Post a photo you have taken.

No ride yesterday, but I did log 30mi on skis! DH type. Nothing like 30mi on a bike, but still plenty of fun.
The town and resort of Winter Park is accessible by road. With low traffic density and clear roads, it's about 1.5hrs distant by car. In winter with even weekday ski traffic and moderately clear roads, that time can easily double. Enter Amtrak and the Ski Train! During ski season, Amtrak runs Fri-Sun service to Winter Park. It is not possible for a non-employee to park closer to the slopes than the train's platform sits. Passengers exit the train a mere 100yds from the nearest lift, right as they open. Provided you already have your gear and lift ticket, it's possible to go straight from the train to the lift. No exaggeration. If you have gear or food which isn't staying with you, it's hardly any longer to find a place to drop it before heading to the lifts.

The train ride is 2hrs. Unlike the automotive option, beer, wine, and cocktails may be legally consumed en route and are for sale on the train at prices far more reasonable than those to be found at the resort. There is food available too, but passengers are also allowed to bring their own. The train's route passes through no less than 29 tunnels as it climbs into the mountains. Passengers get views available nowhere else. Several areas offer road free views as far as the eye can see. This is the way to get to and from the resort.

We hit the slopes between storms and just before the weekend. The snow was magnificent, crowds light, views extraordinary. Temps started chilly but ultimately hit 30*. Last time I was here, it was -3*F at the base and -20* at the top of the mountain. Bring layers!

I love this tunnel. Note the resort base and town visible in the distance on the left.

It was warm enough to dispense with the balaclava, but still cold enough to freeze my breath in my facial hair.

In the medium distance on the right, there are groomed jumps. To the left and a bit further down, a mid-mountain rest stop beckons. Another is located at the top of the mountain. The resort's base also has plenty of options.

Moguls to the right, a half pipe in the distance to the left. I can do the former. As for the latter, I find I am disinclined to suicide .

In summer, the resort offers lift tickets for MTBs while the area around it is said to be a gravel cyclist's paradise. Indeed, I'm thinking about signing up for Outside Events' Crooked Gravel ride in July. The views will be very different then, but no less beautiful.

Loveland ski area. Leave early enough and it's about an hour from the Denver area. As a family owned resort, its prices are surprisingly low relative to the surrounding corporate resorts. Also sizeable and quite beautiful. This was my first visit to the main mountain, but won't be the last.
There appear to be 3 tiers of lifts. I made it as high as the 2nd tier before learning that Mrs. Newleaf was taken off the mountain by the ski patrol in the resort's separate bunny area. That naturally ended my day as well as hers.





From the top of one of the mid-tier lifts.

I tried again to break the camera, failed.

The road in the middle distance is I-70 leading up to the Eisenhower Tunnel more or less in the middle of the frame, hidden by terrain. Hazardous materials shipments and bicyclists have to take Loveland Pass (not pictured) to bypass the tunnel.

Near the diagonal section of road, the darker mass to the right is the ski area's main parking area and the start of the first tier of lifts. In the distance on the shoulder of the mountain to the left of center, the resort's bunny area runs are partly visible. The two areas are connected by a free shuttle.

I will be back here, and not just in winter: I hope to ride Loveland Pass this summer.

Dos_Ruedas said:

I’m looking that up ^.
My Bride and I love snow and cold weather. We feel gypped by this past “winter” and now you’re rubbing it in.

Don’t get me wrong, I need clear roads for my Bicycling love, but white mountains and cool air is a nice respite from the heat.

I’m going to show her your pics right now.

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That's high praise, thank you, Dos! Loveland ski area (there is also the unrelated town of Loveland some 60mi distant) is definitely into spring skiing now, but still going strong and getting plenty of snow. I believe they plan to remain open into May, but would want to confirm that before booking travel.

All mountain lift tickets run about $100, which is inexpensive for this area. There are probably 6 other resorts within an hour of Loveland, most of which start at $150+. A couple want $200-250+ for lift tickets. I haven't been to those latter and can't speak to whether they are worth the extra $$ or not.

My brother and his wife ate breakfast in the lodge at Loveland for under $25 and said it was good. Last time Mrs. Newleaf and I had breakfast at a resort was in Winter Park, where basic fare ran us something like $70. A round of two (2) beers @ WP came to $45. We never made it to apres ski beers at Loveland so I can't speak to that, but expect that $20 would buy a round.

Depending on when you visit, you might consider Winter Park because it is accessible from Downtown Denver via the Ski Train. This is a special train run by Amtrak on the weekends which literally drops passengers closer to the lifts than it is possible to park. The train ride is ~2hrs and offers views available nowhere else. Also 20-something tunnel transits. It's a ride worth taking in its own right and a wonderful way to visit Winter Park.

For Loveland and the rest of the State's resorts, car rental is an option. Denver RTD, the mass transit system, offers bus service in the form of the Bustang, Snowstang, and Pegasus transports. The former two are full sized busses while the Pegasus service is based on smaller passenger vans the size of airport shuttles. In the summer, the Pegasus vans haul bikes. In the winter, skis.

