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Here's a sneak peek for this week's episode. I'm Scott. And I'm Melissa. And we are the
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Sunshine Travelers.
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Our passion is travel and sharing our experiences with those who enjoy it as much as we do, or those who want to learn more about travel, or even those that just want to live vicariously through our travel stories. No matter where you fall along that journey, get ready to hear about our first-hand experiences as we visit some of the most interesting and amazing places on Earth. This time of year when I see snowstorms moving across the West, my mind always goes to snow skiing in Colorado. This week's episode will take you to a couple of our favorite resorts in the Colorado Rockies where Melissa and I enjoy skiing. We'll tell you where we stay, where we ski, and offer a few suggestions on places to eat while you're there. So pack your warm clothes and join us as we head west to the Colorado Rockies.
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So just to give you guys a little bit of background, Scott and I both grew up in Atlanta. And so where we learned to ski as like teenagers, early me, early twenties was on the North Carolina mountains, places like ski beach and sugar mount. Yeah. Like, like
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Mars Hill, North
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Carolina, I think is what it's called or something like that. So, but basically context, it's basically like a one little bunny slope where it like literally like ride a little carpet up and, and then like one hill down. And so the one hill, one, two hills down maybe, but like those one, two hills down is probably like where they teach you to ski in places like in the Rockies. It's basically consisted of it. So Scott was actually the one to teach me how to ski and he was just like, okay, just like get your stuff. It's like one lift, you get on and you probably go for like five minutes, right? So the first time we went out to Colorado, it's like you sit on the lift and you go and you go and you go. So he took me to the top and I mean, basically it's like, okay, here we go. You know, have a little lesson. It's nothing like super steep, right? Where you can't then learn how at first to plow and then to go back and forth and stuff like that. So many years later then we had the opportunity to go out west to ski. And so really the first time was at Big Sky, Montana. But we will save that story for another day because it was really consisted of one day and Scott did most of the skiing.
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Yeah, I think the big difference for people who are listening, who maybe never skied on the East Coast before, is a lot of that snow is manufactured, so they have to make it at night. And it freezes really hard, so it's like skiing on ice, versus when you go out West, you're skiing in powdered and manicured trails. There's a big difference in the type of skiing that you do and the type of conditions that you have to be accustomed to. And I think somebody who's probably spent their entire life skiing in Colorado and powder and stuff like that, they might have a hard time skiing those really icy conditions in North Carolina.
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Yeah, well, let's just say with our daughter, it was a matter of, I don't know, she was like six or seven. And like our plan was to teach her the same way, I guess that we had learned, right? Because Scott, you learned the way you taught me. And so that was our plan, but not really like this was our first experience.
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I had a family friend who went on a ski trip with me and she was like, we're going to go up to the top of the mountain and you've got to ski down and this is how we're going to learn to ski. And so that's how I taught you. Same thing. And so then we go out to Big Sky and I decided that that's how I was going to teach Carrie to ski. And that didn't turn out so well.
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So today we're going to talk about two of the ski resorts in Colorado that we have skied at and absolutely loved. And, and so even if you have been there, hopefully we're going to share some details that you may not know as well, or some little pointers and stuff like that. So the first one is at Beaver Creek. And so this was our first time that when we went to Big Sky, it was actually tacked on to another trip. We actually went on a family trip to Yellowstone and we did snowmobiling and like our kids were there and his brother was there and the cousins were all there. So it was really just like we had another day. or a couple more days, I think your brother had gone home. So it was like, oh, what can we do? And we drove over to Big Sky and we're like, OK, let's do that. So it wasn't really like a ski trip. OK, so this is the first one. So going to Beaver Creek for the first time was actually we're going to go for a ski trip. And like this is going to be the you know, like the point of the trip. So we actually chose it for two reasons. So we have a Marriott timeshare, which actually used to be Starwood, then Vistana as they kind of made this transition. And so they have a couple of them out there at Beaver Creek, which is actually the town of Avon, Colorado. That's at the bottom of the mountain. And then number two, this was the first time that our son Will would be skiing. And we decided after that experience with our daughter that we wanted to put him in ski school, that it just didn't work. And we didn't want to have the same experience because we were going to do this for several days. So anyway, so let's tell the story, Scott, then. So
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we took Carrie to Big Sky, got her equipment. I think she was probably okay with that. But then we head out on the lift and, you know, those lifts are like 45 minutes and that whole 45 minutes we were in whiteout conditions. I mean, it was blizzard level snow. And so I, you know, started to get like anxious because I'm thinking, oh my gosh, you know, these are going to be very tough conditions to ski in, even for myself, because I'm not used to skiing in powder, especially not deep powder. And amount of snow that was coming down, it was definitely going to be some deep powder up on the side of the mountain. And so we get off the lift and immediately she falls down. You know, I'm trying to get her to get up and get back up and to go. And she keeps falling and it just wasn't working. And so Melissa said, hey, look, skiing really is your thing, even though she enjoyed it. She's like, it's your thing. We're only here for the one day. Go and ski. I'll work with her and try to teach her the same things you taught me. And, you know, we'll meet you down at the bottom of the mountain. OK, fine. You know, and so I took off. Well, I get to a couple of areas, you know, on the trail and I'm like, oh, this was really hard. I hope they don't come down this way. So I get down to the bottom of the mountain and I wait for a little bit. Well, I don't see him. So I decided I'll go back up the mountain again. Once again, took that long ride. got off, and instead of going that way that I'd gone before, I went the easier way. And I thought, well, they'll take the easy path. They'll stay on the green slope and green trail and go that way. Didn't see them, never passed them. I thought, well, they got down to the bottom. So I get down to the bottom of the slopes again, and I'm looking around, I'm asking, have you guys seen Melissa and Carrie? No. So I go up one more time, still don't see them. And by this time, it's getting close to the slopes closing, you know, because it had been all day. And I started worrying. And so I was on my way to go and talk to one of the ski patrol and tell them the situation. And I look up the mountain and I see this guy skiing down real slow and a little kid sitting on the front of his skis. And I realized it's Carrie and then Melissa behind carrying all of that equipment as she was trying to ski down behind them. And I knew that I was in trouble at that point.
