 Poster: A snowHead
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I'll be in Chicago late January with work. I'm thinking of tagging on a short boarding trip, say for 2 full days on the slopes. Ideally I'm looking for a resort with a short transfer time from the nearest international airport (direct flight into), reasonable cost of accommodation and of course a good snow record.
Chicago O'Hare into Denver then onto Breckenridge ticks some of the boxes apart from the accommodation cost, which seems to be around £150/night.
Having never boarded in the USA/Canada before any advice/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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have a look at salt lake city and surrounds
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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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I would suggest either flying into DIA or SLC. CO resorts have been doing fairly well up until this polar vortex hit, and has been keeping cool moist air at bay in the West. SLC is going to be really short transfer time. If money is an issue, you can stay right East of Salt Lake City in Sandy, UT. Drive up to the Cottonwoods and ski Snowbird/Alta, or head to PCMR as well.
Breck is a great little town, and you have access to Keystone/Copper/Vail just a short drive away.
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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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Check out Southwest airlines they fly from Midway which is on the south side of Chicago and is cheaper to get to than Ohare if you are staying downtown., I lived in Chicago for a while and did something similar, and like Toadman said its only a shortish drive to Vail and Copper Mountain too so you have a number of options!
If you are on a budget you could check out theBivvi.com its a hostel but is very nice you can also get a 2 person room and rent both spaces to get a private room for half the price of a hotel room in Breck!
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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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@skidm, Toadmans suggestion is good, easy transfers and different places to go to in the Cottonwoods - say Brighton one day, Snowbird the other. Or you could fly to Jackson, WY and have two good days there. Snow record so far is good. Transfers easy as most places run shuttles to and from the airport and the mountain.
Wouldn't be the cheapest, but would be different.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Jackson Hole is a good choice as the airport is very close to the slopes, and accommodation in the town can be very cheap as winter is low season. Most of the Colorado resorts require a much longer transfer which isn't ideal for a short break.
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Some great suggestions and info, cheers. I've checked out the various options for Colorado, Salt Lake City and Wyoming and a resort via Denver seems the right fit for this trip. I might end up in that hostel @cbrooks! Thanks again.
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| Dabber wrote: |
| have a look at salt lake city and surrounds |
This. I spent Christmas and new year there, and we were lucky and the snow dumped. Excellent variety, and resorts are a much shorter, transfer than those of Colorado from Denver. Base yourself near or even in SLC at the Cottonwoods Canyon end and enjoy Alta (great) and Snowbird (fantastic). Solitude and Brighton are there too, and good areas. An hour's drive gets you to Deer Valley (I loved it, but never seen so much Spyder gear in all my life. Even the lifties wear it!).
I loved Utah. Friendly place, too. Especially Snowbird (my favourite).
Jackson Hole in Wyoming is also brilliant, and airport transfer very short. Although if you go there, you have to ski Corbet's Couloir. It's the law.
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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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Consider flying direct into Eagle County. Much shorter transfer time to Beaver Creek/Vail.
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Chicago has got so many great flight connections. We often connect in chicago from the boston area. In addition to SLC, DIA and JCA, you can fly direct to eagle (vail) and Aspen, montrose (telluride) and a bunch others. All those are easy connections to the resorts if they dont get closed by snow. You have almost dozens of places you can try from Chicago, including Montana and Idaho if you are inclined. The suggestions above are probably the cheapest though. It really doesnt seem like you can go wrong. Have fun.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Whistler!! I'll be there from 1/17 - 1/24 with family, but apparently I'll be the only one 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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Many thanks for the further suggestions. There isn't any late afternoon direct flights to Eagle County or Jackson on my outbound date, so I've had to count them out. Flights to/from SLC are expensive for my time window and a return flight from Vancouver gets me into O'Hare too late for my UK flight home. I've therefore opted for Chicago-Denver-Breckenridge with reasonably priced flights, transfers and accommodation. Sorted!
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You know it makes sense.
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Cheers @Bones, I'll pack my Stetson!
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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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Breckenridge was great for my 2-day trip. Fantastic dry snow conditions on Sunday. The chair lift across to the new area Peak 6 is sooo slow, but it's worth it once you get up top. The traverse across to Peak 7 is epic going fast through the pines - recommended. Peaks 7 and 8 provided plenty of 'awesome' wide cruises, but busy weekend lifts at the bottom. Peak 9 is a bit flat, learner territory. Peak 10 is lovely, quiet and my favourite, relatively steep (for Breck it's black diamonds everywhere, not Euro steep, think red), offering moguls, some big natural piste-edge jumps and challenging off-piste, again through the pines. Loved the place. It's kinda strange too. A mixture of mock western style, modernity, family orientation and a cannabis embrace - smell de herb on the mountain! Flights back home were chaotic. Adverse weather affected O'Hare airport, it took 3 travel days to get back to the UK, with stop-overs in both Denver and Chicago. Worth it though  !
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Poster: A snowHead
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You might also consider flying to Calgary and driving to Lake Louise. CDN$ is way down compare to US so this would be cost effective.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@skidm, Glad you had a great time, bit of a slog getting home though, but glad it was worth it.
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