Content
Winter Park Ski Area
© copyright Winter Park Resort
Winter Park’s vast terrain is spread over five summits—Winter Park, Mary Jane, Parsenn Bowl, Vasquez Cirque and Vasquez Ridge—and the new Rail Yard Terrain Park. Winter Park Mountain is the largest and most versatile hub, offering well-manicured terrain for beginner, intermediate and advanced skiers from its summit, Sunspot, at 10,700 feet (3,261 m) down to its base at 9,000 feet (2,743 m). On its slopes you’ll find Discovery Park, an award-winning enclosed learning area open to all sliders with its own lifts and gentle slopes. More experienced skiers head for the wilder Mary Jane Mountain, at 11,200 feet (3,414 m), rising behind Winter Park summit and named after a legendary local prostitute who laid claim to the land.
The above-treeline Parsenn Bowl is the highest point on the mountain at 12,060 feet (3,675 m), offering a maximum vertical descent of 3,060 ft (933 m) and fabulous views of the Rockies: you’re actually looking down onto the Continental Divide and the famous Moffat Tunnel which takes trains under it . Here you will find ungroomed trails with moguls and extensive off-piste and gladed terrain of varying density, and an untouched blanket of irresistible powder. The wide-sweeping Vasquez Ridge is the westernmost part of the resort with wide-open cruisers, exciting bump trails, plenty of fresh snow and afternoon sun, while Vasquez Cirque at 11,900 feet (3,627 m) is for black and double-black diamond experts seeking steep cornices and 687 acres (278 ha) of extreme backcountry terrain.
The resort also receives an average of 359 inches (912 cm) snowfall a year, more than any other major Colorado resort, but Winter Park is best known for its mogul skiing. Mary Jane is internationally famous for its bumps and “Don’t Groom the Jane” is the locals’ rallying cry.
Winter Park
| Base | 9,000 ft (2,743 m) |
| Summit | 12,060 ft (3,676 m) |
| Elevation | 3,060 ft (933 m) |
| Snowmaking | 294 acres (0 ha) / 11 % |
| Ski area | 3,078 a (1,238 ha) |
| Beginner | 9 % |
| Intermediate | 21 % |
| Advanced | 70 % |
| Number of trails | 145 |
| Longest trail | 7 mi (11 km) |
| Snowfall | 359 inch (1,003 cm) |
| Season start | late Nov |
| Season end | mid Apr |
