Frisco – Gateway to Colorado skiing

With world-class snow, breathtaking mountain views, and a range of ski resorts for every level, Colorado is a skier’s paradise, with incredible ski resorts with great snow. But where do you stay, dine and explore to get the most out of your ski adventure? If heading west from Denver, the I70 corridor is a logical route with resorts and options. Frisco, originally a mining town that got rolling in the 1800s, is a starting and stopping point for ten ski areas and a nightly destination. Frisco allows outdoor enthusiasts to vary their experience daily with a different resort within driving distance and multiple outdoor options.

Butterhorn Bakery

Nothing gets a skier rolling like a good breakfast, and the a.m. fuel up in Frisco is the Butterhorn Bakery. Walk in the door, and the smells scream made from scratch from start to finish. Power-pack your start with a royal scrambler, which adds cream cheese and mushrooms to your eggs and spuds. If you are pounding the bumps, knock down the country-fried steak with home fries, fresh gravy, and two eggs. The pancackes? Simply mounds of tasty flavor. You can add a wide variety of additional baked treats like the gooey cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and slip them into your coat for a little on-mountain fuel.

Hotel Frisco

Ski town hotels need to be cozy and, at the end of the day, within walking distance of restaurants and shops. The Hotel Frisco fits the bill and more as the only premium boutique hotel in Frisco. It received a total refresh, making it comfier than before. It is pet-friendly and works diligently to minimize environmental impact. Each room in the three-story hotel is unique; many have mountain views. And the fact you are right on Main Street means those tired legs don’t have to go far for evening sustenance, shopping and libations.

Vinny’s Euro American cuisine

Dining in resort towns can be iffy because many restaurants have limited competition. Enter Vinny’s, where the restaurant operates at the careful direction of Vinny, the chef and owner. The focus is combining American + Euro cuisine for tasty twists. Expect an incredible happy hour that rolls right into dining with different specials each night. Move over Austria, as the starter star is the mushroom strudel with marinated mushrooms in puff pastry with lemon caper butter. Hit the main line with the Aspen Ridge boneless beef short ribs, blending creamed corn sauce and cabernet demi-glaze. In the pasta department, go to a high altitude with the sausage rigatoni starring sweet-fennel Italian Berkshire pork sausage and blended with creamy rosé sauce.

Copper Mountain Aerie Lodge

Copper Mountain is the closest ski resort to Frisco at nine minutes away. Copper operates each year in the improvement mode like the king of the hill. Skiing this year gets a boost from their new Timberline 2.0 lift, which bumps up capacity in the most desirable western territories of the resort. Dining gets more luxurious options at the stellar Aerie, a mid-mountain lodge with incredible sit-down dining experiences. On selected dates, ride the gondola up after the area closes for a gourmet meal featuring Rocky Mountain specialties like vennison, with views of the Continental Divide. Skiing late in the season means the alpenglow is just beginning when the area closes. Copper Mountain uses this time of year to open the lower runs to skiers who schuss for an hour with the runs to themselves, then back up to 11,200 feet for a special dinner basking in the last of the sunlight. Dates are offered in March and April for this one-of-a-kind ski/dining experience.

Breckenridge Nordic Center

The Breckenridge Nordic Center is the most complete Nordic experience in Colorado. Owned and run by the Dayton family, all Nordic competitors and who used races and visits to 10 other countries to hone the components of the BNC. The classic and skate trails meander through protected wetlands and national forests. The layout includes various ability snowshoe trails for the non-skier and even a beginner luge experience. The onsite shop boasts numerous brands with 5,000 square feet of options, more significant than any off-snow operation in the area. Their try-then-buy program ensures you get the best gear for how you ski using the actual trails. Two ski instructors are always onsite to guide abilities from the never-ever to seasoned enthusiast. The lodge was hand-built by the Daytons using local logs. It is more than comfortable with a bar, tables, kick-back chairs, and couches. The food here is above the typical hot dog and chips with the Bavarian pretzel-zilla, award-winning glühwein, and two homemade soups daily. Add apres-ski entertainment; the experience will get even the most reserved skier to yodel a few tunes.

Two Below sleigh rides

At the end of the day, it’s better to get a move on with someone else’s leg power. Hop aboard the Two Below sleighs in Frisco for a stunning scenic ride in the snow-bound Colorado High Country. For an afternoon pick-up, try the scenic cocoa rides, which depart from Frisco to their base camp for some hot warm-ups (adult beverage versions available!), with entertainment. For a more indulgent experience, saddle up for the evening dinner rides, which combine dashing at a leisurely pace through the peaks and a home-cooked dinner with entertainment in a heated tent.

Neil Wolkodoff

Neil Wolkodoff is a travel writer from Denver, Colorado, USA. He covers golf, dining, activities and accommodations from the luxury and unique perspective.