Another weekend is approaching in Boulder, Colo., which means instead of focusing on this staff meeting I’m wondering where I will sleep tomorrow. Not in a sleazy way. I have way loftier motives in mind, like fresh tracks on Saturday. So my bedding options include my friend Steven’s couch in Vail, my Boulder friends’ condo in Dillon, or maybe even an interstate motel splurge. Only one thing is certain—I plan to wake up at the foot of the mountain at 8 a.m. on Sunday, not 120 miles northeast in my own bedroom at 5:30 a.m. Like many Front Rangers with ski passes, I’ll go to great lengths—and sleep on hard floors—to spare myself from 3 hours of one-way ski traffic.
Because this situation recurs every week, the accommodations quandary has actually become fun—like playing sleeping-bag tag in middle school. Here’s my decision-making strategy, based on the good old plus-minus model, for figuring out where to shack up this weekend.
a. Steven’s couch
+ it’s comfy, suede, FREE and comes with a 40-inch flatscreen
+ comes with great company and a short walk to Vail Village
—southeast-facing windows lead to a harsh sunny awakening, and combined with Steven’s scotch cabinet, can start your day with a headache
b. Dillon condo
+ super-convenient location tucked between Keystone and Breckenridge
+ guaranteed party with 14 roommates
—14 roomies = no privacy, no bed, lots of volume, lots of wet long underwear hanging
—$20 per person per night is the friend rate
c. Random Motel
+ thankfully, there are economy lodges for budget skiers like me sprinkled throughout the local peaks (The Roost, Vail; Arapahoe Inn, Keystone).
—said discount lodges usually don’t come with a slopeside hot tub. If they do, look before you leap.
—NOT free, putting a dent in the lunch and après-ski budget
d. Friends’ Vail condo
+ posh digs and furniture, complimentary homemade cookies and cocoa
+ awake to point-blank view of the slopes, steps from the gondola
—slim chance of availability
—one lick of opulence makes you want more
