Keystone: The Ideal Resort for Beginners

I have written two previous articles (which can be found here: Five Best Cities in the United States for Skiing & Five Best Cities in Colorado for Skiing) that both rank Keystone Ski Resort in Colorado as one of my favorite places for skiing.

I will elaborate in this article why I believe Keystone Ski Resort is not often found on many other people's top choices.

A major reason I believe Keystone is one of the better resorts all of Colorado is because this where I learned to snowboard, at the age of 14. Before that age, I had always skied. During my 14th winter, my sister suggested we try snowboarding, and so we took a one-day crash course to learn the basics. I remember finding the teachers extremely relaxed. The class was self paced, as people have different learning curves. I learned rather quickly and was soon zooming down the blue and green courses, which are numerous. As opposed to Breckenridge or Vail, the majority of the trails at Keystone are either beginner or intermediate. There are 135 possible routes to choose from with 20 available lifts.

Because of this, I feel Keystone is the best place for beginners to learn.

One defining experience at Keystone that happened to me was that shortly after I began a descent on an intermediate trail, I took too sharp heel turn and fell down. While trying to get up, I accidentally ripped my inexpensive and sub-par quality glove that I had purchased at Wal-Mart before before our trip. A stranger saw me fall and asked if I was all right. They assisted me down the mountain, and at the bottom of the hill, the unknown person reached in his pocket and gave me a hand warmer for my cold hands. This caring atmosphere defines Keystone.

As far as accommodations go, Keystone is very plush and fancy. All the facilities were always clean and the service was timely. I give Keystone five out of five stars when it comes to luxury and treatment. Consequently, it tends to be rather expensive. A good rule of thumb to go by at Keystone is everything available for purchase at the resort is both quality and a little pricey. I still have the Oakley goggles I purchased over 15 years ago, as well as the ski cap that I use on crisp winter nights.

For restaurants, check out Aplenglow Stube for the scenery or the Ski Tip Lodge for ambiance and atmosphere.

I am a native Texan that enjoys winter sports including skiing, snowboarding and backpacking. I have traveled extensively through Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico.

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