• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Because the Family that Skis Together, Enjoys Life Together.
  • Home
  • About
    • Awards
    • Featured Author
    • Brand Ambassador
  • Brave Ski Mom Stickers
  • Contact Me

The Brave Ski Mom

Building a new generation of skiers and snowboarders.

  • Skiing
    • Skiing With Kids
    • Ski Racing
    • Learn to Ski
    • Cross Country Skiing
    • Telemark Skiing
    • Snowboarding
  • Ski Resort Reviews
    • United States
      • Alaska
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Connecticut
      • Idaho
      • Maine
      • Massachusetts
      • Michigan
      • Minnesota
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • New Hampshire
      • New Mexico
      • New York
      • North Carolina
      • Oregon
      • Pennsylvania
      • Utah
      • Vermont
      • Washington
      • West Virginia
      • Wisconsin
      • Wyoming
    • Argentina
    • Australia
    • Austria
    • Bulgaria
    • Canada
    • Chile
    • France
    • Finland
    • Greece
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • New Zealand
  • Ski Gear Checklist and Recommendations
    • Equipment and Gear
    • Product Reviews
    • Brave Ski Mom Stickers
  • Hiking
    • Camping
  • Biking
    • Downhill Biking
    • Mountain Biking
    • Road Biking
  • Good Stuff
    • Parenting
    • Health
      • Getting in Shape
    • Reflections

Two College Students Ride the Ski Train to Winter Park and Find it Good

September 25, 2017 by braveskimom

winter park express
The Winter Park Express Ski Train takes just 2 hours from Denver’s Union Station to Winter Park Resort. Photo: Winter Park Resort

Here’s a first-hand report on the Winter Park Express Ski Train from two discerning and, possibly, hung-over skiers.

They’ll happily ride the Ski Train again, just not on Spring Forward day.

By Ian Lummis

braveskimom logoSometimes it seems that Colorado’s Front Range ski resorts are better known for lift lines and heavy traffic than the actual world-class skiing.

While one can debate actual severity of lift lines (they pale in comparison to the legendary lines on powder days at Squaw Valley and Revelstoke), it is true that a ski day from Denver often begins before 6:00 AM and usually ends well after 6:00 PM, including time spent in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

While early mornings are a fact of life for metro area skiers and snowboarders, there is one winter morning more painful than all others: Spring Forward.

Losing an Hour, But Gaining on Traffic

Since the smart phone long ago replaced the alarm clock, waking up an hour too late to beat the traffic because of the time change has been replaced with something far more sinister: the automatically time-adjusted cell phone. It is now much too easy to forget about the coming time change (and thus compensate by going to bed early), only to be awakened an hour “early” on Spring Forward day.

My first ski journalism assignment happened to fall on Spring Forward 2017 and my friend Jonah and I realized our folly when the time on our phones went from 11:59 PM to 1:00 AM in a single minute.

Luckily, I was brushing my teeth at this moment but as I drifted off to sleep on Jonah’s couch my last thought was that maybe my alarm would fail to go off 4 hours and 15 minutes later.

My alarm never went off, but only because Jonah was awake and shining a bright light into my eyes fifteen minutes before I planned to get up. Thus my morning began with a brutal headache that only got worse as I merged onto I 70 and noticed the tail lights of cars going well below the speed limit.

Spring Forward 2017 was, however, not a normal ski day.

Instead of joining the traffic heading west, we headed east toward Denver’s Union Station on wonderfully deserted roads.

the cirque winter park
Riding the Cirque, the uppermost of the 7 Territories at Winter Park. Hike, skate or take a snowcat to access this above tree line wonderland. Photo: Winter Park Resort/Chris Wellhausen

Sit Back, Relax, Enjoy the View (or Sleep)

By 6:45 AM, we were reclining in large seats aboard the Amtrak Winter Park Express Ski Train, our boot bags and cooler behind us and our skis happily ensconced in the baggage car.

As we rolled through the Denver rail yard, Brad Swartzwelter, the train manager, announced over the PA that this rail yard is the last in the country still using hand turned switches.

The thought of Denver’s industry being hamstrung by such archaic technology made me mildly nauseous as we passed through Denver’s western suburbs. Or perhaps the nausea was more the result of the short night and beer.

As we began climbing into the foothills, Brad announced that we would be passing through 31 tunnels during our two-hour journey to Winter Park. I didn’t believe him until the 12th tunnel.

The tunnels would eventually prove to be a little too much early morning visual stimulation for me, as was the sight of two partially comatose college students for the couple sitting across from us. They left for seats with a better view.

Fortunately, the train was fairly empty, as it has to be on Sundays to allow room for weekenders who journey to Winter Park on Saturday morning with plans to return on Sunday afternoon.  This meant that Jonah and I had plenty of space to relax and sleep. We both agreed that this trip would have been an absolute disaster on the interstate.

winter park express view
Why drive when you can enjoy views like this from the train? Photo: Ian Lummis

Arrive in Winter Park Ready to Ski and Ride

We booted up as the train passed through the Moffat Tunnel and arrived at Winter Park with plenty of time to pick up a ticket and enjoy a free Noosa yogurt. After eating our yogurt in the lift line, we boarded the Zephyr chairlift 100% ready to ski.

