Winter Park, CO

[kri$han]

Is anyone local to this mountain?

I'm planning on going between December 24th and December 29th of this month and looking for any useful advice;

- what trails/areas are good?
- which trails/areas to avoid?
- Good bars in the area?
- Good places to eat in/around the resort?
- Anyone wanna meet up?

thanks

.kris.

[killclimbz]

I didn't get a WP pass this year but have ridden there for almost 20 years.

Mary Jane is typically the best side of the mountain. Lot's of mogul runs there, but in between the mogul runs are a lot of really, really good tree runs. Some of the best in the state. Check out the trees in between Outhouse and Drunken Frenchmen. There is a trail that goes into them from the top of the Olympic express and Zephyr/Eskimo express. From the top of the Zephyr/Eskimo area, just go into the trees on the left side. You might have to walk over to the entrance, it's marked. Right to the side of the top of the rope tow.

At the Mary Jane side, check out the trees inbetween Roundhouse and Columbine. If you stay more to the right side of that run, you should run into the hut Molly Brown's Tea house. It's not the most covert hut so if it's occupied I wouldn't take a safety meeting there.

Parsenne's Bowl if it's open, can be very nice. Especially running the trees under the Panaromic. They gladed them out and during and right after a storm they seem to hold the snow decently enough. Lot's of terrain to explore in there. It can be as wide open or as tight as you want.

I am pretty booked up during the time you are here. I doubt I'll be riding at Winterpark, but I may be up at Berthoud Pass (Winterpark lays at the base of Berthoud Pass) on one of those days. If you want to get some backcountry turns with Cody and me.

[kri$han]

Oooooooohh, suuper tempting!

I'm actually going with my Uncle and his family while I'm there, and I'm pretty sure he designed it that way so that I can take his two boys with me, while he, my aunt and their youngest daughter (8?) stay on the greens.

That being said, I might be able to coax the boys into doing some gladed runs (GOD I hope so), once I judge their skill level.

I'll PM you my contact info once we get closer to the date Kill, and perhaps I can make it out for some BC on one of the days... Do you have any extra gear? Beacon, avalung (maybe?), and a probe? I'll need to borrow that stuff... or maybe rent it if I do join you for a day.

oh and thanks for the rec's!

[killclimbz]

Extra beacon, probe, and shovel. If we've gotten enough snow, I could be taking the Neversummer out, which would mean I would have an extra splitboard too. A 166 Voile Freeride. BA has used it quite a bit.

[Gnarly]

Originally Posted by kri$han

Is anyone local to this mountain?

I'm planning on going between December 24th and December 29th of this month and looking for any useful advice;

- what trails/areas are good?
- which trails/areas to avoid?
- Good bars in the area?
- Good places to eat in/around the resort?
- Anyone wanna meet up?

thanks

.kris.

I've got a Winter Park pass this season. PM me when/if you want to meet up when you're here.

When I was there this past Friday, they had 20something runs open. Mary Jane is still closed, but they had some decent stuff open on the Winter Park side. If you're into riding park, they had 2 jib parks setup and a couple of beginner jumps at the end of 1 of em.

They're supposed to get between 1 and 2 feet of snow tonight through Wednesday afternoon...So I expect that'll open up a bunch more stuff by this weekend.

If you're riding on a weekend and you want to ditch the crowds (and if it's even open by then), head to Vasquez Ridge and ride the stuff out there. Most people never go to that side of the mountain, so the lift lines are usually non-existant.

[kri$han]

Gnarly; thanks for the tips, dude... how far are you out? I might be interested in grabbing some brews apres ski or something, since the boys I'll be riding with are youngunz. I wont have the gf with me either, so it'll be mac time....lol.

We'll be riding on the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th... which means that I anticipate everyday will be packed, except maybe the 28th (Monday)... save the best for last I guess...

I'll ride a bit of park... 50/50 some rails, and try perfecting my -one- grab...lol. But I won't be impressing anyone, that's for sure.

[Gnarly]

Originally Posted by kri$han

Gnarly; thanks for the tips, dude... how far are you out? I might be interested in grabbing some brews apres ski or something, since the boys I'll be riding with are youngunz. I wont have the gf with me either, so it'll be mac time....lol.

We'll be riding on the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th... which means that I anticipate everyday will be packed, except maybe the 28th (Monday)... save the best for last I guess...

I'll ride a bit of park... 50/50 some rails, and try perfecting my -one- grab...lol. But I won't be impressing anyone, that's for sure.

I'm in Denver, so on a good day...An hour or so out. How old are the kids you're riding with? Your jib skills sound like mine.

My son's 12. Still not sure he's into snowboarding though. Anytime he gets a chance to go, he backs out at the last minute because "it's too cold".

[killclimbz]

One more bit of advice. If Pepperoni's is open on the Jane side, that is the best spot to grab a bite. A slice of Pizza is generally $2 or $3. If you join the mug club, you'll get a huge 24oz (Maybe 30) mug full of beer. It's around $10. Then when you refill it, it's only the cost of a pint. Something like $4. They will hold onto your mug, you just tell them the number when you come back in. On your last day you can always grab it to take home with you, or leave it there for your next visit.

[kri$han]

Kill: That has to be the best advice yet: Cheap beer, and a souvenir!

Gnar; I think the boys should be 15 and 18 by now, give or take a year... the 18 y/o is a skiier (wants to try boarding, but they only go a few times per year, and he wants to perfect his skiing skills), the 15 y/o I taught how to snowboard when he was 13, he loves it.

[Gnarly]

Hitting the slopes or hitting the bar...I'm down for whatever.