Colorado Sunlight is freakin' sweet

[Blue Streak]

Against my better judgment, I will point out that you can get $40 to $45 Sunlight tickets on travelzoo.

I saw that.
In fact, I still have two days left on my Aspen Classic Pass, and I will make a point of combining those days with a Sunlight day.

 

[Michael R.]

As for terrain, when you go back, go get into Deception. Lots of fun. I took the worst fall of my life in there.

Look familiar? I believe this is Deception

 

[UGASkiDawg]

This thread makes me smile

 

[Jim Kenney]

Who needs chicken tenders when you can have Kenney McMuffins? Nice skiing Mike. All those aspen glades looked like Steamboat south.

 

[James]

Skier's right down from top.


@chrisgeib

 

[Jeff N]

Look familiar? I believe this is Deception

View attachment 3714

Could that be Perry's Plunge? That ledge looks consistent with that line.

The line I am thinking of was a bit less ledgy, but had a slightly less steep face for longer than shown in the picture. I recall it being tighter trees as well, but that may be faulty memory I would get to it through the Deception gate, but it could be the next break in the trees over or something from the one pictured. I'm not hugely versed in every hole through the trees back in there like I am starting to get at Wolf, because at the time that was home, I was a lot less comfy with steep trees (powder skis in the pre 5 point era-long enough to float my fat ass- were tough for me to bring around quickly) and spent most of my laps in Defiance, Inspiration, Alamo, and all of the different lines in the Heathen face.

Anyways, in the 2011/2012 season without a winter, I got back there during the week or so that it was "skiable." I was asked by a pair of out-of towners to lead them in. The very first turn where the mountain rolls over onto the steep face, I ate it hard. I had to make a blind turn around a tree, and found the downhill side hid a large exposed rock. I plugged it hard, at speed, and started a twisting tomohawk. I landed and seperated a shoulder on the first bounce, then landed awkwardly back on my leg side in a way that I could feel my ligaments stretching right before the binding released (in a way I have never felt before or since), then back on the other shoulder, then onto the other leg to pop that ski off (spiral fracture feel on that one) and so on the better part of a football field down. The guys that asked me to lead them in there were pretty nonplussed as they collected all of my gear off the entire run.

 

[Jeff N]

Both areas are high on my agenda. I love the throwback experience!
If only these "Gems" would offer a cooperative pass, I would buy one.
The "Gems" card is totally useless, if you ski solo frequently.
Come on guys (Sunlight, Powderhorn, Cooper, Purgatory, Wolf Creek, etc)!
Put something together!

Swap out Wolf for a day at Silverton, and Monarch used to offer this. A monarch pass got you 3 days at Sunlight, Powderhorn, Purg, Cooper, and Loveland, along with a ton of areas in NM and random areas all over the US. However, their pass isn't nearly as strong as it used to be.

Sunlight's own pass gets you 3 days at Purg and ski cooper with 1/2 price days at Monarch and Powderhorn.

Wolf's view is that partner days don't help them sell more passes but mean they get mobbed on huge storms with reduced revenue on those days. I think that has more to do with who they partner with (they gave Taos as an example of a bad experience, and yeah, partnering with that kind of a mountain 3 hours away would cost you $$$) than objective reality. But, the person marketing passes has that job for life, so I sincerely doubt that will change.

 

[SBrown]

Swap out Wolf for a day at Silverton, and Monarch used to offer this. A monarch pass got you 3 days at Sunlight, Powderhorn, Purg, Cooper, and Loveland, along with a ton of areas in NM and random areas all over the US. However, their pass isn't nearly as strong as it used to be.
...

Does Sunlight discount its season passes in summer/fall, or is it pretty much the same price always?

 

[Jeff N]

Does Sunlight discount its season passes in summer/fall, or is it pretty much the same price always?

Yes. I had a pass there for 3 seasons, and the cheapest price was memorial day. I would pay just under $400. They would also usually thrown in a powder pass that got you on the lift 1/2 hour early on powder days, cause that was rrally important to beat the crowds, you know.

 

[SBrown]

Yes. I had a pass there for 3 seasons, and the cheapest price was memorial day. I would pay just under $400. They would also usually thrown in a powder pass that got you on the lift 1/2 hour early on powder days, cause that was rrally important to beat the crowds, you know.

I saw that! and laughed.

 

[Jeff N]

I saw that! and laughed.

Yeah. The weekday powder day experience was very first tracks down cleared runs at 2:00. I have great memories of a 4" day (in the 2011/2012 season when we were all waiting weeks for snow and drooling at the possibility of 4") where I pulled into the lot at 8:45 and was the first guest there, and loaded the lift at 9:05, also the first person.

Their social media person got on the lift about 8 chairs after me, and those and a few other employees were the only ones I saw on the mountain. I saw my first fellow guest around 11:00.

 

[Jim McDonald]

Did one day at Sunlight a few years back and really liked the place. Unfortunately it hadn't snowed for quite a while and conditions were sub-optimal, but if I'm ever lured back to Aspen I'll definitely stop at Sunlight again (in fact, with some good snow I might skip Aspen and just ski Sunlight).