Albuquerque or Keystone?

Neither is a place to swim, since both sit high and far inland. Albuquerque's summer heat at least makes its hotel and public pools, or an afternoon at Cochiti Lake, a real pleasure. At Keystone, Dillon Reservoir is snowmelt-cold and used for boating, so the hot tub is the main way into the water.

Albuquerque has a regional cuisine that is a reason to go in itself. Carne adovada, blue corn enchiladas and posole come smothered in red or green chile at long-running family places in the South and North Valleys, and craft taprooms fill Nob Hill and downtown.

Keystone eats like the ski resort it is: slopeside grills, pizza and après-ski burgers, with Colorado lamb, elk and trout on the better menus. Many visitors cook in their condo or drive to Frisco or Breckenridge for more choice.

Albuquerque offers a couple of days of real sightseeing. There is the adobe plaza and 1793 church of Old Town, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Barelas, and the petroglyphs carved into volcanic rock on the west side.

Keystone was built for skiing in the 1970s and has almost nothing to see within the resort. Its history lies outside, in the mining ruins of the Snake River valley and the Victorian towns nearby.

Albuquerque has the livelier evenings of the two, though neither is a place to come for nightlife. Because it is a city, a weekend gives you a choice: a loud, late night among the bars and dance floors downtown, or a slower one over a cocktail or a local beer in Nob Hill. In the warm, dry months much of this happens outdoors. Arrive on a Tuesday, though, and you will find little going on.

At Keystone the main social hour comes early, straight off the slopes, with drinks on the River Run decks as the light fades. After that the resort keeps family hours, and by mid-evening most guests are back in their condos. To stay out late you have to leave Keystone for Breckenridge, a short ride away, so a night out there means a trip by car or bus rather than walking out of your door.

Both have mountains at the door, but Keystone is built around them. Its three peaks have groomed runs, tree skiing and bowls above 3,600m, with Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge and Vail close by. In summer the same slopes offer lift-served biking, alpine tundra and two 14,000ft summits.

Albuquerque's outdoors are generous for a city. The tramway climbs to the Sandia crest, the La Luz Trail goes up the whole mountain on foot, and the cottonwood bosque along the Rio Grande draws wintering cranes. This is desert, best in spring and autumn, and nearly all of it needs a car.

Both have good days out, of quite different kinds. From Albuquerque the standout is Santa Fe, which you can reach by commuter train. Beyond it lie ancient Native sites reached by car: Acoma's Sky City on its mesa, Bandelier's cliff dwellings and the Salinas missions.

From Keystone the theme is mining history, from Breckenridge's Victorian centre to Georgetown's loop railway and Leadville's opera house. Denver's museums are further off, depending on traffic on I-70.

Keystone is designed for family ski trips. It has a big ski school, gentle lower slopes, tubing, a snow fort on the mountain and a huge skating rink on the frozen lake, all a short walk or free shuttle from condos with kitchens.

Albuquerque has more for children away from the snow: the BioPark's zoo and aquarium, Explora, the dinosaur halls and the October Balloon Fiesta at dawn. The catch is that every outing means the car and strong summer sun.

Once you have arrived, Keystone is the easier of the two without a car. Free shuttles link its three bases and free county buses run to Dillon, Frisco and Breckenridge. The hard part is getting there, over I-70 from Denver, with snow and chain rules in winter.

Albuquerque is a spread-out city built for the car. The Central Avenue bus and the train to Santa Fe help, but the mountains, the petroglyphs and most day trips mean a hire car, which is at least easy to pick up at the airport close to the centre.

Albuquerque has things genuinely worth buying: Native silver and turquoise, Pueblo pottery and Navajo weaving around Old Town and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, plus Nob Hill's vintage shops. Keystone's shopping is ski gear and gifts in River Run, with the Silverthorne outlets ten minutes away for brand-name outdoor clothing.

Albuquerque is the cheaper of the two at any time of year, and much of the money goes on getting around. The hire car, fuel and the odd parking charge are the largest items, and sales tax and the tip add a good share to every meal. The one week that is truly dear is the October Balloon Fiesta, when rooms run short and rates climb sharply.

At Keystone the calendar decides the bill. Winter is the expensive season, with the Christmas, New Year and spring-break weeks dearest of all, while summer is noticeably gentler, though still not cheap. Free shuttles and county buses mean you can do without a car once you have arrived, and condo kitchens with supermarkets in Dillon and Silverthorne make self-catering a real saving.

Albuquerque has stages that run all year. Popejoy Hall brings touring Broadway shows and the philharmonic, the KiMo Theatre has its Pueblo Deco interior, the city has a surprisingly deep flamenco tradition, and Native dances are performed on weekends at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

In Keystone, live performance is mostly a summer thing: festivals on the village stages, the amphitheatre at Dillon and Breckenridge's classical festival. In winter there is Silverthorne's theatre company or acoustic sets at après-ski.

Neither has a bathing culture of its own, and for natural hot springs both send you out of town. What differs is the kind of rest. Albuquerque offers desert calm, with resort spas on Pueblo lands and the mineral pools of Jemez Springs about an hour and a quarter away. Keystone is about recovering after skiing, in an outdoor hot tub under falling snow, with Idaho Springs over the pass.