Banff

Is it possible to stay in Denver (cost saving) and drive to and from ski resorts each day?
We were leaning toward skiing Cooper (NOT Copper).
Can you also tell me what the drive is like from Denver to Leadville?
Thanks

Melnq8

Denver to Ski Cooper is about a two hour drive, under the best of conditions. Denver to Leadville is about 1:45. Most of the drive is via I-70 which can be good, or a nightmare. Same with Cooper, which is on the same route, just 10 miles past Leadville.

Of course these times depend on where in Denver you're staying. Staying on the west side makes more sense and will prevent having to drive through Denver traffic in addition to getting up I-70. You might look at Lakewood or Golden, or better yet, maybe look at staying in Evergreen, which will cut the drive to about 90 minutes, depending on traffic, road conditions, etc.

So, yes, it's possible. Locals drive up to the ski areas for the day all the time. It might make sense for a single day, but not-so-much for multiple days.

Another option is to fly into Colorado Springs, drive to Buena Vista and stay there, then make day trips to Cooper and even Monarch. Buena Vista is a pretty little town with great views and affordable accommodation. Ski Cooper is less than an hour's drive from Buena Vista.

Details here:
https://leadville.com/getting-to-leadville/

Banff

Thank you Melnq8, We were looking at Golden and only planning on skiing one day.
I am checking flights right now for the other option you mentioned.

tomfuller

FYI: The Amtrak California Zephyr leaves Denver station at 8:05AM on the three days a week that it is currently running. I takes 2 hours to get to Fraser-Winter Park which has plenty of great skiing nearby. The return train is at WIP after 3PM on the following day for a two hour trip back to Denver. The transportation hub for Denver also includes a light rail line out to the Denver airport.
The February date that I checked had the westbound train leaving on Tuesday and the eastbound coming in on Wednesday. The coach fare each way is $20/pp.

Banff

Tom, Talk about a stress-free way of skiing! I did hear about that option but the limited schedule will not work with our needs.

Gretchen

IMO skiing for one day from Denver without your equipment (as you would have if a day skier from Denver) just makes for a long tiring day. And moreso since you may not be acclimated to the altitude. YOu may not be able to just "drop in" to a ski area and get on the slopes also--they may be liminting numbers.
Are you experienced skiers?

Jean

As Gretchen mentioned, if you're talking about THIS ski season, you need to check whether reservations are required where you want to ski. You would need to get tickets/reservations in advance which means you can't just follow the weather forecasts.