I took the Amtrak SKI TRAIN to a CHAIRLIFT in Colorado!
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- Опубліковано 20 вер 2024
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Hi Downie! My name is Liana and at 10:09 I'm the chef in the light blue apron. I'm actually the executive chef of The Lodge at Sunspot! It was amazing seeing my venue in your video. Thank you so much for coming my restaurant, this was great. Please reach out if you ever visit again! 😊
Oh fun! Thanks for the sensational waffle fries! Glad you enjoyed the video. I'm sure I'll be back!
This train was run by the private Denver & Rio Grande Western RR and a successor company until 2009. Fortunately, Amtrak revived it around 2015. It's a great day out, which you captured beautifully!
What’s better than a Michael Downie Video? A video with one of his besties. Nothing like a happy experience shared with friends.
A Michael Downie video that includes TRAINS!
Back in the late ‘90s, there was a train that ran from Vancouver, BC to Whistler village. Walking distance from the lifts and all the resorts in the village. Really wish they would bring that back.
jeez I totaly forgot about that, I still have bunch old tickets from it. just gaved me nostalgia bumps.
After living in Japan for so long, I often feel reverse culture shock when I see things like this. Special ski trains are super normal here. Some resorts even have their own dedicated stations.
Yup, that Moffat Cup at 1:57 is definitely something to behold! If it weren’t for David Moffat’s vision to build the Denver, Northwestern & Pacific Railway across, or through, the Continental Divide to Salt Lake City, Denver may not have grown into the important economic engine of the West that it is today and would've been left behind. And of course, the Winter Park Express Ski Train would have never had a chance! Moffat poured his all into it, and although it wasn't completed until after his death, Denver recognized Moffat's efforts to put them on the map and so they presented him that in 1904 out of love. 230 pounds of pure silver and marble and stands at nearly three and a half feet tall!
Very cool video! My grandpa is 90 and he still remembers catching the same train back in the 50’s as a kid. Iconic Denver activity
This probably sounds a bit cheesy but you've helped me realize what I wanna do in life (travel the world) so thank you for that!
that sounds cheesy
Agreed! I never even heard of the narrow boats in the UK until his special
@T C I follow a couple in IG who live on a longboat, it looks so fun and chill and I had no idea that's what I wanted to do sometime in my life too...
Some Denver Union Station history: Denver's first train station was constructed in 1868 to serve the new Denver Pacific Railway, which connected Denver to the main transcontinental line at Cheyenne, Wyoming. By 1875, there were four different railroad stations, making transfers between different railroad lines inconvenient. To remedy this issue, Union Pacific proposed creating one central "Union Station" to combine the various operations. In February 1880, the owners of the four lines (Union Pacific, Denver & Rio Grande, Denver, South Park & Pacific and Colorado Central) agreed to build a station at 17th and Wynkoop Streets. Architect A. Taylor of Kansas City was hired to develop the plans and the station opened in May 1881.
In 2001, RTD purchased Union Station and the surrounding site of its old rail yards. A master plan was developed in 2002 that envisioned both the building and surrounding 19.5 acre site be redeveloped as the hub of a multi-modal transportation network with transit-oriented private development. This was approved in 2004 as part of the FasTracks program.
NO way, thanks for the history lesson. I loved reading this
Hey Missile Man, great history, but you left out the fact that MLB All-Star Larry Walker once owned a restaurant at Union Station called (of course) Larry Walker's, just a short walk to Coor's Field where he played. It didn't last too long. Also, it looked like Downie may have stayed at the Crawford Hotel in Union Station, named after the fore-seeing Dana Crawford who renovated Larimer Square and the Oxford Hotel in downtown Denver, both just a short walk away. Cheers!
Sort of. The original 1881 station burned down, and was replaced in 1894. It was designed by Van Brunt & Howe, and featured a larger than the original, but still featured the tall central clock tower, similar to the original. After even more passenger traffic, that structure was demolished and rebuilt in 1914, which is the structure we have today. It was designed by the architects Gove & Walsh. So the structure that RTD purchased was the 3rd Denver Union Station building, not the one built in 1881.
Other than all the crackheads hanging out there these days, I'm very happy to see RTD revive the facility. I remember going there as a kid, when there was only the California Zephyr, 1 train each way per day. Plus the old Rio Grande ski train in the winter months. It was pretty sad and empty, but you could feel the history that was there.
