 Poster: A snowHead
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Right peeps... I turn 40 in 2018 so our group has mentioned ditching Europe in favour of USA or Canada to make it a special one for that year. We usually go late Feb/Early March in Europe to avoid the masses and i'm not even sure the seasons are the same time as Europe yet ... 
Doing a quick "top 10" best resorts seems to put Banff / Lake Louise quite high on the list but I'm after your experiences please.... If you had the chance to make a ski trip across the pond where would it be?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sorry should say... group of lads, no wifes or kids if that makes any difference 
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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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Banff isn't a ski resort. It is a gateway to Sunshine 40 minutes away and Lake Louise about 75 minutes away. It has a very small limited hill of it's own Mt. Norquay about 15 minutes out of town. There is another thread called I think, something like 'Talk to me about America/Canada'' Try to find that it has lots of info for you.
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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 would (and did) stay in Salt Lake City, hire a car and visit resorts like Alta, Snowbird, Park City, Deer Valley and Solitude.
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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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The only really "special" thing to do in the US is to go Heli skiing in Alaska - it might blow the budget (maybe +/- £15,000 a week post Brexit) but the experience is out of this world, earlier this year I went to Tordrillo Mountain Lodge and I can't wait to go back - I even calculated how many times I could go if I sold my apartment in the Alps!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The timings to the hills referred to above by Old Man of Lech are inaccurate. Sunshine is more like 20/25 mins by bus, Lake Louise 40/45 mins and Norquay 5/10 minutes.
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p.kini-If there is a lot of traffic, especially up to Sunshine it can be much longer. Better to be prepared than fume stuck in a jam when you thought you would have arrived.
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Fair point, but having been 12 times we have never had an issue or delay even in heavy snow or at Easter weekend when it's busier.
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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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I'm with @p.kini for my experiences of Banff, Never been in a traffic jam... had to stop for moose once on the way to LL but never traffic. Beyond the 'local' 3 mountains, you've also got easy access to Kicking Horse, Panorama, and a couple of others too. Banff has the nicest town feel I've experienced in North America, I rank it above Whistler. Good bars, good places to eat your own weight in beef, hockey, its a good base.
If you and your crew are after something a bit different though, what about doing a week in Banff then a week in Fernie and Cat Skiing/snowboarding?
Another one I did was a week in Whistler, which is a nice place, don't get me wrong - I just felt it was a bit... McSki Resort if you get my drift... and for a polar opposite, a week at Mt Baker which is off in the middle of nowhere but is a cracking little mountain and if you time it right you can be there for the famous Banked Slalom event which you can enter.
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The bus schedules are a matter of public record and my personal experience is that you will get door-to-door bus service significantly faster than stated. Those times would not be remotely acceptable to me and I've been there many times.
Norquay is the town hill, and has some of the most challenging terrain you'll find at a resort. It's small (check the piste map), but well worth a trip. It's convenient if you have less than a full day, particularly. Overall, Banff is a fun town with a lot going on, so that may be what you want. Obviously it's not ski-in ski-out, but you'd already know that. The snow there can be really good - much drier (so better quality) than anything I've personally ridden in Europe, for example. The resorts are well organised, friendly, and because it's North America you can ride anywhere inbounds.
Late December through early April is high season in BC/ AB as it is for the rest of North America except AK.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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One of the best areas in America is Big Sky in Montana. Not easy to get to from the UK but well worth it if you can get there.
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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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Same powder experience as heli but affordable price?
It's gotta be catskiing - daily excursions available (eg Google Fernie Wilderness Adventures or K2 Catskiing) or push the boat put with a luxury wilderness lodge stay (eg see Mustang Powder or Island Lake Lodge).
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You know it makes sense.
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We've booked up Banff for 2017 and we're about to book with rkheli. This will be a special trip for us so hope all goes well. We got a cracking deal for 2 weeks with american ski classics and the heli for 5 runs is about £600. Seems alot but its a once in a lifetime for us as we might not get the chance again. We've been to Utah which was bloody great and highly recommend that, staying between Park City and Canyons resorts. Pm if you need more info.
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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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"Sorry should say... group of lads, no wifes or kids if that makes any difference"
It could make a huge difference. As Old Man states, Big Sky is a fantastic ski area. It's usually so empty it's almost spooky, huge terrain, big vert by NA standards...all good until the lifts close...there's only a few good restaurants, and virtually nothing going on anywhere after about 8 pm. I did most of a week there with my wife about 4 years ago, and it was perfect for that. Might not work so well with a group of guys, depending on what you are looking for.
Other than downtown Park City, I would say about the same for most anything in Utah. Great skiing, but not so much other than that outside of about 8 blocks of Park City (in the whole damned state of Utah).
