Steamboat vs Park City skiing

Steamboat on Dwellable

This is a comparison between skiing in Steamboat Springs, CO and Park City, UT. Keep in mind we are destination skiers from the east coast, so my impressions will not necessarily be the same as that of a local skier.

Most important of all the snow conditions. We have been to Steamboat twice, both times during the peak holiday season and both times we got plenty of good snow, plenty of crowds and plenty of really cold weather. We have been to Park City only once, during the peak holiday season in 2009. We were a bit disappointed by the lack of natural powdery snow and the really cold weather, which residents said was unusual for that area. We saw a few bare patches and got a few deep scratches on our skiis but for the most part the resort had snow machines working full time. Surprisingly, over Christmas, Park City did not have the big crowds we saw at Steamboat (not complaining) but people did show up after the Christmas day. Both resorts allow skiers and snowboarders.

Since we have young kids, we generally enroll the kids into a 5 day ski program. This way they ski with an instructor who knows the mountains much better than we do and learn new skills that allows them to explore the mountains much better.

Both Steamboat and Park City offer different ski school options. At Steamboat we have now tried the 5 day Desperado ski program as well as the private instructor. The 5 day (Desperado) ski school was fun. The best thing was the NASTAR race. There were approx 6-8 kids in each group, a bit too many in my opinion. The instructors would stop for hot chocolate and snack in the mid morning and then again for lunch. Since the same instructor stayed with the same group for all the five days, towards the end they would know each child’s strength and weakness and what they needed to work on. This program was much more affordable; it included lift tickets as well as lunch (so we did not have to worry about meeting up with kids just to feed them). During the morning drop off, we would find out which area/trails the instructors were going to ski that day and made it a point to ski in the same area so we saw the kids periodically during the day showing off their new skills.

The private instructor route was really nice too. The best thing was that the kids got to go on trails that the ski school would not take them on. Also, the instructor worked with each kid on their specific strengths and weaknesses. As expected, the biggest issue is the cost. Unlike ski school, private instructor program does not include lunch so you have to meet up with the kids a couple of times to feed them snack and lunch. Since Steamboat has kids ski free program with a paying adult, lift tickets was not an issue for either program. Given a choice, I think our kids will pick the private instructor over the ski school.

At Park City, we have only tried the ski school. There were a max of 5 kids per group based on sex, age and the skill level. The kids were assigned to a group every morning based on first come first basis. Sometimes they got the same instructor while other days they got a different one. Initially we were disappointed by the change in instructors. But on day 3 our son mentioned that he did not like his instructor as they were going on the same trails again and again and the trails were not challenging enough for him. So on day 4 we switched instructors and our son loved his new instructor (who took the group on trails and bowls we could not have taken our kids and taught the kids new tricks). Our kids did not mind new faces in the group either, after a while they noticed that there were only 2 or 3 instructors dealing with that age/sex/skill combination. So the kids basically rotated within those 2- 3 groups. Similar to Steamboat, the kids stopped for mid morning hot chocolate and snack and then again for lunch. Unlike Steamboat, the lift tickets at park City were not included in the ski school price. Therefore, the cost of ski school at Park City was significantly higher than at Steamboat. In both places, the instructors would meet with parents at the end of the day and give a detailed report of which trails they skiied, how each kid did and what each kid needs to focus on.

Bottom line, from a cost perspective, Park City Ski school was the most expensive followed by Steamboat private instructor and then Steamboat ski school. In terms of fun, our kids say they prefer going with the private instructor.

As far as the overall resorts go, both Steamboat Springs and Park city are awesome and huge resorts. Both are well suited for families with young kids and adults alike. They both have tons to offer in terms of variety of slopes, the terrain, the clubs and ski schools. We have been to Steamboat Springs a couple of times each for a weeklong trip and even then feel that we barely scratched its surface. The mountains are massive, and there was not enough time nor skills to really see it all. We found ourselves getting comfortable with a few trails in each section and did those trails multiple times a day. Steamboat seems to have more options for Green and blue-green trails. Park City has more options for blue-greens and blues. Park City is organized in sections and there was enough in each section to spend one full day.