Man, that transition from the lounge to your bed to the train the next morning was chef's kiss! And it speaks volumes about the quality of your content when you actually inspire someone from Amtrak to move somewhere else in the country! That lounge reminds me of the time I got to enjoy the former Michael Jordan Steakhouse that overlooked the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal! Just as wonderful as this! Cipriani Dolci is another restaurant inside the Grand Central main concourse with a balcony view! A train station or terminal done right, is when its atmosphere takes your breath away! Which both Grand Central and Denver Union Station achieve and more!
I hope you consider doing a transit video about all the modes of transportation at Walt Disney World, because my personal opinion is that the most interesting cable car system in this country is the Disney Skyliner which has three lines that goes to hotels, Epcot, and DHS and they all come together at a hub at Caribbean Beach Resort. But that's just the Skyliner. That's not talking about their impressive fleet of 325 buses, big Magic Kingdom ferries, water taxis to the MK resorts, Friendship Boats between Epcot and DHS, and of course their monorail system! Disney World may not be a metropolis, but it sure acts like it! You don't even need tickets to go on them, because they're all FREE!
Disney sucks
Such a cool video! I'm glad you had a good time on our lovely Winter Park Express ✌🏻 It was such a fine day!
It was Thibault! Thanks for the invite and sharing your fun train!
And great seeing that things like that slowly come back to the us… here in Europe, specially Switzerland, that’s so normal to have long distance trains bring you to the ski regions. In Zurich we even have two intercity lines hourly serving the valais and the Bernese alps… going by car is just way more stressful…
This is a sweet trip! Something about train stations (especially ones like Denver's Union Station) is one of the many reasons rail feels so elegant to travel on.
I totally agree!
I think it's awesome that you did a collab with Simply Railway, especially right after he did one with you! I watch his videos all the time, and I enjoy them! I'm glad you two are friends now, and I look forward to seeing what you might do together in the near future!
Awesome, thank you!
@@DownieLive You're welcome!
Union Station is so cool. The hotels and restaurants that opened up in there are such a perfect fit for the aesthetic of the station and it looks wonderful. I love seeing that people go to Union Station for leisure, not just for travel
Super cool conductor. I love people with a passion for their job. And the same goes for you Mike
He may remind Mike of a certain Vancouver West Coast Express conductor, now 10 years retired, who was very passionate about his job.
Excited for you to make it to one million subscribers. Every moment of this video I smile ear to ear. You're a beacon of positivity, thank you for sharing this with all of us 💚
10:28 That transition though! *_Chef's kiss_*
Fun fact about Denver Union Station. The benches along the exterior walls are the only surviving seating from before the building was renovated.
The majority of them were full of asbestos, so they were removed.
Love your content! Slight note from one of the operators at RTD. The train to the airport is actually a commuter train. We are Engineer/Conductor certified similar to the crews on Amtrak.
Downie, as a Denver native I am so glad you liked Union Station. It went through a HUGE renovation a few years ago that made it pretty again and converted the disused space to the retail/restaurant/hotel space. The transform was truly incredible.
Having visited Denver twice now, I am shocked by how beautiful Union Station is. Architecture like that simply doesn't get built anymore, and the fact that a city like Denver decided to not only keep it but restore it as well suggests they're headed in the right direction.
Every video that Michael Downie makes is stellar!!! The footage of the ski slopes and the mountains, however are just STUNNING!! Thanks for doing such a great job and having fun while you do it !!
How many more places are you gonna meet up with Thibault?! Lol first Toronto, now Denver. I love it when my 2 favorite train channels cross over
I'm not a skier but I'm a huge fan of both Thibault and Michael Downie so this video rings all my bells!
Your channel is one of the best (if not the best) travel vlog out there, and at 74, I travel vicariously through UA-cam. Thank you.
We need a ski train to Whistler! Maybe makes sense if it picked you up by the Lonsdale Seabus terminal and perhaps a little gondola from the Whistler stop to one of the mountains. Two trains, one for the early risers and the second to facilitate a 2pm departure back while the final train pulls around 6pm. Perfect for apres and avoiding the highway traffic!
someday i'm taking my son out west to experience CO and big mountains. I think this train route will be the sure way to do it, thanks for sharing!
Have fun!
Wow what an awesome way to get to the ski resort! Currently here in Utah they are debating about public transportation up to the mountains. I have been #teamTrain the whole time, especially if it could link up to current Light Rail that connects right to the airport. This is a great case study for how well it could work!
They also have the Bustang bus to the ski areas!!!
I love it, take the train, have a cocktail 🍹 and then put your boots on and ski ⛷️ Wonderful!
This is why I love living in Colorado. It’s so beautiful and unpredictable at the same time. I’ve never actually been on the ski train before but I’ve rode this same route on the California Zephyr. Really excited for the next four episodes!
