What Happens When I-70 Closes? A Former Trooper’s Guide
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Ski Resort Transportation: DIA, Eagle and Aspen Airport Transfers to the Slopes
Hit the Slopes in Style
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From the Terminal to the Lift Line
Summit Black Car drives skiers and snowboarders from Colorado’s airports to the lifts. The service is private and prearranged: a chauffeur and vehicle reserved for your party, loaded with your ski bags, and driven to the resort where you are staying. We are based in Breckenridge, in the middle of Summit County’s four ski areas, and cover the Vail Valley and the Aspen and Snowmass resorts as well. The company was founded by a former Colorado State Trooper and executive protection professional, and the chauffeurs live in the mountain towns they serve.
That local footing matters more in ski season than at any other time of year. The person driving you over Vail Pass in a February storm has driven it in worse, knows where the resort loading zones are, and has fitted the child seats before leaving the garage. We run 24/7 through the season, from the first early-morning departures to the last late arrivals. Get an Instant Quote at summitblackcar.com/book-now/ or call 970-485-3494.
At a Glance
Resorts
Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin, Vail, Beaver Creek, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass
Airports
Denver International, Eagle County Regional and Aspen/Pitkin County, plus the FBOs at each
Ski gear
Rooftop carriers on the SUVs; skis and boards ride inside the Sprinter and Transit
Families and groups
Child seats on request; five passengers per SUV, 13 in the Sprinter, 14 in the Transit
Winter equipment
AWD and 4WD vehicles on winter tires, meeting the Colorado Traction Law every day of the season
Availability
24/7 all season, booked in advance at https://summitblackcar.com/book-now/ or 970-485-3494
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Law Enforcement-Owned
Based in Breckenridge
Late-Model SUVs & Sprinters
Open 24/7
Explore Our Fleet
The Resorts We Serve
Summit County holds four ski areas within about 25 minutes of one another, and our home base sits in the middle of them. Breckenridge spreads across Peaks 6 through 10 above a Main Street historic district; we drop at the Peak 8 base by the BreckConnect gondola, the Peak 9 base at the bottom of Park Avenue, the Peak 7 residences, and lodging such as One Ski Hill Place, Grand Colorado on Peak 8 and Beaver Run. Keystone lies about 20 minutes away over Swan Mountain Road, with River Run Village, Lakeside Village and the Mountain House base along US-6 beside Lake Dillon. Copper Mountain sits directly at I-70 exit 195 with its Center, East and West Villages. Arapahoe Basin is further up US-6 toward Loveland Pass, a short run from Keystone.
In the Vail Valley, Vail Village and Lionshead are pedestrian villages, so vehicles use the loading zones and the hotel porte-cocheres at the Four Seasons, Sonnenalp, The Arrabelle, Vail Marriott, Hotel Talisa, Grand Hyatt Vail and The Sebastian. Beaver Creek is a gated village above Avon, with Bachelor Gulch and Arrowhead behind their own gates; the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, The Osprey and The Pines Lodge are regular drops.
Aspen offers four areas: Aspen Mountain rising from the town core, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass with its Base Village and Snowmass Mall about 15 minutes down valley. Each town has its own guide: Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain, Vail, Beaver Creek, Aspen and Snowmass.
Winter Roads and Closures
Colorado’s Traction Law is in force every year from September 1 to May 31 on I-70 between Morrison at mile marker 259 and Dotsero at mile marker 133, which covers every airport-to-resort drive we make. It requires all-wheel or four-wheel drive with at least 3/16-inch tread on winter, all-weather or M+S tires, or chains or another approved traction device. Our SUVs and Sprinters meet the requirement every day of the season, so the law is something our guests read about rather than deal with.
The passes are the real variable. The Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel crosses the Continental Divide at 11,158 feet and closes for storms, crashes and hazmat holds. When I-70 shuts east of the tunnel, the Breckenridge alternate is US-285 to Fairplay and Highway 9 north over Hoosier Pass at 11,542 feet. Vail Pass at 10,662 feet closes several times each winter with no short alternate, so the chauffeur holds and times the reopening. Glenwood Canyon, mile markers 116 to 133, is prone to rockfall and mudslide closures on the Aspen run. Independence Pass east of Aspen closes for the winter, usually in the first week of November, and reopens the Thursday before Memorial Day, so in ski season every Aspen trip uses Highway 82 through Glenwood Springs and Basalt.
