Are you sitting at the office daydreaming about skiing through powder on a sunny bluebird day in the beautiful mountains of Colorado? As you daydream, start thinking ahead about what you can pre-order and reserve in advance. The major tips you can not ignore are
Buy your lift tickets all at once.
Purchase "multi-day" tickets to save money and get the most bang for your buck. The ski area makes it easy for you to purchase packages. Check out www.steamboat.com and you will see a list of all the deals and packages. Bonus, there is a "kids ski free" program, so bring the whole family.
Reserve lift tickets, lessons and rentals in advance
Even if you're coming for a day, it may be a busy day so make sure to reserve lift tickets, lessons and rentals all in advance. That's more time to ski and less time trying to decide what lesson to take.
Arrive early. Especially on a powder day.
Steamboat is fortunate as the longest lift line may take 5 minutes. I'm serious, even on a powder day I sometimes don't have time to make that phone call I thought I could make in line. However, I would arrive early to load the gondola if you are coming between the hours of 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Typically the gondola line moves quick, but it is a benefit to arrive early and get your spot at the first lines of "face shots." Don't know what a face shot is? Ask a local on a powder day. We don't call it champagne powder for nothing.
Plan in advance to best enjoy the famous Steamboat powder.
Get lessons.
We know lessons can seem expensive and perhaps even time consuming but if you are a new skiier or have not skiied in a while, do yourself a favor and sign up for a lesson. Everyone will have fun and feel safer when they are enjoying the activities and getting the most up-to-date instruction. You may even have an Olympian as your instructor!
Dress in layers.
The temperatures can be sunny and warm at the base area, but when you go up a few thousand feet, the conditions may be significantly different. You can easily take layers off, but you can't add layers on if you don't have them. Think ahead and pack the extra vest and that neck gator you debated to bring. It will save your ski day and keep you going on the slopes. There is nothing worse than being cold and having to miss out on powder runs.