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Yeah. And like I said, this was our first, and I think it was just like, because it was like our first experience, right. And just not having any idea that how different it was. And then there was going to be like a million different trails to where then you couldn't find us. And I remember it was, it was snowing so hard that even though we had like, whatever, like my whole, like, I just was like covered in. You know, and it's interesting, I think even at that time, I don't think you like, I don't think we had helmets. And I don't know if that was like, now, now you wear a helmet. And, and it just makes sense to wear a helmet. But I don't think then we did. And I think like, just like my whole head carries all that, like, whatever, it was just like, completely just like ice or whatever. So
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yeah, it was
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Yeah, I don't know. Like, what did we do? Like, I guess I just don't even remember. Like, I don't remember. Like, I guess we have to go to the bathroom. I guess we didn't get thirsty. I guess we're just like so focused on how are we going to get this tower? How am I going to get this child? You know, down the mountain, I guess we just kind of like a few steps
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at a time. I don't know. So anyway, so Melissa was pretty chilly to me
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for the rest of that trip. But I'm So when we were going to take our son and he was a little bit older than she had been at this time, we were just like, you know what? Beaver Creek has is known for like its ski school. Like, I mean, most of these places have the ski school, but it's known for its ski school. And so it's just like, OK, let's do this one. Right. We'll put him in ski school at least one day. And I think I had talked to them if, you know, can we extend? And, you know, yes, of course. You know, because, of course, that's that's just the services and stuff they have. If you know, if he needs to do more, but just having somebody And poor thing, he was the oldest kid because, right, you go out there and there's like kids who they've just like learned how to walk and they're on the little skis or whatever. So he was a good sport. He was the oldest kid and he did really well
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and picked it up. Let's talk about the span of time between those trips as well. Right. So he's like six months old when we did Big Sky. He
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was yeah so he was in the so just saying he was in the lodge and what Scott was talking about who was in there like so Scott's dad and stepmom and then they kept him in the lodge and just hung out you know all day while while we did this so that's what he was talking about so yes Will was about six months old then
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Yeah. And so when we went and put him in ski school, he was going into middle school. Yeah. I think he was
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in middle school. Or
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already in
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middle school.
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Yeah. Something like that. So, you know, a dozen years had passed between the time that we have done this. So I think Melissa and I may have gone skiing one time in between. You know, we enrolled him in the ski school. He goes in and picks it up. We check in on him a few times throughout the day, you know, and the guy was like, oh, he's picking it up. He's he's doing fine, stuff like that. And so, you know, the next day, Will joins us up again, the top of the mountain. But this time we we all go down the Green slopes together, take it nice and easy. Let him practice the things that he had learned in ski school. And then, you know, and imagine that time that we went down big sky. We didn't have cell phones,
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right? Or, or if we did,
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it was like emergency cell phone,
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right? This, that story. Okay. So that took place like in early 2002. So yeah, no, we wouldn't have had, yeah.
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Yeah. And so now, and even
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then you wouldn't have used them cause it'd be like roaming or something. So
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no, we didn't have cell phone. And so now, you know, this time that he goes down, he's got a GoPro, he's got a cell phone and he is just loving it, creating that content already. And, uh, so anyhow, it was a much different experience going through and we would just say, If you're going with someone who doesn't know anything about skiing, doesn't matter their age, take that time, invest in ski school first, learn how the basics of skiing, and then go up and try to ski. The way that I was taught, it was effective enough to teach me how, but I don't think you want to go out to the Rockies and take that same approach.
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No. Yes. And I will say too. So like Scott and I, we, we enjoy going, we don't do like, we're not fast. We don't do like black diamond, double black diamond. Well, we've gotten in little short trails that are a little bit of black and it's like, okay, that was, yeah, we got down, but we just enjoy the scenery and just kind of like taking it
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easy. So just so you
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have the words. Yeah. So that's our, that's our approach to this. Yeah. So those kind of slopes as well. So just so you know, we're not like world-class. But, you
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know, it's important to note that every type of trail that you could want is there. Oh, yes, absolutely. Yes.
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Every type of trail that you could want is at Beaver Creek. And I think that's the great thing about it is that and so even that people who do like the double black and all that, like then, you know, then they merge into, you know, some of the other some of the other different trails as well. So. So that was the two reasons that we actually did that. And so then let's talk about how to get to Beaver Creek. So there's a couple of ways that you can do that. The first time that we went, we flew in and out of Denver. So it's about a two hour drive to Avon, Beaver Creek. from Denver. You also pass like Keystone, Breckenridge, those would be closer to Denver. And then Vail is very close. And so you can fly to Denver to get to all those locations as well. And then on our last trip, we flew in and out of Eagle Regional Airport, which is just, I guess that would be a little bit more west, 30 minutes on the other side of Beaver Creek, Avon. And so we actually were able to find that flight. It's a direct flight from Atlanta. So like, you could make a connection or but it is actually direct direct flights from lots of big cities in the US. And so definitely check that as an option. Because I think I remember when we book this, it was actually not any more points. to and I think we did a combination of like points we had a companion certificate and it wasn't any more expensive and points to go there than it was to fly to Denver and then now we did rent a car because you really do need a car in that that Avonvale area but it wasn't any more expensive so definitely don't just say okay we got to fly to Denver you know check out I know that there's features like on Google Flights where you can check out, okay, what other airports are around here and then just be aware of that because it wasn't a lot more expensive and that can save you a lot of time. Because the other thing you need to be aware of when driving like that, like if there is a bad storm or if there's a whiteout or whatever, that two hours or an accident or something like that, road closed that two hours could turn into like missing days of skiing and stuff like that. So getting as close as you can. Um, and so then either way, you're going to need to rent a car. So it's just, I guess you wouldn't have to, but I feel like Beaver Creek or Avon Beaver Creek area would just be too hard to get around. Don't you think Scott, with just a shuttle, you enjoy it a lot more if you have a car.
