Things To Do Within Easy Reach of Keystone, Colorado
Training To Be a Snowsports Instructor Is Not All About Skiing Or Riding...
You won't spend your entire Rookie course on the hill at Keystone and other Vail resorts. If you have a day off there is lots to do within easy reach of your Keystone base.
Transport?
Getting around Summit County and Colorado is easier if you have access to a car. But not having a car doesn't mean you are stuck for transport.
The Summit Stage bus system offers free transport around Summit County and surrounds. It has designated routes and stops and runs from 6 a.m. till late daily. It's free but has a wide catchment so trips can be lengthy -- Silverthorne to Keystone is 45 mins on the bus and only 15 mins in the car.
Where could you go? Well (with thanks to, Rookie trainer and Summit County local, Doug Beech)...
Summit Cove
Summit Cove, a predominantly residential area, is about 3 miles along Highway 6 from Keystone. It has a complec of shops including a grocery store, pizza place and well known pub, "The Cala."
The Cala is a very popular locals pub and ski school hang out. The current owner is ex-ski school. The food, which has a Scottish theme, is one of the main atractions here. And the famous meat pies -- made specifically for appreciative ex-pats --are a must .
Dillon
Dillon is another, larger, residential area, 7 miles along Highway 6 from Keystone. It has lots of amenities and shops you may need: a medical centre, post office, dentist, hairdresser, spas, petrol station and a range of small service shops.
Dillon also offers great bars and restaurants including:
- Pug Ryans which offers a micro-brewery, Arapahoe Cafe for fine dining and cheap food and beer downstairs;
- Wild Bill's for great pizzas and a game of pool.
Dillon's ten-pin bowling alley comes highly recommended.
Silverthorne
The hub of Summit County, Silverthorne is a further 2 miles along Highway 6. It's a great place to spend a day off the mountain, shopping, indulging, eating out and meeting people. It pretty much has it all.
This is the place to do some serious shopping and hang out:
- Large Grocery Store/supermarket
- Big department stores like Target
- Outlet Stores - Calvin Klein, Nike and Levi's To Timberlands and The Gap
- Movie Theatre
- Pharmacies
- Banks
- Library
- Restaurants & Bars
- And a variety of other stores, including Mountain Sports Outlet (Keystone Staff Discount!)
There is also an excellent gym with indoor swimming pool, basketball, volleyball and Squash Courts. The gym, which offers discounted memberships to Keystone employees, also offers sports leagues.
Into fishing or spotting wildlife? Silverthorne has a river runing through it for fishing (you need to buy a licence) or just watching the trout or beavers playing.
Frisco
One of Summit County's locals' towns, Frisco is 12 miles west of Keystone via Silverthorne and I70. The main street is full of character with well-restored and maintained buildings. Worth visiting with a number of popular bars and restaurants and large service shops, including Wal Mart, car service stations and workshops, and a small Hospital.
A favourite Rookie trainer's restaurant is Food Hedz World Cafe, located between Wal Mart and Safeway supermarket.
Denver
Denver is 70 miles -- and 1 hour and 15 minutes if the traffic isn't heavy, as it can be in winter -- east of Silverthorne.
Known as the "Mile High City", Denevr has great green areas and parks and offers all the usual services and amenities of a big city. Two of its most well known malls are Cherry Creek and Colorado Mills. Colorado Mills is conveniently located right off the I70 and Cherry Creek is about 10 minutes from Downtown.
Denver is a great place to escape from ski resort life with many bars, restaurants, theatres and cultural and sporting activities to enjoy for a day, overnight or a weekend.
Denver is also famous for its sporting events and sports teams:
- The Denver Broncos in the NFL American Football league
- The Avalanche, an NHL hockey team
- And the ever-improving Denver Nuggets in the NBA.
It's well worth going to see any of these teams play with the Avalanche and Nuggets playing regularly at the Pepsi Center.
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