Which Colorado Resort Has the Best Snow Right Now?

Some much needed snow fell on the Rocky Mountains over the weekend, giving a boost to the outlook for the 2012/13 snow season. Most of the resorts are reporting an 18 inch base. Translation - there isn't much snow in the Colorado high country right now. 18 inches is like a minimum number that they'll report. But, never fear, big snow is on the way!

But what if you want to take the family or yourself up there now, or over the coming holidays? Which resort has the best snow?

Well, when it comes to the 'best' snow, the term is relative. All the resorts are operating on snow they've blown from their machines. So rather than looking for quality in the snow, it really comes down to who has the most terrain open.

Your best bet will be either Keystone, Steamboat or Vail. Steamboat has 15 different trails open, while Keystone has 16, and Vail has 34. Once again, a translation may help. There will be a bunch of main drags open, and little tertiary trails will shoot off of these. With these little offshoots, you can experience something different, rather than just cruising down the same run over and over as we are apt to do in an early season with little snow.

Whenever the resorts only have runs open that they've covered with snow from their machines, they'll be in a concentrated area. All of the resorts are going to make sure that their beginner terrain is fully open. They also have all of their amenities running full bore, so the resort experience is 100% ready for your visit.

I should note that, as far as this list is concerned, I have only enjoyed Keystone so far this year. The others were chosen because of the amount of trails my onthesnow.com app is reporting and their proximity to Fort Collins and Northern Colorado.