Finding Ski Buddies in Colorado: A SkiBuds Season at Vail, Keystone and Copper

In the 2019/20 season SkiBuds moved to Colorado. The app was new, the crew was small, and the plan was simple: ride almost every day, hand out stickers and flags, and meet as many people as possible on the chairlift. The SkiBuds Instagram account kept a running diary of that winter. This story is built from those posts, with the dates they were published, and from what they show about finding people to ski with on Colorado's busiest mountains.

Opening weekends at Copper, Breckenridge and Winter Park

The season started early. Posts from the first weekend of November 2019 cover opening day at Winter Park, opening day at Breckenridge and opening weekend at Copper Mountain. By late November, Copper had earned a place in the diary: “Did the same tree run prob 10 times in a row, pow the whole way down. Think found home mountain for the season.”

Early-season Colorado is a good time to meet people. Terrain is limited, so everyone is on the same handful of runs, and lift lines give you a few minutes to talk. A rider who is on your third chair of the morning is probably on your fourth as well.

Flag rallies and capes at Keystone

The signature SkiBuds move that winter was the flag. In December the account posted a holiday photo of the crew “rocking the capes” at Keystone, and in January a “SkiBuds gathering at the top of the north bowl in keystone,” getting ready to “shred some left over pow.” On January 13, 2020 a group of riders who had met through the app spent the day “exploring some new trees with lots of fresh powder” at Keystone, and a week later another crew hiked North and South Bowl together.

A flag works because it is visible from a chairlift. Somebody who has never heard of you can find you, and it gives strangers an easy opener. If you are organizing your own meetup, you do not need a flag, but you do need a landmark people can find. Keystone's terrain is spread across Dercum Mountain, North Peak and The Outback, so “meet at Keystone” is not a plan. Our Keystone guide recommends naming the base and a specific landmark, starting with a shared lap on terrain that suits everyone, and allowing time to get back across the mountain before connecting lifts close.

Vail: a lost phone, a failed rally and the first barbecue

Not every meetup went to plan. On January 9, 2020 the crew had arranged a flag rally at Vail and brought more than 100 capes. Instead, the post that evening apologized: the organizer's phone had been lost “in the back bowls at vail,” and without it there was no way to find the people who had come to meet. A stranger turned the phone in. The lesson posted with it still stands: “Ride with a friend so you can use find my iPhone.”

That is the most common way a ski meetup fails. One person holds all the information, the mountain is huge, and phones die or disappear in the cold. Vail spreads from the Front Side above Vail Village and Lionshead into the Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin. Before anyone heads to the bowls, agree on a Front Side lunch or return point. That way a lost phone costs you a few minutes instead of the whole day.

Things went better a month later. On February 22, 2020 SkiBuds held its first barbecue, meeting a local rider named Seth and hanging out with friends. A second one followed on February 28: “Bbq today was a lot of fun. Thanks to all the people that came out.” A barbecue or a coffee at the base is a gentle way to meet people. Nobody has to keep up with anybody on a run, and the people who get along can plan a riding day afterward.

Beaver Creek, Winter Park and the hidden spots

The posts are full of small discoveries. In late January the account called Vail and Beaver Creek its two favorite Colorado mountains so far. In February it visited Winter Park and asked riders to stop by “the 2 story hut to check out the flag.” Most mountains have spots like that: a hidden hut, a tree run, a viewpoint off the main trail. They are the kind of thing locals share with people they ride with. When someone shows you around their home mountain, you see a different place from the one on the trail map.

A first day at Steamboat with someone from the app

On March 7, 2020 the account posted about a first day at Steamboat: “Met up with Paw on the app and I had a great day. Paw was able to show me some super fun runs. That's what the app is all about.”

Riding a new mountain with someone who knows it is the best argument for finding a ski buddy. If you are the visitor, say so, and ask what they like to ride. If you are the local, start with a run that shows off the mountain without testing anyone. At Steamboat, our guide suggests meeting at a landmark in the base square before boarding a gondola, and making clear which gondola you mean.

Four hours on I-70

The season's most-shared frustration had nothing to do with snow. On February 6, 2020 the account posted a photo of a snowy, crawling interstate: “It took over 4 hours from boulder to Frisco today. What's stopping you from riding with new people?” Earlier that winter, it had shared a rider's photo with the comment that “way too many cars are always on I70 from Denver and there is barely any parking left.”

Carpooling was part of SkiBuds from the start: one car instead of four means fewer cars at the trailhead and on the road, and the cost of gas and parking gets split. If you share a ride with people you have just met, agree in advance on the pickup point, the departure time, how costs will be split, and what happens if the road closes or someone wants to leave early. Our ski carpool planning guide covers those conversations, and its carpool cost calculator works out a fair split.

What the season added up to

By the time Stephen Phillips left Colorado in March 2020, he had met more than 60 people through the app, and some of those friendships continued long after. In between, a week at Jackson Hole brought more meetups through the app. One crew from Colorado met up again at Whistler that March, which we tell in Chasing the end of the 2020 season. The full story of that year, setbacks included, is in History, Vision, Future of SkiBuds.

How to meet ski buddies in Colorado

• Name a base and a landmark. Colorado's large resorts have several bases. Name the village, base area or peak, then a specific building or sign.
• Start with a shared lap. Pick a first run that suits the least experienced rider, then decide whether to split up.
• Do not let one phone hold the plan. Share the meeting place, return time and a backup in a group message.
• Meet off the slopes first if you prefer. A coffee, après or a barbecue lets people meet without a riding commitment.
• Share the drive. On I-70 a full car saves money and parking, and the trip goes faster with company.
• Meet in public and tell someone your plans. Our ski buddy meetup checklist covers the basics.

Every resort mentioned here has a SkiBuds guide with terrain by ability, arrival advice and a snow forecast. Start with Colorado ski resorts.

Questions riders ask

How do I find people to ski with in Colorado?

Start where riders already gather: lift lines, base-area après, local ski clubs and online groups for your mountain. Then make a specific plan with a day, a base and a landmark. Our guide to finding ski buddies and how to join a ski club cover the options. SkiBuds is being rebuilt to make this easier.

Is it safe to carpool to the mountains with people I just met?

Many riders do, and it saves money and parking. Meet at a public pickup point, tell someone your plans, and agree in advance on the cost split, departure time and what happens if the road closes or someone wants to leave early. On I-70, check road conditions and Colorado's traction law requirements before you set off.

Which Colorado resort is easiest for a first meetup with mixed abilities?

Any resort works if you name a base and start on terrain everyone can ride. Keystone's Dercum Mountain, Beaver Creek's learning areas and Copper's west side, which has its easier terrain, all give mixed groups a sensible first lap. Each Colorado resort guide lists terrain by ability.

Photos and quotations come from posts on the SkiBuds Instagram account between November 2019 and March 2020. Dates are the dates the posts were published.