The Skiers' Guide to Keystone

Keytone has a reputation as a learning mountain, and it can be. But there is more than meets the eye for the adventurous skier. Front side steep, dense trees with hidden powder, wider tree bowls in the back, and high alpine hike-to terrain that are less skied out than lift accessed-areas are all fantastic. The immediate surrounding area leaves a lot to be desired in terms of night life and restaurant options, but Breck is only a 25 minute drive away.

Keystone has been a staple in CO for decades and this was my first season buying a pass and being in the community. Everyone is very nice and helpful. Love the free parking and bunny hills! Started doing greens and they are very hectic and too many people sometimes, but overall great experiences there and can’t wait to learn more!

Lift lines move fairly quickly but the slopes are usually quite crowded. Not a lot of areas to act powder stashes and runs get icy quickly in the afternoon from all the shade. Cheapest season pass you can find anymore but still quite pricey for what you get and the food on the mountain is exorbitantly expensive for mediocre quality.

We were unfortunate and did not have the best snow. However, you can ski here very cheaply with the Epic Flex Pass, and it is not very expensive to stay here. Some of the views at Keystone are the best I have seen in Colorado. If you are an intermediate skier, this is the best resort I would argue, in the world. There are so many quality groomed runs.

The resort is beautiful all the slopes are well groomed and have flood lights for night riding, the lift ticket is pricey but you get a lot to offer. Gets very busy especially at open time so arrive very early to get most value of time. Plenty of family friendly food spots and a load of cozy bars to get some cold brews. Not pet friendly

Keystone is a great place to visit with your family, or even as a solo skier with a variety of terrain options for everyone from beginner to expert level riders. Great food options in the village.

Keystone as a resort is quite big and fun in general. They have efficient snow making systems which helped them open a ton of runs. Although I did not check out many of the runs, from past experiences they are interesting and fun. The tree runs are so so and the terrain park is also okay. They have 3-4 mountains with a ton of trails. For me, the most fun run I did was a mogul run under Montezuma super chair and it is fun with some nice tree runs. Overall a great resort with a ton of food options, a candy store, and a build a bear workshop making it a fun experience for kids(if you have the money). I do recommend going to keystone early, especially when there is a ton of snow as it will be packed before 10. Accommodations are a bit expensive but I do recommend going to a nearby town with cheaper hotels.

Although the season has been off to a slow start, and snow totals are very low, skiing at Keystone has still been very fun and enjoyable this year.

Recent storms have dropped enough snow to establish conditions that are conducive for all skill levels. There still is not a great deal of train open, so many of the main throw affairs are still very busy with beginner skiers. If you venture onto the back of the mountain though things open up, and there is ample terrain without long lift lines.

Great resort with many runs open, given the quality of snow in Colorado. Great alternative to the more popular resorts nearby. Better views, less crowded, and cheaper. The runs also feel more like you are in nature than some other resorts. Cute town with many good happy hours! Free and easy parking nearby.

Had an awesome time snow was good and staff was excellent. Our condo was very close and also had a shuttle we needed it.

Grewt Resort for families with kids. Ski school is awesome and Daycare takes the infants out to play in the snow if its not too windy. Gives the adults a great amount of time for a few runs. Staying at River Run makes it ski in-ski out. Definitely one of my favorite affordable resorts.

Great resort with lots of slopes and beautiful landscapes! Loved and enjoyed it! Highly recommend it!

There are two bases. River run is a better bet to find parking. Watch out during the holiday season, there are many out of control riders.

Not a lot of snow, but there is plenty of runs open to satisfy your needs. Wish there was more activity around the area since the slopes were closing at 4pm.

Just an hour and a half outside Denver, lies Keystone. The lesser known EPIC mountain (compared to Breck or Vail) is hidden off I-70. The mountain is where I learned to ski and where i've learned to become proficient in skiing black runs.

My girlfriend and I spend every weekend there for the closeness to Denver, $5 Margs at Ritolo's, and the ample free parking. 2025 has been rough with the snow levels, but that's not stopping those with the itch.

As of December 2025, ~38 runs are open and they're flooded with people of all skillsets (see where i'm headed with this?) I get it. Not Keystone's fault, but can't ignore the case. Hopefully the new year brings better snow.

Keystone is a friendly and welcoming place. With runs for all levels, I found it easy to explore and fun. They even made sure to wish me a happy birthday when scanning my lift pass!

As a snowboarder who likes wide, fast blue runs over parks, I prefer Keystone to the nearby Breckenridge as Keystone’s layout makes more use of vertical space and is easier to navigate on a board without hitting flat catwalks. The mountain has multiple faces oriented in different directions, so you’re able to follow the sunnier faces throughout the day. The farther flung faces are often quieter, and you’re always able to find an area without as much of a crowd as the main runs. The groomed blues are the perfect speed and length, with an idea lift halfway down the main face of the mountain to hot lap them.

There is a cute base area with options to shop and dine, but not a standalone village like Breckenridge or Crested Butte would have. While there is a variety of lodging options, they all still skew on the expensive side.

Keystone is a large resort a little over an hour from Denver. It is large and has multiple base areas. A better option than Vail.

Keystone is the place to go in Colorado if you want great tree skiing. The Outback part of the mountain is where the goods are. This area tends to be less crowded than the rest of the resort.

The resort itself doesn't have the best nightlife.. For that, it's best to go over to Breckenridge (20 minute drive).

You also have close access to Breckenridge, Copper and Arapahoe ski areas and about 45 minute drive to Vail. Brec, Keystone and Vail are on the Epic pass so you can ski all 3.

I was there with my girl friend. We had a blast experiencing -31°F on the slopes on the coldest day there. Thanks to the coffee shop at the base of the resort that kept us warm and energized. :)