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Yeah, I mean, they have the shuttle. You could also do Uber, but I think it's just one of those where if you had your own vehicle, because you're going to need to transport your skis and stuff like that. That's something to think about when you land and you're choosing your vehicle off the lot is think about putting equipment into this vehicle to go up to the, to the lodge and, and to go skiing.
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Yeah, so and let's talk about the logistics of that one because it is a little different and also depending on where you stay. So where we have stayed is at the Sheraton Lakeside Terrace Villas, Mountain Vista. So I'll put a link to that. And that is in the little town of Avon. So this is like at the bottom of the mountain. And then we've also stayed and it's there like those two are within walking distance. It's at the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa. And so they both have villas and then the Westin also has hotel rooms as well. And so what we like about the villas is that we can stop by the grocery store and we can get like breakfast items, snack items, you know, stuff to pop popcorn and, you know, have drinks and stuff like that to keep in the villa. And then also they have washers and dryers. And so that makes it really nice for skiing so you can wash that you know, a weird combination between wet and sweaty type of gear. And so you can wash that kind of stuff. So that makes it nice and not have to carry so much. So, so this one is a little different because these are at like, so they're in this little town of Avon and you go, you have to drive a little bit up the mountain to get to the little, I don't know, it's, it's not really a town of Beaver Creek. Right. But it's like, it's almost like a resort created you know, Beaver Creek. So yes, there are hotels. So you don't have to stay in the places that we're talking about. So you can then stay in Beaver Creek resort area. So there's several hotels there. And then, of course, you could rent houses. You could rent the ski in and ski out houses as well. That would be along those like through VRBO and Airbnb. So what we liked about the difference between the two places we stayed, that western riverfront, is there is a lift right there. So there is a ski valet and you've got the lockers and you can keep all your stuff. So that makes it super convenient. But one thing that you do need to know about that lift is that lift doesn't take you directly to the base of Beaver Creek. So like let's say for example you couldn't go for the first time and then be planning on taking lessons and take that lift up because that's not going to take you anywhere near where you need to go plus you're going to have to ski down to get to another place and so at least that Well, I guess if you know how to ski and all that, you wouldn't have to do that because we actually could collect our skis and everything at that pro shop or the, what do they call them, ski outfitters or whatever right there at the Weston as well. But you would need to take the shuttle or drive or something up to the base of that Beaver Creek to get to the ski school or if you were, you know, taking advantage of you know, childcare or something like that to get to that little village.
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Or if you had rented your skis from the Beaver Creek Resort, you got to go there first to get your skis from the ski shop. Yeah, that's true. So
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in that case, just kind of be aware if you stay at that Beaver Creek Avon, be aware of like where you plan to pick up skis and things like that. I think that's an important distinction.
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So I think our top recommendation, though, is the Westin. Stay at the Westin, use the valet, rent your skis right there from the ski shop at the Westin. And so if you know how to ski, you're set, right? You just jump right on the lift right there. You can take several lifts that'll get you all over the mountain. You may have to ski down to different lifts to get to the other side of the mountain, but you're set going right there from the Westin. Yeah.
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But like I said, there's other hotels like in that. So if you prefer that in like that Beaver Creek Village, there are other hotels there. And then the one where you take that lift over and then ski down, I believe that's like a Four Seasons too, right? Or I believe it is. I'll have to look at that. But I think so. I mean, there's lots of options, but that's just kind of we have done and what
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we have enjoyed there. Not the one where the
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ambulance picks you up. Yes. The one where the ambulance picks you up. Yes. Yes. That one.
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There's another whole story there. So Will, our son, his, his fiance, or his now wife, but was his fiance. Then we took her ski and put her in ski school. And then, uh, convinced her to go up and ski down the mountain with us. And the very first time that she pointed her skis downhill, she ended up tearing her ACL and took the ride down with the ski patrol and directly to the little ambulance thing.
