Good blues for beginners?

[MelRene]

Well, a blue for someone just beginning blues. I have been skiing about 3 years now and have always stuck to green. I’m looking even for advanced greens.

The resorts we frequent:

Monarch (already can ski Freeway at the end near the base)
Copper
Crested Butte (going in February)
Telluride (not sure when we are going but will be headed there at some point).

 

[Powgirl]

I'm a regular at Copper...and received good advice a couple of years ago...start on the west side and work your way east as you desire more challenge...be careful of The Moz on the west side as it sometimes is full of bumps and rocks...Windsong is a very nice blue on the west side that I often use to warm up on or sometimes end my day on too...the greens are nice, long runs.

As you get more confident, just move east on the mountain...some of the blues off Super Bee are a bit steeper, but my favorite blue run on Copper is Andy's Encore.

 

[Christy]

I don't remember names of runs, but I thought Telluride in general had easy blues. There, and wherever else you go, find a mountain info/ambassador type person and ask them about the easiest blues. A lesson is another way to get access to an instructor that can make recommendations.

 

[badger]

@MelRene . While I understand your wanting advice about the blue slopes where you are potentially going to ski, I also feel that it might be beneficial to just discover some of the resort blues on your own without the prejudice of knowing in advance what to expect. Your past ski experience of the last three seasons that you had, should offer you a measure of skills you may not realize you've attained! Discovering that you have just skied down a slope that you would have otherwise avoided can be a game-changer

 

[MelRene]

@MelRene . While I understand your wanting advice about the blue slopes where you are potentially going to ski, I also feel that it might be beneficial to just discover some of the resort blues on your own without the prejudice of knowing in advance what to expect. Your past ski experience of the last three seasons that you had, should offer you a measure of skills you may not realize you've attained! Discovering that you have just skied down a slope that you would have otherwise avoided can be a game-changer

I appreciate your advice. I am just a nervous gal, and a nervous skier and knowning what to expect is helpful.

That said, I took a private lesson today. Near the end of the lesson, he took me to terrain I had never been on (that he said was a more advanced blue). It was a pretty cool experience. I had zero idea what to expect. I enjoyed it!

 

[just jane]

Where did you do the lesson?

I am also a Copper regular, and I would echo PowGirl's suggestions. The groomed blues off of the Timberline lift - Windsong and American Flyer - are great, but yeah, make sure you avoid the Moz and Jacque's Pique! As you move east, the green/blue runs off of the American Flyer lift are great fun, too. I think that the very last pitch at the bottom, coming into the lift area, is a little steep for a blue run, so just be aware of that. It's short and a good confidence builder. I also really like the green run off of the Rendezvous lift, because I think that area is really pretty.

Once you're comfortable there, it's an easy move to the blues off of American Eagle. Personally, I would get confident on groomed blues before I moved to un-groomed terrain. One thing I like about the Windsong run is that at the top, it's open and you can move into easier ungroomed stuff and that back onto the groomer, so you can play in there for a few turns and then duck back out if it feels like too much. It's a great place for messing around and testing yourself just a little bit.

 

[Christy]

If someone is used to greens, I think it's a good idea for them to know what they are getting in to. A blue could be a steep mogul field or an easy cruiser, depending on where you are.

 

[captain_hug99]

My daughter skis blues at Monarch and recommends: Little Mo, Beeline, Great Divide to Snowburn. My favorite green at Monarch is: Skywalker to Sleepy Hollow to one of the greens going down.

 

[MelRene]

If someone is used to greens, I think it's a good idea for them to know what they are getting in to. A blue could be a steep mogul field or an easy cruiser, depending on where you are.

THANK YOU. My point EXACTLY. I want to know what I’m getting into.

 

[MelRene]

Where did you do the lesson?

I am also a Copper regular, and I would echo PowGirl's suggestions. The groomed blues off of the Timberline lift - Windsong and American Flyer - are great, but yeah, make sure you avoid the Moz and Jacque's Pique! As you move east, the green/blue runs off of the American Flyer lift are great fun, too. I think that the very last pitch at the bottom, coming into the lift area, is a little steep for a blue run, so just be aware of that. It's short and a good confidence builder. I also really like the green run off of the Rendezvous lift, because I think that area is really pretty.

Once you're comfortable there, it's an easy move to the blues off of American Eagle. Personally, I would get confident on groomed blues before I moved to un-groomed terrain. One thing I like about the Windsong run is that at the top, it's open and you can move into easier ungroomed stuff and that back onto the groomer, so you can play in there for a few turns and then duck back out if it feels like too much. It's a great place for messing around and testing yourself just a little bit.

I did the lesson at Monarch!

 

[marzNC]

Well, a blue for someone just beginning blues. I have been skiing about 3 years now and have always stuck to green. I’m looking even for advanced greens.

The resorts we frequent:

Monarch (already can ski Freeway at the end near the base)
Copper
Crested Butte (going in February)
Telluride (not sure when we are going but will be headed there at some point).

Noticed this question looking for something else.

After spending a few days at Telluride last month, I can understand why a friend who learned there as an adult 15-20 years ago likes it so much. The terrain options for beginning and intermediate skiers is vast in comparison to some of the destination resorts I've been to in recent years. With extra trail rating levels, figuring out a good progression is easy. Not just green, blue, black. Telluride has green, green-green, blue, blue-blue, black, double-black, and then the Colorado black EX (Extreme) rating for really steep and challenging hike-to terrain.

Because the upper mountain lifts were on wind hold our second day, I spent time wandering around the greens and blues that led to the big Meadows green served by the Chondola aka Lift 1. Didn't take the full length of the green-green Galloping Goose trail but heard from a mountain host that the views from that trail are wonderful on a clear day.

Note that Telluride is starting a long term agreement to work with Vail to provide some days to Epic passholders.