The closest ski area to Boulder and Denver, less than an hour away, and reachable by public bus from Boulder, which almost no other Colorado resort can claim. The terrain is a good spread with gentle learning ground and steeper tree skiing, and there is a substantial Nordic network alongside the downhill. The mountain sits high and exposed, so wind is a regular feature and it can hold the upper lifts.

Prices are lower than at the resorts on the interstate and the crowds are local rather than destination. Nederland at the bottom of the road is a small mountain town with its own character.