Sunlight Mountain Resort — Attraction in Carbondale

Our trip this March 12-15, 2018, to Sunlight Ski Resort was the first time skiing with our 6 and 8 year old flatlander kids. We rerouted a trip to Glenwood Springs and Sunlight versus Winter Park based upon a recommendation from a friend in Denver, and we could not be more pleased with the choice! Prior to kids, my wife and I skied all over the West at many popular destinations, from Tahoe to Mt. Hood, and Park City to Telluride. Sunlight shined above them all (no pun intended). Each and every point of customer service contact was excellent; from the ski rental counter and lift operators, to the food servers and ski instructors. We felt extremely welcomed and enjoyed the atmosphere and skiing at Sunlight. Lifts are a bit slow, but we NEVER waited more than a minute or two at the busiest times to catch a lift. Lift operators where super helpful each and every time to assist our kids in getting to the red line and loading onto lifts. Good balance of runs for all skier levels and a great laid back atmosphere.

We are so glad that we skipped the madness of Spring Break and the crowds at other resorts this time of year. I would highly recommend giving this resort a try. Wide open skiing, easy parking, great food at basecamp (turkey pastrami Five Star), not to mention, an AFFORDABLE destination for families.

Lastly, on our final day of skiing, somehow we screwed up the combination to the locker that held all of our shoes and our car keys. We were the last ones off the slopes, so some managers/owners had already left the mountain for the day (inadvertently with the locker master key). Despite a small wait, the staff dealt with the situation with the utmost care and concern, and even provided complimentary beverages for our family on the back patio while we waited for the locker to be opened.

My wife and I both own small businesses in Missouri, and we appreciate the attitude of the employees and the passion for customer service that they displayed! We are so looking forward to going back next year! Thanks again Sunlight for making this a very memorable trip for our family. You rocked it out of the park!!!! Jay & Julia J., ...

As a first timer skier, this resort provides prefect setup. The price is good and everyone is friendly and helpful. Our first trip here was in 2023, just for 1 day and did the 2-hr lesson for all 3 kids (15, 12, and 10). Didn't bring anything to ski and they provided all the essential equipment to get us started. We did rent ski jacket and pants in Glenwood store for $30 per kid.

We returned in 2024 and sign-up for 3-day lessons with all the equipment and lift-ticket. One kid got hurt on day 1 and couldn't ski anymore (they were very nice to refund the remaining 2 days lesson cost).

The lesson organization itself probably need some improvement. Depending on the # of instructors Joe gets per day, and # of students at what ski/snowboarding levels, it is a work of art to please everyone and find the right fit for each student. My snowboarder had a great time first and 3rd day of her lesson. Second day, she was left alone by the instructor because they had beginners that he had to teach. As for my 12 year old, he became level 5 on his 3rd day but was grouped with level 3,4 kids. Instead of learning more, he was the lead and helping out with the lesson that day.

In 2024, we did notice a lot of people brings their own food, which after eating at Grizz Grill (restaurant at resort) for 3 days, I would recommended it also. The food at the restaurant is mid (2/5) stars and price is (well) hit and miss. Grill chz sandwich ($11) that came with nothing but the sandwich itself. Sweet potato fries, potato fries, or Zucchi sticks ($7 each) and probably the most consistent dish there. Most people are there to ski not for the food, so food is just to fill you up so you can get back to skiing. With that mind set, I think the food there are...

This season, for the first time in 7 years, Sunlight was very frustrating to work with and on multiple occassions. I made a mistake when purchasing a season pass this year. When I realized my mistake I called the ticket office and explained my situation to Tammy. Over the phone she said they'd be able to help but I would need to do it in person. I thought, great, and very much appreciated them going above and beyond. Unfortunately it went downhill from there. After driving up there multiple times...to no avail I finally connected with Tammy. I remaind very polite and thanked her multiple times and that I'd learned my lesson and would know better for next year but she was so unenthused and cold, hardly saying a word to us. In the fall I purchased a $150 gift certificate at the ski and bike shop. I asked prior to purchasing if the gift certificate could be used for ski school lessons and I was told yes. Great, I wanted to surprise my 9 year old niece with a couple lessons! Well, when trying to book the lessons this past weekend we learned that in fact you cannot use a G.C. for lessons unless you contact instructors directly!?! and hope that they'll first, answer the phone or return your call and second, accept the certificate!?! Ugh! I want to support local and I love skiing Sunlight but these recent experiences have me beyond frustrated. I'd definitely recommend buying passes that alliviate the need to speak with anyone in the ticket office. And I guess we'll be using the certificate for other items and look elsewhere...