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Yes. So they took great care of her and had her, you know, miraculously, at least for temporarily like walking, doing some physical therapy, stuff like that, trying to get it. But, but yeah, unfortunately, but yes. So. Emily and Carrie have said from now on, we can go, we'll, you know, plan a ski trip anytime. But the two of them are like, we are going to enjoy the hot chocolate and or less than a second. Martin, I'm trying to say Martini's and Prosecco in the light by the fire, not on the ski slopes with sin will. Yeah. So let's talk a little bit about the ticket. So the tickets for, uh, Beaver Creek is through, uh, a group called, it's called an Epic Pass basically. So this is, there's lots of different ski resorts that are then on this Epic Pass. There's like six places in the Rockies, including Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Park City. There's also resorts in Washington, California, lots of places in Pennsylvania, Ohio, in the Northeast. So depending on where you are going to ski, I would definitely like, that would be like, so unless you're like us, where we started with, okay, we have like this hotel thing and we can use it here or here or here, right? If that's not a consideration for you, I would almost start with like, let's look at this epic pass and let's look at where we can go. And we'll talk about the other one here in a second. And then kind of see, because if you're going to go to there and somewhere else, or you want to, you know, let's say, depend, let's say you live in the northeast or something like that, or close by, and you want to go, you know, to a couple of different places, it might be a definitely, well, it would definitely be advantageous for you to pick like let's say the epic pass we can go here and here right because then it would be included for the same price you could almost be you would come out better as like a season pass but it also depends on so like for example going to beaver creek is actually on like the highest tier right so go in those places like veil and beaver creek and keystone those are like on the highest tier so those are always going to be like the most expensive And then just depending on how many days you're going to ski. And then if you want to go on the ones where they have like the blackout dates, which I think is like Thanksgiving, Christmas, you know, Martin Luther King, stuff like that, then those are going to be most expensive. So just take a look at that. And then the other thing that I would say is like if you if it's the fall and it's like around like right before Thanksgiving, that's when the prices of these are the absolute cheapest. So if you've already booked your hotel, you know you're going, your flight, all that kind of stuff. Don't sit on the tickets and just say, I'm going to get them later. Because if you already know you're going and you already know your dates, before they do that, the prices go up, right? That is the absolute cheapest and that can save you a lot of money. So just know that. And the reason I know that is because we've been and so I get the little emails and stuff like that. So, you know, get on their mailing list, even if you don't want to book it. Like, let's say you plan your trip in the summer. You don't want to buy them then, but go ahead and get on their alerts or something like that. So you'll know that to buy them before the prices go up, for example.
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And so it's important to note and, and understand is this Epic pass. Like you could use it at any of those resorts that are within that tier level. And so for example, we could have taken our skis and gone over to Vail and skied at Vail. We just really enjoyed Beaver Creek. You know what you're doing, you know, the trails, those types of things. And we, we stuck to that.
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Yes, we could have absolutely done that with the with the passes that we had we had purchased. So about the slopes at Beaver Creek. So from the ski school to the double plat to the double black slopes, they've also opened this new, it's almost like a free freestyle in the way of you're thinking like Olympics, but like, what would you say like, not quite as groomed trails.
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They call it a ski park. So it's partially groomed trails and then un-groomed trails that go through this area. And it's kind of like a bowl, if you will. It was interesting. It opened on the day while we were there. It was supposed to open during the pandemic, and I think they pushed it out. And so we were there for opening day, and we were some of the first people to ski through there. And I'm just going to tell you, that's tough skiing. You know, we got into some of the ungroomed trails and, you know, you make one mistake and your ski tip goes down into that unpacked snow. And all of a sudden you're upside down with your feet up in the air and you're, you know, three or four feet down under the snow. And you got to try to figure out how to get out of there.
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Yeah, but that was, that was a lot of fun. They had a lot of, a good variety of not, it wasn't super, it wasn't like steep. It was just a good variety of like wide pass through the woods. Like you're saying, just kind
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of, it typically don't go through the woods. I mean, that's, that's a recipe for concussion or broken bones or, you know, heck even death. Right. You got to know what you're doing before you start skiing off through the woods. And we're just not that level of skiers. We enjoy taking it easy and we're perfectly fine taking the green path all the way down the mountain and enjoying the views and the vistas, stopping, taking pictures, you know, doing whatever. That's, that's our style of skiing.
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So we also really love Beaver Creek and I guess it's this way everywhere, but I just feel like Beaver Creek is just such a good variety of if you want to do a little piece that's a little more challenging and then it just kind of goes back in. So the way they've got the trails woven back and forth, you could say, okay, this time I'm going to go down this little piece to give myself a little bit more challenge and then I can join the green and the blue. So there's all kinds of different ways you could go up to the top. and come down a different way every single time. And then like I said, we figured out how we could access to go down to that West End, et cetera. So that makes it a lot of fun. And then Scott, what would you say the number one reason that
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people should go ski at Beaver Creek? I'm gonna tell you, I've asked people what their favorite resort is, and they all say Beaver Creek for this reason, and it's the hot chocolate chip cookies at the end of the day.
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Yeah, so at the end of the day, you are skiing down and they come. Chef people come out with like their chef's hat on and like their restaurant. I'm sure it has a certain name, but the restaurant, the gear that they wear and they have these just platters of warm chocolate chip cookies. And so, you know, I don't know what an hour or so maybe before it's like official closing time. And that whole time they're just bringing out platters and platters and platters of chocolate chip cookies. And then they've got like fire pit pits at the bottom and places you can sit and get, you know, get drinks and stuff like that. So make s'mores and. So yeah, that's definitely something that that Beaver Creek is known
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for. Yeah. But after a full day of skiing, you're pretty shot. And that's why you're not going to hear us talk about a lot of nightlife and things like that. You know, full day of being on the mountain and putting in a lot of skiing. All you're looking for is a shower, some dry clothes, something to eat, and then heading off to bed.
