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Keystone Ski Resort
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
23 reviews for Keystone Ski Resort
This is my favorite place to ski ever - grew up skiing since 8 in Tahoe and this one kinda'feels like home. The night skiing makes all the diff between white knuckling it on 70 at 6am on a Saturday with 400000 of your closest friends and angry family barely able to drive as it gets foggy or starts to slush out (just look for the car graveyard on 70) or...getting up at 11am, having some cafeine/food, chillin, easy drive up to the stone, arrive around 2pm just as the fams are heading back down the hill, ski to 7pm, easy dinner at the chinese place in Dillon and a chill drive home with NO ONE on the road... which picture sounds better to you? :) Ok so the resort is not as big or has as many bowls as Vail, doesn't have the status of Whislter or the deep pow of Wolf Creek but meh... I love jumps and groomers! This place is my all time fav in the Colorado ski areas. Oh.. and before I get pegged as a single running to the mountain ... the Saturday gigs are with my 6 year old - he loves night skiing - and talk about a stress free Saturday.
Keep the night skiing going on Saturdays Keystone!!!
Love the Stone.
Jon
People hate Keystone because they never leave the front side of the mountain. If you think there is only the front side... you hae a lot to learn.
My friends drug me out to the back bowl which may not have been the best of ideas given it was my first season in 7 years but whatev. We hiked it because the CAT wasn't running anymore that day. It was amazing!
The new gondola runs fast but I'll tell you what, you don't want to stand in line and you don't want the chance of the gondola shutting down on you because of high winds... take the regular lift across the stream. I moves just as fast, no mid-mountain stop off and fresh air!
Parking is a breeze here given that it's free and about 100 yd walk to the lift... I mean you can pay I think $20 to park at the lift by why would you do that!
I love Keystone and I dont' care who knows it!
Okay, this picture as the main ones, doesn't do justice for this resort. I can for sure said that if you're a snowboarder, this place is WAY better than Vail... view wise was awesome, even on top of the mountain they have lesson area, how can that even possible??? The terrains were so great in here, skiers and snowboarders can just blend together, without worrying about the steepness of the slopes.
Parking - everything closeby if you just get there on time or even like late for an hour after they open, it's still within reachable walking distance.
Slopes - definitely awesome, once you're on top of the mountain, you can choose 360degrees of where you want to go, from easy runs to crazy runs.
Village scenes - not so bad at all, the mascots are always around if you want to take pictures, great for tourists
This is one of the best feature, the park may not be as giant as Vail, but as big as Vail are, the views aren't as majestic as this and they have Gondola access. People who doesn't ski or board can go to the top of the mountain and still enjoy the scenery. I'm for sure will go back to this resort once every season if I can, definitely a recommended ones for those visiting Colorado, this is one of the must resorts to enjoy!!!
PS: tips, if your friend has a pass, ask for the "ski with a friend" program, you can save about $25 per lift tix
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Free cider and granola bars at the Summit House info desk from 11ish to 1ish (or until it runs out.............)
Why Keystone?
Decent free parking.......if you get there early
Long, steep blues
Variety of runs
Pretty good village
Colorado Pass
Best, weekdays, of course.
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Probably my least favorite mountain in summit county, but its got its amenities.
Its got a wide variety of intermediate runs and is open early in the year and after a good dump, you can find some steeps and the fresh tracks don't disappear as fast as they do at breckenridge or A-Basin.
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My favorite place to ride on the Colorado Pass (outside of Vail, that is.)
Preseason kind of stinks because only the front side is open, but have patience, and come back when there's more snow and you can ride the backside and traverse up to the hike-to bowls and also for some tree-riding.
The village is small, but its cute and there are some decent places to get grub (Kickapoo is my fav). I love the night skiing and even though there are only a few runs open at night it's cool that you can still ride long after the sun has gone down.
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great place for boarder. Plenty of run and i like how accessible the gondolas are. I prefer the green a lot, especially the Schoolmarm -- long and gentle without any catwalks, it helped to take my time to perfect my skill.
The village is great too. Variety of shops to choose from rather than eating the unhealthy bar food.
