First, the bad news: Summit County is not the most pristine part of the Rockies. In the heart of the county, a large reservoir stalls water before diverting it to Denver via a tunnel through the continental divide. Not far away, I-70 burrows through the divide and emerges in Summit County, where it's soon engulfed by chain restaurants, retail outlets, and some bona fide sprawl. Many historic buildings dot Frisco and Breckenridge, but condominiums and newer communities have sprouted up all around them. Even the river channels have been altered by dredge mining.
Nevertheless, this semi-developed mountain setting has some real advantages, not least of which is its proximity to Denver. In ideal conditions, you can get to Summit County from the Mile High City in an hour and a half. Once you're here, you can use free mass transit to reach all four ski areas and the major towns. You can choose from an array of lodges throughout the county, ranging from slope-side condos to chain hotels near the interstate. And during summer, you can pedal on 55 miles of paved bike paths. If you do need to escape civilization, the 315,000 acres of national forest awaits.
A historic mining town, Breckenridge is the largest and best-known community in Summit County. Located alongside I-70, Frisco has a relaxed Main Street and a number of quirky lodges and restaurants. Two other towns, Dillon and Silverthorne, are on the east side of the reservoir, opposite Frisco. Although I don't devote much space to the last two spots, but you should know that Dillon and Silverthorne have many chain hotels and are viable choices for travelers on a budget.
Getting There
Denver International Airport (DIA) is your best bet if you want to fly close to Summit County. Most major airlines serve DIA, and the biggest rental-car companies have desks at the airport; see Chapter 11 for details. For information on contacting individual airlines and car-rental agencies, see the appendix.
Because Summit County has an excellent mass-transit system, many people bypass the rental-car desks and take shuttles to their accommodations. Colorado Mountain Express (tel. 800-575-6363 or 970-926-9800; www.cmex.com) will take you from the airport to Summit County for $56 per person.
If you're driving, Frisco is 58 miles from Denver on I-70. To reach Breckenridge, exit on Colorado 9 at Frisco, and drive 9 miles south into town. To reach Copper Mountain, keep going 14 miles west of Frisco on I-70.
Getting Around
In Summit County, it's often easier to get around by shuttle than by car. By riding the shuttles, you can spare yourself parking headaches near the ski areas and in downtown Breckenridge. Three different shuttle services operate in Summit County:
In Breckenridge, you can get around town year-round on the Free Ride buses (tel. 970-547-3140). The busiest routes operate from 6:30am to midnight. You can avoid paying for parking during peak winter periods by using the free lots at the north end of town and then taking a shuttle downtown.
The Summit Stage (tel. 970-668-0999) provides free transportation to major towns and resorts in Summit County, including Copper Mountain, with hourly service between 6:30am and 10:30pm All the town-to-town routes pass through Frisco Station, behind the Safeway store in Frisco, one block west of the junction of Colorado 9 and I-70.
When the ski areas are open, KAB Shuttle (tel. 970-496-4200) offers regular, free service between Breckenridge and Keystone, where connecting service to A-Basin is available. Call for hours of operation.
Hitting the Slopes
Arapahoe Basin
Local snowboarders have numerous reasons for adoring the steep little mountain they call A-Basin. The Arapahoe Basin Ski Area (tel. 888-ARAPAHOE or 970-468-0718; www.arapahoebasin.com) has free parking right near the base, so you won't need a travel agent to get from your car to the chairlift. The 13,050-foot summit -- the highest inbounds terrain of any North American ski area -- leaves flatlanders breathless but lets the area stay open into summer for die-hard boarders. And, finally, the terrain is a hoot. A-Basin is less than one-tenth the size of Vail yet has as much really steep terrain as you'll find in Vail's entirety. When not hiking the chutes on the area's East Wall, skilled boarders gravitate to the steep gullies and glades below the Pallavinci Lift. Intermediates can cruise the gentle bowls nearer the summit. Beginners are relegated to the lower mountain -- or Keystone. Even the trail map seems relaxed and familiar, as befits an area for locals. It advises that the message boards at the bottom of the hill "are especially helpful if your friends are flaking out" and recommends that skiers "use sunscreen by the gallon."
Breckenridge
For the past few years, Breckenridge Ski Resort (tel. 800-789-SNOW or 970-453-5000; https://breckenridge.snow.com) has rivaled and sometimes bypassed Vail as the most popular ski area in North America. Visitors seem most enthusiastic about the easy access, the fun town, the abundant intermediate terrain, and the multi-day lift tickets, which are also good at Vail, Keystone, and Beaver Creek. As for the mountain, it's big: 139 trails slice through pine and aspen forest on the flanks of four side-by-side peaks (numbered 7, 8, 9, and 10). Higher up, Breckenridge has nearly 800 acres of ungroomed bowl skiing, some of which are accessible only by hiking. This terrain is exhilarating on a powder day, but because of the resort's popularity, the powder often gets tracked quickly. Breckenridge also enjoys preferred status among snowboarders. Readers of Snowboard Life voted Breckenridge's SuperPipe number-one in the nation and judged its terrain park number-two.
Copper Mountain
Part of a project that has grown steadily since opening in 1972, Copper Mountain Resort (tel. 866-841-2481; www.coppercolorado.com) now ranks among the busiest resorts in Colorado. Because of its proximity to I-70, you can watch tractor-trailers rumble past while standing in line for the High Point chair. And the base area, though pleasant for families, lacks the character (and characters) found in nearby mining towns. But that's all at the bottom. After hopping on a chairlift, you'll discover terrain that a Forest Service researcher once called "the most nearly perfect ski mountain in the U.S." Intermediates have two huge areas of the mountain to themselves. Beginners can ski from near the summit to the base and even have access to a very gradual bowl. Advanced riders make out best of all. They can choose from mogul runs such as Triple Threat or look for untracked powder in any of four 12,000-foot bowls. This mountain was the biggest surprise during my tour of Colorado ski areas -- fun, varied, and challenging
Keystone
This is where I and most of my friends learned to ski. Most families who go on ski vacations aren't looking to appear in a Warren Miller movie. They just want to be safe, be comfortable, and have fun. For them, there's Keystone (tel. 800-344-8878 or 970-496-4589; www.keystoneresort.com), the third-most-popular resort in Colorado. Keystone offers specially priced packages for families and throws in passports good for activities away from the slopes (anything from Nordic skiing to yoga). As for the skiing, a high intermediate could handle about 80 percent of the runs on Keystone Mountain and North Peak. A few expert skiers have ventured to Keystone in recent years to attack the glades and chutes in the Outback, the highest and most challenging part of the resort. Because most expert riders thumb their noses at Keystone, the powder tends to last longer here than at other Summit County ski areas. Keystone also illuminates 17 trails for night skiing.