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Yeah, maybe watching a TV show or a movie or something like that. That's definitely true. So let's talk about where to eat. So we're going to name just a couple of places that just kind of stick out in our mind because you know you can go on Google Maps or ask at the hotel or whatever. Now I would say like It is convenient to, I mean, yes, you can go up to the top of mountain and then you can grab breakfast before you go. You can come and grab lunch and it's decent. It's going to be pretty expensive. We found, you know, in the ski resorts. And so we've kind of done a combination just depending on how we felt this last. The time when we could ski down to the West and a lot of times we would ski down there and go to the Villa and have some lunch. Cause you just kind of get tired of eating out all the time. Um, but we have had times when we've been on top of these mountain where if you're up at the top. And I think this really applies more to does it apply more to steamboat or was one of the first times where we were up at the top and there there's a couple of places where you could stop right and you can pop in and get lunch. So it kind of just depends on where you are at. But just know that is, you know, going to be a good bit more expensive. So here's the places in town. So there's a place in Avon called Bob's Place. They are open like early in the morning, like at 7 breakfast, lunch, dinner, sports bar open till 2 a.m. Everything that we had like burgers and fries wings, but for breakfast, they have pancakes and French toast. And I mean, everything was fabulous. They are so Bob's place.
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Yeah. Great portions too. You know, is you're really hungry having burn off all of those calories and stuff like that. Skiing really good portions there at Bob's and the food was good. Yeah,
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the food was really good. And then if you're in the mood for sushi, this is a place that we actually, Scott and I went there twice. And so that's why we're going to mention it. So Nozawa, N-O-Z-A-W-A, sushi and teppanyaki. So we just, we enjoy sushi, but like this was just a step like above, like really, really good. In Avon, if you want something a little nicer, we did have a nice meal at Northside Kitchen, a little bit more expensive. And then I think we stopped in to pick up some German desserts at Ein Prusset. And of course, like that would be a German beer garden restaurant, German food as well. So. Yeah,
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we didn't eat at this German restaurant because there's another one in Vail that we went to.
00:29:47 SPEAKER_01
Yeah, so what we typically try to do is we'll do a day or two of skiing and then do like off day and then ski some more. So and then on for off day, I mean, there's lots of things you can go do. There's, you know, there's places where you could go do snowmobiles. you know, a lot of places or go like the, like the tubing, snow, snow tubes and, you know, sledding, I guess it would be called and stuff like that. So there's lots of different activities. So this particular, in this particular area, we would really recommend you just take a day and go and walk around Vail. So Vail is just a beautiful little village. actually I mean it seems pretty big like little bridges that you can walk over it's just it's just really quaint so even if you don't ski there and so Avon not so much right you would just say Avon it doesn't unlike a lot of little Colorado towns that you see Avon doesn't really have a like a downtown right it just seems to be more just it's Because I mean, it is Avon's right by the interstate. And it's just so it's just going to be like your shopping centers type of hotels, things like that. So it doesn't have the same feel as some of the other Colorado towns. And so that was why we enjoyed Vale. And it's just beautiful. So Vale is also interesting
00:30:57 SPEAKER_00
if it's snowing.
00:30:58 SPEAKER_01
Yeah, especially if it's snowing. Vail is interesting because like, obviously, if you're going to go and stay there, right, and you have your hotel there and you could, there are hotels right where the slopes come down, but people who come in for the day, like where you're parking in the parking deck, we have a lot of parking decks there, because there's no cars in So the village, there's no cars in the, like they're pedestrian streets, I guess I should say. So you kind of park in these decks and then you walk to the slopes. And so, you know, people are carrying their skis and stuff like that. So it's really kind of like a walk-in village, unless you're, you're staying there. So there's a fun store called Kimo Sabe. I think there's also one in Las Vegas, maybe a couple of other places where you can do custom Stetson cowboy hats. And so that was something for the boys that was like Sky had always wanted one. But it's one of those things where you really need to like try it on and see how it looks. And so that that's just like what would you call it like a boutique experience. right where you're you're going in and you're working there's a line outside right and when when you go in that shop then you're working with somebody and they're trying on different things and then they take it right you can get your the band customized you know have feathers added get it monogrammed enjoy adult beverages while you shop and then of course they have other leather goods and stuff too hats for men and women and other other products as well but just that's a unique shop a unique experience there at Kimo Sabe. Yeah,
00:32:26 SPEAKER_00
you go through and basically you're picking out a style and then they take a just a blank template of a hat and they use the steam and everything and they mold that hat into the shape and stuff for you. And so you're not just going and buying a hat off the shelf. They're actually custom making this hat for you. They trim it. They do everything there. Yeah.
00:32:56 SPEAKER_01
And so one thing I actually thought about today, a lot of times I've said in these episodes, Oh, you know, when these air, go look at, you know, we'll put something on Instagram, like a video or a reel or some pictures or something like that. But I don't know why this has just occurred to me today is that in the show notes, then once I post those, I'm going to have a link to those. Right. So you could go see, okay, you know, here's the guys in there in there. Stetson cowboy hat or here's what that video of the snow on the bridge that we haven't mentioned it yet the bridge that we're going to talk about what that looks like. So I can actually put some links and then it'll take you to the to the Instagram and you can actually kind of see visually what what that looks like. Also
00:33:37 SPEAKER_00
lots of ski shops. If there's something that you've realized that you don't have that you need, you can find that there in Vail. There is a great, I think we should say it, in Avon, there is a great snow ski store there. And you go in and for some reason, you know, your ski gear is not working right. You know, your pants and jacket and stuff like that. You can get all of that across all price points. So from, you know, just entry level stuff all the way up to the, what is it? Holly Hanson. Holly
00:34:11 SPEAKER_01
Hanson. Oh, and then, well, and then, and, and beyond.
00:34:15 SPEAKER_00
And beyond.
