Colorado First-Timer

Drive around in a van. Bring a warm sleeping bag. Whore yourself for ski passes. Ski everywhere from front range to Durango.

prepare for altitude and drink a ton of water

But seriously though, when are you trying to go and what is the idea for heading to Colorado?
Are you spending a season or just a trip? Looking to hit the parks, searching for pow, looking for the steeps? Which one?
Need a little more info.

Before I moved out to Durango, I used to visit friends here or in the front range about once a year for a ski trip. I'm not saying its within the rules, but I've "rented" somebody else's Epic pass for a week, $50/ a day, through craigslist. Wayyy cheaper than buying day passes. It also gives you the freedom to ski all the resorts on their pass, and opens your options for weather dependent decisions. Also keep an eye out for discounted passes at grocery stores in the bigger cities/towns, I haven't seen any in the past couple years, but then again I haven't been looking specifically. If you can't find the hookup thataway, it's always better to check liftopia.com a couple weeks before your trip. It'll usually be about $40 cheaper than paying full price at the walk-up window. I always couch surfed to keep things cheap and repayed my homies for the hospitality in beer and bud. Some of them even hooked it up with some buddy passes through the resort or shops they've worked at. Pack your lunches so you can splurge on apres beers, and peep the coupons in the Westword/Telegraph/etc for deals at the dispensary. Every little bit helps to keep your wallet full, so you can afford to ski fat stacks

Don't ski at breck, thats all

Don't feed the wooks

I recommend Aspen. Plenty of people will suggest you hit up the I-70 resorts that are on either the Epic Pass (Vail) or Rocky Mountain Pass (Winter Park and Copper). It is my opinion that you should steer clear of that scene on your first trip to CO. It can be so crowded and the highway is a mess. Aspen is awesome and the resort has 4 different mountains to choose from. You can stay down valley to save money on lodging if you need to but it is a great collection of mountains and you get sweet views of the Maroon Bells from the summits. My friend started a ski resort blog highlighting great places to eat, drink, and ride and Aspen is on there.It was her home for years. Check it out, it's pretty sweet.
https://www.skitownstashes.com/?utm_source=Newschoolers

dandrews720I recommend Aspen. Plenty of people will suggest you hit up the I-70 resorts that are on either the Epic Pass (Vail) or Rocky Mountain Pass (Winter Park and Copper). It is my opinion that you should steer clear of that scene on your first trip to CO. It can be so crowded and the highway is a mess. Aspen is awesome and the resort has 4 different mountains to choose from. You can stay down valley to save money on lodging if you need to but it is a great collection of mountains and you get sweet views of the Maroon Bells from the summits. My friend started a ski resort blog highlighting great places to eat, drink, and ride and Aspen is on there.It was her home for years. Check it out, it's pretty sweet.
https://www.skitownstashes.com/?utm_source=Newschoolers

Winter Park is actually pretty frickin good if you know where to look

dandrews720I recommend Aspen. Plenty of people will suggest you hit up the I-70 resorts that are on either the Epic Pass (Vail) or Rocky Mountain Pass (Winter Park and Copper). It is my opinion that you should steer clear of that scene on your first trip to CO. It can be so crowded and the highway is a mess. Aspen is awesome and the resort has 4 different mountains to choose from. You can stay down valley to save money on lodging if you need to but it is a great collection of mountains and you get sweet views of the Maroon Bells from the summits. My friend started a ski resort blog highlighting great places to eat, drink, and ride and Aspen is on there.It was her home for years. Check it out, it's pretty sweet.
https://www.skitownstashes.com/?utm_source=Newschoolers

With the mountain collective pass you could also do Telluride.