski 5 nights a week also.

Plans are underway with more than $300 million to be spent on improvements over an 8 to 10 year period. Designs include more than 700 residential/lodging units, at least one hotel, condominiums and town homes, employee housing as well as approximately 80,000 sq ft of commercial space and a conference centre.

keywords

Big Mountain Resort, Whitefish Mountain Resort, Montana, Rockies, Rocky Mountains, Big Sky

Tourist Office

Bridger Bowl Ski Area
15795 Bridger Canyon Road
Bozeman
Montana
USA
MT 59715

Telephone: (406) 5872111
Email: skitrip@bridgerbowl.com

Website: www.bridgerbowl.com

Description

Known for grooming quality and mogul cutting. Wide variety of terrain, and ultra-light snow.

keywords

Bridger Bowl, Montana, Gallatin, USA, Rockies, Rockys, Rocky mountains

Tourist Office

Big Sky Ski & Summer Resort
PO Box 160001
Big Sky
Montana
USA
MT 59716

Telephone: (406) 9955000
Email: info@bigskyresort.com
Website: www.bigskyresort.com

Description

A new tram into the top of Lone Peak gave Big Sky the biggest lift-served vertical in the USA in 1995 (a title since taken by Snowmass in 1997), and the area has won numerous awards for its uncrowded slopes and non-existant lift lines/queues. There’s an average of less than two skiers per acre on the busiest days and the longest lift lines are reportedly to the free breakfast buffet at Huntley Lodge where up to 927 guests may be served. The resort still holds the world record as the place where the most vertical feet have been skied in one day, by local Rusty Squire who made 220 helicopter ascents to claim his title. There is skiing on two lift-linked mountains for all standards and good facilities for ‘boarders and telemarkers. The steepest route down is Castro’s shoulder, with a 50 degree pitch, while the Big Couloir run down from the tram has pitches of around 42 degrees nd is 2600 feet long. There are numerous accommodation options for all tastes and budgets, including the slopeside Huntly Lodge, Snoshore and Snowcrest Lodge condominiums. The resort’s biggest project has been the construction of the 45 million dollar slopeside Summit Hotel. Big Sky is located close to Yellowstone National Park.

Review

It was Chet Huntley, the late NBC newscaster who conceived and built Big Sky and was responsible for its opening in 1973. After his death in 1974 it was bought over by Boyne USA, a Michigan-based corporation which also owns a chain of other mountain ski and golf resorts across the United States including Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands in Michigan, Brighton Resort in Utah, Crystal Mountain in Washington and Gatlinburg in Tennessee. The family-run corporation started in 1947 and is still run by Everett Kircher and his family. Located in the southwest corner of Montana, Big Sky is surrounded by the magnificent Gallatin Range of the Northern Rockies. With its spectacular natural beauty its not surprising that Robert Redford chose the Gallatin River to film his classic movie “A River Runs Through It”.

Skiing is on two lift linked peaks, Lone Mountain which resembles the Matterhorn and towers at a height of 3398m/11,150ft and Andesite Mountain at 2682m/8,800ft . Lone Mountain peak is definitely a serious skiers’ mountain but the lower levels are perfect for intermediates. The Mountain Village sits at 2286m/7,500ft and Meadow Village at approximately 1890m/6,200ft. The average winter temperature hovers around 20º F while summer temperatures generally climb into the upper 80′s. With very little humidity, the snow is extremely light and fluffy averaging around 10m/400 inches annually.

The Lone Peak Tram gave Big Sky the biggest lift-served vertical in the USA in 1995 (a title since taken by Snowmass in 1997), and the area has won numerous awards for its uncrowded slopes and non-existant lift lines/queues. The 15-person Dopplemayr tram carries passengers 3,300 vertical feet at a rapid 4.5 minute pace to the summit of Lone Mountain. There’s an average of less than two skiers per acre on the busiest days and the longest lift lines are reportedly to the free breakfast buffet at Huntley Lodge where up to 927 guests may be served.

The resort still holds the world record as the place where the most vertical feet have been skied in one day, by local Rusty Squire who made 220 helicopter ascents to claim his title. Skiing for all standards on two lift-linked mountains and good facilities for boarders and telemarkers. The steepest route down is Castro’s shoulder, with a 50 degree pitch, whilst the Big Couloir run down from the tram has pitches of around 42 degrees and is 2,600 feet long. Big Sky boasts one of the longest runs in the States – the run down from Liberty Bowl to the Base Area being 6 miles long.

Numerous accommodation options to suit all tastes and budgets, including the slopeside Huntly Lodge, Shoshone and Snowcrest Lodge condominiums. The resort’s biggest project has been the construction of the 45 million dollar slopeside Summit Hotel located less than 300ft from two high speed quads and a gondola on what might be the last best place for slopeside lodging in the Rockies.

Big Sky is located close to Yellowstone National Park which has the world’s greatest concentration of thermal springs including their Old Faithful – popular with tourists as the most frequently erupting geyser in the park. Tourist hot spots include Yellow stone Lake, the largest mountain lake in the northern hemisphere and the Old Faithful Inn, the largest log structurein the world and a National Historic Landmark. Built in 1904 of ageless knotty pine logs and other indigenous materials, the lobby rises 85 feet above a massive fireplace of native stone. Like Yellowstone, its totally unique.

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keywords

Big Sky Ski and Summer Resort, Montana, Gallatin Valley, Spanish Peaks, USA, Rockies, Rockys, Rocky mountains

Tourist Office

Silver Mountain Ski Area
610 Bunker Avenue
Kellogg
Idaho
USA
ID 83837

Telephone: (208) 7831111
Website: www.silvermt.com

Description

Silver Mountain has the only gondola in Idaho State. Accommodation and facilities are in the town of Kellogg.

keywords

Silver Mountain, Shoshone, Idaho, USA, Rocky Mountains, Rockies, Rockys