I have to be in Golden, Colorado for work on Tuesday. I'm living in Virginia and need some time in the mountains. I arranged to fly in to Denver on Sunday, so I have Monday to play. Any ideas on what to do? (What's the best ski place for a beginner? Are there any good winter climbing areas/available partners? Are there good winter hikes in RMNP? Should I check out Garden of the Gods?) I've only spent one evening in Denver as I was driving East, so I don't know the area. Thanks for any help.

Wow. This should be interesting. For one day, I'd say visit Boulder and climb a Flatiron. Unless you're fairly intense, then I'd say find a partner for a classic Eldo route.

I dunno, something tells me a tour of Coors and a walk through REI is what you really need.

Chance of snow Saturday which could impact Front Range climbing. A bit early to tell. I'd say Eldo is the best use of climbing time. Clear Creek Cyn in Golden could be a bit cold, though its right there. Beginner skiing = Loveland, Keystone or Breckenridge. Probably Breck. Those are also the quickest to get to.

You could go ski in Eldora, which is in Nederland and pretty close by. They just got some good snow, too. If you want a simple day, hike around in the Flatirons with your camera. It looks quite beautiful there with a lot of snow accenting the red rock.

I'd cast my vote for a hike to Chasm Lake in RMNP.

either ski breckenridge or snow shoe somewhere in RMNP.glacier gorge or bear lake trailhead are good starts

You could head south and climb Center Route (or Wunsch's Dihedral)on Cynical Pinical in South Platte if you want to rock climb. South faceing solar collector! I would definately stay away from Garden of the Gods, overly hyped for sure! If you want to ski, Eldora is close and I think a lift ticket durring the week is pretty reasonable (not sure about this). I do know they just got like 2 feet of snow! I second Kevin's suggestion if you want to hike and see something amazing. It's about as good as it gets standing at Chasm lake beneith the Diamond!

We had a pretty good dump of snow last week, and uncharacteristically for CO, its not going to melt off any time soon. Plan on icy/snowpacked hiking for any approaches.

if a friend were coming out in the winter, had only one day to play, and was equally interested in either skiing or climbing; i'd recommend skiing.

we get some great winter climbing days here to be sure. but, it can be a bit unpredictable and, with a little wind and cloudy skies, a day that looked like it was going to be great can quickly turn into a day that is ok at best.

if you've spent a lot of time skiing out west, you may be a bit picky about the skiing conditions and weather. but, most people from out east are going to think that almost any day of skiing out here is a great day.

Loveland and Arapahoe Basin are the closest resorts to Golden. Eldora is also pretty close. A-Basin may be a bit on the steep side for someone who's looking for beginner runs. I've not spent a lot of time at Loveland or Eldora but I think they have more options that are easier.

If you do climb, Eldo and The Flatirons are probably your best options for nearby classic climbing in Colorado. There's also Highwire and Highlander crags in Clear Creek Canyon. They're even closer to Golden and the climbing is really good. But, you are climbing above a highway so it lacks the setting of Eldo and The Flatirons. If the weather isn't nice enough to climb at any of those locations, go skiing because anything else will be even colder or less than classic climbing.

For the most part I second Craig's post, though I also think that it could be a pain to spend 3 hrs (at a minimum) of your day driving to/from a ski area if you only have one full day. I would pick the one outdoor activity you're most pumped about and go for it--whether it's skiing, snowshoeing, climbing, or something else. Then I would come back to Denver and get a really good dinner at one of our awesome restaurants. I'd be happy to give some recommendations, or you can find a bunch of reviews on my site: www.thegoodlifedenver.com.

Enjoy Denver!

David

If you are in Golden, head to Loveland to ski (less than an hour). Eldora will be easily an hour+ drive.

On your way back, I'd recommend stopping at Kermits for some chili (exit for Hwy 6 and you'll see it tucked down off the highway), drive down Clear Creek Canyon (Hwy 6) which dumps you out in Golden, and then hit Golden City Brewery for a beer(s).

IT all depends on the weather and what you like.
The Bastille in winter would be a miserable experience and is a terrible idea.
Flatirons are snowed under right now, but might melt out, though the forecast does not suggest that.
The West Ridge in Eldo is the most likely to have quality climbing free of snow and in the sun/warm.

I think what you need to do is decide which activity to pursue based on your own likes/dislikes and put it up here - a mountain hike? A resort to ski? Back country boarding? How well outfitted will you be for clothing? Particularly footwear? It all matters.

Ooops... let me take that back, I'm pretty sure Cynical Pinnacle closed Feb 1 for raptor nesting. So, I'm voting with hiking to Chasm Lake... amazing hike, doesn't require much equipment, and you don't need to worry about finding a partner.

My vote...... Screw virginia and make this a start to your NEW AWESOME life in Colorado. Then you can enjoy everything we have to offer. Of course in moderation..... You know play, work, play, play some more, then lament about working, work, more play..... Thats the basic idea....Cheers.

If you plan on climbing bring your ice/mixed gear as the front range had about 10"of snow on the ground...Eldorado Springs....Lol... Good luck.... Dont waste your time.....

Great suggestions from everyone here for you Justin. My vote is with JLP: either ski, or recon climbing areas for future trips. Unless you hook up with someone, carting all your rock gear would be a pain for only one "maybe ok" day of climbing. Don't let the drive time to the ski areas dissuade you, these guys are most likely not familiar with the soul-sucking, world-class traffic problems you experience in northern Virginia (for those not aware, it can take an hour to get across DC with modest traffic; getting to Seneca Rocks from DC takes 3 hours on a good day). Take a ski day and get an instructor, you'll have a great time. Steer clear of A-basin (it's probably above your level). Breckenridge, Keystone, Winterpark, Loveland, Copper Mountain would all be awesome for you.

As said, the climbing will depend on the weather. West Ridge of Eldo would be the best quality routes around in the sun in my opinion. However, as long as its not snowing horribly and the roads are good, a nice snowshoe in RMNP would be my recomendation. Its awesome up there and quite a good time once above tree line. I like the hike to Emerald Lake area from Bear Lake Trailhead. Also the hike from glacier gorge trailhead to Mills Lake is fun. If you are feeling ambitious, you could go all the way up glacier gorge to the upper plateau where spearhead is. That would probably be around a 5 mile hike one way but you can also turn around whenever you want. Just bring enough cold weather gear if that ends up being your choice. It gets cold and windy above the trees

Casa Bonita

Thanks for the great info everyone. Since I don't have a partner, I think climbing is out. I think it will either be Chasm Lake (should I bring crampons? snowshoes?) or a ski day. Someone posted that I should just move to CO. I've already convinced my wife, now I just need to find a job.

the trail from Longs trailhead up to Chasm Junction sees some traffic and will likely be reasonably navigable with hiking boots and gaiters unless there's a recent dump of snow. From the junction to Chasm lake proper might be less well traveled and more susceptible to deeper snowdrifts due to windier conditions above treeline.

skiing would probably be a really fun use of your day. plus you could be back in denver/golden for beer and food by 7 at the VERY latest.

driving one way to rmnp/longs peak trailhead is 1.5 hrs. one way in good weather, on wind-ey mtn roads; skiing loveland, or even breck, is pretty much all easy freeway driving. hour to loveland, 1.5 hrs max to breckenridge.