Michael the reason I like watching your adventures is, you make them fun!!! Thank you, love to You and Nicole.
When I was once riding on the Amtrak California Zephyr the same conductor on the ski train in this video was our conductor he was super funny and really nice
I took this train about 30 years ago. It's a great way to get up to skiing.
In 2013 - 2014 I was in Florida taken Amtrak as well and I didn't have to think where I would be Skiing due to Amtrak had taken me to go Skiing with fun and I was pretty impress. Thank you Amtrak, The US.!
As someone from Denver, I'm amazed you had no issues from DIA to Union Station. That RTD route is notorious for breaking down it's a joke! I had no idea they had a ski train, only that luxury train, which I don't remember the name of. Also, happy birthday to the Moffat tunnel, which celebrated its 95th birthday and the Eisenhower Tunnel for its 50th!
I was thinking the same thing. I've never taken the A-train without some sort of delay. Last time I took it, we sat for almost 45 minutes in summer without air conditioning. Apparently it was a planned stop too, due to emergency track maintenance. Why they didn't stop us at a station so people could get off, or at least get airflow, is beyond me. Instead, we pulled out of the station like a 1/4 mile, and then stopped. My trip from DIA to Union Station was 1 hour and 22 minutes. My driving time from DIA to Vail is only slightly longer.
Weird. I take it monthly and rarely have issues
I love the ski train! I take it about 5 or 6 times a year. No better way to get to Winterpark in the winter.
Downie live on a Monday morning! Always welcome whenever I get a notification. That looked like a great way to get to and from a day of skiing, not to mention starting the day with a Bloody Mary and ending it with a warm waffle.
Wow! Right at the end, a pair of skis, a pair of poles, camera on a stick and a waffle in hand! Awesome!
Oh yeah!
Mike, thanks for bringing us along. That looked like a lot of fun! Looking forward to the next vlog in the series.
I took Amtrak from Racine to Chicago to Winter Park, CO to San Francisco, CA to White Pass, WA to Big Sky, MT back to Wisco. That was my first ski trip out west in 2013. Cool to see a guy like yourself do a leg of the same trip! This month I hit Vail, Beaver Creek, Telluride, Copper, and Winter Park. So much fun!
So great to see you meet up with Tibault, another great travel UA-camr
Another great series! I think I saw WVU and Pittsburgh in the previews. Can’t wait for more episodes
Smiling Ear To Ear! How pleasant!
This is so funny, I literally took this train last week! Such a lovely time
In Switzerland we have countless opportunities to go ski directly at places next to a train station, or we take public busses to go further up into the alps...which is absolutely amazing! I think it's way cozier than taking the car to a ski resort...
i love your videos, mike! your zest for adventure and your positive attitude are so contagious and it makes your content that much better!
Wow, thank you!
Two of my favorite train guys! Such a fun video and time! Keep it up, both of you!!
Thanks! Will do!
I haven't been skiing since high school in Massachusetts, then again I live in Florida now. I'm definitely adding the Ski train to my growing list.
I featured Denver Union Station in my Amtrak vlogs and I couldn't speaker higher of it! Love that lounge! And when inevitably waiting through Amtrak's delays... Couldn't ask for a better place! BUT I had no clue about the upstairs lounge and now I'm mad at myself lol I need to take this route and finally ski.
Bloody Mary = "you don't feel it when you fall." LOL!
Another series I'm looking forward to and know I'm going to enjoy.
What a great video Mike! I grew up in Colorado in the mid 70’s and early 80’s. Wish this train has been available!
That's how i go skiing every time here in Switzerland. A lot of ski resorts, even smaller ones have direct access by train and those who don't can be reached by a bus. You never sit in traffic in the morning or the afternoon and you don't have to drive when you're tired and you can even take a nap early in the morning. (And sometimes it's faster than by car even withour traffic jams because there are tunnels for trains beneath the mountains and with the car you have to drive around them.
I'd love to see his reaction to Col de Bretaye station.
True earth, the dryer balls still going strong almost a year later now. Thanks again for making another great video Mike ❤
You bet!
Well done and documanted! I grew up skiing WP, and now 50 years later live down the road in Granby. The Ski Train was a blast growing up and probably the best way to get to any ski area tbh. It looked like you were there on a day before a big storm with the wind so crazy. Great vlog!!
I lived in Colorado Springs for 2 years and never knew about his train. That is a cool way to go skiing.
