Winter Park Ski Trip (February 25-March 4, 2006)
|
Cost: $795.00 |
Roundtrip Amtrak Superliner Service to Winter Park, COSki Trip Itinerary
Train Schedule - Outbound
Sat. 8:23 a.m. |
Board the Amtrak Wolverine in Ann Arbor, Michigan (it is also possible to join this trip at other stations along the way to Chicago or to meet us in Denver). |
Sat. 11:59 a.m. |
Arrive in Chicago |
Sat. 1:50 p.m. |
Depart Chicago on the California Zephyr |
Sun. 10:07 a.m. |
Arrive in Winter Park, Colorado |
Train Schedule - Return
Fri. 4:10 p.m. |
Board the California Zephyr at Winter Park |
Sat. 3:20 p.m. |
Arrive in Chicago |
Sat. 6:00 p.m. |
Depart Chicago on the Twilight Limited |
Sat. 11:26 p.m. |
Arrive in Ann Arbor, Michigan |
Travel by Train...
This group trip is for those who like to keep their pleasures simple. It combines good skiing with affordable sightseeing. We travel by train because it provides a leisurely transition from the often hectic weeks of work and school. When we arrive at Winter Park people have gotten to known one another, they've enjoyed the passing panorama of a beautiful countryside, and they're rested and ready for an exciting week of skiing.
To an Old Railroad Town...
Located seventy miles northwest of Denver high up in the Rocky Mountains, Winter Park is a friendly town, pretty much devoid of the pretense and expensive glamour of the more well-known Colorado ski resorts. It is said to be the favorite skiing spot for native Coloradans. A free local shuttle service makes it easy to travel to and from the ski slopes and all around town from early in the morning to late at night.
For Some of the Best Skiing in the World!
The skiing at Winter Park is hard to beat. In an average year the mountain receives nearly sixty feet of snowfall, more than almost any other area of the country. Really three interconnected mountains, each with its own character and primary level of challenge, Winter Park provides plenty of opportunities for everyone, from the complete novice to the Olympic racer. Experts favor the remote headwall chutes of Vasquez Cirque; advanced skiers the steep slopes and chutes of Mary Jane; intermediates, the runs on Vasquez Ridge; beginners, the trails at Winter Park; powder buffs, the high wide-open spaces of Parsenn Bowl.
Lodging
In Winter Park we will be staying at Hi Country Haus, a condominium
complex located within walking distance of the downtown area, and
ten to fifteen minutes from the ski slopes by shuttle bus.
Hi Country Haus is a comfortable, well-maintained facility with
large, roomy units. Each unit contains a living room with working
fireplace and cable television, a dining area, a fully equipped
kitchen, two full baths, and a deck. Bedding and towels are
provided, though there is no maid service. We are renting two- and
three- bedroom units. With two people sleeping on the hide-a-bed in
the living room, the two-bedroom units accommodate six people, the
three bedroom units accommodate eight.
The complex features a recreation center with an indoor pool, sauna,
hot tubs, game room, and laundry facilities.
Skiing
Our standard trip package includes a lift pass for use on any four of the five weekdays we are at Winter Park. By purchasing an afternoon pass on the day we arrive, and upgrading the standard five-day pass, skiing fanatics can actually ski a total of five and a half days, if they choose. Lift lines open at 9:00 a.m. and close at 4:00 p.m.
Winter Park is a vast mountain area with spectacular views of the
continental divide. Top elevation is 12,060 feet, base elevation is
9,000 feet, for a vertical drop of 3,060 feet. There are a total of
134 trails on the mountain, and it is possible to make an
uninterrupted single run of more than five miles. Lift lines are
generally quite short.
The resort proudly boasts about its nationally renowned ski school
and adaptive skiing programs. First-time adult skiers and boarders
can sign up for half-day lessons at a cost of about $30.00. Rates
for other levels of instruction should be about $50.00 for a half
day.
Ski rental packages are available at many sites throughout the
resort. Prices range from $12.00 to $30.00 a day. Board rental
packages start around $25.00 a day.
Activities Around Town
For those who want to eat in, the Safeway supermarket in nearby
Fraser, a short shuttle ride away, provides all the ingredients that
anyone will need to stock a condo refrigerator and pantry. For those
who want to eat out, there are many restaurants around the town,
including one at the entrance to Hi Country Haus.
Other local attractions include a dinner theater, evening sleigh
rides, tubing hill, ice skating rink, and one of the most highly
regarded cross-country skiing centers in the country.
On the Train: Out and Back
If you truly want to travel, take the train. On a train you can keep
a sense of time and place, you can sit and talk in comfort, you can
get up and take a walk, you can glide through countryscapes and
cityscapes and ponder the details, you can read a good book or play
a hand of cards, you can eat a full-course dinner, you can stretch
out and nap or sleep. We take the train because it is fun and
because it gives members of the group a chance to relax and get to
know each other before they plunge into active days of skiing at
Winter Park.
The train on the way to Chicago is a short-haul intercity train.
Seats are comfortable, leg room is adequate (about what you'd get
with a first-class airline ticket), the scenery is a patchwork of
back-yard Michigan: farmland, woodland, prairie, factories and
warehouses, small town derelicts and city slums.
The train out of Chicago is designed for crossing the country in
comfort. We roll through the fertile flat farmlands of Illinois,
cross the Mississippi River, sweep across the broad prairies of Iowa
and Nebraska, and all the while we are climbing, climbing toward
Denver and into the Rockies. Cars are double-decked with seating
above, bathrooms and baggage below. Coach seats are huge, and when
they are reclined, a leg rest folds out to support the entire lower
body. There is a full-service dining car, an observation car
featuring a 360-degree view of the passing landscape during the day
and movies at night, and a lounge car where snacks and beverages are
served and games can be played.
Ski trip participants are allowed to place one large bag, skis or
board, and boots in the baggage car or luggage compartment. One
carry-on bag may be brought on board as well. Amtrak rules prohibit
passengers from bringing their own beverages along .
If the train arrives on time, the layover in Chicago on the way out
provides for up to two and a half hours in the city. At Denver there
is a brief stopover that allows for limited exploration of the
neighborhood around the station.
Group Activities and Services for Families
All skiers and would-be skiers are welcome on this trip. Families
with children are also welcome.
On board the train, our staff will be coordinating a number of
programs to help the time pass more quickly. If there is interest,
we will also lead a number of traditional parlor games such as
charades, and we will make available playing cards and board games
to those who do not bring their own.
During the days at Winter Park, at an additional cost and by prior
reservation, child care for preschoolers can be arranged at an
excellent facility on the mountain. Fully supervised skiing programs
for elementary school aged children can be arranged on the mountain,
as well.
Early in the week the trip leaders from S.T.E.P.S. will host an
evening party at the condominium complex.
