Chicago or Denver?? (Fisher: appointed, ski resorts, houses)

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Bill-

The snowboarding and mountain biking in Illinois and Wisconsin are a sad joke compared to Colorado. End of story.

The mountain biking in areas of WI (ie Kettle Moraine) are world class. Ask my brother, hes an avid mountain biker and he says that Kettle Moraine is insane, only for professionals. And snowboarding? Thats a toss-up. If youre into snowboarding casually down ultra-long slopes, than CO is the place to be. But if youre into riding half-pipes, rails, etc, than fun can be found at ANY snowboard park in the USA, doesnt matter which state. All that it depends on is how much effort the particular park puts into the experience. Raging Buffalo snowboard park in IL is a really great place as is one in WI (I forget its what its called--its got a weird name). You dont need massive slopes to ride half-pipes, etc, like people think you do. The snowboard area at Chestnut Mountain Ski Resort in Galena even has some really nice stuff.

[Fuzz]

So how far are these skiing and mountain biking areas from Chicago, driving timewise (realistically)?

[Steve-o]

Here are some links if youre interested:

http://www.gottagoitsnows.com/skiareas/1386.html

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%3D1%26hl%3Den

http://www.wisconsinskiresorts.com/o...34/Trollhaugen

http://www.wisconsinskiresorts.com/o...19/GranitePeak

http://www.wisconsinskiresorts.com/o...tecapMountains

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

So how far are these skiing and mountain biking areas from Chicago, driving timewise (realistically)?

Some (like Raging Buffalo), under an hour. Others, 2-3 hours depending. Ive made it to Chestnut Mountain from Warrenville in a shade under 2 hours. Its quite small, but there are several runs (no black diamonds or anything of the sort). If you just want a simple and fun night on the slopes, its not a problem at all to make an easy day trip out of it.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%3Den%26sa%3DN

https://www.wcinet.com/Chestnut/images/pic_lessons.jpg (broken link)

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%3D1%26hl%3Den

[Fuzz]

Here's what you get from Denver:
1 hour away (http://www.syedfaisal.com/Photo_Albums/Ski-2006-2007/2006-10-28-Loveland/Loveland-Oct-28-03.jpg - broken link)
1 hour 15 minutes away (http://www.syedfaisal.com/Photo_Albums/Ski-2006-2007/2006-12-10-BootCamp/BobBarnesBootCamp-05.jpg - broken link)
1 hour 45 minutes away (http://www.syedfaisal.com/Photo_Albums/Ski-2006-2007/2006-12-26-Vail/2006-12-26-Vail-18.jpg - broken link)

And mountain biking is really right outside your door. Miles and miles of trails in the foothills that you can ride to (if you live on the west side of town), or can drive in 15 minutes. And they are world class trails -- many of my buddies who are pro riders, ride and train on these trails. And if you don't mind driving a bit farther for biking, here's what you get:
1 hour 15 minutes away (http://www.syedfaisal.com/Photo_Albums/Colorado_Trail/Panorama-North_Fork-01.jpg - broken link)
1 hour 15 minutes away (http://www.syedfaisal.com/Photo_Albums/NewHouse/LakeDillonPano01.jpg - broken link)
1 hour 30 minutes away (http://www.syedfaisal.com/Photo_Albums/Boreas-Pass/Boreas-Pass-Pano-4.jpg - broken link)
1 hour 45 minutes away (http://www.syedfaisal.com/Photo_Albums/VailAspen/Panorama03-large.jpg - broken link)

Of course, this is all assuming that snowboarding and biking are top priorities for the OP. If nightlife, culture, dining, and general urban lifestyle are more important, then Chicago's got Denver beat by many a mile.

[ILFlatlander]

I'm sorry, but I have biked every mile of Kettle Morraine many times, and to describe it as world class and only for professionals is absolutely a joke! The trails there are very good for the midwest, but don't compare to mountain biking in Colorado or Utah. Really, you can't compare mountain sports in the midwest with the west.

