 Poster: A snowHead
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Just been looking at company's for north america/colorado and it seems more limited than i expected. i have found ski safari, american ski classics and ski bundle as the main ones. are there any other larger company's that i have not found.
I am looking for a company that can arrange accom, lift pass and ski hire ( we already have flights booked as part of a longer vacation). have used american classics in the past and very happy with them but just looking to explore alternatives.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Apart from the majors (Virgin, Crystal, etc.) Frontier Ski
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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MogulMonkey, I get 'reward' flights to N. America, and DIY the rest. I don't think there's a significant domestic package holiday market in North America.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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thanks - it wasnt really the virgins etc i was looking for,, am ski classics and similar are able to provide reduced rate lift pass etc - virgin etc dont so paying circ 90$/day makes a difference if you dont get the reduced rates.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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If you've already got flights why not book the rest yourself? It's really easy to do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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skinanny, thats true..and i can .. but it seems if you book accomm through a uk agent you get reduced lift pass and ski hire...that way i can buy cheaper lift passes than in resort.
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MogulMonkey, Depends where you're going - Utah you can get discount lift tickets from ski shops, Tahoe or resorts in Colorado a season pass might be best value (but cheap pass sales probably stop in the next week). Most "resorts" with base villages will have their own package offerings although a lot tend to be of the buy 3 nights get 1 free variety so aren't necessarily geared to Euro length holidays i.e. you can usually do a better deal negotiating direct with a hotel etc.
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| MogulMonkey wrote: |
| thanks - it wasnt really the virgins etc i was looking for,, am ski classics and similar are able to provide reduced rate lift pass etc - virgin etc dont so paying circ 90$/day makes a difference if you dont get the reduced rates. |
When I went diy, American Ski Classics sold me the cheap lift tickets without booking anything else through them. This was a few years ago mind. Try emailing them.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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MogulMonkey, I'm not sure about Colorado, but when I've been looking at Canada very often if you go to a resorts website they do combined "stay and ski" type accomodation packages, ie reduced rate accomodation/lift pass rate per night.
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MogulMonkey, Not many folk pay the ticket price at resort, if you go down the DIY route Am.Ski Classics can provide just lift passes to some places.Some are tied with accom. But sites like Liftopia give deals on lift tickets, either daily ones or multiple days. Also plenty of shops sell discounted passes too.
Might be an idea to mention where you are looking ? to give you a better idea.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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went with ski independence to big sky last march , well organised was impressed by there service also tagged on a bit of a road trip after two weeks skiing .
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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f1l, +1. going with frontier this season though as they couldn't price match
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Booking stuff in the US via UK agents? Wow, that's like booking UK hotels via a US 1-800 number. Sure you can do it, but why would you want to?
Ok, that's not the question, but you're going to get screwed on price and just about everything else.
Lots of hotels have ski-lift packages if you like that, or as someone said there are tons of ways to get better lift pass prices than any UK people-herding operation can manage.
I suppose people use travel agents to book UK hotels, but that and this are really things I've no experience of, it's much easier to do it yourself.
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You know it makes sense.
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philwig,
done a lot of research on this and have now booked for Beaver Creek in a 4* hotel in BC village with a UK based company for 7 nights accom and 6 day pass with ski hire. each element was cheaper than anything any US hotels or agents would offer me - even the hotel where we are staying could not get anywhere near the UK agents price. We have used the agent before and the finance issues were the same last time and it all went like clockwork. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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MogulMonkey, love Beaver Creek and Vail. If you have a car Aspen is doable in a couple of hours. Obviously as well as the other resorts on the I70 corridor up to Vail and BC.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We usually ski in North America. This is my experience and might not be truly representative of the real state of the market.
I've used Ski Independence and American Ski Classics before. Both were excellent, and both were significantly cheaper than a mainstream operator or booking directly with the hotel or resort.
I've also booked directly with various resorts in North America. In each case the price was significantly lower than the mainstream operators or the specialists mentioned above.
I've never been offered a competitive price by a mainstream tour operator or travel agent. I've never been offered a decent hotel price by contacting the hotel directly.
I've never found the best price on the internet and I usually get a better offer when I phone up than when I enquire online. American Ski Classics is an exception to that principle as its website is so good, but, even there, I've usually been able to explore more interesting options by phoning up.
One other specialist company is worth noting. I've tried Iglu twice, and each time the person I've spoken to has promised to call me back with some possibilities. I've never been called back, and I've never been able to get back in touch with the person who broke their promise. A Total Waste of Space.
So, unless you have loads of time on your hands, my advice is to call ASC, SI and the resort for options and prices. Then make a decision.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Jonny Jones, booked with ASC, they were more competetive than anyone else on every level including the hotel where we are staying.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We have booked via Ski Safari, we are not going until March, we just told them which two resorts we wanted to visit, they then organised the hire car/hotels/ski passes. All seemed quite well organised (so far) !!!!
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FAQ
. hiring a car from denver and then heading to BC. The lift pass also covers Vail Keystone and breck so hoping to ski all those areas. daughter has been living in phoenix for last 4 years and has been looking at moving to aspen but after visiting it does not seem to be top of their list mainly due to business potential. 
