[ScottS]

We'll be passing through Colorado on I70 and would like to ride at one of the resorts with my wife. She's ridden a fair amount, but is very tentative when riding. She does like a good flowing trail though. So which resort offers the most easy downhill trails to spend one day on?

Thanks for any help!

 

[jl]

Winter Park/Fraser Valley

 

[roaddog]

What does your wife want besides riding? Keystone is noted for downhill but trails like Girlscouts, is really fun. Single track can be mixed with roads for some really easy riding. Right now they are still ahead in trail variety, and not all of it is the full on body armour stunt riding. I dont know what Keystone is using for a lift due to construction. Keystone is very close to I-70, and parking is close, across from the gondola or in the Hunkey Dorey lot. According to other posts here they are open for riding.

 

[ScottS]

What does your wife want besides riding? Keystone is noted for downhill but trails like Girlscouts, is really fun. Single track can be mixed with roads for some really easy riding. Right now they are still ahead in trail variety, and not all of it is the full on body armour stunt riding. I dont know what Keystone is using for a lift due to construction. Keystone is very close to I-70, and parking is close, across from the gondola or in the Hunkey Dorey lot. According to other posts here they are open for riding.

Nothing else, this is just a stop to break up the ride home from a trip to the 4 corners area. She likes to ride fun flowing, "swoopy" stuff, but doesn't care for the rock gardens and big drops. Body armor riding is definitely not the direction we're heading if there's to be peace at home.

 

[dash]

Hedonism has trails for going down slow

 

[ignazjr]

I'll second WP. Plus, there's a ton of trails very close to the resort that are fun and swoopy that do not require lift access.

 

[snowskilz]

Keystone for sure. U can rip some real dh and she can rip some fun blues and greens

 

[kristian]

We'll be passing through Colorado on I70 and would like to ride at one of the resorts with my wife. She's ridden a fair amount, but is very tentative when riding. She does like a good flowing trail though. So which resort offers the most easy downhill trails to spend one day on?

Thanks for any help!

How tentative is very tentative? If she is a little tentative, Keystone is fine, but there are some sections of even the green trail that might be a little much for her (although of course she could walk them). I took my wife there when she was first learning and she did well, but she had a breakthrough day when I took her to Copper Mountain.

Copper Mountain only has one trail, but it swoops and switchbacks back and forth all the way down the mountain. It is very smooth so she will be able to focus on things like braking and turning techniques instead of the technical parts of the trail. My wife felt really comfortable there and had a much better ride the next time we went to Keystone.

Don't get me wrong though, that trail is easy and can become a little boring after two or three runs. She probably won't want to do a whole lot more than that anyway, but that doesn't leave much for you if you want to ride more--Keystone has a lot more variety. On the other hand, Copper Mt. is literally on-70 so it would be an easy stop.

 

[dbabuser]

Breck is good for xc bike - lift riding and isn't far off of I-70 - from what I've seen, no crowds and some flowy trails. My wife (who is very tentative also) had fun at WP a few years ago on her hardtail. It's about 25 min from I-70.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Vail has some good easy stuff.

 

[wormvine]

I am gonna say Keystone too.
Not sure when you are going to be passing through. I just rode to the top of Vail today and the DH trails still have snow on them and the resort is making the DH'rs ride the fireroads almost half-way down the mountain before they get to the single-track.

Keystone's green runs are high up as well. They will still have snow up there as well. Last year with less snow the upper mountain was closed for at least a week after opening.
Keystone opens this week.

So it will depend when you are coming.

 

[rep_1969]

WP, or the blues and greens of Keystone. The DH run at WP is a blast, very fast, flowy and full of jumps and man-made features. The DH trails at Keystone are much more tech and sketch.

Either way, you can't go wrong but reading your second post I'd DEFINITLY say WP.

 

[IndecentExposure]

Breckinridge has very easy DH trails. Even their 'black' one barely makes a green on Keystone. There's a larger variety of easy trails there too.

IE

 

[Indiefab]

Copper Mountain only has one trail, but it swoops and switchbacks back and forth all the way down the mountain. It is very smooth so she will be able to focus on things like braking and turning techniques instead of the technical parts of the trail. My wife felt really comfortable there and had a much better ride the next time we went to Keystone.

I would vote for Copper, too. 2 or 3 trails criss-cross the front of the mountain so you can probably spend a morning or two. VERY light traffic on the trail, too. There's a couple decent pub/grill restaurants where the trail runs right into the main square. Standard burger and sandwich stuff, but decent variety.

We rented a condo from a sublet company last summer and stayed a week with my small daughters. For a first-class dinner, go to the CB (Covered Bridge) Grill. $20-$30 entrees, but I considered it a value for the quality you get.

If you have kids and are staying at the resort, there's free babysitting Thurs-Sat nights as long as you bring back $30 per kid in receipts from dinner or shopping.

The Colorado Trail traverses the mountain too, but if you take it to the west you end up slopping through about a mile of horse-damaged trails before reaching the pristine areas. Worth it for a long ride, but not for the weak of stomach.

Probably way more than you wanted to know. Good luck.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>

The Colorado Trail traverses the mountain too, but if you take it to the west you end up slopping through about a mile of horse-damaged trails before reaching the pristine areas. Worth it for a long ride, but not for the weak of stomach.

Ride up the bike path to the "alternate" entrance to Guller Creek. Avoids the horse $hit. :thumbsup:

 

[day-o]

My vote is for Keystone too. I broke my thumb in the rockgarden

at the top of the mtn, and road Girl Scouts all the way back down with one hand.

 

[Indiefab]

Ride up the bike path to the "alternate" entrance to Guller Creek. Avoids the horse $hit. :thumbsup:

Yep. I knew there had to be a way around that. Too stupid to use a map to figure it out. I'm still picking alfalfa seeds out of my bottom bracket and teeth.

Here's a link to a map showing the path (paved) going past the horse corral on the right side of the map and then crossing under eastbound I-70.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...12,-106.173677&spn=0.007914,0.021544&t=h&z=16

It winds between the east and westbound lanes for a while. Guller Creek is the valley cutting in diagonally from the left side. Not sure how you get to that exactly from the the path to the trail.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip> Not sure how you get to that exactly from the the path to the trail.

There's a well-worn path. Used to be the CT didn't cut through Copper. You HAD to take the bike path to Guller Creek. There's a bridge and everything. Might even be a little bench for a rest there too. :thumbsup:

 

[Indiefab]

I think I've seen it. As you ride behind a row of new condos, before the horse corral, there's a bridge going off to the left?
ScottS, I hope you're going to go to Copper, or else we've hijacked this thread for no reason!

 

[ScottS]

I'm taking off tonight for our vacation (won't be in the resort/ski areas until the 4th), but I see the clear conclusion is there is no clear conclusion. Maybe that means there's not a bad choice as most places have gotten multiple recommendations.