Mild Meets Wild

Keystone Blog
Posed March 22, 2023

These trail pairings have something for everyone!

It’s a dilemma we’ve all faced at some point or another: Some of your friends want to push the limit and try out harder, steep terrain, while your other friends want to stick with more mellow cruisers. You could split up around the mountain and try to reconnect, but what if there was a way to have your cake and eat it too? 

Snowboarder at Outback Bluebird Day

Here at Keystone, our mountains have a little something for everyone, whether your group is full of pros, beginners, or both!

  • MILD: Wild Irishman – Intermediate
  • WILD: Wild Irishman Cliffs - Advanced

Located on the front-side of Dercum Mountain, Wild Irishman is a wide-open, cruisy blue trail that offers fun rollers for the intermediate and up. But for advanced skiers and riders, it comes with an exciting twist. Stick to skiers right as you approach the start of Wild Irishman, and you'll catch the entrance to the Wild Irishman Cliffs, a short but sweet detour that offers steep cliff drops and hidden powder stashes before linking back up with the main run. Beginners in the group can even follow Schoolmarm to Silver Spoon and end up back with their friends before lapping the Montezuma Express and doing it all over again! 

  • MILD: Mozart – Intermediate 
  • WILD: Lower Windows - Expert

On the backside of Dercum Mountain, Mozart offers a healthy challenge for intermediate skiers and riders. Mozart’s groomed pitches are a favorite among guests, but if some folks in your group are seeking tight trees and powder, look no further than the Lower Windows. Simply head skiers left underneath the Outpost Gondola before heading down Mozart, and you’ll be treated to some of Keystone’s steepest, tightest trees. Both trails quickly link back together, so you and you friends can easily regroup before heading down for another lap off the Ruby Express or some tasty barbecue at Labonte’s Smokehouse.

Please note, the Lower Windows are expert terrain and should not be skied alone.

Across the Rockies

Skiing as a group is one of the best ways to explore our mountain playground, but Keystone isn’t the only place where guests of all abilities can ride together. Check out some of our favorite spots across the Rocky Mountains below!

Peak 6 Six Senses Cliff Drop High Alpine

Breckenridge Ski Resort 

  • MILD: Bliss – Intermediate
  • WILD: Serenity Bowl – Extreme 

Peak 6 is your gateway to the high-alpine where you can experience a whole new world of above treeline nirvana as both an intermediate and an expert. Try out Bliss with a wide-open pitch and get your first taste above the trees and 360 big mountain views. If you’re ready to elevate your trip, take a hike to Serenity Bowl and awaken your sixth sense with mind-bending drops and heart-pounding no-fall zones. At the end of each run, you can meet up with your friends and lap your separate terrain together via the Kensho SuperChair.

 

Crested Butte Mountain Resort

  • MILD: Paradise Bowl - Intermediate
  • WILD: Horseshoe - Advanced

Paradise Express offers access to a variety of intermediate and advanced terrain for skiers and riders to enjoy together. In Paradise Bowl, intermediate skiers can dip their toes into harder terrain with a wide open, groomer at a steeper pitch than you might expect from a blue trail. Their more daredevil friends can hit Upper Ruby Chief just on the other side of the Paradise Express and ski some blue moguls before taking Yellow Brick Road to Horseshoe – an advanced, steep, rocky face. Those skiers and riders can then link up with Lower Ruby Chief and meet their friends at Paradise Warming House for a well-deserved break.

 

Park City Mountain

  • MILD: Georgeanna – Intermediate
  • WILD: McConkey’s Bowl - Advanced

McConkey’s Express brings guests to some of the most iconic terrain at Park City Mountain in the shadow of Jupiter Peak. Intermediate skiers and snowboarders can enjoy the stunning views of the Wasatch Mountains from the top of the lift before meandering down through the pines along Georgeanna.

 

Beaver Creek Resort

  • MILD: Stone Creek Meadows – Intermediate
  • WILD: Ripsaw – Advanced

Rose Bowl offers intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders the opportunity to experience a run they’re comfortable with, and then lap the chair together! Expansive views of the Gore Range, and a unique perspective on Vail Mountain to the East, offer visitors an incredible alpine setting. Once you’ve had your fill of Rose Bowl laps, visit easily accessible Spruce Saddle for a hot chocolate or grilled cheese before heading back on the hill. 

 

Vail Mountain Resort

  • MILD: Poppyfields - Intermediate 
  • WILD: Shangri La - Advanced

China Bowl offers a wide variety of terrain for groups who are looking to experience Vail’s Legendary Back Bowls together, but may be at different levels of skiing and riding. Those who are looking for intermediate terrain can head down the wide-open groomer of Poppyfields, with expansive views of Holy Cross. If group members are looking for something a bit spicier, they can traverse over to Shangri La for some playful glades and find plenty of hidden spots full of fun. Both trails pop out at the bottom of the Orient Express Lift (#21) and it is the perfect place to lap all day long.