2009 Powder Resort Guide - Winter Park / Mary Jane
Current Conditions : 30.7F / -0.7C, Mostly Cloudy - 1:54 PM MDT Mar. 14
Temperature: 30.7°F / -0.7°C | Humidity: 67% | Pressure: 30.00in / 1015.8hPa (Rising) | Conditions: Mostly Cloudy | Wind Direction: ESE | Wind Speed: 12.0mph / 19.3km/h
Rest of Today as of Mar. 14 12:27 PM MDT
Rest of Today - Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow. Highs in the upper 30s.
Tonight as of Mar. 14 12:27 PM MDT
Tonight - Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow showers. Lows around 20.
No longer is Winter Park the little resort nestled just far enough off I-70 that the weekend warriors pass it up for the Summit County resorts. The addition of the new Panoramic Express six-pack provided Winter Park with the perfect playground for another epic Colorado-resort winter. Parsenn Bowl doles out the steep and deep and gives the locals something to holler about. The new runs and gladed terrain opens up the first-track options and spreads out the freshies territory among the 3,060 acres of terrain.
Last year’s new Eagle Wind chairlift proves to be the go-to spot for the goods. The South and West Headwalls as well as the Alphabet Chutes are a good warm-up into a slew of open runs and treed areas within the Vasquez Cirque. Hiking to far skier’s left beyond Waterfall opens the doors to an area of limitless tree skiing.
Since there’s no way of getting around the fact that the best powder stashes are on upper-mountain, take a shortcut on coveted days and steal first-track face shots at Mary Jane off the Challenger lift. The gladed sections sprinkled between the gaggle of black runs showcase Winter Park’s best kept secret: ‘the Jane’ isn’t solid bumps. Of notable mention on lower-mountain are Outrigger Trail and Retta’s Run off the Eskimo Express. Hit this area first thing when the rest of the powder hounds are fighting their way to upper-mountain.
What’s New:
Last year’s on-mountain improvements have now turned to the base area. Intrawest has piled the cash for construction of the massive Village at Winter Park Resort. The pedestrian-only spread will showcase shops, studios and galleries and a slew of restaurants surrounded by accommodations ranging from magnificent lodges to rustic mountain homes.
Inside Line:
When the powder gods grace us with the killer days, skip the lines and hit the Prospector Express chair over to Pioneer Express. Aces and Eights and Gambler collect the fluff like the lint-catch in your dryer and the gladed area to skier’s right holds the powder for all-day freshies.
The Rocky Mountain Ultimate Pass is still the best deal with unlimited skiing and riding at Winter Park, Copper Mountain and Steamboat.
DETAILS
- 1.800.979.0332, skiwinterpark.com
- Summit: 12,060 feet
- Skiable Acres: 3,060
- Vertical: 2,610 feet
- Annual Snowfall: 336 inches