00:34:16 SPEAKER_01
Yeah. Yeah. way beyond that. And I would say so like if you don't like us and you don't live in a ski destination yeah you could go buy the stuff but you can probably pay a lot more there they're gonna have things like already on sale like even if you're there like in January and stuff like that they're gonna have sales and you can get some really good deals on things so I would say if you don't feel like you have everything that you need, we usually don't, obviously, because I mean the slopes close, you know, you need getting off the slopes, like some of them, like the way up, right, they're closing at like 3, 3.30, 4 at the latest. So we're having a travel day. And so we'll get there and, you know, get settled and get snacks. And then if we feel like there's something that we need, so I wouldn't feel like the pressure to go buy a bunch, you know, go buy stuff. You'd shop and that's kind of fun too, right? To go get the stuff there. So like Melissa said,
00:35:04 SPEAKER_00
I don't think you're going to get it cheap or taking it with you.
00:35:08 SPEAKER_01
No. Yeah. So just, we've just always found everything's, you know, has really good deals and stuff like that. So, but we do want to talk about one place in particular, a German place that we ate. If you're going to do this one for dinner, definitely make reservations. We got super lucky. We just kind of got into Vail and said, Hey, you know, found, I don't know. I think we were shopping. We probably went to one of those ski shops. Right. And I think we asked the girl, Hey, where should we grab lunch? And she said, Oh, if you can get in this place. So it's called Alpenrose Vail. And so it is a German place and absolutely fantastic food. and drinks and they have some little drink special things but their specialty if you can get a reservation for that for dinner is they have these gondolas that you can eat at right so they're sitting outside and it's like a fondue I think it's more like a prefix like fondue type of a meal to eat in those so that's kind of their that's kind of their thing but if you can just go there and have lunch and I mean fantastic like German apple strudel desserts and pretzels and soups and stuff like that so Alpenrose Vale and just absolutely I mean it's just the cutest place too so definitely recommend that and then just walking around like Scott said if it's snowing or it's around Christmas time and they still have you know like Christmas lights or Christmas decorations up just a beautiful place look for the covered bridge You'll see a lot of skiers, you know, going across that with their gear and then the church. So just a beautiful little place to walk around for the day too.
00:36:40 SPEAKER_00
Yeah, one of the things, uh, you know, we said we, we didn't ski in Vail, although we could have. And one of the reasons why, and I just thought about this is, uh, if, if you're not staying at a resort there in Vail, you got to park over in the town, in these parking decks, and then you got to walk in all of, with all of your gear up to the slopes. And so I think that's really the main reason why we never went over there and went skiing.
00:37:09 SPEAKER_01
The main reason why I didn't is because you go to the base of that and it's like, looks like it's straight, straight down coming into, it probably is not. There's probably like a sideway, but to me it looks like, Oh, okay. Veil is like, you know, black coming into the slopes. But anyway, but you're right. And you see a lot of people doing that. Robbie's obviously local people who are, they are, who live close by and want to ski fail. They're going to park in those decks and just be prepared. You are going to pay, you know, there's not free parking at all. Yeah. No
00:37:38 SPEAKER_00
free parking.
00:37:39 SPEAKER_01
And so then now our second place that we want to talk about is Steamboat is actually a ski resort and it's located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. So Steamboat Springs is about three hours. It's north, mostly north, a little bit west of Denver. And so how would you get there? So we actually flew into, it's called the Steamboat Springs Bob Adams Airport. And so when I was doing some checking and looking, you know, I just assumed, okay, we're going to do the same thing. We're going to fly into Denver. We're going to rent a car. And then I don't know how I happened to cross it, but it was like, oh, the, you know, seasonally, right. And I think there's really, I think there's like one flight a day from Atlanta anyway, there's a direct flight. So, I mean, it's not a big airport. I think there was like one or two baggage claims, but it does handle a larger Delta jet, right? Like not a huge one, but a larger Delta jet. There is one flight a day. And we, again, did not find it any more expensive to do that than go into Denver. And so in this particular case, that saved us even from having to rent a car. So Steamboat is a lot different feel. So we just book transportation to the hotel. And then Steamboat has a little bus, like a little, yeah, like a little city van. But I mean, it's not, what would you say? It's not really a big bus. It's not a van. It's like one of those airport shuttle, maybe. And that's what like in the town. So you could like go out behind the hotel and then it'll take you downtown. I mean, you could walk, but it's just really not far at all. And then go to the shops and the restaurants and stuff like that. So Steamboat Springs then feels like a little bit more quaint Colorado town, wouldn't you say? And then that resort is is close by. And so that saved us. So even if it's a little bit more expensive, thinking about not having to rent a car. And then also thinking about three hours from Denver, that's six hours total. And then if you got in traffic or there was like that could definitely delay your trip. So definitely look into that. That's the Steamboat Springs, Bob Adams Airport. And so that was super helpful. We stayed at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villa. So again, that was a villa where we had washer and dryer, little efficiency kitchen. And what we loved about Steamboat, though, is it was right there at the bottom of those slopes. that particular resort right so we had planned ahead we had put in our rental order for our gear right there once we got there and got settled we went and got all that taken care of so we could get our boots and skis oh and that's the other thing too we didn't mention that I mentioned like having your travel day and getting there and so if you are not a skier where you do this all the time and you are renting typically you'll bring goggles but you'll rent a helmet maybe Did we rent helmets? I think so. Rent a helmet, rent boots, rent skis, rent poles. So you're going to, that's another thing you're going to need to do and plan for and, you know, make sure you put for the rental day when you get there too, because in that next morning, you're going to want to do that. So then we could take care of all that. And then it was just walk out, go over to the bottom of the lift and just get on. So that was the thing we loved about Steamboat. And I would say similar ski difficulty, right? Like they have everything from, you know, easy enough for us to all the way to black diamond
00:40:59 SPEAKER_00
as well. It's interesting. That one actually had a little park where you could go in and do like jumps and rails and stuff like that as well.
