BEAVER CREEK RESORT GUIDE
Images courtesy of Beaver Creek
Beaver Creek Expert Itinerary
Rose Bowl, Larkspur Bowl, Grouse Mountain, Strawberry Park
Overview
Main Base – Centennial Express – Cinch – Rose Bowl – Larkspur Bowl – Grouse Mountain – Lunch at Talons – Bachelor Gulch – Strawberry Park – Return to Main Base
1. 9am – Quick Centennial Warm Up, then Into the Chutes
A) From the MAIN BASE, start with a few warm up laps off of the Centennial Express. Head down directly under the lift for Centennial, where the top portion is a little steeper before it mellows out into a blue run. Work your way to the skier's left for a few more laps on Double Diamond and Helmut's, all of which return to the base of Centennial. We recommend getting these laps in early as crowds start to congregate at the MAIN BASE.
B) To head up the mountain, take Centennial and exit left for Cinch. Ride this lift to the peak of Beaver Creek and enjoy majestic views before heading for some morning chutes. Take a few cruisers off of Cinch.
On a powder day, try to get to the ROSE BOWL and the chutes sooner. Head left off Cinch or Red Buffalo to reach the double diamond rated, Stone Creek Chutes. The chutes tend to hold powder, but beware of cliffs and ready for steep pitches. The chutes will take you all the way down to the Rose Bowl Express. From the top of Rose Bowl, make some fun laps in the bowl. Try Sheephorn, which returns to Rose Bowl by way of C Prime and Stone Creek Meadows. Ripsaw and Cataract are also great runs, accessible from Rose Bowl.
2. 10:30am – Finding the Steeper Terrain in Larkspur Bowl
Whether it's a powder day, or a blue bird day, LARKSPUR BOWL is home to some of the resorts steeper terrain with strong potential for bumps. To get there from the Rose Bowl Express, follow Cinch which will turn into Dally that will take all the way to the base of Larkspur.
Ride the Larkspur Express and exit left and take a few laps on Shooting Star, Lupine, and Loco. These are all short, but fun, steep, bumpy runs, guaranteed to get the blood pumping again.
3. 11:30am – Leg Burners on Grouse Mountain
When you've explored the LARKSPUR BOWL, take the Birds of Prey Express to move on to GROUSE MOUNTAIN. Exit the lift to the right for Golden Eagle. This trail doubles as the Birds of Prey downhill course in the World Cup. (To access Golden Eagle from the very top, a trip up Cinch Express is required).
Golden Eagle runs to the base of GROUSE MOUNTAIN where you can hop on the Grouse Mountain Express. On a powder day, head right off of the chair for Royal Elk Glades. All of the terrain serviced by the Grouse Mountain Express is rated black or double black. You have your choice of leg burning runs to experience before lunch. Try Osprey if you like big bumps. Screech Owl is North facing and tends to hold powder nicely. Bald Eagle to Falcon Park goes from steep to steeper!
4. 1pm – Lunch @Talon's Restaurant
When you're ready for lunch, pick up the Beaver Creek Mountain Expressway at the base of GROUSE to quickly reach Talons. Talons has excellent outside seating, perfect for warming up with soup or chili.
5. 1:45pm – Cruising Around Bachelor Gulch
After lunch, head back up the Larkspur Express and take a right onto Primrose trail for a cruiser. If you have sweet tooth, consider a stop by Candy Cabin, on the left towards the bottom of Primrose.
Primrose goes from blue to green as you make your way out of Larkspur Bowl and into Bachelor Gulch. Stay right for Grubstake, for a nice, long mellow run to the base of Bachelor Gulch. Hop on the Bachelor Gulch Express to enjoy a few easier laps post lunch. This area is typically far less crowded and have some great open tree runs that will be fun for all ages and ability levels.
6. 2:45pm – Strawberry Park & Return to Beaver Creek Base
Returning to the MAIN BASE from BACHELOR GULCH is a fairly mellow, but fun adventure across the mountain. Exit Bachelor Gulch and head left on Intertwine, a long trail that will traverses to Strawberry Park Express. Take a couple of laps to close out the day in this area. Try Thresher's Glade, President Ford's and/or Stacker. These all return to the base of Strawberry Park.
When you are ready to call it a day, take Strawberry Park and exit left for the Beaver Creek Mountain Express way which will take you back to a familiar area, Talons and the base of Larkspur. Continue straight past everything to return to BEAVER CREEK BASE.
Congrats! You just had an awesome day challenging yourself through some of Beaver Creek's toughest terrain. Check out our Après guide to continue the fun.