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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    CO mags - resort help needed

    I have a few days in CO Aug 18 - 22 to ride. DHR is already in Denver, and I will be flying in to pick up the bike and head for the mountains. I have never actually ridden the resorts there, but know that Keystone, Sol Vista, and Winter Park offer lift-served DH riding.

    So, what are the pros/cons of each of these resorts? Should I hit all three, should I pass on one to focus on another, or should I ride somewhere other than those three?

    I like flowy/jumpy trails, but prefer to ride techy singletrack (i.e. I prefer Original Sin over A-line, but still enjoy riding A-line).

    Another consideration is that my wife will be coming along too, and though she has never ridden DH bikes at a resort, she wants to try. I saw the Green World trail at Winter Park which looks like a good intro, but am interested in thoughts on that or other beginner trails as well. When she is not riding, some alternatives to mountain biking would also be good at/near the resort. Suggestions?

    Thanks.
    Join WAFTA, promoting downhill and freeride trails in the Wasatch. www.waftautah.com

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
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    retired
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    12,465
    sol vista is probably the place you would be most interested in, but unless your are getting a lesson for the lady, she may not dig it really. pretty rocky and rough in spots.

    winter park is pretty fun and mellow. good options for her, and good times your first time there.

    keystone has probably the most trail options for her and you, and good vert.

    really all are very cool in their own way, if you have the time/lodging arrangements, and the distance between them all is no biggie, i would suggest checking all of them out.
    go for rob

    www.dpsskis.com

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    Whistler/Niseko
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    Sol Vista, then WP, and finally Keystone

    thats the order id recommend. new bike parks in Boulder, Dillon and Denver if you have a few hrs to waste as well.

    Winter Park



    Keystone



    Sol Vista


  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    dirt
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    Thanks for the information. I had a great time last weekend riding the resorts, and hooked up with some fellow mags in the process. Stoked to go back soon.
    Join WAFTA, promoting downhill and freeride trails in the Wasatch. www.waftautah.com

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    LA
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    290
    Mind posting up your impressions of all 3, if you can afford a few minutes? I've had the same question as you, and now that I've got my bike situation sorted, I'm looking to pick a weekend and head north. Thx,
    - Joe

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Edgewater, Co
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    517
    Ride all three.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    I rode all three. Like others have said here, they are all quite different. I rode Sol Vista the first day I was there, because the scheduling worked out that way. The park was open from 4 pm to 7 pm on Thursday. I was tired, had been up since 3:30 am Colorado time, and yet still tried to hit the park. Thus, my impressions may be somewhat skewed given the physical state I was in based on the long day leading up to me riding Sol Vista.

    Sol Vista is fun, and full of big lines. Some of the lines there were much too large for me to hit alone, riding solo, on very little sleep the night before. I think that Sol Vista would be awesome if I got to ride it with someone who really knew the trails and the speed needed to pin the jumps. If you are comfortable in the air and can follow someone down the mountain, Sol Vista is the place. Definitely much more high-consequence than the other two resorts given the much bigger lines.

    I rode Winter Park the second day. Winter Park has some technically challenging lines, along with some flowy machine-built lines. It seemed to me that the emphasis at WP is more on the machine built lines, which are definitely fun. The most natural line on the mountain that I found was the Trestle DH run, which was super fun, and my kind of riding. The jump/flow trails were also fun, though some of the lips were a bit bucky. Rainmaker was nice. It is a mix between A-line and Crank it Up.

    Keystone was my favorite. It is much more raw, and more suited to a DH bike than the other two parks. There were some machine built lines at Keystone, but there were many more long technical classic DH runs there. If you like to jump, you can get your fix on Money, and if you like more technical trails, with incorporation of natural and man-made features, there is plenty of that as well. My biggest complaint about Keystone is that the mountain is not laid out quite as well as WP. There are times where the trail just dumps you out on a road, and you are either forced to ride uphill to rejoin the trails, or ride down the road for a bit - not a huge hassle, but a distinction between WP and Keystone.

    In sum, if you like to jump, go to WP. If you like to ride techy DH, go to Keystone. And if you like to ride bigger jumps, go to Sol Vista with someone who knows the mountain.
    Join WAFTA, promoting downhill and freeride trails in the Wasatch. www.waftautah.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    LA
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    290
    I wasn't askin' you, ya bum! I knew that'd be your answer. Hey, I got to hit Blackjack a couple weeks ago. Flailed a bit, but had a good time, although my brother broke his hand. He admitted he was in a bit over his head, and I'm the one that invited him. Now I know how Tim feels....

  9. #9
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    Mar 2011
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    LA
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    Thanks for that writeup! Sounds like WP would be a good starting point for me, even though it's more of a drive. Happy trails,
    - Joe

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    26
    Nailed it...we rode Keystone together on Saturday and had a great time. The good Dr. is a more advanced rider than I am, and he and my buddy peeled off to rip up some of the more techy/dh lines that I just couldn't keep up on (pretty sure it was because they are rocking real DH bikes...yeah, that is the difference), so everything worked out. As iterated elsewhere, bud, it was good meeting you and seems that we will have some good times in the future.

