The Back Bowls are why people come. Miles of wide, treeless, sun facing terrain sit behind the front side, and it is one of the few places where a strong blue skier can ski powder for the first time without trees to worry about. Take a lesson if that is new to you. Beginners have proper terrain at mid mountain, and Blue Sky Basin beyond the bowls adds gladed runs in more sheltered ground. The village is pedestrian mock Tyrolean, convinces nobody, and works anyway, with genuinely good restaurants and a lively bar scene. It is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world and also one of the largest and best organised. Hotels, condos and rentals spread across two village centres with a free bus between them. Eagle County airport is thirty five minutes away and Denver is two hours over a pass that closes in storms. The altitude takes a day or two to settle into, so keep the first afternoon easy.