List of Colorado Ski Resorts
There are 28 lift-served ski areas in Colorado and you will find them all listed on this page. Many of these ski resorts got their start after WWII, and since then the Colorado ski industry has become a booming business.
Full CO Ski Resorts List
Arapahoe Basin
Legendary status, underpriced, conveniently located, snow totals above average for Colorado.
Aspen Mountain
Glitz, glamour, and great skiing are all a part of the scene here, but none of it comes cheap in Aspen.
Aspen Highlands
This is the toughest of the 4 resorts in the Aspen/Snowmass area. The resort is located between Buttermilk Mountain and Aspen Mountain.
Beaver Creek
This is a luxury ski resort that is a short drive from Vail, in the same price range, and also owned by Vail Resorts.
Breckenridge
Breckenridge is one of Summit County’s ski resorts, and like many others, this one belongs to Vail Resorts. Breckenridge is generally considered to be a world-class resort but a level below Vail or Telluride.
Buttermilk
This is the smallest of the Aspen/Snowmass ski areas and it is known for being a beginner’s hill with a great top-to-bottom terrain park.
Copper Mountain
There is no category where Copper Mountain fails. It is in close proximity to many other world-class resorts and this makes it hard for Copper to stick out, so sometimes it seems a bit underrated.
Crested Butte
Located in the center of the state and deep in the mountains, Crested Butte has a reputation for having a great ski resort and a terrible post office.
Echo Mountain
This is a small ski area located less than a 1-hour drive from Denver, near Idaho Springs and Mt Evans. Echo Mountain has about 600 feet of vertical rise.
Eldora
Eldora is another ski resort that is in close proximity to Denver. Eldora is located to the north of I-70 and only about 30 minutes from Boulder.
Granby Ranch
Located just to the north of Winter Park, Granby Ranch boasts about 1,000 vertical feet of skiing and provides an affordable option to make some turns in Colorado’s Front Range.
Hesperus
A small natural snow ski hill with 700′ of vertical. Hesperus is located near Durango, CO.
Howelsen Hill
Located in Steamboat Springs with 440′ of vertical and a natural ski jumping complex with 7 jumps ranging from 10 m to 127 m. This is the home of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
Kendall
One of Colorado’s smallest ski hills, located in Silverton, CO and boasting only about 300′ of vertical.
Loveland
Close to Denver and high on the Continental Divide, almost everyone traveling west on I-70 into the mountains will pass by the Loveland Ski Area.
Keystone
Keystone has 3 mountains of great terrain, and might be the most family-friendly resort in Summit County. You can ski Keystone on the same lift ticket as Breckenridge.
Powderhorn
A small to medium-sized ski area located on Colorado’s Grand Mesa to the east of Grand Junction. This is a good family-friendly resort with lots of intermediate terrain.
Purgatory
This is a cool ski resort in SW Colorado, just to the north of Durango. It has a wide variety of terrain including the steep stuff on the backside.
Silverton
Experts only. Silverton is serviced by only one chairlift (with another being added). This ski area is primarily accessed by hiking and by helicopter.
Ski Cooper
A historical ski area that once served as the training grounds for the 10th Mountain Division during WWII. This is in central Colorado to the north of Leadville.
Steamboat
A well-rounded ski area with a world-class reputation to uphold. The lower portion offers night skiing now, and the base area here is always evolving as the resort develops.
Sunlight Mountain
Skiers and riders will find about 2,000 feet of vertical here and lift tickets at about half of the price of the nearby luxury resorts.
Telluride
Telluride is easily among Colorado’s top 3 resorts and it has a long list of credentials to back that up in almost every category. This resort is especially loved by expert skiers.
Vail
Right alongside of Telluride as one of Colorado’s top ski resorts, Vail boasts the most skiable acres of any resort in Colorado. The nightlife, shopping, and dining in the base area villages are abundant and uniquely Colorado.
Winter Park
This is the largest of the ski resorts in Colorado’s Front Range and it is about a 1.5-hour drive from Denver International Airport. You can also access Winter Park by train now from Denver’s Union Station.
Wolf Creek
Wolf Creek has a reputation for deep powder skiing and it is a destination for Rocky Mountain storm chasers throughout the season as the storms come and go.
Colorado Ski Resort FAQ
Vail is the largest ski resort when measured by acres (5,317 acres).
Which mountain has the most vertical? Snowmass, but you won’t be able to ski all 4,406′ in a single top to bottom run. Aspen Highlands comes in second here with 4,352′ of vertical, but the same is also true here.
Wolf Creek claims the highest average annual snowfall total with 430″.
Wolf Creek and Arapahoe Basin are usually the first ski resorts to open for the season in Colorado and they are often the first to open anywhere in the country.