The base area at Park City is really well developed probably because Deer Valley and Canyons are very close by. The restaurants, bars, lots of high end shops, were all approx a mile away from the ski base. There were free city buses running between the base and the town. Despite a weeklong stay, we never got a chance to visit Deer Valley or Canyons. The Park City Mountain is big enough to spend full 5 days of solid skiing without feeling that we have seen it all. The town area in Steamboat was further away. The Steamboat mountain itself had more restaurants to enjoy than the Park City mountain.

In Park City, we stayed at the Silver Star (http://www.silverstaratparkcity.com) area. Really nice and upscale condos. The customer service was great. In the morning we would take the free shuttle from the condo unit to the base (a 3 min ride) in time for ski school and in the evenings we would ski down to the condo directly. Since we do not like to eat out everyday, the nightlife was not an important consideration for us. We reserve condos with full kitchens so we cook hearty breakfasts before heading out in the mornings and dinners several nights a week. Taking the shuttle to town to enjoy the occasional dine out, and shopping for souvenir was good enough for us.

For a destination skiier, the next category is things to do other than skiing. Park City has a mining history. The town has a museum to commemorate its history but other than that it is just like any other ski town. Salt Lake City and Utah itself have some great National Parks, abundant fossil sites and other fantastic site seeing places to make a great destination. Steamboat Springs has a small western town feel to it. It has several natural hot water springs nearby, which were loads of fun to visit on the day we did not ski. Both resorts have tubing nearby.

An important Park City tip we got from a local skier the day we were returning: You can buy lift tickets for Park City for less at the Costco in Salt Lake City than buying it from the resort itself. The costco is near the Salt Lake City airport and a short cab ride away.

Skiing in Steamboat, Colorado

Trails from top of the mountain

For the last couple of years, we have gone to Steamboat, CO for our annual ski trip, usually, the week between Christmas and New Years. Each year, we've gotten the heavenly deep champagne powder that Steamboat is so well known for. As far as the days went, some days were sunny while others were cold and overcast but never any complaints with the snow.

For folks with young kids, Steamboat has a great ski and snowboard school. Apparently the resort offers several family oriented packages, we however have only availed the kids ski free program that comes with each paying adult.

In 2007, we enrolled our kid's into the Steamboat's Desperado ski camp, a 5 day ski program.
In 2008, we ended up hiring a private ski instructor. Both, us and the kids like both alternatives. We are torn between which option to repeat next year. Below is our experiences with both alternatives.

Challenging trails with private instructor

The 5 days ski camp, is known as the Desparado ski week. The kids are grouped together in a group of approx 6-8 kids based on age and skill level. The program starts on a Monday and ends on a Friday; goes from 9 am until 3pm each day and includes lunch. Our two kids were in two different groups and according to them each of their groups was lead by a really fun instructor. The morning usually started with a warm up run on an easy trail. Then another two runs before the group stopped for hot chocolate at the Rendezvous Inn. Then another run or so before the group stopped for lunch and then another run or two before pick up time. The instructors seem to focus on basic skiing skills and gave us a report at the end of the week. Younger kids spent quite a bit of their time in kid only areas such as the rough rider basin (pleasant, wide, kid friendly terrain). The older kids did venture outside the rough rider basin on various other trails. The most fun part of this program was that on the last day of the camp, all the kids got to participate in the NASTAR ski race. The results were then posted on the NASTAR's web site. The kids and us liked this program for three main reasons (1) the group included other kids so the kids made friends and enjoyed the company (2) participating in the NASTAR race (3) same instructor for the entire duration. Both our instructors made skiing fun by taking the kids through the trees, through kid freindly terrain park, jumps on small moguls and so forth. The lunch consisted of a choice between few kid friendly options (burgers, mac & cheese, pizza, etc). The cost of desperado week was approx $500 per kid incl lunch.