Loved this place! Ski the back side because the front is pretty busy, especially the easier trails. The snow was amazing and I am planning on going back again next year.
I took an all day lesson. I'm a level 7 skier and this lesson gave me the confidence and some tips to finally conquer the moguls. There were only two of us in the lesson on a Sunday and the personalized attention was excellent. Another perk of the lesson was not waiting in the lift lines, we were able to hop ahead of the line every time we got on the lift.
The tubing was fun. Just a FYI, the trails on the right are crazy fast and if you go down spinning, you might just have to stand up and get your balance back before you start walking again. I honestly thought I was going to die, but it didn't keep me from going down a million more times. The lift line was quick and easy and the staff working there was super friendly. If you're up for an adventure, I'm sure you'll have fun. Despite the fun, I wish I had my helmet on. ;)
I will be back next year!
Keystone has the best night riding in Colorado. This is not the place to go is you are a beginner however --- it is much more skewed toward the advanced boarder/skiier.
The slopes tend to get VERY icy during night skiing though, which makes your falls all the more painful. They have a pretty good customer service staff if you lose your pass too. River Run is an attractive shopping/eating area but other than that there really isn't anything to do in Keystone. They have a very limited apres ski selection and overall this place needs a little sprucing up.
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Okay, you're in for a treat.
Tip #1:
If you're having a Fri-Sun vacation in Summit County, then Keystone is a great place to start, on Friday itself, 'cos it's got night skiing.
Tip #2:
Go for the free parking. Sure, you walk a bit, but if you're gonna spend the next few hours torturing yourself on the slopes, why not start at the parking lot? That and you'd be a sucker to pay for parking.
Tip #3 (this may not be legal, but WTF):
As you find your way toward the ticket counter, look out for kids leaving the resort. Don't be surprised if you score a day+night ticket for $5. You'll need sharp teeth, and a new plastic zip tie from the ticket counter.
Tip #4:
Do not - I repeat - do not, under any circumstances, take the moguls on your first run. You might think that you're good. You might even think that you're gonna show those fellow out-of-towners how it's done... you'd be better off shooting yourself in the, um, groin 'cos that's how much pain you'd be in anyway after that first ambitious run.
Tip #5:
If you start seeing your own blood pumping through the capillaries in your eyes, time out.
Tip #6:
If your pulse is 150 a minute, time out.
Tip #7:
If you can't seem to breathe, time out, you lowlanders.
Tip #8:
Drink plenty of water.
Tip #9:
Pick a sick line and enjoy.
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Now if I were a tourist, I wouldn't be stoked about dropping $90 to ride at this resort. However, having the Epic Pass, I thoroughly enjoy riding here on weekdays. Their terrain park (A-51) is hands down the most diverse terrain park I have ever ridden. I've been to resorts all over the U.S., Canada, etc... but I have never encountered a resort that places riders in there appropriate terrain park setting. This among other things makes A-51 an excellent park to ride at. When your stomping all your landings through a sick line in the park, there is no greater buzz kill then encountering some ass goblin sitting down in the middle of your line. A-51 helps educate riders of common terrain park courtesy and gives them a chance to ride terrain that matches their skill level.
If I were a tourist looking to dump about $4000 for a family vacation I wouldn't say this is the best investment of your funds. However, as a single guy who is now a local, I love that this resort is included in my Epic Pass.
Good on Ya!
Great night skiing. The town is cute, but the skiing is great. I like the long runs, but wished the back part was open longer.
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Keystone is a huge resort, with some very long lift rides, and consequently some very long ski runs. I've only skied the green trails, but they're long enough for my Midwestern legs. Keystone is unique in the area for offering night skiing. While most resorts (Breckenridge, Copper, Arapahoe Basin [A-Basin]), and others close around 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, Keystone has night skiing from 4:00 to 9:00 PM. So if you just can't get enough of going down the slopes at another resort, head over to Keystone at the end of their day and put in another five hours. (But you'll be pretty tired after that!)
Keystone, A-Basin, and Breckenridge share management, so you can get a lift ticket (either single- or multi-day) for all three at one price (walk-up window price of about $70/day, but shop around for bargains, especially advance purchase tickets). Then you can jump from one resort to another without having to buy a separate lift ticket for each resort.
