In light of the ultra omega super El Niño headed our way, I figured I’d make a post for those of you that were planning on ripping a ski vacation out in Colorado this winter.

For those of you that don’t know, a super El Niño means more moisture in Colorado’s atmosphere which means the state is likely (hopefully) going to get absolutely dumped on in terms of snowfall this year, making it a fantastic winter for skiing much unlike this past ski season. So, dust off those skis and get ready for a wild winter.

Cost

If you’re looking to go skiing in Colorado, you best be comfortable with spending some coin – and I don’t mean to discourage you, it’s just that you need to be aware that it’s gotten incredibly expensive to ski out here. The price of a day of skiing varies depending on the mountain you ski, but with a day pass and ski rental you can expect to pay about $200-250/day per person. If you’re skiing at one of the higher end resorts, it could be $300-400.

Then you factor in your lodging which, depending on where you stay, could be anywhere from $150/night in hotels in nearby towns to $300-600/night if you want a hotel room in a resort town with shuttle access. I recommend you definitely share a hotel room with as many people as possible.

Resorts/Mountains

Here are a few of the mountains that I have experience with/knowledge of:

Arapahoe Basin

A-Basin is considered one of the more difficult mountains to ski, with how steep and complicated it is. I recommend skiing here if you’re a more experienced skier, because if you’re not you won’t have much fun side-stepping your way down the mountain.

Copper

I had a ton of fun skiing Copper Mountain this past February on one of the few good snow days this past season. It has a bunch of nice blue runs that are challenging but not too challenging, and they even have a half pipe that was quite fun to take a shot at.

Keystone

Keystone is pretty similar to Copper in terms of difficulty, and it’s overall just a super fun mountain to ski. The runs are long and just the right level of difficulty, and I really like Keystone Village as well. We skied here back in February 2025 essentially during a blizzard and it was a blast.

Loveland

Loveland is one of the few independent mountains that isn’t part of a resort, and although I would typically highly encourage you to ski there to support an area that isn’t clawed into by corporate greed, I’m not sure that I can recommend you take your vacation there.

I personally haven’t skied there, but from what I’ve heard the chairlifts are old and slow, most of the crowd is inexperienced or beginner level, and it’s poorly run. While it is much cheaper than most resorts, there are vastly better mountains to ski for just a little bit more money.

Road Conditions

This is where you really have to be careful. If you’re driving from Denver or even from a nearby town, you’re going to want to leave as early as possible to avoid bumper-to-bumper traffic on the mountain highways. At least, that’s how it was the last few years. If you’re driving from Denver, you might even consider sleeping in your car the night before so you don’t have to wake up so early.

You also have to be wary of snowstorms. If there’s as much snowfall as expected this year, you could end up staying in the mountains for longer than expected if they end up closing the nearest mountain pass. But I mean… it’s definitely a good reason to skip work the next day.

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Good luck, have fun, and enjoy your ski trip!