By Heather Burke
Photos By Greg Burke
Watching my nine-year-old daughter bungee bounce was not an
anticipated ski vacation activity. But there I was looking 50-feet up
in the air at my little girl flying above the Keystone condominium
village. When we arrived at this wonderful Colorado resort, she had
expressed interest in looking at some of the shops; I wonder if this
was the angle she had planned.
Keystone is one of several ski resorts in the Front Range of
Colorado’s Rockies within two hour’s drive of Denver. We chose to stay
at Keystone’s River Run slopeside village. The resort has been
remodeled by Intrawest, which means classy condos and a tastefully
planned pedestrian village à la Whistler, Tremblant and Copper style.
From our beautifully decorated, mountain themed two-bedroom, two bath
condo, we could walk through the resort village, with skis in hand, to
Keystone’s gondola for a day of skiing this 1,861-acre ski area.
A bonus with our lodging package at Keystone was the Mountain Passport
we received. Each member of our family was entitled to a choice of
activities from a long list of fun.
We actually all agreed (a rarity) on the NASTAR race, which is usually
$8 per person – but free with our Passport. We converted our freebie
into 
Gold with our gung ho runs, my ten-year-old son beat me – ah the
rewards of parenting.
The race was a fun perk and the kids treasure their medals as Keystone
keepsakes. We could have opted for a sleigh ride, skating, cross
country skiing, a ski boot fitting consultation, wine tasting, and the
offerings go on.
Keystone is comprised of three mountains, a tame front side offering
dozens of pleasant crusiers, North Peak with more challenging terrain,
and the Outpost where you find steeps and glades or you can access
backcountry bowl skiing (for those up for a little hike).
We loved the Outpost area, and the views from this peak over to sister
resort Breckenridge are phenomenal.
Your Keystone lift ticket is good from 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m., so that
ought to satisfy the vertical fanatics in your family. With such an
entertaining base village, I had no need for night skiing.
Walking the village, browsing the shops, and scooping out the best
dinner spots are favored après ski activities.
While our daughter bounced on the bungee apparatus, my husband and I
enjoyed a drink by the open campfire in the Village plaza listening to
a live band playing some great “oldies.”
Our son was eager to hit the
outdoor heated pool, where he made some new friends his age.
A genius marketing program at all Vail resorts, which includes
Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail and Beaver Creek, is the Peaks lift card.
Our multi-day ticket was good for skiing at all these mountains, and
the pass also serves as an on-mountain charge card. We could swipe our
cards for hot cocoas and lunches, and earn points while doing so.
During our week we earned enough Peaks credit for a romantic dinner at
the charming Ski Tips Lodge (well, fifty dollars towards dinner),
while our kids had their own kids night out free of charge and free of
parents.
Since our Peaks tickets were interchangeable at five resorts, we took
a day to drive to nearby family-friendly Breckenridge to explore the
2,208-acres of skiing there.
And we skied one afternoon at the more hard-core above tree-line
terrain of A-Basin (that is local speak for Arapahoe Basin). Hearty
skiers and riders revere this grass roots ski area. A run down the
double black diamond alleys of Pallavicini is a Colorado right of
passage.
All of these ski resorts, plus legendary Vail and Beaver Creek, are
fantastic and worth visiting, and it is incredible that you can ski
them all on one ticket.
Keystone is an impressive resort on its own, plus its convenient to
many of Colorado’s other superb ski mountains. The resort village has
an extremely fun western motif, and the slopeside self-contained
aspect makes it ideal for families. Hey, they even have bungee
bouncing if you don’t find enough thrills on the hills.
Reservations and information for Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail and
Beaver Creek resorts in Colorado are available at
www.snow.com or by
calling 1-888-222-9324.
