Mountain House, Colorado

Keystone, Colorado, was designed by and for skiers. If you travel the globe in search of good skiing, you must try the three mountains - Dercum, North Peak, and The Outback - at least once. And once may not be enough. Mountain House is nestled at the bottom of Dercum Mountain. Being the first development site, Mountain House is the hub of Keystone. Plenty of impressive rental homes and condos wait for you. Nearby Breckenridge has much of the history of the area, and Keystone has some. The whole area is known as "Colorado's Largest Playground". In the 1800s, miners, in search of gold and silver, came from Pennsylvania, the Keystone State. It was not until 1970 did Keystone become the ski resort as we know it. At that time, Max and Edna Dercum founded Keystone, along with developers, Bill and Jane Bergman. Keystone, Colorado, is an unincorporated town. As of 2000 Census, 825 reside here.

A Great Shopping Location

The statistics for Dercum, North Peak, and The Outback mountains, combined, are as follows: base elevation, 9,280 feet; vertical rise, 3,128 ft; summit elevation, 12,408 ft; 3,148 acres of skiable terrain; 117 trails, 19% of which is for beginners, 32% for intermediates, and 49% for advanced skiers; seven bowls include Independence, Bergman, Erickson, North, South, Puma, Lower Packsaddle; longest run, 3.5 miles; average snowfall, 230 inches; 51 rails and funboxes; one super pipe; and nineteen gondolas and lifts. Keystone is also considered some of the best night skiing in Colorado. A51 Terrain Park is a huge draw with its Freestyle Terrain Areas, containing jumps, funboxes, jibs, rails, half-pipes and quarter-pipes. Aside from the ultimate skiing and snowboarding experience, not too many points of interests are in Keystone. Kids will have a field day at Adventure Center at Lakeside and two playgrounds. Touring through old gold and silver mines may also interest you and your family. At Mountain House, hundreds of events, shops, spas, and restaurants make up for the lack of points of interests. One event not to miss is Founder's Day. Chocolate Village is an event for the chocolate lover. A mini-village, mountain, waterfall, gondola, and Christmas tree are constructed from chocolate. Something is usually happening monthly: skating ice shows, wine tastings, theatre performances, fireworks, music festivals, golf tournaments, cook offs, barbeque festivals, mountain bike kick offs, poker tournaments, and ski races. Major holidays, such as Independence Day, Easter, Christmas and more, too are celebrated. Mountain House is one of three shopping locations in Keystone. For the latest sports gear to eclectic items, just about everything you want and need in shopping is at Mountain House. And if "just about" isn't enough, check out River Run Villageand Lakeside Village. The Keystone Culinary Institute indicates the quality and variety of food you will find in Keystone. The Alpenglow Stube restaurant is 11,444 feet high. Zagat's Survey describes it as "fabulous old-world food and service and the best setting in the state". It is also the highest AAA four diamond restaurant in North America. Other restaurants line the roads and streets of Mountain House. And after your thighs are burning from shopping and skiing, recuperate at a spa with a facial, full body massage, or an aromatherapy bath. From Mountain House, Gondolas climb up the daring mountains. What brought you to Keystone, skiing and snowboarding, is exactly what you get and more. Zig-zagging skiers, falling snow, arresting peaks, dazing valleys-among it all, you'll feel the exhilaration. Don't know how to ski or snowboard, Mountain House has pros who teach you how to make the most of your experience. Don't like to ski or snowboard, winter still has its wonders: sleigh riding, snowcat touring, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, tubing, snowbiking, gondola touring, ice skating, hockey, fly-fishing, and whatever you can make of the white world of snow and ice. While Keystone is synonymous with skiing, summertime is no less enjoyable, especially for the nature-lover. If as close to nature you want to get is golf, Keystone has its share. Other activities include hiking, biking, miniature golfing, horseback riding, fly-fishing, boating, rafting, wagon trail riding, and more. At the base of Dercum Mountain, if you ski or snowboard, you would have to try hard to avoid Mountain House. Plenty of rental homes and condos dot Keystone, Colorado. A high concentration of them is in Mountain House. A medical center, pay parking, and many other resources are particular to Mountain House. And if you want to step out of Mountain House, you can't go wrong in this premier ski resort town of Keystone, Colorado.