Your chauffeur watches road conditions before and during the drive and makes those calls so that you do not have to, after a flight, in the dark, at altitude.
From the Airport to the Slopes
Most ski travelers land at Denver International and ride I-70 west. In normal conditions the drive is about 1 hour 40 minutes to Keystone, 1 hour 50 minutes to Breckenridge and Copper Mountain, 2 hours to Vail, 2 hours 15 minutes to Beaver Creek, and about 4 hours to Aspen or Snowmass Village. Winter and holiday traffic stretches each of those; the DIA to Breckenridge run, for example, is 2 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours on a busy ski weekend. Pickups at DIA use Level 5, Island 2, and we track your flight so a delay is absorbed without a call.
Eagle County Regional puts skiers much closer to the Vail Valley: about 30 minutes to Beaver Creek, 40 minutes to Vail, and about 1 hour 30 minutes to Breckenridge or Aspen. Nonstop winter flights arrive from many hubs, though the schedule is thinner and more weather-sensitive than Denver’s. Our DIA vs Eagle comparison covers the choice for Vail trips.
Aspen/Pitkin County Airport is about 10 minutes from the Aspen core and 15 from Snowmass Village. Be aware that ASE is closed to all aviation from April 4 to November 19, 2027, for construction; until it reopens, Aspen skiers arrive through EGE, DIA, Grand Junction or Rifle. The complete set of airport legs is listed on the Airport Routes hub.
Resort-to-Resort Days and Getting Around
A ski week rarely stays at one mountain, and this is where a chauffeur changes the shape of the trip. From Breckenridge, Keystone is about 20 minutes over Swan Mountain Road, Copper Mountain about 25 minutes, Frisco about 15 and Vail about 50 minutes over Vail Pass. Arapahoe Basin is a short climb up US-6 past Keystone. From Vail, Beaver Creek is about 15 minutes down valley. From Aspen, Snowmass Village is about 15 minutes, and the four Aspen areas can be skied on consecutive days without changing lodging.
We drop your party at the base of the day’s mountain, take the gear bags you will not need, and return at the agreed time for the ride back, so nobody circles a full parking structure at 9 a.m. or walks in ski boots from an overflow lot. The same vehicle handles the rest of the week: dinner in Vail Village or on Breckenridge’s Main Street, a grocery run to Frisco or Silverthorne on arrival day, a late-afternoon pickup after apres, or a morning move from a Keystone condo to a Beaver Creek hotel mid-week. For a full day of stops, our private car service covers as-directed hourly use.
Vehicles for Ski Trips
Ski trips carry more per person than any other kind of travel, so we assign vehicles by gear as much as by headcount. The 2025 Cadillac Escalade and 2026 Chevrolet Suburban each seat five with luggage, and skis and snowboards ride in rooftop carriers so boot bags and duffels stay inside. Both run all-wheel or four-wheel drive on winter tires. For larger parties the 2025 Mercedes-Benz Executive Sprinter seats 13 and the 2025 Ford Transit seats 14, and their length allows skis and boards to travel inside the vehicle. Guests who want the Rolls-Royce Cullinan can request it. Every vehicle carries Wi-Fi and bottled water, and the chauffeur loads and unloads all of it.
Families are a large part of our winter work. Child seats are fitted on request before the pickup; tell us the ages when booking. A family of four with two ski bags fits an SUV; a group of eight with gear needs the Sprinter or Transit. Tell us passengers, bags, ski bags and child seats when you book so the right vehicle is assigned. We never promise unlimited capacity, because a vehicle loaded past its space is unsafe on a mountain road. Fleet details: our vehicles.
Planning Your Ski Week Transfers
Book both airport legs when you book the flights. The Christmas and New Year weeks, Presidents’ Day weekend and the spring break period fill early across every mountain, and so do event weekends such as the Burton US Open in Vail, the X Games at Buttermilk, and Breckenridge’s International Snow Sculpture Championships and Ullr Fest. We cannot promise availability around any event, so early requests get the vehicle they want.
Give us the flight number rather than a landing time, the number of ski bags, and the ages of any children. If your group arrives on different flights or different days, one booking per arrival keeps everyone matched to the right vehicle.
