Staff Picks: Powder Paradise in Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Steamboat, Vail

Epic powder days are the stuff of local legend! Everyone is up at the crack of dawn obsessively checking the mountain cams for how many inches (or feet!) fell overnight. Then it’s a mad dash to be first in the lift line. All for the pure joy of floating down the slopes or through the trees in untracked powder in our Colorado mountain resorts. Here are the runs the Moving Mountains staff heads for to catch those first tracks.

steamboat  breckenridge  vail  beaver creek

steamboat

After a big dump of Champagne powder, you'll find the Steamboat team headed for the trees. 

Some of my favorites are 1:30, 2:30 trees. Skiing between 1:00 and 2:00, and the trees to the right of 2:00 - Jason Santucci, Maintenance Specialist

breckenridge

The above-treeline expanses of Peak 6 are the powder playground for many of our Breckenridge staff.

The aesthetics of Intuition are arguably more like what you’d see off some European piste, rather than Peak 6 at Breckenridge. Just to the right off the Kensho Superchair, you’ll be treated to a massive open bowl vastly more expansive than your average groomer. From there it’s dealer’s choice - drop in immediately and hug the right side to test your ungroomed skills, or traverse all the way over skier’s left side near some impressive cornices and take the line less traveled for some guaranteed fresh tracks. This run is equally about the views as much as the exceptional skiing, so take your time, make some extra turns, and find your way back to Kensho for that next lap. Variety is the spice - you’ll never take the same line down Intuition twice. - Dalon Stone, Business Development

vail & beaver creek

The Vail team makes a b-line for the legendary Back Bowls.

Ricky’s Ridge is fantastic for some early morning groomed runs, and spectacular on powder days when they’ll leave it just as Ullr made it. Sun Down Bowl is rarely packed, and with Ricky’s having a long sustained upper pitch transitioning to a full speed winding cat track, it’s always worth the ride. Treat this one like a Netflix series – binge as many laps as your legs can stand. For the expert, ski past Ricky’s to access Seldom, Never, and O.S., some of Vail’s lesser known and more exposed terrain. - Dalon Stone, Business Development

Before you hit the lift lines, you'll want to fuel up for a day on the slopes. Check out our Staff Picks for the best breakfast spots in Breckenridge, Steamboat and the Vail Valley.