All those folks quit after Presidents Day. The spring at Skibowl is empty and awesome, and they have the best budget bars on Mt. Hood.Skibowl (though it's close enough to town to have too many GoPros)
That might be true everywhere. Spring is definitely dirtbag seasonAll of the Colorado resorts that stay open late essentially turn to dirtbags areas mid-April through closing. Unless it dumps, then you'll have a lot of new friends from Denver for a day but they will go back home quickly... Same with every big CO resort their last week or so of their season. The crowds are gone, the skiing is usually fantastic, prices are cheap, and the character of the resorts very much change starting in April.
I saw a bit of old-fashioned snobbism at Alta. But agree Brighton for sure; PowMow's in transition... not sure how long it can stay on the list, but for now, yeahAlta has reverse snobism of it's Altoids.
Probably Powder Mt should be on there. Even Brighton.
Insult to injury - this year is my last on the Powder Alliance (*curses vail*), hence the Bridger trip. Keep the CO tips coming. My Atlanta brother & sister in law are definitely the Aspen/Vail/Park City type, so we rotate trips out that way some years and love to tack on a "palate cleanser" day or two on the back end.
Can't remember, is Crested Butte still on the Powder Alliance this season? It's been more than a decade, but my memory is that it was significantly more dirtbag than the other big Colorado areas.
One more to add in... White Pass, Washington is a great spot, even if they have one of those high-speed quads you hate. Mid-mountain was just bottles, but I'm betting the main lodge has pitchers. But very laid back, un-pretentious, and with fantastic views if you can get a sunny day.