Steamboat Ski Resort - Steamboat Springs, Colorado - Opening Day: November 26, 2008


Click to download Steamboat Ski Resort Map

Nestled at 7,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies, Steamboat Ski Resort (notably Colorado’s 3rd largest ski resort) is comprised of six peaks: Mount Werner, Sunshine Peak, Storm Peak, Thunderhead Peak, Pioneer Ridge, and Christie Peak. The entire resort is filled with world-class groomed cruisers, bumps, steeps, open meadows, legendary tree skiing, and several terrain parks...but don't take our word for it. Let the experts tell you:

SKI MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2007. Steamboat No. 9 Resort: GREAT SNOW. FANTASTIC SNOW. NO PRETENSIONS. ...with 3,000 acres, 165 trails and 331 annual inches, "what it lacks in steeps it more than makes up for with a wonderful combination of powder and glades." That dynamic duo earns Steamboat a key superlative: "Best tree skiing in the U.S." year after year. Spend a day dancing through the glades in Christmas Tree Bowl and you'll understand."

THE LATEST: Christie Peak Express six-pack replaces three lifts and cuts the summit ride from 15 minutes to five. DON'T MISS: Ski up to Slopeside Grill at the edge of Ski Time Square for an apres drink and brick-oven pizza. LOCAL SECRET: High Noon, One O'Clock, Two O'Clock and Three O'Clock are popular tree runs, but the unmarked glades in between - known to locals as Twelve-Thirty, One-Thirty, Two-Thirty - offer fresh snow days after a storm.

SKINET.COM STEAMBOAT RESORT REVIEW: "Snow, snow and even more snow," an impressed reader says, presumably after coming up for air. Steamboat can guarantee having the lightest, driest, blow-off-your-glove snow in Colorado. Utah’s powder skiing gets all the ink, but the rhythmic—nearly hypnotic—perfect pitches and yaws of Steamboat’s trees on a powder day is about as close as you can get to surfing without getting wet. "No doubt, the best treeskiing in North America," a reader says. A run or two through the thickets of Closet or Twilight’s glades will convince any doubters. While the often-heard complaint about the lack of Whistler-like steeps and Vail-sized bowls isn’t without merit, Steamboat’s 3,000 acres and very legit 3,668-vertical-foot drop "skis huge," especially when you’ve got plenty of room to maneuver.

A true destination resort, Steamboat avoids the weekend day-skier mob scene that afflicts its rivals to the south. Like its slopes, Steamboat’s authentic Western downtown also hums along with just the right amount of bustle without being overcrowded.This stress-light setup probably helps the resort earn the No. 1 ranking in the West in Family Programs. www.SkiNet.com

Voted No. 1 Family Resort In the West

SKI Magazine readers have recognized Steamboat as the #1 family resort in the West for 4 years in a row. The down-home genuine friendliness, the Kleenex at lift lines, the free mountain tours by ambassadors, and helpful employees are not the only reasons why Steamboat deserves this reputation. Steamboat earned this reputation because of its renowned Ski and Snowboard School, the Kids Ski Free program, Kids Fly Free program, Kids Rent Free program and now for the Steamboat MountainWatch, an unique GPS system which allows guests to better locate all members of their group on the Steamboat mountain.

SKIING MAGAZINE ARTICLE "STEAMBOAT VOTED No. 1 FAMILY RESORT IN THE WEST": Readers rave about Steamboat's programs, ski school, off-snow activities and overall value. Not only does it have the terrain and snowfall to keep any skier happy, it knows how to leverage that. For instance, skiing with Olympic medalist Billy Kidd, which anyone can do for free, is truly cool. He's more loveable than any stuffed mascot, and he's a real-life ski legend. Steamboat itself is equally multidimensional. Witness the ski school: It ensures that every child skis with a group of similar ability, and parents can opt to have their kids ski with the same instructor for the duration of their visit. It's a simple concept, yet hard to find elsewhere. And while kids take on lovely cruisers like Why Not, parents can dig deep in the Pioneer Ridge terrain, just a short hike away. Advanced skiers can sign up for a first-tracks run each morning at 8 a.m. Après, the Steamboat Mountain Village and nearby downtown (accessed via free shuttle) are both alive with places to eat and things to do. If you want a night out, the Kids Adventure Club entertains the kids till 10 most nights. But rest up: You'll never tire of the runs you'll find to ski as a family.

Mavericks Superpipe and Terrain Park

Skiers and riders agree Steamboat has the pipe and park to reckon with. Steamboat's terrain park, serviced exclusively by its own chairlift, offers 11.8 acres of terrain for all ability levels. This terrain park, adjacent to Mavericks superpipe, features an outdoor sound system and a variety of rails: kinked, sliders, rainbows, "S’s", mailboxes, and double barrels. Mini-Mav, a miniature version of the superpipe with five-foot walls, is perfect for novice riders.

2008/2009 Steamboat Ski Resort Improvements

Intrawest has spent $4+ million on improvements for this ski season at Steamboat Ski Resort, including improvements on snowmaking, grooming equipment, expansion of the Meadows Parking Lot, and opening a new Steamboat Ski & Sport ticketing office location in downtown Steamboat Springs.

Mountain Statistics

Base Elevation: 6,900 feet/2103 meters
Midway Elevation: 9,080 feet/2768 meters
Summit Elevation: 10,568 feet/3224 meters
Vertical Rise: 3,668 feet/1118 meters - Second highest in Colorado!

Trail System

Permitted Acres: 2,965 acres/1,200 hectares
Trails: 165 named trails
Trail Classification: 14% Beginner | 42% Intermediate | 44% Advanced
Longest Run: Why Not - over 3 miles/4.8km
Uphill Capacity: 32,158 per hour
Snowmaking: 375 acres/152 hectares
Annual Snowfall: 331" - annually
Steamboat Ski Area Trail Map (Adobe PDF)
Steamboat Snow Report by ResortQuest Steamboat employees, guests and owners

2008/2009 Ski Season Dates

Full Season: November 27, 2008 - April 12, 2009
Scholarship Day: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - All lift ticket sales benefit the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.

Steamboat Ski Vacation Planning Guide and Information