If you are looking for some fun off the slopes as well as good skiiing, I would recommend Whistler, Vail or Aspen. If you select Aspen, you want to stay in Aspen, even though you likely will ski more at Snowmass. There's a free, frequent, rarely crowded bus service connecting the 4 ski areas around Aspen, that are all on 1 lift ticket. In Vail or Whistler, you can stay at the foot of the slopes and have a pretty happening apres scene all around. Those 2 are a bit manufactured, while Aspen is a cool, somewhat "real" old mountain town. It's one of my favorite towns in NA.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Banff sucks.
Go to:
Niseko, Japan;
Aspen, US;
Jackson Hole, US;
Whistler, Canada.
In that order.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Whitegold- So black & white? To the OP. Read the more nuanced replies and make up your own mind
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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 choose Aspen as the base. Fly into Denver then get the puddle jumper to Aspen airport. This avoids the long road transfer.
I would look for chalet accommodation as they are usually VERY upmarket.
The pass covers Aspen Highlands Buttermilk and Snowmass with free skibus linking the 4 resorts. Skiing is pretty good for the US.
Aspen has a real mountain town feel You can play spot the celeb as many have houses there.
I am a bit anti Canada as the resorts away from the coast can be bitterly cold. Frostbite was a real issue in Panorama and Lake Louise when I was there. Whistler is to close to the coast and the resort often suffers from rain low down, heavy wet snow mid station and whiteout conditions on top.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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TQA-quote 'resorts away from the coast can be bitterly cold. Frostbite was a real issue in Panorama and Lake Louise when I was there.' The clue may be in the 'when I was there'. Anyway, with the correct level and quality of clothing cold shouldn't be a problem. I used to take weekly coach fulls of day trippers to Lake Louise from Edmonton and I often found it colder in Edmonton than Lake Louise. Only went to Panorama once and it was Icy as hell. So much so I booked myself a days heli skiing just to find some snow. It's true about Whistler but it's still well worth considering, as when it's good it's GREAT.
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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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The "I once went to X and the weather was poor therefore X is poor" logic seems perhaps best suited for the "had enough of experts" people. I'm pretty sure every resort will have had a rain event at some point, so if you avoid all of those you could just stay home... which will make more space available for the rest of us.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Totally depends on what you like - I agree the "i went here for one week and the weather sucked advice" is not particularly helpful - that could apply anywhere. Late Feb early March you are lessening you chance of big freeze and increasing your chance of coral reef and nice corn cycles more or less anywhere except perhaps AK or BC where you might be getting into peak heli season. IMV the best US and Canadian ski trips involve road tripping a bit e.g. Vancouver or Seattle to Calgary or Denver to Jackson via SLC. Really you have to decide whether you value a base in a ski village & convenience (for which you will pay appropriately) or would like a bit more freewheeling chance to explore.
That time of year I would say almost anywhere in Colorado, Utah or BC is a solid bet. JH as its south facing can get a little warmer. Cali maybe also for Miracle March conditions if it doesn't get a return of the blob.
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| philwig wrote: |
| The "I once went to X and the weather was poor therefore X is poor" logic seems perhaps best suited for the "had enough of experts" people. I'm pretty sure every resort will have had a rain event at some point, so if you avoid all of those you could just stay home... which will make more space available for the rest of us. |
Yes and no.
For those who had skied north America before and just planning another trip, you take the risk with your eyes open. Whistler for example, has excellent expert terrain. And if you're lucky, great powder too. But your chance of getting rain is far higher at Whistler than say, Aspen.
For someone who's doing a "special celebration" trip, there're regions that have much more reliable snow record that I think will suit the purpose better.
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That's a different point, and one which I also think is incorrect.
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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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Cheers for all the replies, you've certainly given us something to think about. Mr.Mike... you should be a sales rep for Aspen, you've more or less sold it to me
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| Quote: |
Mr.Mike... you should be a sales rep for Aspen, you've more or less sold it to me
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one negative to keep in mind is that it is expensive or difficult to get to. You can fly right into Aspen, but there is not much competition there so it's expensive. You can also fly to Eagle Colorado, which is usually a bit less expensive, but then you are 1.5 hours away. The other option is to fly to Denver, but then you have 3-4 hours of ground travel.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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First time we went was via Eagle, and CME for transfers as a vehicle isn't really needed.
The second time we flew into Aspen, its great with the 15 min transfer.
Be warned though that the airport often closes for bad weather, we spent the night on Denver airport floor as the evening flight was cancelled 
We were put on the first flight in the morning, was eating breakfast at 9.30 and on the slopes around 10.30. Great fresh powder from the storm the night before, and slept straight through that night - best way getting over the time lag ever !
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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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| Spike107 wrote: |
| Cheers for all the replies, you've certainly given us something to think about. Mr.Mike... you should be a sales rep for Aspen, you've more or less sold it to me |
The rich and famous initially picked Aspen for a good reason. And fortunately it still hasn't been ruined.
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