Sunlight Mountain
A Local Gem
Sunlight Mountain, just twenty minutes from Glenwood Springs, CO and forty-five minutes from Aspen, is truly one of the diamonds in the rough when it comes to small, family-friendly resorts in a state full of mega-resorts and lofty lift ticket prices. Sweet and deep Colorado powder doesn’t get much better than this largely undiscovered gem with an annual average of 250 inches of snowfall.
Photo Courtesy of Sunlight Mountain:
What makes Sunlight Mountain such a good destination for your next ski vacation? First of all, this resort is all about low-stress, affordable, high-fun skiing and riding.
The shape of the resort is what is known as a ‘bowl.’ This means that all 680 acres of skiing and riding lead back down to the exact same place. Whether you run one of the black diamonds (making up 20% of that terrain) while the rest of your crew cruises a two-mile-long green run called Ute (a.k.a. shoot the Ute), you will all end up back at the same base area. This takes away the worry about getting lost and can increase confidence when it comes to exploring new areas and runs when you don’t have to worry about taking three lifts and a shuttle bus just to get back to where you parked your car.
And let’s talk about parking at Sunlight for a moment. It’s free. That’s right- no hourly rate and you can walk right up to one of the three lifts. And if you know when to be there, you might be lucky enough to get invited into one of the tailgating parties that appear spontaneously throughout the year.
Yet with all this quaint, affordable talk, Sunlight has some serious chops when it comes to challenging glades and even boasts the steepest run in Colorado- called Heathen- coming in at a 52-degree pitch. Advanced riders will find plenty to keep themselves busy in pristine Aspens and spruce glades, and there is always untracked powder even days after a storm because lift-lines just don’t happen.
Sunlight Mountain also takes part in all kinds of exciting local events, from Ski Spree in the Spring, to uphill distance races like the Defiance Challenge. Mountain management also works closely with hotels and businesses in the town of Glenwood Springs, pairing lift ticket savings with Ski, Swim, Stay packages at the 100+ year-old, Hotel Denver in Glenwood Springs.
If you are looking for a unique, local gem that still remembers the fun first, family-friendly feel of the ski industry, Sunlight Mountain is sure not to disappoint.