 Poster: A snowHead
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Would just like to know a few things on the American resorts like what resorts are the most snow sure, easiest to get to from airports etc and what times of year to stay away because of really busy pistes
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Salt Lake City definitely had the easiest and best access. From the airport, within 45 minutes, you can access Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude, Park City, The Canyons and Deer Valley.
Within 60 minutes, you can access Snowbasin and Powder Mountain.
Snow sure is relative, right now, the Pacific Northwest has tonnes of snow. It's a good year. Busy season is middle of Feb, or known as President's Day week - plus Christmas and New Years.
You can access Tahoe,4 hours from San Francisco, or 2 hours from Sacramento, or 1 hour from Reno. You have another bunch of resorts there, Northstar, Mt. Rose, Squaw Valley, Heavenly Valley, Kirkwood, to name a few.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I have been skiing the US for the last few years as I retired onto a sailboat in the Caribbean.
Nowhere in the US gets as crowded as a popular French resort. However avoid Xmas week and Presidents day weekend if you can.
The well known Colorado resorts are snowsure as are the Cottonwood canyon resorts just outside Salt Lake City. In general I would avoid East coast resorts unless on a last minute booking with a good snow report.
If you fly in to Salt Lake City you can get to the nearby resorts by public transport. If you fly into Denver you need to hire a car or get a private transfer minicoach. A good intro would be to stay at Snowmass which allows you to get a free bus to Buttermilk Highlands and Aspen.
I will be off to SLC for three weeks in Feb and skiing Alta Snowbird Solitude Brighton Canyons/Park City and Snowbasin. 
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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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Thanks for the replies and advice. Want to try the USA in the very near future so just trying to get as much info as we can before we pick where we are going
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We love Colorado, I think there are 26 resorts in Summit County alone. Most within easy reach of Denver.
If you love lots of POW and deserted slopes you will not go wrong......the only thing is, once you have tried it you won't to go back to Europe.
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Been to Colorado, doesn't even come close to Europe
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Yeah I know, I guess it's the lack of snow, lack of crowds and miserable people trying to spoil your holiday.
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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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North American skiing has both advantages and disadvantages.
Generally the accomodation is better value but the lift tickets are a lot more expensive.
With the exception of a few resorts the vertical drop is generally less than typically in Europe.
Lifts are better managed - you won't see a six man chair going up with with skier on it whilst there's a half an hour queue like you would in Europe.
Black runs are usually unpisted and much of the double black diamond stuff is really avi conrtolled off piste skiing.
You've got a much better chance of power days in The Rockies than anywhere in Europe
Piste patrol is more effective but that's not always a good thing..........
The whole resort is often owned by one company. It can be a bit Disney and lacks the ambience and charm of many European resorts
They have nothing like the massive interlinked areas of Europe although Whistler has a lot of skiing
The resorts near Denver are seriously high. Expect greeat snow but also the effects of altitude - The base at Breckenridge is almost 3000m.
Expect good service and expect to tip
The East of the States is generally much lower, less snow sure but far more charming. Worth a trip to Boston too if you're doing New England.
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Maybe last winter wasn't a great winter...
Colorado at the end of January (based in Winterpark, with trips to Copper Mountain and Breckenridge). The snow was ok but no better than that. No light fluffy powder to be had in ten days of skiing. Quite a lot of heavy claggy snow when it came. (Denver was in the low 20s Celcius! on one day during our trip).
As the previous poster said, lift passes were expensive. The quality of skis available for hire was poor (several of our party had skis out of the shop with blunt edges, one skier's skis still had snow on them from the previous hire!), and the resort company seemed to own all of the rental shops. Similarly there was only one ski school in each of the resorts (owned by the resort company) and lessons were very expensive.
Plusses? Everyone was very polite and friendly. Being able to ski pretty much anywhere within the boundaries of the ski area was fantastic.
The resorts we visited had very few hotels. It's all Condominiums. There wasn't a great deal of night life to be had; the bar in the hotel (yes, we managed to get our group into an hotel) closed at eight pm!
Despite what might seem like a negative post, I would definitely go again, given the chance.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Rafared............ If you prefer larger mountains - more vertical, more acreage - you're looking in the USA at the west to west coast. No one best region, place. Lots of variety. Always keep up to date as to conditions and then make your choice from there. Many variables in terms of resort(s) exist, quite possibly flight incentives, etc............. Costs are your prerogative.
Assuming you're in Europe, you obviously have flights depending upon city of departure that are direct to California, Washington, Colorado and Utah. Arrivals in Salt Lake City as has been stated realize no more than one hour max to no less than 8 resorts. Great place Utah.....
Denver has at its disposal call it either by car or flight transfer a solid 15 resorts worth consideration within the state, several as close as two hours-ish by hooptie from Denver. Flights out of Denver up to Wyoming, Montana and Idaho are another attraction to fly into Denver. Salt Lake City has good flight connection to Idaho. If New Mexico is on your radar then Denver again is the best city to fly into and rent a car as flights from Denver down to Albuquerque then renting a car then driving to 3 or 4 resorts is bested by simply driving from Denver.
California, be it the greater Tahoe region (San Francisco) or Mammoth (Los Angeles) is exceptional when it has its required snow. I additionally think very highly of Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Orgeon which essentially from Europe is best reached through San Francisco with a connecting flight up to Bend. But before I'd ever go to Bachelor, I'd go to California, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho first............
Inasmuch as we are in Snowmass as we have had a place there/here for family since '81, I'll be the first to acknowledge through experience that other resorts in Colorado, most certainly throughout the rest of the west can be exceptional. Great snow does wonders. We've all been to resorts/stations that might have been great on many an occasion and just the opposite in a bad year. This is why a traveler should again keep abreast of conditions first and last. And then............. Do you want more than just skiing? Because if that is the case be aware a number of American facilities are essentially a station with little besides skiing. Keep that in mind.
Weigh and balance the variables beginning with cost as that holds the biggest impact. Go from there.
ps: To KDITRJ............... Really sorry for your less-than-stellar experience and you're being more than gracious in your reflections. Winter Park alas ain't that great shakes and sadly there are places in the states whose rental shops fall short of excellence, for that mater mediocrity. Oy vay! I remember on a two day visit to Vail a couple of years ago a set of "demo" skis that were beyond troweled out to me - which I refused - that looked as though they had just been pulled out of a dumpster. I hope, should you venture into my country again that we'll treat you really, really right.
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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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Tahoe was great last year, couldn't move for sunbathers. Got a good tan and learned how to water ski tho...every cloud and all that.
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@Don Keebles, You should see Tahoe now - waist deep in new snow!!!
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You know it makes sense.
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I know zzz
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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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Just spent the day in Grand Targhee. Although most of the powder is tracked out there's still at least a metre of the dry fluffy stuff
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FAQ
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). As stated above, very easy to get to from Salt Lake City. Also, Canyons has joined Park City to form a huge new linked area.
