Winterpark, Colorado, USA

In the Mary Jane area there are very good moguls, forest gullies and really steep skiing, and if you want to relax with long carving turns, Winter Park Mountain is a piste mecca.

Winter Park is the small resort at a comfortable 1.5 hour drive from Denver, Colorado in the USA. Accommodation in WP Village is close to the ski area but accommodation in WP Downtown is both cheaper and better. The ski buses are excellent for transportation. The limited shopping and nightlife is more than compensated for by the skiing.

Most of the 25 lifts are quite old and slow, but together with the design of the ski area they give a nice laid back atmosphere. During Christmas and New Year the parking lots were full but lift queues were still absent. In the Mary Jane area there are very good moguls, forest gutters and really steep skiing and if you want to relax with long carving turns, Winter Park Mountain is a piste mecca. The best off piste can be found in Parsenn bowl or down towards the Vasques ridge and Vasques cirque areas. Opportunities for back country skiing are endless, especially up at Berthod pass which you pass on the way between Denver and WP.

It is worth mentioning that as the resort is at almost 3000 meters with skiing another 1000 meters up, it is snow safe but most people feel the altitude in the first few days. It helps to drink a lot of water the week before arrival.

The text also published on freeride.se