My daughter just moved to Denver and I told her about this train. I sent her the link to the video you dd with Will and Kamesh (I think that was his name). Now she wants me to come out there from Atlanta and ride it with her. I love your videos! Keep doing the Downie thing! Go Dawgs!
this is lame af and so american. taking a plane to ride a train 🤦
Next winter try our ski train in Catalunya (Spain)
You take the R3 line from Barcelona that goes up to the Pyrenees to the Ribes de Freser station where you change to the cog railway that takes you up to Vall de Núria, a valley 2000m up in the Pyrenees accessible only by the cog railway.
The cost is 42.20€ and includes the train, the cog railway and a ski pass for the day. You can do the same with the same train with the La Molina ski resort, which is bigger but not unique like Vall de Núria (and you only get a bus from the station tonthe resort).
You can do the same trip to Vall de Núria when there is no snow without a ski pass (called TrenNatura).
Continue with the R3 passed the last stop in Spain (Puigcerdà) into France to the Latour-de-Carol-Enveitg station and you can catch there the Yellow train that offers an amazing ride on the French side of the Pyrenees.
I took the Amtrack from Michigan to Winter Park for Spring Break in 1991, it was a blast.
My second and last time skiing, we went to Winter Park. My aunt and uncle lived in the mountains near Denver, and suggested when we were visiting that we go ski there. We had what seemed like a long drive, first on I-70, then up to Winter Park. It was the first week in March, but at Winter Park it was around 80 degF, and snow was melting off the steeper slopes. Plus, at my aun't suggestion we had rented skis in their town, put on the ski boots at the car, and trudged all the way across the parking lot just to start skiing. My husband had fun, but I had difficulties-- stupid stuff, mostly-- and never went skiing again. You made it look easy with this ski train, and not having to walk across the parking lot. Maybe I would've had a better time if we'd been able to take the ski train.
I was astonished that a train goes to any of Colorado's ski resorts.
Thank you for posting this. I am a Denver native and I have ridden that train several times and skied Winter park my whole life. It was really cool to see some of these places that I've seen many times on your video. I have to admit I'm biased because although I love all your videos I really enjoy the ones you do here in Colorado. Union Station is an amazing story I saw your one video on the California Zephyr and you're a series where you went from Florida to Alaska, took the train Through The Moffat tunnel, another engineering masterpiece, and you stopped in Fraser and stopped at The Distillery there. I've been there many times. You passed by Granby and we have a cabin right near there in Grand Lake. I've seen your video on the Pikes Peak Railway and the Durango Silverton. Okay enough of my rambling. Keep up the great work. Mark Afman
Awesome! We also made a video about this train. We skied from the east side of the continental divide to Winter Park and then rode the train back to Denver. Such a fun way to travel through the mountains!
Sounds great!
Mike! You keep me fascinated! I loathe cold and snow, but this was tempting! One thing I was amazed at was how you took the picture while skiing. And then went through the gates without crashing! You are good! As always looking forward to each installment. Chuck
another awesome downie series, i can feel it in my bones!!
Bravi ragazzi ,semplici e senza atteggiamenti di superiorità.Bello ciò che fa del suo lavoro. 😊
I love love love that you two have done a video together, you're two of my favourite UA-cam channels. Great video!
I had the pleasure of taking the California Zephyr during my honeymoon, and we had about an hour stop in the Denver station right next to Coors Field. It was so nice there, all the little shops that surrounded the pull-in for the train.
love those old Genesis, so glad you got all the skier friends, all mines were snowboarder 🙃🥲
Wonderful to see you in my neighborhood ;) Love that gorgeous train ride
Too much fun and no stress of having to drive. Ski on and Happy Rails.
You got that right!
A great first episode of his newest series: DownieLive Travels By Tram!
I'm not even a skier (I'm from Texas; anytime we get snow we start getting Vietnam flashbacks), but even I want to ride the Ski Train someday. A small taste of some of America's most scenic railway and such a fun, lively atmosphere. Even without the skiing, that looks like a grand day out.
Monday morning treat from you in your skiing trip
They need more of this in the US!!
We used to have a train SF-Truckee that specifically supported ski trips. Wish we still did.
oh you've tricked me into watching another one of your series! i thought i was sitting down for an interesting standalone video but now i'm invested in an interesting multi-part series!
Welcome aboard!
I wish BC approached rail this way. All we have, that I know of, is the west coast express and a bunch of rolling 5 star hotels, which are all priced accordingly. Imagine, rail for regular folks.
Awesome round rip ride on the Amtrak Winter Park Express trains #1105 & #1106 between Denver & Winter Park Coloroado. This looks so epic and worth trying as it lives up to its name for sure
I liked seeing the Train Station. Enjoyed sking, the lodge was nice. Blue compliments you. Looks like you had a good time on the slopes. Beautiful sunset. I loved seeing you on the Incline! 🍀Happy🍀St. Patricks🍀Day!🍀
Mike giving off big ski brah energy on the slopes! Looking forward to the series!