Originally Posted by Steve-o

The mountain biking in areas of WI (ie Kettle Moraine) are world class. Ask my brother, hes an avid mountain biker and he says that Kettle Moraine is insane, only for professionals. And snowboarding? Thats a toss-up. If youre into snowboarding casually down ultra-long slopes, than CO is the place to be. But if youre into riding half-pipes, rails, etc, than fun can be found at ANY snowboard park in the USA, doesnt matter which state. All that it depends on is how much effort the particular park puts into the experience. Raging Buffalo snowboard park in IL is a really great place as is one in WI (I forget its what its called--its got a weird name). You dont need massive slopes to ride half-pipes, etc, like people think you do. The snowboard area at Chestnut Mountain Ski Resort in Galena even has some really nice stuff.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by ILFlatlander

I'm sorry, but I have biked every mile of Kettle Morraine many times, and to describe it as world class and only for professionals is absolutely a joke! The trails there are very good for the midwest, but don't compare to mountain biking in Colorado or Utah. Really, you can't compare mountain sports in the midwest with the west.

Ill trust my brother, thank you very much. He's biked in Moab, Estes Park, etc, and he still swears by Kettle Moraine. Maybe your mountain biking tastes are different? My brother rides a Gary Fisher that cost over 5 grand and has about another 3 grand in crazy stuff on it. He knows what hes talking about. It might not be the steepest terrain in the world, but he says its one of the best mountain bike places hes ever ridden, and hes ridden MANY.

http://my.execpc.com/~jwamser/KettleSouth.html

http://www.trailville.com/wiki/index...hn_Muir_Trails

[Bill-]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

The mountain biking in areas of WI (ie Kettle Moraine) are world class. Ask my brother, hes an avid mountain biker and he says that Kettle Moraine is insane, only for professionals. And snowboarding? Thats a toss-up. If youre into snowboarding casually down ultra-long slopes, than CO is the place to be. But if youre into riding half-pipes, rails, etc, than fun can be found at ANY snowboard park in the USA, doesnt matter which state. All that it depends on is how much effort the particular park puts into the experience. Raging Buffalo snowboard park in IL is a really great place as is one in WI (I forget its what its called--its got a weird name). You dont need massive slopes to ride half-pipes, etc, like people think you do. The snowboard area at Chestnut Mountain Ski Resort in Galena even has some really nice stuff.

I've ridden every mile of Kettle Moraine 5 or 6 times on visits back to the midwest and it would rate as a begginer trail anywhere in the west. It's flat hardpack singletrack with very little elevation gain or loss and no technical obstacles to speak of. World class it is not. It's also expensive to access and closed by the Wisconsin DNR a regular basis due to wet trail conditions.

Even if we limited snowboarding to terrain parks, which I know very few people that do, the Midwest could never match the snow conditions and season length that Colorado has.

The original poster deserves an honest assessment of snowboarding and mountain biking in the Chicago area., not misplaced hometown pride.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Ill trust my brother, thank you very much. He's biked in Moab, Estes Park, etc, and he still swears by Kettle Moraine. Maybe your mountain biking tastes are different?

Exactly -- so saying that because your brother thinks it's world class, it must be, is not really a good argument.

My brother rides a Gary Fisher that cost over 5 grand and has about another 3 grand in crazy stuff on it. He knows what hes talking about.

Expensive equipment does not equal competency. If so, all the rich Texans would be the best skiers on the mountain.

Not that I'm saying your brother isn't competent -- he may well be but your argument that he knows what he's talking about because he owns an expensive bike is not really very valid.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Bill-

I've ridden every mile of Kettle Moraine 5 or 6 times on visits back to the midwest and it would rate as a begginer trail anywhere in the west. It's flat hardpack singletrack with very little elevation gain or loss and no technical obstacles to speak of. World class it is not. It's also expensive to access and closed by the Wisconsin DNR a regular basis due to wet trail conditions.

Even if we limited snowboarding to terrain parks, which I know very few people that do, the Midwest could never match the snow conditions and season length that Colorado has.

The original poster deserves an honest assessment of snowboarding and mountain biking in the Chicago area., not misplaced hometown pride.

He asked for places to ride, I gave them. Sue me.