The Keystone Blog

With three peaks of groomers, glades, wide open bowls, and everything in between, you’ll have “snow much fun!” spending the holidays with us here at Keystone. While old man winter might have been slow to wake up this season, we’re kicking it into gear with tons of activities and new terrain openings on the regular. Check out some insider tips and tricks below so you can slide, shred, sleigh, and play to your heart’s content in our winter wonderland this holiday season.

TERRAIN

It’s no secret: snow is on our wish list this holiday! Our teams have been making the most of every snowflake, natural and man-made to open terrain on Dercum Mountain and North Peak and The Outback and Bergman Bowl are on schedule to open before the New Year. So, where should your adventure begin?

Dercum Mountain
Dercum Mountain, Keystone’s frontmost peak, is the perfect spot for beginners to get their legs under them! From our Mountain House Base Area, beginners can practice their turns on the Discovery Chair and Magic Carpets in the Discovery Learning Area. From our River Run Base Area, beginners can take the Gondola to the top of the mountain, where the Kokomo Carpet and Ranger lift offer the perfect places to practice with a mountaintop view before testing their skills on Schoolmarm, our 3.5 mile, top-to-bottom family ski trail!

For intermediate skiers and riders, Dercum Mountain offers crowd-pleasing blue runs like Paymaster, Spring Dipper and Mozart. Looking to hit the terrain park? Head down to Deacon's Seat near the top of the Peru chair for our early season park, and look out for A51 to open before the end of the month.

North Peak
Looking to kick things up a notch? North Peak has you covered. Steep blues like Prospector, Last Alamo and Anticipation offer the perfect chance to rack up your vertical feet and get your blood pumping before testing yourself in The Outback. Our teams are intermittently opening natural terrain as conditions allow, so keep an eye out and you just might get a rope drop!

The Outback
With steep groomers, bump runs, and rugged glades, Keystone’s furthest peak is not for the faint of heart. Advanced trails on the north side of The Outback, offer tight trees, moguls and more! Experienced intermediate skiers can enjoy the groomed steeps of Elk Run, or take on its more challenging, ungroomed neighbor, Oh, Bob.

Bergman Bowl
Keystone’s newest chairlift offers access to 16 new green, blue and black trails with incredible above treeline views! Most of this terrain relies on natural snowfall to open, so keep a close eye on the weather forecast, because once those flakes start flying, our teams will move as fast as they can!

REST AND REFUEL

How you choose to fuel up on the slopes is critical, especially when you have your choice of house-made barbecue, noodle bowls, classics like chicken tenders, and more!

At Timber Ridge Lodge, located near the top of North Peak, you can indulge in an international menu that features a full taqueria, a Mediterranean mezze platter, Asian-inspired noodle bowls, and more. The best part? You can complement your meal with stunning mountaintop views from Timber Ridge’s newly expanded wraparound porch. Something about a 12,000-foot view makes lunch taste even better. Guests can access Timber Ridge Lodge by skiing down from the Santiago chairlift, or by taking the Outpost Gondola directly from Dercum Mountain.

Down below, at the base of North Peak, Labonte’s Smokehouse offers the perfect place to kick your feet up, catch some rays and chow down on house-made barbecue sandwiches. Labonte’s can be reached from Dercum Mountain via Mozart, or from North Peak via Lower Prospector – just follow the sounds of bumping music and the sweet smell of barbecue!

Whether you’re taking a lunch break in River Run, grabbing a snack in between night ski laps, or looking for a new spot to après the afternoon away, the 9280 Sake Bar has everything you’re looking for. Keystone Resort’s newest restaurant, this spot is located in the heart of River Run Village and offers everything from hot spicy ramen to fresh poke bowls, and a full range of domestic and international beverages (including, of course, sake!).

SNOW MUCH MORE TO DO

At Keystone, there are a whole bunch of ways to play in the snow, aside from just skiing and snowboarding.

The World’s Largest Mountaintop Snow Fort? Yeah, so you’re definitely going to want to add this to your holiday itinerary. Located at the top of the River Run gondola at an elevation of over 11,600 feet, this year’s Snow Fort is even bigger and better than years past. Over 40,000 lbs of ice and currently being carved into an incredible snow cave, and Snice Carvings is working round-the-clock to complete this fortress that features a mini tubing hill, tunnels, larger-than-life ice sculptures, and snow much more! This snowy attraction is free with your lift access (pass or foot passenger ticket) and offers fun for all ages.

In addition, just next to the Snow Fort, is a wonderous place known as Adventure Point offering multiple lanes of high-speed snow tubing action. Be sure to book ahead here, this activity is a popular one!

In the valley below, go dashing through the snow aboard one of our scenic horse-drawn sleighs to an original Keystone homestead where hot cider awaits. Take a spin or practice your best triple axel while ice skating across the scenic 5-acre Keystone Lake. And, find a haven for outdoor recreation at the Keystone Nordic Center with 10 miles of groomed trails for cross-country skiing, skate skiing and snowshoeing. No matter what kind of adventure is in store, Keystone is sure to have you feeling like a kid in a winter wonderland!

And last but certainly not least, enjoy River Run Village! Our newest addition is the World's Highest Build-A-Bear Workshop where kiddos of all ages can make their own iconic Build-A-Bear to take home, dressed in custom Keystone gear (teddy-bear-sized-snowboards, anyone?!). With plenty of shopping and dining options and a tree in the plaza lit with thousands of twinkling lights, spending an afternoon in the Village will have you feeling like you're in a real-life Christmas card. 

LET'S GET FESTIVE

It wouldn’t be the holidays without a little celebration, right? If you’re staying with us over New Years, pop over to River Run gondola for night skiing from 4-7 pm and fireworks to light up the night sky and ring in the new year at 7 pm!  

Heading out before New Year’s? There are still plenty of ways to celebrate! For starters, Keystone will offer night skiing every day this holiday season, December 20-29, from 4 - 7 pm! Check out this season's full night skiing schedule here!

PLAYGROUND PRO TIPS

Whether you’re a first timer or a Keystone veteran, everyone loves to get the inside scoop. Before you arrive, here are a few tips from our Playground Pros:

Playground Pro Tip #1: If you’re coming up with the kiddos or carpooling in a group of four or more, we have reserved up-front family and carpool parking zones! These are free parking spaces at the front of the River Run lot, just steps from the village, available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Playground Pro Tip #2: Parking in our main lots at River Run and Mountain House usually fill by 10 AM on weekends and holidays. Try arriving early to guarantee a spot or arriving in the afternoon to take advantage of our night skiing operations.

Playground Pro Tip #3: At Keystone, we work hard so that you can take it easy. That includes rentals. If you stay at a Keystone property, you can book a rentals delivery right to your door through Keystone Sports! We’ll even provide an expert that can help you pick out the right gear! Learn more here.

Playground Pro Tip #4: Take full advantage of all Keystone has to offer. Whether you are young or young-at-heart, you can explore the World's Largest Mountaintop Snow Fort, take a scenic horse-drawn sleigh ride, Build-A-Bear in River Run Village, glide around on one of two ice rinks, or just simply enjoy the magic of winter in the Rockies, hot cocoa in hand.   

Playground Pro Tip #5: This season you can skip the ticket window and get straight to the fun part with the My Epic App. Whether you’re using a lift ticket or an Epic Pass product, the new Mobile Pass scans you at the lift hands-free straight from your pocket. The My Epic App also offers trail map and resort information, giving you a one-stop resource for your day on the slopes! Folks seeking a physical pass/lift ticket or paper trail map can still do so at our ticket windows. Learn more about the My Epic App here.