Mountain Review: Steamboat, Colorado

An in-depth video review of Steamboat, a destination ski resort located in northern Colorado. Filmed in December 2022 and January 2023; conditions were excellent for the time of year.

0:00 Intro
0:51 Snow Quality
1:31 Tree Terrain
1:58 Terrain Diversity
2:25 Beginner Terrain
2:46 Intermediate Terrain
3:37 Advanced and Expert Terrain
4:05 Back Bowls
4:36 Expert Terrain
5:09 Lift Logistics and Chokepoints
7:22 Positives of On-Mountain Setup
7:40 Mountain Aesthetic
8:03 Night Skiing
8:15 Town and Aprés-ski
8:54 Lodging
9:24 Parking
9:50 Verdict
10:12 Pricing
10:59 Score Breakdown and Rank

Overall Mountain Score: 67/100 — #12 in Colorado
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Snow: 8/10
Resiliency: 8/10
Size: 8/10
Terrain Diversity: 7/10
Challenge: 7/10
Lifts: 7/10
Crowd Flow: 4/10
Facilities: 7/10
Navigation: 5/10
Mountain Aesthetic: 6/10

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[geoschilling]

Steamboat is an incredible resort. I feel it is better than many other resorts ranked higher.

[nickracca]

I just visited Steamboat for the first time in January, and I gotta say, the review nails exactly what the deal is here. However, I absolutely loved it, and would definitely go back long before several others ranked higher. Not that my reasoning is quantifiable, but the vibe of the whole place is just so much better than the fancy ski towns. The town is amazing and way more affordable than the other big destinations, and the snow is like nothing I've seen before. It's so light and so dry, they are really not overselling it with their "champagne powder" slogan. And the tree skiing really is unparalleled. I agree with why the ranking was what it was, but if there was a category for "that extra something that makes a place special" it would be in the top 3 lol. Full disclosure, I got 3 good surprise powder days on my trip, but honestly the town itself is a huge selling point as a destination vs the upscale and bougie towns in the rest of Colorado

[MrMabloom]

I’m an Utah local. But when visiting Colorado this is where I’m going. It’s the best mountain for green and blue skiing. You need an IKON pass because tickets are so expensive but unless you’re after the extreme skiing this it. Skiing/boarding, town, trees, facilities are great.

[macktaylor]

Very informative review! Heading to Steamboat in a couple of weeks so I appreciate you guys giving me a good sense of what to expect. Keep up the good work!

[Gary-nphl]

The resort has some blemishes but the tree riding/skiing and town more than make up for it. It’s THAT good. I thought I would walk away unimpressed by spending 5 days there but it became my favorite resort. They also got tubing, night skiing and free skiing on sundays at howellsen hill.

[rambultruesdell]

Honest and well said. Steamboat has its ups and 🛸 downs and it's a great place to love ❤😊 2003- 2015 9:15

[jmfirepro]

Just found your channel and really loving it! Perfect timing on this video for me as I'm trying to decide between Copper and Steamboat and was wondering how far along Steamboats lift upgrades are. Since I'm taking my son who just became an intermediate skier, I really appreciate your comment on the occasional lack of grooming. Looks like a hold off on Steamboat and head to Copper this year!

[Jgjginkg]

You nailed it again!!
Your reviews are freaking accurate!!

We’ve stayed ski in/ski out, fancy Airbnb and motels that are on the bus stops…it was best using bus that gets you dropped off and it’s free. You walk less to gondola than close by paid parking.

[conorsheridan]

This is where I learned to ski with my dad. Spent 5 days there and had such a blast with the tree runs. So many good memories

[scottgriffin]

My first day at Steamboat in April of 2023. Me and my son skied about 35% of the terrain that day and stayed on the trails as the snow was crusty and melty as typical spring conditions. The views are amazing, I loved this experience and now I want to move there!

[lawrencewestby]

I skied Steamboat mainly back in the 2000s during off peak times and loved it. One year, on my first day there I was able to ski 54, 000 vertical feet. It was a matter of knowing when certain lifts would be busy and using the singles lines. My six day total, including one deep powder day, was around 280, 000 vertical feet. The nice thing about the resort being fairly remote is it didn't get ultra busy on a powder day. Unfortunately, age has slowed me down and the prices have driven me away from skiing.

[reddottx]

This review isn’t wrong but ranking it 13th seems off. I was there early January and had no trouble getting around the mountain. It’s true that getting to and lapping East Face and Christmas Tree bowl isn’t easy, but it’s not like it’s terrible to ski the other areas to get back to them. I’m not a big bowl skier and love glades so maybe that’s why Steamboat remains one of my favorite mountains. I think I’d rank the aesthetic higher too. I think it’s beautiful from the top looking out over the valley but it gets extra points for looking like a ski mountain rather than a real estate opportunity.

[scott]

Your reviews are excellent and much appreciated! Keep up the good work. 👍🏼
Of course, it’s important to review the major resorts, but now that you’ve done most of them, reviews of some of the smaller places (Wolf Creek, Ski Cooper, Sunlight, for example in Colorado), and Canadian areas, would be sweet for those of us hoping to avoid the $275 lift tickets.

[datapusher-]

Those blacks at the bottom of the mountain are fun. Its good seeing some of the same trails I had been on before in this.

[bffsxcod]

Most conifer (evergreen) trees on Colorado slopes seem to be spruce, not pine ;)
I agree with this review. Steamboat kinda feels like an East Coast skiing set up with West Coast snow and elevation. It's really only worthwhile if you love tree skiing and nothing else.

[tarizzolo]

I agree with this assessment. I just visited Steamboat for the first time this year and was disappointed in the “back bowl” and morning-side lift. It was a joke! Other than that I enjoyed the long groomed and off-piste tree runs. Suffice to say I would never pay $275 to ski a day here. Ikon brought me here. The village, town, amenities and apres-ski are very nice.

[lbco]

I skied Steamboat over Christmas/New Years 2022-23 … they had nearly 100 more inches than almost all other Colorado mountains. During light snow years Steamboat is still good.

[kylehardy]

I gotta say you're very good at this. Concise, honest and as objective as possible. Some of the resorts that are ranked on your site have no corresponding video. Is there videos coming down the line or you didn't film on those trips?

[skyoungz]

It’s time to update this review for 2023-24 due to the new Wild Blue gondola which has completely solved the crowd flow issue. And the addition of the new Magnolia high speed quad which added new terrain including 2 of the longest black runs in Colorado. And being a real western ranch town, it’s My favorite ski town in the USA.

[datapusher-]

The top and backside (morningside) of the mountain at certain times of the day are the most beautiful runs on the planet on the right days. I really love steamboat out of all the CO spots.