Steamboat

• More than 150 miles northwest of Denver, Steamboat provides visitors with 164 trails and 16 lifts, including a gondola, to access slopes that receive an average of 330 inches of snow per year. Information specialist Kent Kirkpatrick says that a particular pride of Steamboat is its dry and fluffy "champagne powder." Steamboat's vertical drop is a dizzying 3,668 feet.
  
  Steamboat Ski Town, USA
  
  800-922-2722
  
  http://www.steamboat.com/
  
  

Aspen

• Among the most famous of Colorado's ski resorts, Aspen is a vast complex of four mountains with more than 5,000 acres of ski terrain. Visitors can find 100 bars and restaurants in the two towns that serve the resort. Can't wait to get to town? There are 10 eateries right on the slopes. Aspen caters to families, offering an assortment of kids' activities, including storytelling, ice skating and instruction in both skiing and snowboarding.
  
  Aspen Snowmass
  
  800-525-6200
  
  http://www.aspensnowmass.com/
  
  

Arapahoe Basin

• From the summit at 13,050 feet, Arapahoe Basin is a stirring sight, and at the age of 64, the ski resort there is one of the oldest in Colorado. Blanketed beneath more than 350 inches of snow per year, A-Basin operates late into spring and early summer. The recently-opened Montezuma Bowl provides skiiers with 36 new runs over 400 acres. Two Terrain Parks challenge freestylers with an assortment of half-pipes and jumps.
  
  Arapahoe Basin
  
  970-468-0718
  
  http://www.arapahoebasin.com/