The Snowstang runs on weekends while the Bustang runs during the week. I understand Pegasus runs throughout the week. Fares appear to be surprisingly reasonable though I hasten to add I've only actually ridden the Ski Train. I've read about the others and am tentatively planning a Pegasus trip this summer, but lack further personal experience.

The nice part about any of the shuttles is that someone else drives while you enjoy the scenery. The drive into the mountains on I-70 from Denver is seriously spectacular, but the traffic gets intense at predictable times like weekends and also purely at random based on a variety of factors. Thus it's easy for a 1 hr drive to become 2, 3, or even more hours of sitting in bumper to bumper traffic.

The best way to avoid this if you are driving yourself is to start early: we typically shoot to arrive an hour before the lifts open, preferably during the week. On weekends it is nearly impossible to escape the traffic save by running 'salmon style' and heading into the mountains on Sunday, when nearly everyone else is headed back into Denver.

I get stressed out quickly in bumper to bumper situations and put effort into avoiding them. If you are not so afflicted, there's no need to get up before dawn. If you do, you can often get one of the first chairs and enjoy skiing fresh powder or at least freshly groomed snow. Crowds and lift lines typically don't start up until a couple of hours or more after the lifts open. Excepting weekends.

Feel free to respond or PM with questions or clarification. I love riding dry pavement myself, but wandering in snow covered mountains is pretty darned awesome, too. I hope you are able to put something together.

Dos_Ruedas said:

As usually, very nice additionally information.
I have forwarded this to the Bride.

I’m off to a meeting.

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I hope you're able to work something out.

FWIW, very late season skiing is often available at A-Basin, which is adjacent to Loveland but situated in the shadow of a mountain such that its snow tends to last and last.

It is also an absolutely horrible place for beginners, unless they are athletically gifted and like a good challenge. The resort has green runs, for example, but on any other mountain I've skied, most would be classed blue. Similarly, the majority of its blue runs would be called black diamonds anywhere else.

Grades are extreme and the double black diamond runs are flat gnarly, frequently featuring significant rocky outcrops, tight tree clearance, and narrow chutes. The kind of terrain where you get your line right or quickly enter the realm of equipment and/or personal damage.

I am marginally capable of skiing such terrain but it's really not my thing. That said, you're likely used to comparable or even steeper grades given the way Eastern mountains tend to work.

A-basin is awesome for expert skiers and is frequently one of the last to close in the state. It is not recommended for newbies.

Made another trip to Loveland Ski Area with my brother and SIL yesterday. What a day! The mountain was virtually empty, the snow wonderful. Better, we finished the day without need for the Ski Patrol's services. Mrs. Newleaf is sadly down for this season, but looking forward to next.
Starting low and to the right of center, I-70 flows into the Eisenhower Tunnel to the left of mid-frame. Below and just to the right of the tunnel mouths, the ski area's main parking lot is visible. The feeder roads serve both the ski area and provide access to Loveland Pass. The base of that road is visible angling away from the ski area lot to the left. This was shot from the Valley, or beginner area. Taking the free shuttle to the main area grants access to the majority of the mountain visible above the tunnel. That apparently includes free snow cat service to a couple of higher-altitude areas not served by lifts.

The views get much better at the main ski area.

Looking toward Golden Bear Peak (13,010ft) from near the top of Lift 9 (12,700ft). The majority of the ways down from here are single or double black diamond runs, but there are a few blues. Also, the Continental Divide and the eponymous route. That means I can legitimately look at riding up here in the summer! Provided, of course, that I can spin my fat @$$ up this high without popping my heart like a pimple 😁.

Looking back toward the base from one of the upper lifts. The runs just go on and on here, as do the views. Note the Valley area's runs visible in the middle distance to the right of center frame. The Eisenhower tunnel entrance pictured previously is now masked by terrain below and to the right of center.

Funny how, the moment I saw this sign, I started thinking seriously about bicycling. Here. No, in summer . As for the skiing, yea, I took Rookie Road down. I'd do it again, too! Such fun. I can ski double black diamonds, but the last time I had fun doing so was during or shortly after college when I was able to do a lot more skiing. I'll get there again, but not today.

In a previous post, I referenced A Basin, the 'A' short for Arapahoe. Its runs are visible in the medium distance on the left. To the right of center and a bit further out, the runs of Keystone Resort are visible. Keystone offers bike lift tickets in the summer, with DH and 'regular' MTB trails on offer. Sadly, Loveland does not.

One of the easier black diamond bowls. The grade almost shows on 'film' for what it is.

I want to ride here in summer. More than just Loveland Pass, which shouts out for the touring bike. For the trail-based stuff, I think the fat bike is just about perfect provided I can muster the fitness level needed. In the mean time, there will be skiing here for another couple of weeks, at least. It may take a few more for some of this snow to melt .