For the return, we set the pickup by adding the typical drive time, 30 to 45 minutes of winter margin, and your airline’s check-in window. Sunday afternoons and holiday Mondays are the slowest eastbound periods on I-70, so we leave earlier on those days. A last-morning ski is possible with an afternoon flight from EGE; it is a gamble with a mid-day flight from DIA, and we will say so.
Breckenridge sits at about 9,600 feet, so drink the water in the vehicle on the way up and take the first afternoon easy.
Why Private Resort Transportation Beats the Shared Shuttle
Shared airport shuttles are the default for many ski travelers, and for a solo skier with one bag and a flexible afternoon they can be fine. The problems begin with a family, a group, or a fixed check-in time. A shuttle departs on its schedule, not your flight’s, so an early landing means waiting and a late one can mean the next departure. It stops at several properties across the county, which puts the last stop an hour behind the first. Gear is your responsibility at both ends, child seats are typically not part of the arrangement, and the drop is often a central lot rather than the lodge door.
A private transfer departs when you walk out of baggage claim. It goes directly to your lodging, whether that is One Ski Hill Place at the Peak 8 base or the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch behind its gate. The child seats are already installed. The skis are already on the roof or in the back. Sleeping children stay asleep. On the return, the pickup time is set to your flight and the winter road, not to a route card with six stops before the airport.
Ride in style
Ready to get on the road in one of our luxury black cars? Reserve your ride today!
What to Expect
1
Plan Your Ride
Request an instant quote on the Book Now page with your dates, passenger count, bags and any child seats, then reserve once it is confirmed.
2
Find Your Car
We confirm the pickup time and location as your date approaches and track your flight on the day. If plans change, call or text us and we adjust.
3
Enjoy the Trip
Your chauffeur loads the luggage and gear and drives you to the door. Enjoy the Wi-Fi, the water and the view while we handle the road.
About Summit Black Car
Based in Breckenridge and founded by a former Colorado State Trooper.
Summit Black Car is a private chauffeur service for the Colorado mountains. Our chauffeurs live in the towns they drive and come from law enforcement, military and professional driving backgrounds. Late-model SUVs and Sprinters, AWD or 4WD on winter tires, available 24 hours a day across Summit, Eagle and Pitkin Counties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Escalade and Suburban carry skis and boards in rooftop carriers, which keeps the cabin free for boot bags and luggage. The Sprinter and Transit are long enough for skis and boards to ride inside. Tell us how many ski bags are coming when you book so we assign a vehicle with the room.
Yes. Child seats are installed on request before the pickup, in the SUVs and in the Sprinter and Transit. Give us each child’s age when booking. A family with young children and ski gear generally fits an SUV; add grandparents or a second family and the Sprinter is the better assignment.
Aspen/Pitkin County is minutes from Aspen and Snowmass, but is closed April 4 to November 19, 2027. Eagle County Regional is about 30 minutes from Beaver Creek and 40 from Vail. Denver International is the main gateway for Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin, about 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours in good conditions.
For Breckenridge we can reroute over US-285 and Hoosier Pass when I-70 closes east of the tunnel. Vail Pass has no short alternate, so the chauffeur holds at a safe spot and moves when it reopens. Either way the chauffeur watches conditions, adjusts the departure, and keeps you informed rather than leaving you to read the road signs.
Yes. Breckenridge to Keystone is about 20 minutes, to Copper Mountain about 25, and to Vail about 50 over Vail Pass; Vail to Beaver Creek is about 15 minutes; Aspen to Snowmass about 15. We drop at the base, return at the agreed time, and can hold gear that is not needed on that mountain.
Yes. We serve private residences and rentals door to door: Peak 7 in Breckenridge, East Vail and West Vail, the gated entries at Beaver Creek, Bachelor Gulch and Arrowhead, Aspen’s West End and the slope-side homes at Snowmass. Give us the address and any gate instructions and the chauffeur handles the entry.
The Escalade and Suburban each carry five passengers with luggage and skis on the roof. The Sprinter carries 13 and the Transit 14 with gear inside. A group larger than that, or a group with an unusual amount of equipment, is split across two vehicles that travel together. We never promise unlimited capacity.
Yes. Arapahoe Basin is up US-6 beyond Keystone on the Loveland Pass road. We run day trips there from Breckenridge, Keystone and the Lake Dillon towns, and we can include it on a multi-resort day. Passengers need no chains or special equipment of their own; the vehicle and the chauffeur take care of the road.
