Head over to Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Love Colorado, but want to try a different ski resort? I would highly recommend staying in Steamboat Springs. "Steamboat is a full mountain range including Mount Werner, Sunshine Peak, Storm Peak, Thunderhead Peak, Pioneer Ridge, and Christie Peak," (Steamboat). Although I loved Keystone, Steamboat had some really great aspects, such as ski in/ski out resorts. This means that you don't have to walk or drive to the ski slope, you can basically ski right out of your condo onto the mountain! The place we stayed in Keystone said it was ski in/ski out, but we had to walk through the village before reaching the mountain, which was kind of a pain in all of your bulky ski gear! When my family went to Steamboat, we stayed in Antler's at Chrstie Base. This condo complex was ski in/ski out. It took you to the base of Christie Peak. If you are going skiing, try to find a hotel, town house, or condo that takes you right to the mountain. This was probably one of the best things, other than the skiing of course! Many Steamboat resorts offer a van service. In other words, if you need to get groceries or go shopping, the van service will transport you. This way you do not need to rent a car, which will help you save money! =) It was also helpful since my family was not familiar with the area; we never had to worry about getting lost. Finally, the Steamboat area has great shopping, especially ski/snowboard shops. You can get great quality ski gear and equipment in these shops. Make sure to check out all of the great hotels, town houses, and condos you can stay at when you visit Steamboat Springs! There are so many to choose from.

-Picture taken from http://www.skinet.com/travel/2009-03/also-consider-antlers-christie-base

Interested in other snow adventures?

Do you like trying new things? I know I do! If you want to experience something really different check out snowbiking. It's like riding your bike only you are traveling down a ski slope. Cool, huh? I would like to know who came up with this! The snowbike looks similar to a regular bike, except it has skis in place of the tires. When I was in Keystone, my family wanted to give this a try, so we set up our snowbiking lessons. We took our lessons at night, but you can take them throughout the day. In order to snowbike on your own, you must take a lesson with an instructor first and you have to be at least 13 years old. Once you take the lesson, then you are free to ride the snowbikes alone. Also, don't forget to bring your own ski boots because they don't provide these for you. Snowbiking was such an awesome experience, but it was definitely a challenge. Before I started I was thinking, "how hard could it be? I can ride a bike and ski so this should be easy." I was wrong, snowbiking was not as easy as I thought it would be, but I had a blast. It was really challenging because the bike went really fast down the slope! If you like speed, this will definitely be something you want to try. It takes a lot of practice to get the hang of steering the bike and controlling your speed, but once you have gone down the slopes a few times, it gets easier. Here are some helpful tips for your first experience with snow biking:
1. Make sure you dress in your warm ski clothes.
2. Ask the instructor for helpful hints about steering and controlling the bike.
3. Go with a buddy; this way you can stick with them throughout this new and exciting experience.
Give it a try! You will have so much fun!

-Picture taken from http://www.thepeaksresort.com

Carve up the mountain!

Powder, powder, and more powder! Keystone, Colorado has some of the best skiing I have ever experienced! The snow was so light and it was up to my knees on some parts of the mountain. As you go down the mountain, you can see the powder flying up all around you. It was so amazing! =) Skiing in Keystone offers three mountains to choose from, including, Dercum Mountain, North Peak, and the Outback. You will enjoy these mountains no matter what your level is because they offer green circles, blue squares, and black diamonds. Dercum Mountain would be the best for beginners because it has green circles, where the other two only have squares and diamonds. As you ski down, there are many pine trees all around you. One other thing about the pine trees... make sure to try and find the underwear tree on your way up on the ski lift. It is interesting to see! The trails in Keystone are so long, especially School Marm. Even if you ski on black diamonds, I would recommend heading over to School Marm, which is a green circle. It is a really long trail and it is a great slope to take in all of the beautiful sights around you. When you are on this trail, you might want to pause and take some pictures! It is definitely worth it!

Keystone also offers gondola rides, not only for skiing but also if you want to go out to eat at the top of the mountain! Do you love fondue? If you do, I would recommend checking out Der Fondue Chessel. They have cheese and chocolate fondue. This restaurant is located at 11,444 feet. It truly is an amazing experience to know that you are eatingg at the top of the North Peak. You also get to enjoy a relaxing gondola ride up to the restaurant. Check it out!

Check out Keystone, Colorado!

Do you love skiing in deep powder? Do you enjoy long scenic trails? If so, Keystone, Colorado is the place for you! When looking for places to stay, check out River Run Village. This area of Keystone offers many great townhouses and condos for you to stay in while you are enjoying some great skiing. You will be anything but bored in River Run Village. This little village has shops, restaurants, festivals, and much more! It is really nice to just wander around and check out all of the cool shops, inluding art studios, clothing stores, and of course ski shops. When you are looking for a good meal, head over to Kickapoo Tavern. The food here is excellent and the atmosphere is rustic and cozy. They even have a fire place to keep you warm since you are probably chilly from a long day of skiing. Don't forget to get a good night's sleep so you have plenty of energy for carving up the mountain!

-Picture taken from http://greatkeystonecondo.com/village.html