I booked this particular condo to get away from the base. We have four kiddos between 10 and 16, and we did not want to manage them in the crowds. This place was perfect, easy access to the mountain without dealing with crowds. I was concerned looking at the photos that it might have been a little too far from the Thunderhead lift but none of our kids (who generally complain about everything) complained about the distance. It was a short walk, as soon as you think "I hope the lift is near" you see the lift. There's a little traffic on the road from other people staying in the Thunderhead area, and some shuttles drive up and drop people off at the lift. But overall there were very few vehicles on the road to Thunderhead.
It was fairly cold when we were there, well below freezing at night and warming up to the twenties later in the day. The pool was still warm enough that it felt good to get into and the hot tub is large and nice. Only bummer about the hot tub was that the snow was a little too far away to put my drink in :)
Everyone on this mountain was extremely friendly. We've skied all over North America but Steamboat felt genuinely different. We talked with countless people on the lifts and in the hot tub. The mountain was refreshingly welcoming.
We walked to/from Thunderhead (you can leave your skis by the lift if you come in for lunch) each day. There may be a way to ski down to the base so you don't have to walk at all. We saw one person start to ski away from a path by the pool area. With our kids, we didn't want to risk getting lost in someone's backyard so we didn't try it, so I can't comment on the "ski out" potential. We really didn't need it anyway.
The unit itself was fairly large and well laid out. The six of us fit with plenty of space to spare. The ski locker was convenient, right down the hallway. Each morning I would get the skis from the locker, put them at the top of the flight of stairs that leads to the road and the kids would take them from there.
Overall, a great place to avoid crowds if that's what you're looking to do!