Keystone has regular, open-air lifts on most of their runs, but the westernmost lift run is gondolas, so it's a nice way to ride up with those in your group who are terrified of heights.
Around 9:00 PM, we saw a pretty nice fireworks display, too!
My only objection to Keystone is the sheer size of the resort. If you take a wrong turn on the slopes (like I did once at the end of the night), you'll find yourself a long way from where you started, and walking across the resort in ski boots is no fun.
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Oh man, the more and more I visit this resort the more I fall in love with it. I love going down the Frenchman! ( I think there is run with the same name in Vail too.)
Anywho, I heart watching the pro skiers do their thing on the jumps. Great places for apres ski and decent eateries too.
Here is a tip for first timers: If you want to get a lot of runs in hit the back side. And opt for the lift not the Ganjola since that just takes too long and it goes to the same place.
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Things I love about Keystone:
1. Night skiing-- great for lazy people like me who can never get up in time for fresh tracks.
2. Gondolas-- a little slower than the regular lifts, but so nice on those cold days.
3. Groomers during night skiing. Everyone should try this at least once: Find out when they are opening a freshly groomed blue during night skiing and wait at the tape for the moment they open it up. Fly down the mountain on the fresh courderoy-- no stopping allowed on this one.
4. The PIZZA at the Summit House at the top of River Run gondola. Once you taste it, you'll go back every time; guaranteed.
5. Parking-- the whole lot is close to the base lifts, and if you end up in overflow, the buses run often. Also, it's free.
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NIGHT SKIING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Big big big points with me. Wheeee!! I haven't gone night-skiing in forever.
Keystone was my favorite resort out of Winter Park, Keystone, and Breckenridge. Why? Other than offering night skiing (until 9 pm!), the people seemed much friendlier, the skies were SUNNY with warm gorgeous skiing conditions, and they had a great variety of runs with the same endpoint and lifts. Also, parking and getting to the lift was the EASIEST at Keystone. You don't even have to travel up a mountain, you just park at Porcupine Lot at the base of the mountain, pay $15, and walk with your skis to the lift and immediately ski.
I loved the fact that several runs were available for night skiing (including greens and blues) and loved riding the ski lift to the top of the mountain at sunset. Absolutely gorgeous views.
Apparently skiing on Christmas eve at night is a fabulous time to go...i.e. EMPTY. Loved everything about Keystone, including the clean facilities, diverse runs, some blues without moguls, and outdoor bar/deck to watch people coming down the slopes (Last Lift Bar). Great chili & drinks to keep you warm!
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This review actually covers Keystone Resort during the summer, when they open for Mountain Bikers. http://keystone.snow.c...
Keystone is open during the following times:
Open 7 days a week
June 15 - September 9, 2007
And here are the prices (much cheaper than the winter =))
Pricing:
Daily Ticket
$18 - Adult One Run
$30 - Adult Unlimited Runs
$60 - Two Day Adult Unlimited
$90 - Three Day Unlimited (Three Day Max)
I just went this last Sunday, and it was a blast. How can you beat the combination of:
*Fresh, clean air
*Wildlife everywhere, including deer on the runs
*Perfect weather (escape the heat, go to 11K feet)
*Almost empty (no lines, you could take your time on the runs)
Best of all was the thrill of flying out of the tress, across a patch of snow and through huge mud puddles; absolutely awesome!
It seems that several of the runs were closed, but this might be due to the fact that they just opened.
They also offer rentals for all the equipment you need, and they are surprisingly affordable.
If you can find the time, check this place out. A great way to spend a summer day!
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My favorite of the Vail resorts, Keystone has 3 great mountains, one behind the next, with 19 lifts and 121 trails. Infrequent skiers usually stick to the front mountain, so ski to the back 2 and have a blast! The runs are long and wide, some of them have fun rolls and bumps to glide over or jump off. Keystone has very few catwalks and are easy for folks at or above an intermediate level of skiing/boarding.
They have great night skiing and what looks like a pretty good terrain park, but what I'm dying to try is the snow park. You can go tubing and snow biking and other crazy stuff.
