In Colorado, we all want to ski like a local. And so we called the locals.

Whether you’re returning to your favorite mountain or vacationing to an unfamiliar destination, take these tips with you:

Breckenridge

Adam Pino, director of lift maintenance

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Adam Pino, lift maintenance director at Breckenridge Ski Resort, takes in the scenery from Imperial Chair.

His moves: Usually I start on Peak 10. That opens right away; they groom it at night, and it’s just butter. I rip one or two there and then head over to Peak 8 via the SuperConnect.

And then from there I hit up (Horseshoe Bowl) T-Bar or 6-Chair, get a couple in the bowl, and then head up the Imperial SuperChair. I love the Imperial; that opens up quick laps in some unbelievable terrain. I love doing laps on Peak 7.

And then I wait for them to open Lake Chutes. If I’m feeling sporty, maybe jump a couple rocks.

Favorites: Lake Chutes, just because it gets your blood boiling. On Peak 7, Magic Carpet to CJ’s. That never gets old, just because the way the snow fills in there.

Overlooked: The Back 9 and Twin Chutes. It’s a hike-to area on top of Peak 9, from E-Chair and the top of Mercury (SuperChair). After the excitement of a good morning of powder, you can go there at 12, 1, 2 (in the afternoon) and still get fresh tracks.

Other flavors: One of my favorite cruisers is on Peak 9: Columbia. For trees, Ore Bucket off Peak 7. When the snow is good for moguls, Mach 1 (off Peak 8).

For dinner: Michael’s Italian. The baked ziti is my favorite dish in Breckenridge, and it’s not super expensive.

Copper Mountain

Mary Quinn, longtime instructor

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A skier flies through the fresh powder on Copper Mountain’s Endeavor run on Dec. 23, 2014.

Go-tos: There’s some stuff in Resolution Bowl that people just don’t ski. I may stay in that zone. I may go up Spaulding (Bowl), come down Hodson’s, do a couple laps on Reso. And then come back up, go over to Hallelujah and hit Enchanted (Forest) on the way down.

Other favorite runs: I love Formidable. It’s that terrain change aspect; it’s got rollers, it’s got side hills, it’s got gullies. Hallelujah, I like the bumps. Gold Digger, kinda rolly and bumpy. I love Copper Field.

For beginners: Go over to Kokomo. And then if you graduate, you go up Lumberjack (Lift). Lumberjack is awesome. Do every single thing off Lumberjack before you slide up to Timberline (Express) and go to Soliloquy.

Food and drink on the mountain: If I’m having lunch, I’m going to Aerie. They have this mushroom tempura thing, so good. The burgers are great. 10 Mile Tavern is right in the Center Village, as is Sawmill Pizza and Taphouse.

While you’re around: Skate West Lake (at the resort); there’s a little skating rental place. I usually send people to the Frisco Nordic Center, but there’s some great trails at Copper too.

Monarch Mountain

Michael Clemente, retail sales manager

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Michael Clemente, retail sales manager at Monarch Mountain, snags a selfie during a balmy, spring day run.

When the snow is good: I would start my day on Garfield and do the quick little step around and ski No Name. No Name, Lobo, Ajax, Examiner; skiing that whole side down can be great.

What else: I love skiing Panorama and just going one or two runs farther out. … Over to JR’s and looker’s left side over to Turbo. That doesn’t get as much attention as some other runs right under the lift.

Also overlooked: The very short hike over to Outback. By early afternoon, I’ve seen plenty of fresh turns to be had. … A lot of people will ski Mirkwood, but I think going just a bit further to Orcs or some of those other runs around there can be overlooked.

Even better: The catskiing I feel like is probably the best-kept secret here. If you can splurge on a day for it, it’s worth it.

Down in Salida: The mountain bike trails stay pretty dry. You can still bike quite a few trails even after we get some snow up (at Monarch). Even if you just want to hike around S Mountain (in town), it’s incredible, especially for sunsets in winter.

Purgatory

Jim Brantley, director of mountain operations

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Jim Brantley, director of mountain operations at Purgatory Resort near Durango.

Why Purg: I believe it was the old TV cowboy Roy Rogers who said, “Durango is a long way from anywhere, and we like it that way.” … What makes Purgatory unique is the absence of crowding. The other thing is the scenery. You’re looking across the Animas River Canyon and you’re looking into the Weminuche Wilderness, which is the largest wilderness area in Colorado.

FYI: Purgatory has the somewhat derogatory moniker of “Traverseatory.” There’s a lot of terrain to traverse from the frontside and the backside. So on a powder day, I would pick a zone and stick with it.

On the front: Best runs are gonna be Styx, Hades, Pandemonium and Catharsis. Accessed by a high-speed six-pack, so you can get a lot of laps on a powder day.

On the back: McCormack’s Maze, Hoody’s. As good as any tree runs anywhere.

For groomers: Paradise on the frontside, and I mentioned Hades. Right in the middle of the mountain, off Lift 3 which is on the backside, that’s got some of the best groomers around: Peace, Boogie and Deadspike.

After: Durango is Durango Hot Springs. Very nice, well-developed, family friendly. They’ve been putting a lot of investment into the hot springs the last couple of years.

Also not to miss: Olde Schoolhouse is literally an old, one-room schoolhouse. That would be your local hangout dive bar. And they’ve got great pizza.

Telluride

Carson Taylor, director of mountain sales

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Carson Taylor, director of mountain operations at Telluride Resort, snaps a selfie on the mountain.

Quintessential: The Plunge. Chair 9 on down, it’s over 2,000 vertical feet of advanced, expert terrain, and it’s north-facing. That’s the local power zone, especially on powder days.

His go-to: The Gold Hill area off Lift 14. It’s not as much vertical, but it’s a very efficient way to hammer out laps. It’s probably some of the most technically challenging and playful terrain that’s available on the mountain.

It’s also kind of at the top of the mountain, so the world is your oyster. You can drop into Revelation Bowl. Depending on when the Gold Hill Chutes may open, you can take a reasonable hike up the ridge and ski some of the most picturesque, challenging terrain. Gold Hill Chutes 6-10 are just electric experiences downhill.

For intermediate types: Most popular is gonna be off Polar Queen Express, Chair 5. Groomed and ungroomed surfaces, and there’s good glade skiing in there.

And one of our most prized locations for mid-day lunch or beer is the Bon Vivant Restaurant at the top of Chair 5. It’s an alfresco place that overlooks some of the most stunning views you can imagine at any ski area in North America.

After: In the town of Telluride, 100% it’s Oak. Beer, bourbon, barbecue. For that quintessential mountain town saloon, it’s the Last Dollar Saloon.