Keystone Ski Resort Review: Finally Competitive?
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
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An in-depth video review of Keystone, a popular ski resort located in Colorado's Summit County. Filmed on various dates between December 2022 and April 2024.
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0:00 Intro
1:06 Snow and Resiliency
1:59 Terrain Layout
2:47 Bergman Bowl Expansion Terrain
3:37 Beginner Terrain
4:33 Intermediate Terrain
5:05 Terrain Parks
5:32 Advanced Terrain
6:23 Expert Terrain
6:50 Hike-to Terrain
7:54 Discontinuation of Cat Skiing
8:13 On-Mountain Facilities
8:43 Ease of Navigation
9:17 Lifts and Crowd Flow
10:41 Night Skiing
11:25 Getting There
11:57 Parking
12:22 Lodging
12:45 Aprés-Ski
13:12 Verdict
13:38 Pricing and Pass Affiliations
14:06 Score Breakdown and Rank
Overall Mountain Score: 72/100 - #9 in Colorado
---
Snow: 8/10
Resiliency: 8/10
Size: 8/10
Terrain Diversity: 8/10
Challenge: 6/10
Lifts: 6/10
Crowd Flow: 7/10
Facilities: 7/10
Navigation: 6/10
Mountain Aesthetic: 8/10
See our full resort breakdown and written review for Keystone here: www.peakrankings.com/content/...
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Keystone's night skiing used to be legendary with little to no competition. Nobody else did it as consistently across the season or for as late. But now, it hardly even exists at all.
I remember back in 2015 when my family would go and put in nearly 12-hour days just skiing all over and at night, bombing down Spring Dipper, Flying Dutchman, and others.
I also definitely think that the mountain as a whole tends to be steeper than any of the other epic mountains. Our last trip we got to visit Vail and thought "really? You think that's a black run?" I legitimately think there are some sections of Schoolmarm that get steeper than some of the blacks at Vail.
@@josiahsimmons9866I agree it is on the steeper side, and it used to be even more so (as far as trail ratings are concerned). When I was visiting for the first time back in the late ‘90s, Star Fire was rated blue, which got me in over my head at that point in my ski career. It’s since been upgraded to black. I’m not sure if this is the only example of that; there may be others.
Keystone is not one of my very favorite places to ski, but I do still enjoy it for its long, sustained vertical. Even many of the blues on Dercum are more fun than blues at Breck, Vail, etc. even if I like those places more overall.
that sounds awesome
@@gogreenmsu03 yeah, a few years ago the top section of Spring Dipper was upgraded to a blue. Funny enough, I think Breck, Vail, and others over rate their trails so all the rich snobby skiers can feel like they're good at it 🤣
That being said, Keystone lacks truly extreme terrain. I know for certain Breck's hardest runs are harder than Keystone's. But I think the average difficulty at other resorts is beaten by Keystone
Didn't they used to do some 24 hour of keystone even where everyone was blackout drunk or high as a kite?
honey wake up - there's a new PeakRankings video
One thing not mentioned is that Keystone always seems to close the weekend after Easter. This year their last weekend was the first week of April while A-basin just 10min down the road is still open mid-June.
This is because Vail (the company not the resort) suffers from a severe lack of springtime employees. They close keystone due to lack of crowds, so people consolidate to Breckenridge instead, which saves money on workers and lift operations. By lack of crowds, I mean a serious lack of them, both Breck and Keystone had almost no people on keystone's closing weekend this year.
As for A Basin, they're operated on the iKon pass, a different company that uses the Legend as their late season destination, while Vail uses Breck as their late season spot.
I found that out the hard way and had to "eat" a paid for condo April 9 and 10. I ended up in Breckenridge (and figured it was a manpower thing), but lesson now learned!!
Thank you for adding terrain park segments!! Jibbers and park rats everywhere love it
My favorite. The new access is a great plus. I hope it retains a family vibe.Thanks.
Loving the reviews, especially in the middle of summer.
I live in Summit Co and have access to Key, Breck, Abasin, Copper with Loveland, Vail, Beaver, Cooper not too far away. Each has plus and minus, Key no exception. Much better expert terrain elsewhere. Blues are good, with some on North and Outback more difficult to some. Greens have terrain... but please don't go early season as Schoolmarm is often referred to as the WROD (while ribbon of death) until January. Woodward at Copper has no peer for park. Smart $ travelers should book Keystone first week April if possible..... place is nearly deserted yet the snow is awesome. short note: Bergman runs are short and on pow days, the snow gets chopped up pretty quickly.
It’s called “fleastone” by CO locals for a reason. If you know , you know. 😂😂. .. pretty much every resort on I-70 is superior in so many ways I can’t even list them all here.
Right there with you!
You dumb,
copper: sure good for park, that’s it
Breck: perfect for folks like you
A basin: actually better than keystone
What's your top 3 favorite resorts in CO?
@@sbespn3820 beaver creek, vail , wolf creek
@@sbespn3820 Not sure if you're talking to me or him, but for me, Arapahoe Basin, Aspen Mountain, Beaver Creek.
Wohoo New ski video!!
