Gnarly Powder

Hitting the slopes for the first time can be pretty intimidating, but with winter around the corner, ski season is about to pick up. Being a Colorado native, snowboarding and skiing are just part of my life, but for those of you who have never gone, I have just the place for you. Just past Glenwood Springs, Colorado sits Sunlight Mountain.

This small resort is perfect for the winter adventurer on a budget, offering a full day of skiing at around half the cost of those big, fancy resorts that cover the Rocky Mountains. The mountain is small, with 67 trails that offer terrain for anyone from the novice to the expert. Being tucked away, the resort isn’t too busy, and the trails are all open and covered in fresh snow. If you’re looking for something a bit less taxing than being up on skis all day, the resort also offers snowmobile tours, snowshoeing, and even a couple cross country skiing trails. The terrain park sits tucked off to the side of a couple trails, making it the perfect spot to work on some jumps or rail rides out of the way of other skiers and snowboarders. If some back country runs are more your speed, they also offer the East Ridge, full of expert level trails and unmarked areas that are open to the public. The mountain terrain breaks up into 20% beginner, 55% intermediate, 20% advanced and 5% expert. The summit tops off at 9,895 feet, offering beautiful views and without wind, nice weather.

For those that don’t have ski equipment, the resort offers rentals on boots, skis, helmets, goggles, and even jackets and snow pants. With all of this to offer, and the town of Glenwood Springs just 15 minutes away, Sunlight Mountain is the perfect place for a first time skier to take a long weekend and explore what winter in the Rocky Mountains has to offer.