steamboat question...

[bigAK]

having never skied in colorado, i have a few very JONGish queries. i have the chance to go on a dirt cheap trip to steamboat the week before xmas. what kind of base does it take for this place to be skiable? do they usually have said base in mid dec? of course, there's no way to predict snowfall and whatnot, but is the mountain usually in decent shape this time of year (ie not half closed due to "early season conditions", lurking rocks all over the place, that sort of thing)? is steamboat even worth skiing for a week (it's a cheap package deal through my school, so it requires i stay there)? wwmd?

[iskibc]

xboat or boat skier might be able to hit you up with some good info. If it's a cheap deal, then go for it. The whole mountain may not be open, but the chance for some freshies on the days you are there is highly probable. I guess it depends on the weather pattern we will be in. Fall and early winter are somewhat unpredictable around here. However, steamboat usually starts out with a better base than the others.

[Mcwop]

Hit it.

I am hitting Alta in early Dec. While that is a good place to hit early, if the snow is not perfect - I will still be getting some turns in on a decent hill, compared to what exists in the mid-atlantic.

Remember they do have snowmaking on 438 acres.

Here is a link to the monthly avearges for Steamboat:

Link to Averages


Here is link to all CO area monthly averages:

Link to All CO Locations

[truth]

WOLF CREEK PASS 1 E | 1957-2001 | 73.3 66.4 77.7 41.5 12.6 1.3 0.0 0.0 3.1 26.1 54.5 78.6 435.1


Gotta love the wolf.

[Mountain Junkie]

Steamboat is fairly skiable on a low base, seeing as the terrain isn't as steep and rocky as other resorts. Actually, early season in the boat is probably the best bet in Colorado. I had a really good end of December trip last year where the whole moutain was open with really good coverage-actually it was frickin awesome.

All in all, it's a good bet, but you never know...

[Benny Profane]

Roll the dice if it's a cheap bet. But it's all about TREES and powder bumps if you're blessed with snow.

[bigAK]

golden, muchos gracias doods. finger on the trigger...

[xboat]

just don't go there expecting big mountain/steep terrain. take the place for what it is; great early season snow, a very large ski area that has some of the best tree skiing in the world. not only that, i still feel that it is one of only 2 real ski towns in colorado.

hit me up when you get closer to going there and i will let you in on a few spots that you have to check out...

[britney]

i second xboat. grew up skiing in steamboat, and it is a great, very real, CO(w) town.

nice trees, no steeps or cliffs. (if you've found em, lemme know where). plenty of natural beauty -- and no i dont just mean the biiiiiiiiig cowboys!

but you'll have a great time -- cant think of a better place to be in CO early on. have a moosehead at the yampa river "yacht club" and do the huckleberry hotsprings nekked. if youre still there @ christmas, maybe i'll see you!
-brit

[Mountain Junkie]

Hey brit, did you grow up in Steamboat or just ski in Steamboat when you were growing up?

I spent 4 years living in Steamboat when I was a little shooter. Great mountain to learn on but doesn't excite me as much any more. However, the local community is great. Seems like there is a better sense of community in the boat than other ski towns, such as Summit or Vail.