Steamboat, CO, Report: An Alterra Heavyweight that is a Glimpse into the Future of Skiing

Steamboat Shadows — The Closet and Shadows Glades located underneath the Wild Blue Gondola were hands down my favorite trails of the day. | Credit: Liam Abbott

Report from Wednesday, February 19, 2025

When Aspen Skiing Company bought Steamboat in 2017, they could envision what this mountain was capable of becoming. In the past eight years, Aspen Skiing Company, now via Alterra Mountain Company, have brought Steamboat’s full potential to fruition with over $200 million dollars in investments to transform this ski resort into one of the best in North America.

After having heard so much about Steamboat in recent years, and the reputation it continues to garner, I was eager to check it out for the first time and see if it really lived up to the high expectations it had going for itself.

Quick Facts & History

Date Opened: 1963
Multi-Destination Pass: Ikon Pass
Number of Trails: 182
Skiable Acres: 3741
Vertical Drop: 3,668′
Base Elevation: 6,900′
Summit Elevation: 10,568′
Average Annual Snowfall: 314″
Terrain Breakdown:
- Beginner: 30%
- Intermediate: 35%
- Advanced: 35%
Number of Lifts: 23
Night Skiing: Yes
Other Activities:
- Ice Skating
- Snowshoeing
- Scenic Gondola Rides

Located roughly three hours Northwest of Denver, Steamboat lies just outside of easy day-trip access for most skiers and riders in the Denver metropolitan area. Given this circumstance, Steamboat focuses on catering much more to destination ski goers rather than local day or weekend trip visitors. When visiting Steamboat on a Wednesday, this was instantly evident by the large groups of families and friends exploring the mountain together.

Although lift lines remain short, the crowds around the resort didn’t make it feel like a Wednesday. There were groups of skiers and riders from all over the place, from East Coast families on Winter Break to foreigners from South America and Europe.

Steamboat Sundown Express — On the beginner and intermediate sides of the mountain, half of the people in line were children, a testament to the family-friendly destination Steamboat has become. | Credit: Liam Abbott

Every aspect of the resort feels well thought-out and fresh. From the lifts to the restaurants, accommodations, transportation, and ski trails themselves, nothing feels in anyway dated with every aspect of the mountain strategically thought out. There is no better example of this than the Wild Blue Gondola, which debuted last season. This 3-mile megalift by Doppelmayr, connects the base village directly to the top of the resort via Steamboat’s new beginner learning area, Greenhorn Ranch.

Steamboat Right-O-Way — The new Wild Blue Gondola is the main artery through the heart of the resort, connecting skiers of all ability levels to the most important and frequented zones. | Credit: Liam Abbott

Greenhorn Ranch serves as an example of the future of what Alterra envisions beginner skiing to look like at its mountains. The beginner area, situated mid-mountain at the midpoint station of the Wild Blue Gondola, allows first-timer skiers to enjoy their time up on the mountain with incredible vistas of Steamboat Springs below, instead of being stuck at the bottom of the mountain in an otherwise useless area that no other visitors come across. The area offers seamless progression, with several magic carpets, a small quad, and unique progression features that teach skiers and riders how to have fun and build confidence on the slopes.

Plans for similar beginner areas have been set for Winter Park, and other mid-mountain beginner areas have already been put in place such as at Revelstoke Mountain Resort.

Steamboat Greenhorn Ranch — Steamboat’s Greenhorn Ranch beginner area offers a glance of what the future of beginner skiing will look like. | Credit: Liam Abbott

Something that often goes unnoticed is employees. Most of the time, this is a good thing. It means people are doing their jobs without others noticing, making for an uninterrupted visitor experience. But Steamboat was different. All of the employees in the countless small interactions I had on the mountain simply seemed to be happy and truly loving their jobs. From the Guest Services representative who helped me get my lift ticket to the lifties queuing riders up in line and even the shuttle bus drivers bringing us two and from the parking lot, the staff at Steamboat make a significant contribution to the overall good time vibes exhibited across the mountain. It seemed like all of them were there for the same reason I was—to just have fun.

Steamboat Triangle 3 — When the sun came out, beautiful views extended from the top of the mountain all the way into the valley. | Credit: Liam Abbott

Although Steamboat may not be known for expert skiing, that doesn’t mean it does not exist. The resort has done a lot in recent years to improve the experience of accessing expert-only terrain. In 2023, the resort added the high-speed Mahogany Ridge Express, servicing the far lookers left of the mountain. This year, Steamboat also improved its sidecountry maps and signage, making it easier for skiers less familiar with the mountain to really get out there and experience everything it has to offer.

Oftentimes at resorts, less-frequented expert terrain is still held back by low capacity fixed-gripped lifts, which can get bogged down by lines on powder days or weekends. Steamboat is the exception to this commonality, and as an expert skier, I greatly appreciated that.

Steamboat Mahogany Ridge Lift Line — The Mahogany Ridge Lift provides an over 1800′ vertical drop on black, double black, and side-country terrain, making any trail an absolute leg burner. | Credit: Liam Abbott

If there is one thing people know about Steamboat, it is its incredible aspen tree glade skiing. These trees do not disappoint and offer a different type of glade skiing that no other resort matches, especially in terms of quantity. I enjoyed how many of the aspen tree glades were widely spaced out, allowing you to pick up more speed than you are used to when skiing in between trees.

Steamboat Twilight Glades 2 — The Twilight Glades offer that iconic perfectly spread aspen tree glade skiing that Steamboat is known for. | Credit: Liam Abbott

While the aspen tree skiing was fantastic, there was even better glade skiing to be had higher up on the mountain. My go-to trails for the day were the Closet and Shadow Glades, located directly under the top of the Wild Blue Gondola. The snow stayed fresh all day long and the trails provided a lengthy consistent fall line. You start amongst snow covered pine trees and slowly descend, spending the last third of the vertical amongst aspens. At the bottom, you have easy access to the Sundown Express, or you can extend the run down to the mid-station of the Wild Blue Gondola to incorporate some nice groomers and be sure to avoid any lines.

Objectively, I may have preferred the Christmas Tree Bowl and surrounding glades. The only problem with lapping the Mt. Werner area of Steamboat is you have to access the frontside trails from the Morningside Triple, which is located on the backside of the resort. At the bottom of the Christmas Tree Bowl, you are also faced with a fairly long runout down to any lifts. This extra work to access the area kept it nice and fresh, and is worth incorporating at least once into your ski day at Steamboat.

Steamboat Christmas Tree Bowl — Christmas Tree Bowl may not sound intimidating, but don’t let the name fool you. | Credit: Liam Abbott

Overall, Steamboat in its current form represents the pinnacle of a destination mountain resort in North America. It is leading the way as one of Alterra’s flagship resorts, with top-of-the-line infrastructure, an ever-expanding village, and standout employees. It is because of this, that the mountain continues to draw guests from around the world, and standouts in the highly competitive Colorado ski market.