00:41:11 SPEAKER_01
Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. Yes. Um, the other thing not that we were
00:41:15 SPEAKER_00
doing jump rails Yeah, we didn't do jumps
00:41:18 SPEAKER_01
and rails, but y'all did a little something some little, you know Trying out little bitty jumps or something like that. The other neat thing about steamboat springs is they have I guess it's a little slope that maybe they use for competitions. And so few times or on select nights, it's they have night skiing. So basically, because they have that they have lights they can turn on. So they have the ability to light it up. So it's not like going all the way up the mountain. So We actually did that one of the, we may have done that the night that we got there to just like, you can get your ski legs, you know, get all our stuff, whatever, and do that for a couple of hours, just to kind of get your ski legs on. So that would be the only exception. So that is something Steamboat Springs, Steamboat does have that Beaver Creek did not. I do think that was a separate ticket or you had to pay a little bit of extra for that. And it wasn't every night or anything like that. But so just be aware of that. That might be something neat or fun. Yeah,
00:42:16 SPEAKER_00
and we had not planned this, but there were actually a couple of special events while we were there. So they had, uh, one night they had a balloon glow. They had all these hot air balloons, very colorful balloons and stuff like that. And, uh, they put them out on the slopes after the slopes closed and they would light them up with the, you know, by filling them up with the heat and stuff like that, the fire. And so that was pretty interesting.
00:42:44 SPEAKER_01
Yeah, that was really, that was really beautiful with at night with the balloons and then having the glow and then
00:42:52 SPEAKER_00
snow. Yeah. And then I think the actual cowboy downhill was maybe the day after we left, but we started to see participants that were going to be in this cowboy downhill doing practice runs and stuff like that. on the day that we left. And so we got to watch a little bit of that, you know, and they would come in and they would definitely use those jumps and things like that and do tricks and all of that stuff.
00:43:19 SPEAKER_01
Yeah, so the Cowboy Downhill is actually held on Martin Luther King Day every year. And so in 2024, it's actually the 49th annual Cowboy Downhill. And so we just we didn't realize it was that weekend. And so you're right, I think we actually flew home on Martin Luther King Day that year. And so we didn't get to see that. But yeah, it began 49 years ago, the Steamboats Director of Skiing and then An all-around world champion cowboy decided that they would invite pro rodeo stars to Steamboat for a day of skiing. And so they had so much fun and it was so much fun. The event was so much fun that it became a popular event. And so over 100 of the best professional rodeo cowboys compete every year in this unique ski rodeo. And so basically what it is, the race starts, cowboys and cowgirls ski down a dual slalom course. They go over a jump. So that's what you were talking about, like they have those there. They go over the jump, they lasso a person, they saddle a horse, and then they cross the finish line. The dual slalom is followed by a stampede event, which is a mass start. And then the first, so that's basically a downhill, right? That's the cowboy downhill. And then the first one to the bottom wins. And so you're right. They, we saw them skiing down in their chaps the day before, like not a lot of gear, right? So they would just have like the skis and their chaps and like a cowboy shirt, you know, like a radio shirt and their big belt buckles and stuff like that. So that was neat to just, you know, see that, but yeah. And I think that that balloon glow was part of that as well. And so that's an annual event. So if you can hit it that particular weekend, that just made it extra special. And then your brother and sister-in-law actually went to Steamboat on that same weekend, a different year, and got to witness that. And speaking of which, so I mentioned, we mentioned about putting Will in ski school and then these are available. So they had actually not skied or not skied in a long time. And so they decided to do adult lessons on their first day and had a fantastic experience. So I think if that's something that you're interested in, I would just plan to book those in advance. So both of the times with Will and then with Will and Emily, I've always gone online or called and book those in advance because you don't want to get out there and then they, you know, they're filled up or whatever if you plan on doing that. So definitely do that. So, and I don't know if it was on this trip, I guess it, I don't know if it was on this trip or it was our first trip. One of the days, like it had started out really, really cold. Do you remember this? It started out really, really cold. And then by the last day we were skiing, it had warmed up so much that the snow conditions, it was like super slushy. And the. The girls, probably local people who are used to the cold, like they were skiing down in their bikini tops and stuff like that. I mean, we had taken our jackets off cause you know, we're not quite so used to the cold, but. And another thing I wanted to mention talking about that night skiing also reminded me another reason that we like this kind of trip or this kind of trip is like an activity slash vacation is because we mentioned that those slopes close like early right gets dark and so they close and so then you really do get that relaxing time you go back you have a shower you decide what you're going to do for dinner and then but then you can call it a night or watch movies or whatever you know, if you choose to. I mean, yes, you could probably go, you know, stay a long time and, you know, find stuff to do, but it's also a time you could definitely relax or like go to the hot tub that Weston at. The Western Riverside and Avon had a fabulous, like they had two or three hot tubs and it overlooks like the slopes. And you could see, you could sit there and watch the. What do you call those? The grooming ski, the cats, the cats, like grooming the slopes with their lights on and stuff like that. You sit there and watch that. And it felt so good. And you just, but you didn't want to get out because you're like, you knew like literally your body was going to freeze, like trying to get out from the, from the hot tub to get back in the locker room.
00:47:08 SPEAKER_00
Yeah, it was negative, you know, negative degree temperatures outside. You know, just as soon as you got out, everything started freezing.
