Ski Steamboat Colorado

Steamboat Springs has the nickname 'Ski Town USA', and it's well-earned, because many say the skiing is better than anywhere else.

The town is split into two, the old downtown section, dating back to the 19th century, with an authentic cowboy ambiance, and the more modern 'Mountain Area' village higher up the valley, spread out in front of the gondola area. There's a free shuttle bus that connects the two which takes about 10 minutes.

For beginners, the ski school comes widely recommended - after a few lessons, all but the really clumsy will be tackling the easy runs in the main 'Walley World' area. Intermediates will love the wide, easy, sunny slopes, and can ski from dawn to dusk for a real boost in confidence. Experts will find the tree-skiing truly exhilarating, with deep powder runs snaking through aspen and fir groves. When you ski Steamboat Colorado, you're even skiing on copyrighted snow, Champagne Powder©.

The resort is a snowboarders dream. Towards the northern edge of the ski area, the Pony Express quad chair leads to some great freeriding. If you want some air, check out the ginormous Mavericks Superpipe, situated just above the Gondola area. It's 500ft long, 56ft wide, has 18ft sidewalls, and a 22ft radius. Next to Mavericks is the SoBe terrain park with a variety of rails, jumps and barrels.

For après ski, there's lots of enjoyable restaurants and bars, both downtown or around the Mountain Area. Be sure to check out the 'Ski Bar' at 'Slopeside Grill', which is made out of 3000 blocks of ice!