15 Plus Ways to Enjoy Steamboat Springs Ski Resort in Colorado
Steamboat Springs is a WONDERFUL place for your first time skiing out west if you are an east coaster, like myself. Like I said, I grew up on the east coast, specifically, in the northeast in upstate New York. Thus, when skiing, I am always prepared for that hidden ice patch. However, when you ski out west, you don’t have to worry about that. They RARELY have ice. Most ski resorts in the western US average 300-500 inches of snowfall per year. WOW! Northeast resorts average 150-300 inches, if lucky. You can see why people love skiing out west.
I first skied out west with my dad in Steamboat Springs Ski Resort in Colorado. I really had a wonderful time there which is why I wanted to share my experience with other east coast skiers, to try and persuade you to go out west somewhere. In my opinion, Steamboat is a GREAT first place to go.
This article is all about Steamboat Springs Ski Resort, all about the mountain, things to do in Steamboat Springs, places to stay, and more.
This post is all about Steamboat Springs.
Steamboat Springs:
Getting There : How to Get to Steamboat Springs Ski Resort
Steamboat Springs, is located in, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, about a three hour drive from the Denver airport or about a 50 minute plane ride to the Steamboat Springs Airport. When my day and I went, we took a plane there, but you could drive as well, especially if you plan on skiing at other resorts. Once you get to Steamboat, it is the only ski town within about a 2-hour radius. That being said, if you do plan on skiing/snowboarding at other resorts, I suggest staying at a more central location. Such as, somewhere near Breckenridge, or closer to Denver.
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Steamboat Springs Hotel
Here are some more highly rated hotels near the resort, Gravity Haus Steamboat, Legacy Vacation Rentals Steamboat Springs Hilltop, Nordic Lodge, Village at Steamboat Springs, The Village at Steamboat, Ski Inn Condominiums, and Emerald Views at the West, all of these are reasonably priced as well compared to other places.
You could always stay on the resort, as there are a lot of different hotel rooms and condos to choose from, that you can find here. However, they are more expensive than the places listed above. Lastly, you could always stay at an AirBnB or if you enjoy van life, camping, or cabins, any of these HipCamps will be great for you.
Most of these places are relatively close to the ski resort. I HIGHLY recommend staying at a place that has an outdoor hot tub or heated swimming pool. I think it’s really cool to be swimming outside in the freezing cold while the snow is falling, being surrounded by mountains. Obviously, you don’t have to have this but when it was my first time out west, this was just another neat experience for me.
Steamboat Springs Lift Tickets
Now for lift tickets, I recommend purchasing different package deals. You can get 4 to 7 day lift tickets, with various other packages. Here you can find deals with the IKON pass, that allow you to purchase however many days you want, and to many different resorts as well. Also, here you will find the Steamboat home page, where again, you can purchase different lift tickets and packages. Steamboat also, provides a deal, where, parents or guardians, can purchase a 5 day or more lift ticket, and have their children ski for FREE (children have to be 12 years old or younger, to qualify).
Steamboat really tries to encourage EARLY ticket purchases. If you buy your tickets at least 7 days in advance, you will still get some sort of discount, according to their website, instead of buying tickets the day of, where they will be full price. They also encourage, buying your tickets online. You will have to print out your email confirmation with the barcode. Then, bring this to the mountain and scan that barcode under one of Steamboat’s Pickup Kiosks to receive your lift ticket, that the kiosk will print out for you.
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Mountain Stats & Info
On our first run, I was expecting to get that slippage sensation, when skiing on ice, like in the east. However, when I craved my first turn, I was pleasantly surprised, to find snow, and ONLY snow under my skis. I could actually make my turns instead of skidding on ice. Steamboat is a GREAT mountain to start at, if it’s your first time out west. It’s a very family-friendly mountain, having terrain for beginners to expert skiers. There is literally a place for everyone on this mountain.
