Snowboarding Zone - Keystone, Colorado:
Riders Guide – Keystone receives a generous 230 inches of snow every year, has 19 lifts to 121 trails, with a longest run of over 18,000 feet and has trails that are rated 19% Beginner, 32% Intermediate, 40% Advanced and a pulse-pounding 9% Expert. Keystone offers some great deals and discounts on lift tickets that are definitely worth checking out before hitting the mountain.
Parks and Pipes - Keystone is the home to one of the highest-rated terrain parks complete with an amazing superpipe, A51 is divided into three separate areas for beginners, intermediates and experts. The park features an 18-foot superpipe that will present a challenge for the most experienced snowboarder and freestyle skier. Keystone has a total of 51 rails and fun boxes to keep you constantly entertained including the monster 150-foot-long rail plus a roller coaster rail the flaming barbecue rail which is restricted to experts only. For the snowboarders who are not quite ready to take on the massive features of A51, the A51 Incubator has smaller rails and features set up for the more entry-level and kid snowboarders and freestyle skiers.
Out of Bounds – Keystone may just have an edge on other similar areas in Colorado for the amount of wild and crazy things you can do in the wintertime. Why not try ice skating in the middle of Keystone Village on an outdoor lake which is the largest Zamboni-maintained outdoor rink in North America? Then you can head over at Keystone Lodge and get massages, hang out in their steam room, outdoor heated pool, cardio and weight rooms, and meet some friends in the hot tub for all the relaxation you can possibly handle. The Keystone area offers a mind-boggling selection of winter outdoor sports such as cross country skiing, rock and ice climbing, snowcatting, horseback riding, sledding, hot air ballooning, ice skating, four-wheeling and off-road driving, fishing and snowmobiling. Try them all!
Hangout & Hookup – Keystone has plenty of apres ski spots for boarders and freestylers to enjoy. The Goat Soup and Whiskey Tavern is an underground bar where a lot of snowboarders hang out. The Snake River Saloon features really great bands and music on the weekends. Wolf Rock Brew Company is the place to go in order to taste some locally handcrafted microbrews. Dos Locos is packed with revelers during happy hour since the margaritas might be some of the best north of the border and they pile on so many free munchies that you might just skip dinner. The Inxpot, Kickapoo Tavern, The Great Northern, and Last Lift are great bars and lounges with a wild and fun atmosphere. The Green Light may be Keystone’s only nightclub but it really rocks.
The Deal – Fly into Denver International Airport which is about an hour and a half away via I-70. Colorado Mountain Express and Lift Ticket Limo operate regularly and frequently scheduled vans right to Keystone. By car from Denver, take I-70 west through the Eisenhower Tunnel to Dillon at Exit 205. Head east for 6 miles on Hwy. 6. Once you're at Keystone you can rely a superb free shuttle system runs every 20 minutes until 2 am on the weekends.