It did get a "D" from the Ski Areas Citizens' Coalition Environmental Report Card though. Get with the times Keystone and clean up your act!
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"Ok little Jimmy, now you be good on your lesson, I know this is your first time on ski's and you can barely move in your 40 layers, but you are going to do just fine. Mommy will meet you at lunch time and you and I can take up three tables for all of our clothing, family and $45 lunches. Mommy loves you."
I actually enjoy Keystone because it is usually where the sun hangs out. If Breck is cloudy, then Keystone is usually sunny.... Just how it is. Keystone is clean and extremely family friendly. The runs are relatively easy in comparison with some of the other runs at nearby Breck, but you don't have nearly the crowd and the more difficult runs are usually pretty clear for speed skiing...Which may I add makes you feel like you own the mountain when you feel like you are going 60mpg, and you swear on it... Yeah right!
Come to Keystone with the fam, with the beginner, or when you are looking for a good resort with less crowds.
* Star one for having the sun on your side... When it gets cold, it is miserable. A cold day with sun is heaven.
** I live in a lodge star two is for nice lodges with giant fireplaces
*** White glove star three is for clean runs, lodges and snow.... (Not sure if the staff ca help that or not, but it is probably the demographics)
**** Bring the whole fam star four is for making this resort family friendly, so the other resorts are less crowded with them.... Sorry, I now I have one too...
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Not a fan of this place...Too many Texans traversing the slopes. The reason it gets two stars is this Texan father to Texan son dialoge:
TS: Ouch Dad! I fell, you need to wait for me!
TF: You gonad! Get off yer duff and get down here!
The only time I've ever heard "gonad" used as an insult.
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I like to ski, not wait in lines. Keystone did an impressive job handling the crowds on a mid-winter weekend. Found some great terrain (try Wolverine for a fun run through a glade of pines) and a chance to hit a lot of it.
Non-skiing note: the bloody marys were better at A-Basin.
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Keystone has always been acclaimed for its impressive time that has contained some very elaborate features from time to time such as a gigantic rainbow rail, actually featuring flames in fact. Also, some extremely long long rails too. The kids all come out to play in this rail park nightly. Yay, Keystone has night skiing. Stays open till 8. This can be a really good time, even for cruinsin'. Sure it is a little cold. In the daytime, still as fun. Head to the outback for some pow. One thing, Keystone never seems to get the half pipe right. Can't ever seem to put my finger on it, but it is definitely off somehow and always. Keep trying keystone, why not just take a run to Breck and see what they're doin?
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The best thing about Keystone are its long runs so you get a lot of bang for your buck in terms riding the chairlift and gondola.
There are great long leg burning blue groomers down the front side of the mountain, but be careful when you hit the main highway leading down to the bottom called River Run. It's like where Hwy 59 and Loop 610 merge near the Galleria in Houston -- heavy traffic. Down the back sides are also long runs, but then you start adding in trees and steeper terrain. The Outback which is the furthest mountain out has some of the best trees I've ever ridden as well. I'm guessing not many people head out that way because there was still soft knee deep powder even though it was 3-4 days after the last storm. They also offer snowcat tours and snowcat rides to get to backcountry-esque terrain - a good way to get introduced to backcountry riding. I do agree that it's easy to take the wrong run on the front side of Keystone because of all the traversing catwalks, but it's not as bad compared to a lot of other resorts that I've been to - just have to pay attention.
If you are new to skiing or boarding, I would recommend heading over to Breckenridge as the learning terrain over there is better. Keystone only has a small learning area at the top of the mountain (don't worry, there's the gondola), and most of the green runs down the front are catwalks (I believe Schoolmarm is the catwalk of death) which are horrible if you are learning to snowboard.
I haven't really hung around in the Keystone Village much, but there are other things to do like snowtubing and ice skating on the largest outdoor rink in the nation, which is always a treat. Keystone also often gets a lot of traffic because of its proximity to I-70 in Summit County, but it's usually fairly empty on the weekdays. And remember that if you have a multi-day ticket for Keystone, then you can also use your lift ticket at Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, and even Vail/Beaver Creek.
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