Wide open blues

In 2008, since our trip started mid week, we could not enroll our kids in the Desperado week. Therefore, we ended up going with a private instructor. Our family group included four kids. The older two kids were at the same advanced skill level while the younger two kids were at the same intermediate skill level. Our instructor the day into two halves, spent the first half day with the older two kids and the second half day with the younger two (after two days we switched the order). Our kids loved the instructor. Along with keeping our kids occupied and mesmerized with puzzles and mysteries, our instructor took the kids on trails that were not crowded, and off the beaten path (not on the trail map) as well as terrain park, bear claw tree, etc. The instructor really worked with the kids on their techniques, and took them on trails with varying terrain some of them quite challenging which thrilled the kids. Within 5 days of skiing, we saw a huge improvement both in their confidence level and their skill level. Similar to Desperado week, the kids started with the instructor at 9 in the morning, and after 2 runs or so stopped for hot chocolate. Then after another run or so, met us for lunch. Private instructor option did not include the lunch (buying this option was another $30 per kid per day..which is quite exorbitant). After lunch we switched the kids and the instructor was able to take the kids for another 2-3 runs before meeting us by 3pm for the pickup.

Tons of snow

The private instructor route costs quite a bit more (approx $3000 for 5 days), but split between 4 kids it worked out to approx $650 per kid. In our case, I myself a beginner to intermediate skiier was able to ski with the instructor a few times (along with the younger kids) for some one on one instruction which was really helpful. At the end of the trip, I think, both the parents and the kids preferred the private instructor option for two main reasons (1) small group size allowed the instructor to work with the kids on their specific skills and techniques (2) the instructor was able to take the kids to trails which were not on the map, not crowded and more importantly a lot more fun that allowed kids to practice their skills. As a cherry on top, our instructor introduced the kids to a couple of Olympians (ski with silver medalist Billy Kidd, and gold medalist Deb Armstrong) which was a great trip highlight.

Steamboat on Dwellable

Costa Rica Travelogue (Day 4-8)

Day 4: We took a break from all the adventures and saved this day for a bit of site seeing. We walked up to the rim of Poas, an active volcano crater. Although there was no rain that morning, the fog was too heavy for us to see the crater at all. We are told that the sight is something to behold. After the crater we went to La Paz Waterfall Gardens. This is a walk through the Vara Blanca Cloud Forest and goes through 5 waterfalls. The entire walk is paved but wet, so easy for both adults and kids though the length and the climb can be tiring for adults.

Day 5: We headed south towards Dominical area (Pacific ocean side) where the mountains meet the ocean. The drive to the beach was long and tiring. We passed over the mountains as high as 13,000ft high. We stayed at an Inn called Necochea, a private home tucked up in the mountain and surrounded by the jungle with a nice gurgling stream right outside the kitchen. A short drive down, the stream ended in a nice swim hole where my husband loved going for a dip. It felt like a private stream with its own waterfall and a swim hole. We used to wake up to the sounds of howler monkeys and toucans.

Day 6: This was a rappelling day, over the Nauyaca (Baru) falls, a beautiful double-decker falls. Basically you get to the bottom of the fall by rappelling down and then hike to a small but beautiful swim hole. The rappelling was initially scary, especially when it is time to go over the edge of the cliff. But when I got down and looked up, I wished I could do it all over again. Our 7 year old was too young for this, but our 10 year old was able to rappel. Of the three activities (zip lining, whitewater rafting and rappelling), our 10 year loved zip lining, rafting and rappelling in that order. Because of his light body weight, rappelling was a bit of hard work for him and he had to be assisted by the guide who was rappelling alongside. Our 7 year old hiked down to the swim hole with one of the guides and waited for us. After rappelling, we hung out by the falls, our really fun guides (a family of three) had prepared a nice lunch for us that we ate right there for a very relaxing afternoon.

Day 7, this day we had the option of going sea-kayaking, spending day at the beach or go whale watching. We chose to go whale watching. We saw two humpback whales, and few dolphins. Because of the rain the previous night, the water closer to the beach was very muddy so we chose not to snorkel, but in clear season, the water in the bay is supposedly very clear and supports a huge variety of fishes and beautiful snorkeling.

Day 8: This was our morning on the beach. The rocky coastline was lined with awesome beaches some of them with caves that people could paddle around in kayaks. We found a beach with two caves that connected the beach to the ocean creating a blow hole. These caves were perfect for body surfing or surf boarding. Such pristine beaches are what Costa Rica is all about, a place where the rainforests meet the ocean with nothing but a small slivers of sand in between...Costa Rica is Pura Vida.

Pura Vida: Pure Life