Granby Ranch

I just returned from a vacation at Granby Ranch. I was a first-​time skier, and I had such a wonderful experience with the ski instructor, who was a lovely female named Mike. She was so funny, as were the other instructors, and after a two hour lesson I was able to build my confidence further through repetition, and 2 days later was skiing the intermediate blue slopes. I was very nervous initially, being a 41 year old beginner skier, but Granby Ranch does an excellent job of instruction, and the staff couldn’t be nicer or more helpful. I am so thankful for the experience here, and I have many memories to cherish.

Was told on the phone that rental for toddlers were free, which they aren’t. Manager honored it. Very professional and understanding. Great experience.

I can’t say enough good things about this place.
1) easy access
2) kid friendly
3) manageable mountain
4) helpful staff– shout out to Jill Kolway and Doc Peterson
This is our home mountain and they truly do make locals feel at home. Easy to park and fun to play.

Ski Granby Ranch is the perfect place to take the family skiing. We came during spring break in February with our 6 year old daughter and 2 year old son and they absolutely loved it here. Granby Ranch is a fraction of the size of Winter Park, but as my kids and myself were skiing for the first time this mountain was perfect.
We put my 2 year old on skis but he really wasn’t having it… maybe next year. My daughter and I however were able to learn pretty quickly taking lessons. First on the «magic carpet» and then honing our skills on the short green runs Zig and Zag. GR does have blue and black runs as well for more seasoned skiiers. They also several snowboard obstacles which looked painful.
We tried to do a long green run the second day but we ended up being re-​routed to a pretty challenging blue run. Needless to say I’m glad the ski patrol didn’t have to take me down the mountain. Despite us being rookies, all skiiers were very friendly and I didn’t feel any judgement while falling down 1,000 times.
One of the best things about GR is that the parking lot is very close to the lift. At Winter Park you have to lug your equipment pretty far which is a pain. Also the staff here is incredibly friendly and helpful. We ended up watching the end of season festivities with a bunch of lunatics trying to ski across ice cold water. It was a blast.
There is also a full service restaurant and cafeteria onsite. The restaurant has a full bar and daily happy hour specials which are great to help forget about all of your bruises like me. The bloody mary’s here are chock full of items — almost enough for a meal!
Overall I would highly recommend Ski Granby Ranch for anyone looking for a family friendly resort. We will definitely return to try and get the little one skiing.

Granby Ranch is the perfect destination for families with kids or beginners looking to ski (or board). I haven’t stayed at Granby yet (my family has a time share nearby), but this year was my second trip to ski at Granby.
Last year I was a newbie on the slopes, so I signed up for a group lesson and I’m so glad I did! It was only a few hours long but the instructor seriously taught me everything I needed to know. Later that day I was confident enough to hit the green and blue runs. This year, I was able to pick up my speed and fully enjoy the blues :)
The slopes are open from 9 am-​4 pm and prices are reasonable. I know you can do a half-​day too (second half of the day only) and that’s cheaper. Plus, they have cheap night skiing (which I haven’t done yet) from 5 – 8 pm.
With all the inexperienced skiers, I have to say the lifts run pretty slow. I assume it’s because of people falling getting off, and nervous about getting on. It’s understandable, but also super annoying when the lift is constantly stopping.
We rented our skis from somewhere else, but like everyone else has said it looks like they need a better system. The lines are always super long.
The bar and grill at the bottom of Granby mountain is awesome. They were short staffed the last time I was there, but we still had a great time sitting outside and even inside up at the bar. Our bartender Michelle was great! Super personable and helpful. My favorite drinks were the loco cocoa, mojito and their bloody mary’s. Michelle made the bloodies homemade with extra horseradish and they are awesome! Plus, they’re topped off with all the fixings — celery, cheese, hot pepper, olives, and pickles. The caesar wrap and sweet potatoes fries are yummy as well. One day I ordered the steak fries though and they were not fully cooked. Wah wahh.
I don’t really have a comparison to Granby because it’s the only Colorado mountain I’ve skied, but I’ve been there 2 years in a row now and it’s definitely a good time!
Bonus: people watching there is just adorable because there’s like 3 year olds on skis. Priceless.
So pack up the kiddos and hit Granby!

First time here over Spring Break, a lot of other Texans had the same idea. Granby Ranch is perfect for families learning to ski. Group lessons for brand new skiers are very affordable and my 6 yo was making turns and stopping by the end of day one. One of the two mountains is all green and blue, the other side has black and blue, perfect for kids and families. Never saw a line at the lift. There are fun things for people to do coming down aka tunnels, obstacle course set up like an old Western town. We rented a condo at Base Camp One via VRBO and am so happy we did. A short walk to the lifts, the ski hut, the restaurant/​bar, and the very warm outdoor pool and spa. The lift tickets were already reasonable but when I added my 50% savings for being active duty military — woohoo! This was an awesome experience and we hope to make it a yearly tradition.
The other tip I wish I had known was that there is a full size grocery store 2 miles from the condo — City Market. It is a Kroger/​King Sooper business so bring your savings card. Also a gas station, McDonalds and a Subway, so literally no reason to go anywhere else!