Excellent work as always Mike, can't wait to see the rest
As usual another great video. I have not ridden the Ski Train but have passed through Winter Park several times on the California Zepher. One trip I was on a cross country trip and did stop in Denver and drove up the mountain to Winter Park. It was early in the ski season before Thanksgiving. The drive up the mountain was breathtaking and a bit scared for a person from Pennsylvania where our mountains would be considered hills in Colorado. I enjoyed the day skiing at Winter Park and was at the time the highest mountain I had skied. What was the real adventure was the drive down the mountain. It snowed all day and the road was snow covered and I had wished I could have taken the train since I was driving a curvy road that overlooked big drop offs with new snow on the road. Thankfully I was driving a large car with good snow tires so I made it back to Denver safely. I look forward to your future videos in this series.
Two of my favorite travel vloggers in one video!
In the basement of Denver Union Station there used to be a massive model train layout. Not sure it if still exists. My best friend and I would go down to Denver all of the time to see it.
Nice video, great scenery, great train ride and skiing! Thank for the invite on your adventure!
Man you make it sound easy and I know how hard it is. Enjoy your travels, Downie !
I always feel like having a drink - be it a soda or a water on those kinds of beautiful rides feels like a small but very real luxury - such a great video! I miss skiing ⛷️ good to live vicariously
We just did this with the kids a few weeks ago and the ski train was awesome. Flew in from Florida, and caught the train in the morning. Get on early and grab seats in the panoramic Sightseer lounge. The views are amazing, great experience🙌🏼
That is awesome!
I’ve done this is Switzerland. It’s the bomb.
They let you BYOB on SBB trains. I did this to Zermatt once. We were on Italian trains w/ great espresso both ways that trip!
So many interesting places to go and see. Thank you for opening our minds to places we may never have known about!
Mike just watching this now 9,32 pm Tuesday’s night here in Australia I’ve been to Denver to the airport In 2019 and on the train to Denver and been at the union station loved it !!! Went down 16 th st too on the free bus ect saw the trams ( street car ) ect
I, too, enoy the full majestic majesty of stone monoliths
Denver Union Station is one of the rare examples in the US of beautiful infrastructure maintained and restored.
Nice union station and train and views. Thanks for taking us along
Glad you enjoyed it
Not a specific route but the amtrak empire builder goes to Wenatchee for mission ridge and whitefish to ski. I think the train times work out that you can sleep on the train. Both have public transit to the mountain mission is weekends and holidays only for transit right now.
I don't ski but this makes me wish I could! What a great experience!!
This is so cool. I wish I could still ski because I would definitely do this!!!
The train ride looks awesome conductors cam always make your day. The ski resort looks fun I've never been to.the snow looking forward to the next episode wherever downie goes is sure to be blast happy adventuring.
You should've seen the ski train back when it was old Rio Grande cars, and operated by Union Pacific. It wasn't cheap, and I don't think they ever turned a profit, but it was awesome. Basically a billionaire's (Philip Anschutz) play toy. We would go once a year when I was a kid, and it was always a good time. I believe Anschutz was given an offer he couldn't refuse on the passenger cars, and sold them to a company in Canada, ending a 69 year run. A short line railroad from Colorado (unfortunately I don't remember which one) attempted to revive it a few years later, but ironically, it was Amtrak that shut them down. They had contracted to use their locomotives to pull the railroad's passenger cars, and at the last minute they demanded substantially more money. If I remember right, there were even people at the station the morning of departure when Amtrak cancelled the whole deal. People were pissed.
What a cool meetup! Love that channel too!
Downey I absolutely LOVE your channel it brings out the inner child in me that always loved trains and different modes of transport and every episode makes me smile and brings me back to that feeling! It also has inspired me to check some of these off my bucket list in the near future! Thank you so much for what you do!!!
The A Line is FRA regulated and classified as Commuter Rail. The light rail are the little white trains RTD runs to other places. I’m a Freight Rail Engineer/Conductor on the Ski Train’s route, but use to work for the commuter rail when I was furloughed. Boy do I have stories about the RTD Commuter Rail… it’s absolutely wild. Anyway, good stuff showing off Amtrak’s ski train. They’re definitely the better passenger train that shares the mountain route with us.
Also, this was such an excellent video. It’s wild to see big production quality videos made by UA-camrs!
Coolest video I’ve seen of a train! And how awesome that train employee saying he was inspired by you to love to Colorado! I had no idea you could take the train to Winter Park. Going to have to check that out!