Texan here and this last January I did a trip up to Colorado for some snowboarding. We rode Beaver Creek, Keystone, and Breckenridge over 4 days I really liked Keystone the best of the three. LaBontes had a really cool vibe with loud music outside and lounge chairs scattered about. Made for a nice place to take a break, have a bbq sandwich and wash it down with a cold beer while watching people come down the mountain.
Another great video! Hope we get to check it out this year, sounds like my kind of place.
My problem with Bergman bowl is that I hate Bergman bowl but I LOVE independence bowl and some out of bounds areas
Being from Ohio and an intermediate skier I was stoked this opened mist in time for my trip last winter. I had a blast on Bergman.
More happy day with new peak rankings video
I've been waiting for this one! My home resort :)
Nice dude! The part of Canada I live doesn’t have any major local resorts. As a result, Banff, Whistler Blackcomb, and Kicking Horse are the main resorts I go to.
@@sebastianviecco6891 still sounds great! One day I hope to go to whistler
I went to Keystone about 15 days this past season and agree with everything that was said in this review
My home resort! This is where I learned to ski when I was very young, and some of my family lives here! I love the new Bergman bowl lift. The citizens of Keystone also just made it a city, which is very nice. My family once got stuck in the tunnel to keystone (forgot the name) for 6 hours because of an avalanche, so I would warn people from going there during a storm. I think it should be noted, that a lot of the lines are extremely fast, even though they look long. The Gondola line can have a 5~ minute line even when the line is longest. I think this review is very good, though I feel the navigation score is too low, because of how useful the signs are. I've had days where I only navigate with its signs.
Eisenhower Tunnel 1974.
vail stock crashes and this video drops 🤔
Great video. Loved working at keystone the past two seasons. Just a heads up, the a51 terrain park is not included in night ski operations anymore.
Keystone's early season is more legit than other resorts that technically open earlier. For example, the first resort to open this past season for Colorado was A-Basin but they only opened with a relatively short blue run and that was it for weeks. When Keystone opened, they did so with about 2.5 miles of trail - with a good part of Schoolmarm (plus a few other greens) down to the Montezuma lift back to the top. The learning area at the top was also open soon after opening. I'm surprised they close early each year, seems like they could have stayed open until May. A-Basin - which is next door, was open until mid-June this year.
Keystone does have a good bunny slope area and starter green (Endeavor/Scout) at the top of the mountain (so pretty). The Ranger lift is only a fixed double but the runs are so short it isn't a big deal. By December, Mountain House base opens, which has another bunny hill area. Lessons are cheaper at Keystone than Breck or Beaver Creek, I highly recommend them. However, the progression after Scout isn't graceful. You go from a pretty easy and short pair of runs to Schoolmarm - a 3.5 mile rather challenging "green" - with sections that feel more blue if you are used to East coast skiing. Some of the blues at Breck are easier.
My Epic progression:
Bunny hill at Keystone/first timer lessons, then beginner lessons on Endeavor and Scout. Then, go to Breck base 9 - do all the green runs off QuickSilver lift. Then, I recommend trails over at Beaver Creek like Haywood, Sinch, McCoy Park and then Red Buffalo Park. Then, back to Breck for some harder greens (Peak 8) and then easy blues (Bonanza and Cashier). If you can do Bonanza, you can go for Keystone's Schoolmarm and related greens along the way. If you can do all Keystone greens, you are ready for Spring Dipper - which is a probably Keystone's easiest blue run.
I'm also a fan of a "refresher" lesson at the start of each season.
Great review, as always. My only nitpick is that there is plenty of stuff to do in the Silverthorne/Dillon area a few minutes away from Keystone. 🍻
Good review. I ski in this area a lot, and would question one ranking -- there is no way I can see giving the same Snow ranking to Keystone, as you do for Breckenridge, Copper & Vail. Keystone almost always has less snow, often significantly less. For example, Vail averages 350" of snow a year, and Keystone gets only 230". Although Keystone may open 2 to 3 weeks before Vail, once the natural snow starts coming, Vail shoots right past Keystone in open terrain.
I’d like to see a review of Sunlight Mountain and Powderhorn on this channel.
Keystone always gets a bad wrap by advanced skiers and locals for some reason. It was the first major resort I skied and I have been twice now (live on east coast). I’ve also been to Vail, Steamboat, and have a trip planned to Utah next spring. I would go back to Keystone in a heartbeat. I thought it was an overall great mountain with plenty of acreage, diverse terrain, on mountain facilities, and plenty of lodging options. If you are not a local or an expert, Keystone is a perfectly good resort. However it’s a shame they did away with night skiing, I skied at night on Christmas Day 2020.
Wow!! This is the earliest of been!! Can’t wait to watch. And I hope the upcoming ski season rips the last season a new one!