Okay, so about the mountain, there are 21 different chair lifts, that service all different terrain. Steamboat Springs elevation at the base is 6,900ft and at the summit is 10,568ft, with a 3,668ft vertical rise. If you are more of a beginner, I suggest staying on the Preview and Rough Rider lifts, all of the trails from these lifts are green circles. For intermediates, I suggest the Steamboat Gondola, the Christie Peak Express, Sundown Express, Sunshine Express, and the South Peak lift. All these lifts offer green circles, blue squares (intermediate trails), and black diamonds (expert trails). Now, for you advanced skiers, I recommend going to Morning Side lift, Storm Peak Express, Bar-EU, Four Points, and the Pony Express.
Steamboat Springs Glades : Morning Side
Now for all you glade lovers, I HIGHLY recommend going to Morning Side or the Morning Side chair lift. Morning Side is such a COOL place, there are so many glades you can ski right through the Aspens, it’s a lot of fun. There’s also a lot of different double diamond chutes you can ski/snowboard. Also, when my dad I went, we saw people in front of us, on the lift, crumble up some potato chips.
Then, they put the crumbs in their hands, put their hands out, and within a few minutes, they had two different birds land right on their hands to eat the chips. Thus, the next day, my dad and I tried this new trick out. And sure enough, I got multiple birds, who ate out of the palm of my hand. I thought this was such a cool experience! Here is a full winter map of the mountain, if you want to look further into the trails.
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Ski & Snowboard Rentals + Canned Oxygen
Also, as far as gear goes, my dad and I just rented/demoed skis at a ski shop near the mountain (here is the Steamboat official rental shop deals). This way, we didn’t have to bring them on the airplane with us. However, we did bring our boots with us. We brought our boot bags as our carry ons, with our boots, helmets, gloves, snow pants, and other needed gear, inside. Then, we checked our suitcases. This way we didn’t have to carry or worry about losing your skis while flying. In addition, we got to demo some pretty cool brand new skis!
Also, because Denver is the mile high city, it sometimes takes a couple days for you to get use to the altitude. Some people use canned oxygen, which can be found, here. These cans are made of pure oxygen, which helps when experiencing altitude sickness. Also, drinking a lot of water before you go, and while you’re there, will help TREMENDOUSLY with the altitude change. Trust me, I drank a ton of water while there and I felt completely fine.
Steamboat Springs Restaurants
Now, the town of Steamboat Springs, is small but still a lot of fun. Like I said, even though, it’s on the smaller side for western ski towns, it still offers AWESOME restaurants and shops. Such as, Salt & Lime for Mexican food, Winona’s Restaurant for breakfast, the Truffle Pig for after skiing, the Old Town Pub, and the Creekside Cafe & Grill again, for breakfast.
There are also MANY other resorts near Steamboat, if you want to hop around different mountains while you’re in Colorado. Breckenridge, Keystone, Vail, Beaver Creek, Winter Park, and Copper Mountain are all within a two hour radius of Steamboat.
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Things to Do in Steamboat Springs
If skiing or snowboarding isn’t your thing, it’s okay, because Steamboat offers a lot of other activities in addition. They have a ton of snowshoeing and Nordic ski trails and a lot more.
- Snowshoeing
- Cross-Country/Nordic Skiing
- Dog Sleigh Rides
- Snowmobile Tours
- Backcountry Ski/Snowboard Tours
- Helicopter Skiing/Snowboarding Tours
- Ice Climbing Tours
- Outlaw Mountain Coaster
There’s many summer activities as well. Here is a full list of activities you can do in the winter and summer.
- Hiking
- Mountain Biking
- High Ropes Courses
- Slide on the Alpine Slides
- Paddle-boarding & Kayaking
- White Water Rafting
- Camping
- Horseback Riding
- Hot Air Balloon Tour
- Disco Golf
- Steamboat Springs Hot Springs
- Steamboat Springs Rodeo
And that wraps up our tour of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Steamboat offers SO much winter and summertime fun, with a family, centered atmosphere. I hope you found a great new ski mountain you can’t wait to plan your next trip to, thanks for reading, and get skiing!
