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Colorado is a feast for the eyes any season of the year and each season offers a host of activities for the adrenaline junkie. Colorado has more 14,000-foot peaks than other state, which provides endless vistas and endless adventure. Whether you like to ski, board, telemark or simply be outside Colorado is your destination.  I prefer Colorado in the winter when the Rockies are blanketed with snow and you have your choice of any of Colorado’s 22 ski resorts as well backcountry options in the many surrounding peaks.

The second largest ski resort in North America with 5,289 skiable access Vail is a destination unto itself. Vail’s back bowls provide an endless source of entertainment. You can spend all day in just one of the bowls before you even get to ‘Outer Mongolia’. Once you finally get to the outer reaches, it almost feels like backcountry skiing, the views are incredible and there is no one around. There aren’t a lot of steeps to be found, so you can’t get into too much trouble, just enjoy the nice wide runs and hope for the occasional powder stash. You stay at Tivoli Lodge at the base for $459 a night or stay a few miles away for a fraction of the price and take the free shuttle to the base.  While the lift tickets are the steepest things at Vail, I recommend purchasing the Epic Pass. Priced at $599 you have unlimited access to Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge, Arapahoe Basin and Heavenly (in Lake Tahoe). After roughly 6 days of skiing the pass pays for itself.

Keystone it looks like a groomer’s paradise, with hundreds of acres of intermediate slopes, and plenty of terrain with it’s three distinct peaks. For those a bit more adventurous Keystone also offers cat skiing, where you can spend the day off piste in the untracked terrain. With a massive terrain park the jibbers in your crew will not be disappointed. Keystone also offers an abundance of family activities outside of skiing, plus a 10,000 square foot spa for mom, everyone wins.

Conveniently located between Vail and the Denver Airport, Breckenridge is another great option. With a peak elevation of 12,998 feet, the snow stays light and fluffy days after it falls. Breckenridge boasts 30 lifts, 2,358 ski able acres and four giant terrain parks complete with two half-pipes.  Anything the mountain lacks the town makes up for it with its mountain town charm. With plenty of shops, restaurants and late night bars, you can easily spend several days in the historic district rather than up on the hill.  Again, lodging is plentiful seems to range from $100 to $300 depending on your needs. Similar to Vail and Keystone there are shuttles to/from both Eagle and Denver international airport.

Top 3 Hotels in Colorado:

Sonnenalp Resort Vail - This business friendly hotel is located in Vail, close to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, Gerald Ford Ampitheatre, and Vail Ski Resort. Rooms from 153/£ 130/$ 199

Keystone Lodge & Spa – A winter haven for skiers and nature enthusiasts, the lodge is surrounded by thousands of acres of national forest and Keystone Lake, which transforms into an enormous skating rink in the winter months. Rooms from € 153/£ 130/$ 199

The Lodge & Spa Breckenridge – The lodge is located one half mile from the Stephen C. West Ice Rink and two miles from downtown Breckenridge. The Breckenridge Golf Club is five miles away. Rooms from € 68/£ 58/$ 89

Photo by David Berkowitz