    Having only ridden DH at Pajarito, my opinion is framed a bit differently. 3 days@WP, 1@Keystone...WP is fun and provides TONS of opportunity for progression. Practically everything is case-able (and was properly cased on days one or two) with little penalty other than lots of extra work. Hitting Keystone on day 3 was like swinging a weighted bat, warming up for the smooth jump lines back at WP on day 4. I saw my most progression on day 4, as WP is like riding on concrete after some of the chunk at Keystone. We spent most of the last day hot-lapping Rainmaker into No Quarter and just sending it bigger and bigger and I cannot wait to get back there (or just build some lines like that here at home).

    Keystone is great, tons of tech and some wood thrown in for good measure. I was surprised by the overall lack of wood and drops at both places - Pajarito seems to have colored my expectations in this regard. Either way, the wooden bridges at Keystone were a blast, there were a couple that really had my attention. Thanks to a wonderful guide, I was able to hit every trail on the mountain in our 7 hours there, save the jump trail Money.

    Honestly, I think that if I lived near both, I might spend more time on Keystone, given my inclination to hit techy lines and the wood features. As much fun as WP was for my current riding level/progression, I could see almost getting bored being a regular there...ha! Talk about white people problems.

    I really look forward to getting back up to the resorts, but it won't be until next year.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    26
    Oh, good vids Brannen - gives a good idea of what is at each place. Must have cut down a TON of footage to consolidate the goods so efficiently! Nice work.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    dirt
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    Quote Originally Posted by character zero View Post
    Nailed it...we rode Keystone together on Saturday and had a great time. The good Dr. is a more advanced rider than I am, and he and my buddy peeled off to rip up some of the more techy/dh lines that I just couldn't keep up on (pretty sure it was because they are rocking real DH bikes...yeah, that is the difference), so everything worked out. As iterated elsewhere, bud, it was good meeting you and seems that we will have some good times in the future.
    I bet WP was fun after Keystone. Totally different style mountain, which I am sure felt like butter after our day at Keystone.

    /begin lovefest blog/
    I look forward to riding with you guys soon. I will be up as soon as it cools off, so you all can school me on your local trails. The potential fun factor for local trails is as high as it has been since I moved here. Stoked to get together again.
    /end lovefest blog/

    Carry on.
    Join WAFTA, promoting downhill and freeride trails in the Wasatch. www.waftautah.com

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    Whistler/Niseko
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    Glad to hear you dug all three, its nice having options, but makes it hard b/c i never want to commit and buy a season pass to one. All three have different things to offer and its nice being able to switch it up. The bike parks going up in Boulder and Frisco are a really cool addition as well. I feel really lucky in Colorado, only really lacking something like Teton Pass where we can legally shuttle laps with real features, would be bad ass up like Mt Evans or something. That being said, all the resort options in Colorado keep me coming back in summers, I live in Tahoe in the winter and feel it doest offer nearly as many options riding wise, although N* (and the other obvious area for anyone else out there) is badass. Would be great if vail resorts actually gave more of a shit about mtn biking, then Beaver Creek and Vail could also kick some serious ass, great mellow slopes there that would be awesome for trails. Hard to complain though when you consider the surronding states and their lack of chair assisted riding.

    All that being said, back to the original point, having 3 really different places is really cool. You said you liked Keystone best and maybe Sol Vista least, and my list would be opposite, having Sol Vista best and Keystone last. Just goes to show no matter what kind of riding you like, there is a 'badass' resort offering that within a 2hr drive.
    Although nothing here compares to Whistler, at least at one of the 3 resorts they are trying to get it dialed in (except maybe Keystone, I dont think theyve done trail maint. in 5yrs, although i didnt make it there this season).

    Sorry this turned into a novel, im gimp centraled up and living vicariously through such threads, thanks

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    Whistler/Niseko
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    Quote Originally Posted by character zero View Post
    Oh, good vids Brannen - gives a good idea of what is at each place. Must have cut down a TON of footage to consolidate the goods so efficiently! Nice work.
    thanks, that is the kind of info i like to see when im researching an area to go. i like to see what the features look like via a video rather then try and get a feel for how a trail is gonna be through someones explanations. most bike parks finally have videos up on their websites now, which wasnt the case 3 or 4 years ago.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Edgewater, Co
    Posts
    517
    @JoeBar: Hitting all 3 is the way to go. I try not to repeat. Each is small and by the time you've done a day, you feel like you've done the place. And the next place is a refreshing change. Doesn't matter which order.

    Oh, and yeah, I'm kinda proud of a few of those moves on Blackjack. Sorry I didn't get to tour it with you.

    @brannan: some good riding in your neck of the woods. Both of them.

    @chr(0): missed you while you were out. I thought I was "The Good Dr."

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