Keystone Jan. 14-15 trip report and spring ski question

[johnnash]

Went to Keystone with the family for 2 days Jan. 14-15. It was fabulous! Worth the long flights from/to Washington DC plus 2 hour drive each way from Denver. We didn?t have any significant fresh powder (although there was snow in the forecast when we left), but the slopes were in great condition ? very well preserved, and the groomed slopes were beautifully groomed. They even had one groomed black for those of us who like speed but don?t like bumps. This was the Go Devil run. If you like this kind of run, look for it on the far right side (looking up) of Dercum Mt. You have to ski through the A-51 terrain park to get to it. One other tip for anyone planning a trip to Keystone: when entering the ski area at the base of Dercum from the River Run village, in order to avoid long lift lines at the gondola and Summit Express lift (which are located together), just walk up the slope about 50 yards to get around the gondola building, then ski into the Summit line on the other side of the building. Other than this lift, there were minimal lines, so once we discovered this trick, we spent hardly any time in lift lines, even on this holiday weekend. Happy to answer specific questions if anyone is planning or considering a trip there.

I?ve also been following with interest the current discussion thread on spring skiing, since we?re considering a trip during my son?s school break Ap. 7- 14. I?ve also checked out Tony Crocker?s guide to snow website. Sounds like Mammoth is a good prospect for late-season, but I discovered that this week is also the LA school district?s spring break. I wonder if that would mean huge crowds. Also, Mammoth is a very long trip for us ? probably 7-8 hours by plane (including connection time), then 3 hour drive from Reno. Mt. Bachelor is probably as bad, in terms of access. Denver and SLC are both easier access, and their breaks are not during that week, but it seems like the nearby resorts aren?t quite as good bets as Mammoth or Bachelor. I think I may wait til March and see how the season is going in Denver and SLC and make a decision then.

If anyone has any additional insights on any of this (other than what is covered in Tony's extremely informative website) ? particularly whether crowds at Mammoth are likely to be a real problem during spring break -- would appreciate hearing.

 

[Tony Crocker]

I would not worry much about Mammoth's crowd situation. A huge amount of high speed lift capacity has been added since Intrawest came in 1997. If the whole mountain is open, nearly all the lifts will have lines of 5 minutes or less. I'm up there for April weekends every year and it's easy to do 30K+ per day. Worst crowds are when weather shuts down 2/3 of the lifts and you're confined to the lower mountain.

If you liked Colorado's Summit County, it should be very good this April with the kind of season they are having. A-Basin and Copper will be best for snow preservation. Utah is good if you're skiing steeps at AltaBird, but not so good for intermediates. If Park City areas are still open they rate to be very sloppy.

Bachelor is an excellent choice both for intermediate terrain and lack of crowds. I'm getting a little worried about the persistent negative comments about management from locals like schubwa and my high school classmate that live in Bend. I'm not sure how much this has affected Bachelor's previously excellent grooming.

 

[lookn4powder]

... the nearby resorts aren?t quite as good bets as Mammoth or Bachelor. I think I may wait til March and see how the season is going in Denver and SLC and make a decision then.

Getting to Mammoth from DC is just as you estimate--a signifcant effort. For early April you might consider flying into Reno and staying over night. The next morning drive up to Mt. Rose or to the Nevada side of Heavenly. At the end of the ski day drive down to Mammoth. Alternately, you could drive over to Kings Beach or Truckee the night before, which gives you access to all northern Tahoe areas and Sugar Bowl. Over the years we done all variations of these. Obviously, skiiing Sugar Bowl requires a longer drive to Mammoth, but we've always gone for the best snow on a particular day.

We generally ski Mammoth during National Taxpayers Week (15 APR). Even on Saturdays the only lifts with lines longer than 3-4 minutes are Lift 3 (after lunch briefly), Broadway Express, and Stump Alley Express. Otherwise, no big deal.

Summit County and Winter Park can be very good in April because the snowest month there is 15 MAR--15 APR. For nine consecutive years skied NTW. By mid-April SC can start developing some spring conditions--which we love. In fact one trip we counted nine types of snow during the week ranging from mashed potatoes to 15" fresh powder. Usually, the skiing is just superb.

Cheers,
Jeff