00:47:16 SPEAKER_01
Yeah. And that reminded me too, we didn't do it, but I do believe at steamboat, that is another experience that you can book that there's a, there's a restaurant up top to where I think you could ski to it during the day. But at night, if you make reservations for that, you actually take one of the snow, you take one of the
00:47:33 SPEAKER_00
snow cats to go up
00:47:34 SPEAKER_01
there. So that might be something for, you know, that might be something really special that you want to look into for steamboat, because that would be a neat experience as well.
00:47:44 SPEAKER_00
And I think in Steamboat also, and you might do it as an excursion, there are a number of hot springs that you can go to.
00:47:53 SPEAKER_01
Yes, that's true. Yeah. Yeah. So, but you could probably book that. Yeah. As an excursion and get transportation or drive there. Like if you rented a car, that was just not something we, that trip for us was like a short Martin Luther King. I don't think on that one, we actually did a day off. We may have only skied a couple of days and yeah, that was a short, like a, we did the night skiing, two days of skiing and then went home. That was a shorter trip for us.
00:48:15 SPEAKER_00
Well, let's, uh, let's bring this to, to a close here, Melissa, you know, this is a destination. And so with all destinations, we always ask you, what do you need to pack?
00:48:26 SPEAKER_01
So ski pants and the ski jacket. And like we mentioned, if you don't have those, there's plenty of places to buy those, to upgrade those, you know, to try them on and see. And I would definitely say when you're trying those on to make sure that you have on your long underwear or your sweater or your sweatshirt or whatever it is that you're going to wear as your base layer, make sure you have plenty of room in those as well. So then of course, long underwear, pants and top, we've always found great Deals on those that like Costco like that 32 degrees and stuff like that, right? Matter
00:49:00 SPEAKER_00
of fact in right outside of Beaver Creek right outside the airport there. There is a Costco that you could stop by. Oh
00:49:07 SPEAKER_01
yeah, that's true. That's true. And, but I'm sure like if you didn't have access to it, like they sell those on Amazon and stuff too, but that's a great brand inexpensive. And, you know, and get like a, like for women, like get a pack of several, uh, of those, like the leggings. Cause then you could like have them for skiing, be washing them, have them
00:49:27 SPEAKER_00
on, you know, in the room and stuff. Marino wool's good for that because, you know, it wicks away the moisture and also dries quickly. So.
00:49:35 SPEAKER_01
Then, of course, you want thicker wool-like socks that are going to be warm but wick away the moisture as well. When you go do your boots and all that, you'll wear something like what you wear. I would recommend having something where you have several pairs that are the same so that when they fit you for those and You know, figure how all your settings are going to be. It's going to feel the same every single day. I wouldn't do, you know, change the thickness of the stock. So several pairs of, you know, whatever it is that you like to wear. And then of course, ski gloves or mittens. And then you're going to want, you know, like a hat, something to cover your ears and neck. Those neck gaiters are great. Or the mask ones. Last time you had found us some little things that go over our nose and mouth to like, keep us,
00:50:24 SPEAKER_00
keep that, keep that warm. Well, still kind of pandemic time. And so these were these were masks, but then they had a band. It was like a bandana. Oh, that's true. So it's really kind of dual purpose. But that
00:50:36 SPEAKER_01
would that would be great, too. And I would say, too, like you could wear but you could also wear a turtleneck sweater, sweatshirts that are comfortable, you know, nothing too confining. And then I would definitely say bring a pair of shoes that are easy to slip on and off. Like when you You can wear them, get your ski stuff, you can easily slip them on and off. And the best ones I've found, it's like some like slip on like stuff like the UGG boots or some of those just like kind of salty boots that are good for walking in the snow that have a little traction too. Are
00:51:07 SPEAKER_00
the crocs with the lining on the inside? Yeah,
00:51:09 SPEAKER_01
the crocs with the lining. Just something that's going to be like, we're not going to sit down and like tie, you know, tennis shoes, just something that you can slip on and off as well. And then as far as like dinner and stuff like that, I would really say more of the same. So like females, like if you can do leggings and stuff like that, I don't, I don't jeans like jeans are really warm and then they just feel heavy and like if they get wet and they just don't feel like for me. So when we do ski trips, I usually like to bring some different types of leggings and that's just like dual purpose. They're good for travel. They're good for relaxing. They're good for like black ones. You can go out to dinner and then just like bigger sweatshirt and sweaters that also then you can just wear with your ski jacket and the same boots and not bring a bunch of clothes. Last times I brought too many clothes. And again, that was, you said pandemic and we were just out of practice on traveling. But again, having that washer and dryer was big help. And then the last thing I would say, ibuprofen and Biofreeze.
00:52:06 SPEAKER_00
You're definitely going to want the matter of fact, you probably want to pregame with the ibuprofen.
00:52:12 SPEAKER_01
One other thing I wanted to say too is that that first day when you go, just a tip that actually just came to mind, that first day when you go, if you're in a place that's like higher altitude, that first day will help you acclimate as well. So drinking plenty of water, when you go trying to limit trying to limit your alcohol, especially on that first day. And if you are going to drink like like do it slowly because it has like the effect could be very different until you get used to that altitude as well. And so also like you could look into this, but I've read that like taking like a vitamin E supplement can also help with that altitude sickness as well. Great
00:52:54 SPEAKER_00
suggestions. Well, I'm currently in a walking boot due to an injury to my Achilles, so I don't think skiing is in our immediate future, not to mention all the other trips that we've planned for 2024. There are so many great places to visit for winter sport activities, and we have quite a few on our bucket list. Now we just need more time. Where is your favorite place to go skiing and why? Send us a message and let us know. We are always inspired by your travel stories.
00:53:24 SPEAKER_01
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