My family is planning a trip to Denver next spring around March of 2011. My daughter and myself will be skiing. My wife doesn't know how to ski yet and will also be watching over our other two children 2 and 8 months of age right now. My other daughter who is 4 right now and has just started skiing this winter will be going. She had pretty poor skis this winter and did pretty well. They were the type that strap on her own boots. They give no ankle support. We will be getting her a real pair of skis and should get plenty of practice before we head out to CO.

Right now we are thinking of Eldora Resort, because it looks like it has a smaller hill for her to try out and get use to there. Is this the best place to go for a young beginner or is there somewhere else that would suit us better.

I stay away from the mountains in winter, too many crazy drivers, and only one way in/out (I-70). Honestly, March is our snowiest month, and we often get storms that shut everything down then. If you can swing February or even January, the slopes should be great, and there's less chance of an epic storm to ruin your plans. Also, spring break timing = higher prices. The resorts will usually have deals in Jan/Feb.

Just some thoughts... You planning to drive or fly? We're always down for a meet & greet, so be sure to let us know when you're coming out!

I was hoping that you would help me out with my questions!

It looks like March is peak Ski season in CO. We are now thinking of coming in the first week in April. I see things on websites that say: "Friends don't let friends drive I-70" What's up with I-70? We are also thinking of going to Winter Park because there are more Condos there and are very close to skiing without driving. We only plan on maybe staying in the hills for two nights. One day of skiing and move on to do other things. So hopefully a storm wouldn't cripple us for the short time. I would hate to get stuck there and not be able to return to work on time.:D

Of course we plan on taking the Patriot it's our favorite mode of transportation! So a meet and greet would be nice.

What's up with I-70?

I-70 goes over some pretty tricky mountain passes with steep grades and gets a lot of snow. People drive like idiots over that pass (my roommate got pulled over doing 84). Dawson may be able to answer that better then I can. I'd love to meet you at the meet and greet, but unfortunately I will be moving out of the state this coming May.

We skied at Monarch and had a good time. It is more of a family area with reasonable rates compared to the high end places. Our 5 year old grandson was able to rent equipment cheap at a small shop on the way. We drove West of Colorado Springs and not near I-70. You can surf the internet and find the rates.

Timing and weather are everything on I-70. If you get a storm, you're screwed either way - like this week, they're getting SLAMMED in the mountains, but it's going to be mild/warm down here. If you go up on a Friday afternoon, sometimes Saturday morning, and come back on a Sunday evening, I-70 becomes a parking lot. The worst is when Loveland pass closes and Hasmat trucks need to use the tunnels. They close the tunnels for hasmat at the top of every hour. Even without that, they've been having so much volume lately, that they have to stop traffic on regular intervals to allow the exhaust gasses to vent from the tunnels - it's just a mess. I-70 is the ONLY major expressway through the mountains = all the trucks too. HOWEVER, people do it all the time, and skiers would likely tell you its worth it; these are just reasons we avoid the mountains at peak times in the winter. If you're not going that far in, you might get lucky. And, these aren't "hills" - LOL - I'm sure you realize this. If you haven't been in the Rocky's, you're in for a reality check; they are a very powerful geographic feature.

If you're coming all the way out just to ski for one day, I'm not sure it'll be worth your time and money; it doesn't get warm enough to enjoy other aspects of the mountains until late June, and the scenery isn't that great until about May in the lower terrain (leaves, flowers, etc). Don't mean to burst your bubble, but if you've never been here, spring isn't the time to visit - make it either full-on winter or summer. January - February, or July - September are the best, IMO.

Why would you pay for a lift ticket just to stay on the bunny slopes with your five year old. Rent her some good kids skis or buy them. a lot of shops have a junior package where you can trade the kids gear in for half price towards the next years gear. get her in a good ski school or even a private lesson. if you are worried about the snow storms then go to california where they are a lot less substantial and the skiing is still world class (lake tahoe). and you will get a better deal if you buy your lift tickets from a small shop or a store like safeway or similar. safeway had lift tickets to vail and heavenly for 60 bucks a day last year which is 25 less than buying your ticket at heavenly. never been to vail so im not sure how much cheaper that is. good luck and have fun.

We have a cabin in the Rockies in Montana and we've been through Denver and different time of the year so we know the scenery. It's just that we always go on a spring trip because my job lays me off in the spring for winter thaw. So this makes for a good time to go on a trip. The past two years my wife has picked out the destinations of Branson, MO ('09) and Gatlinburg, TN ('10). Both touristy places and I want to get out and do other things.

I plan on teaching my daughter to ski better at home on the smaller ski hills in our area so she could possibly be a little more prepared to ski out there, and not have to spend the entire time on the bunny hill.

As for going to California is a little too far for us to travel with small children. We don't like to fly because why fly over this beautiful country when you can see it from through the windows of a Jeep!

We have plan to visit out cabin in the fall and like to reserve our spring vacation to see other places.

We might ski two days depending on how things go the first day. As for other things to do, we always seem to find something to do, weather it be going for a drive somewhere or just to check out local shopping, yeah I said shopping, got to do things the Mrs. likes to do. This is all just in the planning stages and isn't a real definite option for us to go to yet. I agree it would be much prettier in the summer of fall.

Thanks all on the info on I-70 sounds like we might try to avoid the race track.

UT>CO. Fly in and be on the slopes in 30 mins. Most resorts even have shuttle buses at the airports.