Suddenly the guy on the chair with us announced, “Today is the worst day of the entire year. I hate Spring Forward. I had to get up with no sleep and be a dad.”

At that moment, I decided that getting up and riding a train sounded much more appealing than getting up and being a dad.

mary jane moguls
Mary Jane’s famous moguls. Photo courtesy Winter Park Resort.

Jonah and I spent the morning searching for, and finding, snow that had not been affected by the month-long freeze-thaw cycle.

And then around 11:00 AM, our day got even better when heavy snow moved in.

We realized that at the rate the snow was piling up, we should take an early lunch break and spend the afternoon skiing fresh snow. We hurried down to grab sandwiches at Coffee and Tea Market. The sandwich I ate was so phenomenal that I stepped out into the blizzard feeling positive about skiing Winter Park on only four hours of sleep.

We spent the next four hours skiing as hard as possible.

After countless Mary Jane laps and maybe even a face shot or two, we arrived at the train at 4:15, de-booted and grabbed our cooler. We spent the ride back to Denver eating delicious snacks. 

Getting ready to return to Denver. Photo: Winter Park Resort/Carl Frey.

The tunnels were far more enjoyable on the return trip and I found train manager Brad’s comments quite interesting.

His best came as we pulled into Union Station at 6:00 PM sharp: “According to CDOT, there is stop and go traffic through Georgetown and an hour and a half delay on I-70.”

winter park colorado
Take the Winter Park Express Ski Train and spend your day doing this, not worrying about traffic. Eagle Wind Territory. Photo courtesy Winter Park Resort.

Take the Ski Train

In addition to Ian’s first-hand take on taking Winter Park Express Ski Train, here’s some handy and fun information on the ride from Traveling Jules.

Reserve your Winter Park Express Ski Train tickets now at Amtrak or read more about the train and buy tickets on the Winter Park website. Book now and score the “early bird” price of just $29 one-way. Discount tickets are limited and first-come/first-served. All other tickets are $39, $49 and $59.

As Ian mentions, it’s easy to spend the weekend (or a full week!), taking the train to Winter Park one day and returning another. 

The ski train also works well for visitors skiing Winter Park. Light rail connects Denver International Airport to downtown Denver, making this Colorado ski vacation a car-free affair.

The Winter Park Express Ski Train runs from Denver’s Union Station to Winter Park every Saturday and Sunday from January 5 – March 25, 2018.

New this winter, the train also runs the first Friday of each month — January 5, February 2 and March 2.

All aboard!

Winter Park Express Ski Train in Denver’s Union Station. Photo: Winter Park Resort.


© 2017 – 2018, braveskimom. All rights reserved. Any use or publication of content, including photos, requires express permission.

Spread the Love (thanks!)

  • Email
  • Print
  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Related

Filed Under: Colorado, Good Stuff, Ski Resort Reviews, Skiing, Travel Tagged With: Colorado, Family Skiing, ski, ski resorts, skiing, Skiing in Colorado, Winter Park

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. James says

    September 25, 2017 at 9:23 am

    Nice Job Ian. Hope to ride this one day with the fam!

    • braveskimom says

      September 25, 2017 at 11:37 am

      Ha! Brave Ski Mom agrees! And thanks again Ian for sacrificing the hour of sleep.

  2. Martha Graf says

    September 25, 2017 at 11:02 am

    Great fantastic fun read, Ian Lummis! Encore, bro.

    • braveskimom says

      September 25, 2017 at 11:38 am

      Hoping for some first-hand reporting from Scotland this winter!

Primary Sidebar

2023-2024 Partners

FERA
World Snow Day
FERA

Welcome

I'm Kristen, a western Colorado mom, wife and trail boss in a busy outdoor family. Our family has a passion for skiing and my goal is to provide information to help other families enjoy their skiing adventures. Whether you have tiny toddlers just learning to slide or grown children with whom you're planning a reunion, you're in the right place. Cheers!

Never Miss a Post

Enter your email address to subscribe. You'll receive notifications of new posts by email.

Follow Me

FacebookInstagram Pinterest Twitter

Today’s Most Popular Posts

  • No Snow? No Problem: Summer Skiing in North America
    No Snow? No Problem: Summer Skiing in North America
  • A First-Time Family Guide to Skiing Breckenridge, Colorado
    A First-Time Family Guide to Skiing Breckenridge, Colorado
  • Why Our Family Likes to Ski at Teton Village, Wyoming
    Why Our Family Likes to Ski at Teton Village, Wyoming
  • Ski Fashion 2016-2017: Season Highlights from WinterWomen.com
    Ski Fashion 2016-2017: Season Highlights from WinterWomen.com
  • Quotable Ski Quotes?
    Quotable Ski Quotes?
  • Family Skiing at Beaver Creek and Vail
    Family Skiing at Beaver Creek and Vail

Categories

Footer

Recent Tweets

My Tweets

Featured In

snowlink world snow day snowkidz
liftopia mtn town learn to ski and snowboard mom trends
Copyright © 2025 · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · Affiliate Disclosure · Product Review & Giveaway Policy · Guest Post Policy · Privacy Policy · Login
 

Loading Comments...