5 stars for Ski Granby? Indeed! Here are the highlights in no particular order.
No lift lines, even on weekends.
Live music most weekends.
Night skiing
Food and drinks are cheaper
Employees are extra friendly
They have an area to store your stuff (coolers!) and no one messes with it.
Less annoying conversations to overhear Bro!
If you don’t like being around families, avoid it. However, we leave little guy with Grandparents and go. (He’s not even 2)

This is definitely a place to take the little ones skiing for the first few times. The slopes are not too crowded for those just learning how to get up on their skis. Now if you’re used to blues and blacks (and diamonds, etc.) — you may want to drive the extra 15 miles to head over to Winter Park or Mary Jane.
My husband and I decided to switch from snowboarding to skiing on this trip. You can’t beat the prices for the lift tickets. We priced Breck just to get an idea and it was literally double.
I do not recommend group lessons during peak season — and if you haven’t booked your private or semi-​private lesson early enough, you’re SOL.
As others commented, they need to work on efficiency when returning rental equipment. The line can get ridiculous. I also think customer service could be better when it’s time to close the lifts. They could be a little nicer about it, as opposed to just shoving a ‘closed’ sign in front of their face at 3:59pm as the lifts close at 4pm.

***The ski school has a great team! It is a small resort, the trails are pretty easy and outstanding for first time skiers. All of the staff at the resort were extremely friendly and helpful. As my son says «Best vacation ever!». Thanks!***

Excellent place to teach your children to ski. Ya its small but the kids are going to be limited as they learn. After a day lesson which was pretty great, the kids were able to go up the mountain and by mid-​second day were able to go down an easier Blue run. Plenty of terrain for them. There was sufficient terrain to keep an intermediate skier happy while they were in school.
Prices are definitely better than the gold seal big resorts. Food was prices but that’s par for a ski resort. Turning in rentals was disorganized and a pain taking close to an hour to accomplish. This is the biggest area of improvement they could make.
I recommend this for beginners and early intermediates especially when budget is a concern.

The best place in Colorado for little kids and beginners. No lines, no crazy crowds. No extreme skiing but that’s not what this place is about. If you want that, Mary Jane is right up the road or trek up Berthoud Pass. The summer is fantastic for fishing, hiking, biking and golf.

Great family place for skiing. Ski school was great and the instructors really connected with the kids. Equipment rental is chaotic. I would recommend getting gear down the street at one of the rental shops or come early. If you show up at 9ish for rental, plan on a long crowded line.

We rented a condo here through
for about $ 60 a night. This was an excellent mountain for our group of 4 beginner/​intermediate skiers/​snowboarders. We rented equipment here as well, and Heidi in the Granby Ski Shop was absolutely fabulous in giving up pointers and helping us to get the best deal. She has a lot of good info, and it was great talking to her. Buckhorn was fun green run, all the blues off the Ballroom lift were great, and Dragon Lady (a black) were our favorites.
Outside hot tubs were really relaxing after skiing, and City Market was close for groceries. In the same parking lot was a liquor store, appropriately titled «Liquor Store.» The mountain was very family-​friendly as well. Good runs, good prices, and good amenities nearby.

While on a recent snowboarding trip in Colorado, and after a great day riding at WP/​MJ, we stopped at Solvista Basin (Sorry, I can’t call it ‘Granby Ranch’ — what a stupid name for a ski hill).
We set up a small camp in the parking lot and grilled our late lunch, hung out, and stretched for an hour or so.
You’re thinking, «What were they waiting for?»
The answer: NIGHT RIDING!!! For only $ 14!!!
Being from Washington State, I ride at night almost every week. It’s terrific. So when my buddy told me that SolVista had night riding from 5 – 8 on Fridays and Saturdays, I had to try the mountain out.
Now, there was only one lift open, but that’s all we needed (and for only $ 14, who cares, right?). It was an awesome experience! Yeah, the hill is small (that’s why we call it a hill and not a mountain), but with no lift lines we ran probably 20 laps in less than three hours. The terrain park is pretty legit and they do a nice job grooming the runs. The lights were nice and bright in most areas.
I have just three complaints:
1) The little cut-​through between the top part of the terrain park and the rest of the terrain park — where you get back into the regular run under the chairlift, is WAY too dark. Please put a light in there.
2) Please stop using trees as features in your terrain park. While I was there I hit the rainbow tree rail (2^nd feature in the park) and while doing a BS slide caught my edge on part of the tree that the establishment failed to smooth-​down and I was ejected head-​over-​heels, and ended up with a Grade 1 Separated Shoulder and a fracture to my collar bone.
3) Calling the ski hill ‘Granby Ranch’ is stupid. Please chenge the name of the ski hill back to SolVista Basin. «SolVista Basin at Granby Ranch» sounds much better and it will make your establishment sound 2x as big. P. S. You should fire whoever decided to take away the SolVista Basin name but keep all the SolVista-​branded stuff around, like the trash barrels.
Overall, SolVista is a rad place to ride.

