Powderhorn
Powderhorn Ski Resort
Powderhorn Resort, previously known as the Powderhorn Ski Area, is a great family friendly ski resort, in part because of its affordability. Powderhorn is not the place to go to strut in your fur coat; it's renowned for the very informal and friendly atmosphere. At Powderhorn it's all about the skiing and snowboarding.
Powderhorn sits on the edge of the Grand Mesa, one of the largest flat top mountains. Due to this unique location where the desert meets the mountain, the ski resort affords amazing vistas that extend for miles and miles across the desert floor.
Powderhorn Ski and Snowboard Terrain
The 1,600 acres (648 hectares) of terrain includes a variety of trails that drop down from the rim of the mesa. The main focus at Powderhorn is on groomed beginner and intermediate ski terrain, but the impressive tree skiing and the new “Hooligan” and “Bear Claw” also provide some decent challenges for experienced riders. The terrain park continues to evolve, and new for the 2011-12 season is a half pipe.
The bulk of the ski area is only serviced by two slow chairlifts, and the beginners' area has a double chair and a magic carpet.
Powderhorn receives an average of 250 inches (6.4 metres) of snowfall on average per season, which is a little less than many of the other
Colorado ski resorts. However Powderhorn does really well in the quality stakes. The semi-arid climate of the region contributes to delightfully dry powder.
Powderhounds will also be kept happy because the ski resort does not suffer from a crowd affliction. A mostly local population frequents Powderhorn, so thankfully powder stashes last much longer than a nano-second, unlike at some of the ski resorts closer to Denver!
Where is Powderhorn Resort?
The Powderhorn Resort is located on the Grand Mesa, 40 miles (63km) east of Grand Junction Colorado, a drive that takes about 45 minutes. Powderhorn is in Western Colorado, only 69 miles from the Utah border and 233 miles west of Denver.
Powderhorn Lodging and Grand Junction Hotels
There is limited accommodation
on-mountain at Powderhorn in the slope-side Goldenwood condos. Otherwise there are some lodging options in the town of
Mesa which is only 10 minutes away.
Most Powderhorn skiers and boarders stay in
Grand Junction. Grand Junction hotels and motels vary from reasonably economical options such as the
Mesa Inn Grand Junction to more upscale hotels such as the
Courtyard by Marriott.
Grand Junction Accommodation Listings
Ski Resort Facilities
The Powderhorn amenities are reasonably low key. There is a ski school, equipment rental shop, a retail shop and a couple of restaurants. There's also a good picnic area for brown baggers.
Powderhorn Activities
The Grand Mesa offers a vast network of cross country and snowshoeing trails. Or for off-snow activities, Colorado wine country is not far away where you can go wine guzzling at ten plus wineries!
Why Ski or Snowboard at Powderhorn?
The major strengths of Powderhorn include the beginner and intermediate slopes, the tree skiing, the lack of crowds, the family friendliness, the dry powder, and the very economical lift tickets.
In 2011 Powderhorn was bought by a former Vail Resorts executive. He’s introduced various cosmetic improvements and increased the grooming for the 2011-12 season, and it's highly likely that Powderhorn will see some major improvements in coming years.
The Powderhounds will be reviewing Powderhorn soon and hopefully they'll get the horn over the powder at Powderhorn!