I love Keystone, my favorite resort. Massive, yet still maintains a mellow feel. Awesome long bump runs on North Peak, great bumps in glades in the Outback, some of the best cruisers in Colo on the front side, and the Bergman lift to the two new bowls is a great addition. Nice steeps at the bottom of both River Run and Mountain House. 2 classic bars in the Goat and the Snake to boot. Keystone is a nine out of 10 for me, and all this an hour and 25 from Denver during the week. I won't argue with a couple of places ranked above Keystone. And we all love A Basin. But Breck and A Basin above Keystone, what a joke. A Basin has a good bar, Palli, and a late season, that's about it. But I understand you have to rank it high to please the hipsters 😂
Nice
Having worked as a lift supervisor for Keystone at the turn of the century, and used to hit this terrain on the regular(thanks lift maintenance!), they really do have amazing shit.
Just so much more crowded than it used to be. Holy shit.
Edit: Bumping chairs at the bottom of the Wayblack used to be a badge of honor among the liftees.Them chairs are heavy!
Apres should only be Jagerbombs at the GOAT. Dude, the GOAT.
could u explain the bumping chairs bit
Respectfully, I think you might want to take another look at the state of your rankings for mountain aesthetic. I don't see how Keystone gets an 8 in this category while resorts like Mt. Hood Meadows, Crystal, Alpental, and Timberline get 7s and 6s. Keystone offers nice enough views, and maybe it does deserve an 8- but all four resorts I listed there are significantly more striking and unique. Meadows/Timberline offer an experience of skiing on a truly massive mountain that towers nearly a vertical mile above the top of the resort- I'm not sure there's anywhere else in North America that offers those kind of views (maybe Mt. Shasta?) and they are spectacular. And then having Crystal and Alpental ranked that low is just criminal. Crystal offers direct views right onto the centerpiece of a national park from the top of many chairs (and very nice views elsewhere, at least as good as keystone). Meanwhile, Alpental is fucking stunning- just look at any picture posted online (don't give me the argument that you can see the highway a bit, from some small corners of the resort- you gave Loveland an 8). If you want to argue that the views at those places get ruined by storms, so what- so do the views everywhere else. Besides, you have Revelstoke and Mt. Baker rated at 9 (deservedly), and half the time when I go there I can't see the bottom of the run I'm skiing, let alone any neighboring peaks. If you want to factor in how often the views are available, put that as part of the resiliency score.
On your video 8 months ago where you rated Colorado ski resorts, you didn't have Ski Cooper on that list at the end, but you do now. I happened to live in the midwest and I got 3 free days at Ski Cooper with my season pass here. Do you have a video where you did a ranking for Ski Cooper? I couldn't find it if so.
Not yet!
No expert terrain. That for me is a big setback unfortunately. But it’s a lovely mountain, great layout, and very fun to ski with more intermediate friends.
I know its small but can you review bear valley
Our written review is already up! www.peakrankings.com/content/bear-valley
Literally just this morning I was like "hmmm... when's PeakRankings gonna drop a new video?"
Please tell me how I got here 47 seconds after the video had started and two people jave already liked it.
Been posted not started lol
cause I got here 13 seconds in :)
Idek. I got here 15 seconds after being posted. Which is crazy to me!
That being said.
You guys should make a video creating the best and worst ski mountain basted on tour data.
Pretty sure they have one if you look at their channel.
"keystone safety patrol will pull your pass" lmao
is bro at 10:06 on cross country skis?
What’s worse, schoolmarm at keystone or mountain run at palisades?
Depends on the time of day lol
For the first 2 weeks of the season, Schoolmarm is often the only Epic Pass run open in the entire state of Colorado. Everyone with an Epic Pass on a single slope! Talk about dangerous!
6 for lifts is hard to understand. Shouldn’t be penalized for having such a huge hike to area
Went to keystone for the first time this winter. I have to say it was fairly disappointing overall
What makes you say that?
@@Bushwacked487 it's not as difficult as you think. Very limited Expert trails, and gets crowded.
@@Bushwacked487 below comment kinda nailed it. The expert terrain is few and far between. It seemed to consist of only moguls if expert rating, minus a couple. I like moguls but ripping some fast groomers would’ve been a nice change of pace. The night life seemed to be little to none and the restaurant selection was well below par in my opinion.
@@itsjustajoke4679 I agree, Keystone is just not it. I go to Copper Mtn for the parks, and ever since Woodward stepped in, they certainly overtook Breck and Keystone in terms of how well and gnarly their setup is. Epic will never be on the same page sadly.
Because you’re ass at skiing lmaooo
Drove by it on my way to ABasin it looked super mid.
Copper is still so much better.
Screw Keystone with their ski patrol cops!
Lived in Front Range from 1996 to 2022...and avoided Keystone (skied there twice)....flat, not much snow, bad lay out.....no Soul....Skied Loveland and Vail until front range got too crowded...now in a special place on western slope no lift lines.....watch the video Keystone is very flat and boring....way boring
Steamboat has wayyy better snow than Keystone.
As does Vail, Copper, Breckenridge & Loveland. 350" of snow a year at Vail, and 230" at Keystone. Keystone is in a bit of a snow hole.
Keystone has become way overpriced and highly overrated ! It tends to be extremely overcrowded and over managed. Food prices are outrageous and quality is poor. This seems to be the Vail is going in all is resorts. I am now 82yo and only ski about 70 or 80 day a year and that seems to be getting less each year so I guess I should not care to much. 23/24 season was my 78th season lets see how many more I can log!