This is a review for the skiing/​snowboarding. We came here on the weekend of Super Bowl and loved the place. The full day adult lift tickets were about $ 50 bucks, which is awesome. Hubby and I were more advance in snow boarding than my sisters, so this place was perfect for us. The trails were pretty easy and wide to learn riding. The blue trails were wide and wasn’t as steep, so it was great for me to practice carving. There’s only one base camp so we didn’t have to worry about the kids getting lost, the niece and nephew did a couple of runs by themselves. On the green trails at the beginning there are tunnels and mock buildings for kids to go through and even a small terrain park for kids. At the end of the day, my nephew started to go in there… so cute.
On Saturday they had a great family friendly ground hog day celebration and it seems like they hold family friendly events here on holidays. We even went into the model home at Base Camp One and the amenities you get as an owner is awesome. On Sunday the resort was pretty empty, either everyone left to go back to Denver or everyone was waiting for the Super Bowl. It was pretty awesome to feel like you have the whole resort to yourself. Highly recommend coming here for skiing/​snowboarding for a group who are either noobs or intermediate.

The last time I skiied was 10 years ago in Michigan — I know! Blasphemy for someone who’s been living in Denver for almost a year now.
So when a friend visited and was dying to go skiing, I was looking for somewhere not as expensive as the more popular resorts and Granby Ranch fit the bill. For a half day and rentals, we each paid $ 87, which wasn’t bad comparatively. There are five lifts and I was perfectly content on the bunny hill while my friend was able to tackle more advanced runs. All in all, we had a good time, the employees were friendly and helpful, and I’d return if I ever come around to loving skiing.

Great family ski day.

I am going to start this with the most important piece of information for parents. The Granby Ranch ski school lost my 3 ½ year old son yesterday in ski school. Good part is our son found my husband while looking for his class outside. No one was watching him and he walked outside, by himself, got scared because he had no idea who his teacher was and saw his dad standing by the ski racks.
It was an absolute mess in the ski school area they had no idea what was going on. This ski resort is known for families, I learned how to ski there as well as my sister. The new Granby Ranch owners have ruined this resort. It is no longer family friendly, trust me they do not care about your kids. We, along with a lot of families saw it firsthand yesterday.
With everything happening with schools and everyone understanding the importance of keeping children safe I am disgusted by Granby Ranch and the way they handle children. They refunded our money, but really, who cares? All they kept telling us (and the 10 other parents that came in mad because their child was still sitting in a room and not learning how to ski) was that they were not expecting to be this busy and did not have enough staff.
LOVELY!

A big skier, I had never thought of visiting Granby Ranch. The small, 3 lift, family-​focused resort hadn’t caught our attention. That is until my husband & I began looking at wedding venues in the mountains. That’s when we met Teresa who not only showed off the most amazing wedding site on top of a mountain, but showed us how we could make this work with our budget. Teresa is like the best friend you didn’t know you had. She gave us lots of advice on how to keep it simple, cost effective and painless.
Now, a month after our wedding, I can positively say to a bride looking for a natural, gorgeous, fun, accommodating wedding venue, Granby Ranch is your answer. The natural beauty of the ceremony site, the delicious food from Chef Joe, the friendly staff, the all inclusive package, the clean and new facilities, close lodging, EVERYTHING was PERFECT about this wedding site.

I do not think people think «beautiful Colorado ski scenery» when they hear «Granby.» I imagine they picture more like funky mountain town with a trailer park. Although that side of Granby exists, so does the beautiful mountain view side. Although I have skied here long ago, this review is about their wedding services in the summer. Should you choose to have your wedding here, it is generally held at the top of a ski slope. You wouldn’t know it at first, but the top of the slope has a breathtaking view into the endless range of mountains on the other side. I really had no idea that geology was even there, and I’ve been visiting this area many times a year since childhood.
I have no idea how the bride got up the mountain, but guests have a choice between the ski lift and taking a small bus (think the buses used by retirement homes). I unfortunately took the bus up the mountain, and that was a mistake. Imagine being dragged across the surface of the moon in a bouncy castle, and that was about the pace and comfort level of this trip. However if you have someone with limited mobility that does make it slightly easier logistically, although not necessarily comfortable.
The staffer driving the bus was the only staffer I ever saw; all of my questions were answered by the family of my clients, not by staff. For some reason all guests were required to have tickets for the ski lift, even though we were the only people using it. There was also a mountain-​biking event going on, and no staff was present to make sure the bikers kept quiet when near the ceremony site, so there was some interruption from them.
The «venue» itself is really just the top of a mountain, so if having an awning is important to you, you’re going to have to figure that out on your own. There is nothing in the way of plants or flowers, either, since it is around timberline. The point of this venue is the view beyond the ceremony site, and not the ceremony site itself. Pricing cannot be found, nor is it even mentioned on the company website. Receptions are held at the restaurant at the base of the mountain, which definitely lacks the same majesty that the ceremony area has. If you’re looking fora mountain resort wedding, this is a (presumably) more affordable option, but it also lacks soem of the pizazz and amenities that come with a heftier price tag.