My husband searched far and wide for a mountain we hoped would be less impacted by the influx of families during Ski Week 2022 (Feb 19-27 for our school). I’m happy to report, Steve triumphed!
We flew our family of four from Orange County, CA to Denver, CO on United Airlines on Feb 19th and rented an all-wheel drive car from Avis. Keystone is about 1 1/2 hours from the Denver Airport and luckily our drive didn’t include any snowstorms.
It’s also located about 10 miles from Breckenridge and 40 minutes from Vail. I met several skiers at Keystone who planned to visit the other resorts with Keystone as their base mountain because Keystone’s lodging is less expensive on average than the other two. I also heard that Keystone was much less crowded than Breck or Vail during the same time period. All are owned by Vail resorts, all are on the Epic ski pass. We were only there for 4 nights so we stayed at Keystone the entire trip.
We rented a condo at Keystone Resort, in River Run Village, a 5 minute walk from the gondola that takes you to the top of Dercum Mountain and 5 minutes from the bus service that takes you to the other base of the mountain, Mountain House, as well as other lodging, etc. We loved the location, but each condo in the Keystone Resort is individually owned and rented…which means the quality of each condo is very different. I met an owner who told me that there is an internal rating system used to put some pressure on certain owners to upgrade their furnishings, etc…but it isn’t public information. Travel tip: price at the Keystone Resort definitely does matter. Over ski week, our dated place in the Silver Mill condo building with uncomfortable bedding rented for about $400 a night, one-bedroom with a fold out couch. Parking is covered, underground for resort guests. Don’t bother bringing bathing suits…there are two tiny hot tubs outside and they didn’t look clean. Travel tip: there is a laundry facility on the property, but the detergent dispenser was broken so buy/bring detergent if planning on washing clothes! http://www.keystoneresort.com
We had booked a one day group ski lesson for Charlotte about 6 weeks in advance of our trip via the Keystone Resort website and had to take her via Green bus to the Mountain House base. Travel tip: book 2-3 months in advance for kids’ lessons to get a spot in River Run Village based lessons if staying at the Resort. Our room had a list of information on bus schedules and where they go. Very helpful! It only took 10 minutes to get to the other mountain, but River Run Village ski school would have been easier as it was a 5 minute walk from our condo.
We pre-booked Steve and my skis/boots/poles through Keystone Resort and when we went to pick them up at Keystone Rentals in River Run Village, they didn’t have our records. Travel tip: we were told by the manager of Keystone Rentals that we should have booked our adult ski equipment through http://www.epicmountainrentals.com. You can book equipment for all Vail-owned resorts using this website. They sorted out the mistake, but it took about 45 minutes.
The mountain is 12,408 ft in elevation and excellent for all range of skiers. I’ll admit, I didn’t hit the bowls or the double black diamonds so I have no comments there, BUT after 3 days of skiing, I definitely explored most of the blues and a few of the blacks. It was so easy to navigate the mountain and to get from one peak to the other. There’s even a gondola that takes you from the top of Dercum Mountain to the top of North Peak. The longest lift line I waited in was 10 minutes, but most of the time, it was ski down and jump back up on the lift. There were lots of long runs and some fun terrain parks. They also have a special Schoolmarm Family Ski Trail to ski with little ones. Travel tip: avoid North Peak and The Outback if you’re a beginning skier…stick to Dercum Mountain. And download the mountain map on your phone!
Our 5 year old had fractured her elbow in a bounce house during our Super Bowl party and had a right-arm purple cast for this ski vacation unfortunately. We didn’t put her in a daycare program…we just took turns skiing alone or with Charlotte/entertaining Emma. Steve went to the Keystone Resort website a few days before our trip and booked a sleigh ride experience for Emma under Explore the Resort; Activities & Events; Winter Activities. Travel tip: check out the Winter Activities tab on the website. In addition to sleigh rides, there are links to sign up for or get more information on snow tubing, cross country and cat skiing, spa/salon and ice skating….
Dining on the mountain required a reservation in advance and proof of vaccination: Vail Resorts! Even just visiting the restroom indoors required proof of vaccination. Travel tip: they do have other outdoor dining options including burgers grilled outdoors at Mountain House and an outdoor service window at Labonte’s Smokehouse BBQ at the base of North Peak. Don’t expect offerings like ramen, salad bar or tacos from the indoor or outdoor restaurants on the mountain. Think BASIC food selection like pizza and burgers…
The River Run village is nothing special. Couple breweries, a terrible Mexican restaurant, a small grocery store with a well-stocked wine/liquor room, a smokehouse, some dated-looking stores… Masks were required to enter Vail-owned stores and some restaurants. We ate dinner at 9280′ Taphouse and it was terrible. Nothing we ordered was worth the price. Bright spots were the Inxpot coffee place and The Crepe Stand. There are a few ski stores with limited selection too. This is a SKI RESORT, not really an après ski resort.
Travel tip: the best meals we had were at pizza places! Nowhere Pizza and Pub was a 10 minute drive away and very family-friendly, affordable. They had games for us to play like Jenga and Etch-a-Sketch. I can’t find a website for them, but they’re near Bighorn Bistro & Bar. Do not go to BigHorn with kids…we tried. Limited menu, overpriced and unfriendly staff. After being seated in the bar at a high top table and no service, we walked out…and went to Nowhere Pizza!
The best meal we had was at Last Chance Pizza on our final night in Keystone. It’s located in Dillon. About a 15 minute drive from the Keystone resort and next door to Cove and Craft bar. You order the pizza, sit at Cove and Cave and order beer and wine…and the pizza is delivered to your Cove and Cave table. Steve and I split the 14′ Thai Chicken pizza…amazing. We also ordered garlic knots with pepperoni inside…worth trying. Cove and Cave ALSO has lots of games for families to play, plus kids books. http://www.lastchancepizza.com
We “cooked” one night too: microwave meatloaf and mac n cheese with some salad. We never found an actual large grocery store.
We went to Keystone to avoid lots of lift lines and crowds of people and these goals were achieved…even during a holiday week! It was conveniently located a short drive out of Denver and a short flight from Orange County, CA. We will definitely go back…but with lowered expectations on food and accommodations!
We Don’t Sit Still 