 Poster: A snowHead
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hi, I'm hoping the collective wisdom can help us plan a trip for Dec 17/Jan 18.
After years of skiing the French Alps we are hoping to spend Christmas and new year skiing in the US next year. Having never done it before, and having only heard about the big resorts i wondered if you could share experience of where we should consider.
We are a family of six, plus an elderly (81) but very mobile mother who doesn't ski but loves travel and who will want to walk around. What we are after is;
less than two hour drive from a major airport
extensive skiing (we ski all mountain), but enjoy pistes
a town that will provide entertainment for mum
a hotel with amenities so we can all relax, sauna, swim etc
i'm excited to hear what you guys propose
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Colorado for resorts. SLC of you want a real place and better skiing and are mobile.
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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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@skribble, does it have to be the U.S? Or N. America? If so Banff should fit the bill.
Close to Calgary for access; great centre with plenty in town and access to several great ski areas.
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Eastcoast will be very cold in Dec-Jan.
Westcoast (best resorts) will be long flight, very highup at base, and / or very cold.
If your mom is comfortable with long flights / jetlag, cold temps and / or lowish oxygen:
Eastcoast = Killington or Stowe.
Westcoast = Jackson Hole or Aspen.
Canada westcoast = Whistler.
US snow is lighter, creamier and deeper than anything you will find in the European Alps.
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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 thinking only US then Salt Lake City would be ideal with direct flights now from the UK to there. Park City now linked with Canyons is the biggest US ski resort in terms of acreage and there are several other ski areas within easy reach. US accommodation standards are usually way better than European places of a similar rating, with much larger rooms and often full kitchens or at least part kitchens in even the most basic. Swimming pools and hot tubs are usually provided too in many.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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It's not US but Whistler would also fit the bill. Otherwise you really have just SLC and DEN. Then Park City/Canyons/Deer Valley for SLC. Breckenridge/Keystone/Copper/Vail for Denver.
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Thanks guys, that's more than enought for me to start the research.
My wife and i skied Killington and Stowe before kids and i think we'd prefer the west.
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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 would make sure your accommodation has a kitchen, otherwise it could get very expensive eating out every night. The hotels don't tend to do half board, or even B and B in many. A condo might be a better option and the complexes usually have the spa / pool you want.
I would suggest Vail or Park City but these are expensive options. We usually buy a Vail season pass for a 2 week trip but I am not sure they can be used at Christmas/New year.
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Another vote for Banff. You've got free buses to the local mountains (L.Louise, Sunshine and Norquay) with the tri area pass or a longer trip out to places like Panorama or Kicking Horse, great town and plenty of non-skiing activities and day and half-day tours which operate out of Banff for the MiL (recommend Johnstons Canyon, snowshoeing the Paintpots).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Whistler would get my vote there is plenty for mum to do and as long as the snow is good lots for everyone else.
Then banff is 2nd IMHO nice town lots for mum but can be cold and a drive to all the skiing.
If your prepared for a 2nd short flight then anywhere in BC except big white.
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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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Park City would be my top choice for you. Ample skiing, 1 hour transfer, interesting town with lots to do. When booking be aware that some accommodation which appears at first glance to be PC is in fact Canyons which is a separate resort with much less going on.
Aspen is worth considering as the pass covers 4 resorts with free skibus transfers. To meet your short transfer you would need to fly into Aspen Pitkin airport connecting at Denver. Good town with good celeb spotting.
I would avoid Whistler as it is just too close to the sea and too low. Rain in the resort is common and white out conditions again common. The snow also tends to be heavier than Utah and Colorado champagne powder.
If you choose PC be sure to check that you are avoiding the Sundance film festival.
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We visited Aspen in September and it's a lovely place - we visited a couple of the ski areas and they looked great when green. As it's NOT near a major airport, it is apparently less busy. It is definitely a great place for non-skiers.
We also called into Vail - much easier to reach from Denver airport, and very aesthetically pretty "town" but has much more of a man made feel than Aspen. No idea what the skiing is like.
I'd love to try Mammoth Lakes in California - but it is a short flight from LA or 5hr drive from LA or Vegas.
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You know it makes sense.
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Have a look at Park City and stay at Park city Peaks. Perfect for you guys, loads of seniors, outdoor hot tub, great food, 3 resorts nearby plus more if you drive. Rendezvous Rye for best whisky in town!
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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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The 2 hour drive from airport is a bit of a challenge. Don't consider the east coast, I live in boston and speak from experience.
There are not that many resorts just 2 hours from Denver, but if that can be extended, I would say, go to aspen or vail. Aspen in particular has the town and between aspen, snowmass and highlands has more than enough terrain.
I am a massive utah fan boy, but its really alta for me, which does not have the town and may fall short on the hotel amenities requirement. Park City would fit the bill though, just not as good as alta's terrain imho. but alta is more off trail, so consider PC area.
As people have mentioned, whistler is awesome, it may be more than 2 hours away, but not much further, and obviously further by air. This year is not indicative, but snow is usually a bit more iffy and a little heavier due to proximity to the coast. Same could be said re: tahoe, and washington with wetter snow.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Park City squarely ticks more of your boxes than anywhere else, so that's my first recommendation. As someone posted above, Aspen ticks everything except "major airport" though, so worth a look. It only has a few direct flights per day, but they are not all from Denver. I flew there via Chicago just last week, so don't overlook other ways to get there.
Unlike Aspen, Vail is on the edge of a 2 hour drive from the Denver airport, but only if you time arrival and departure flights so that you avoid Denver workday traffic. 2 hours can easily become 4 otherwise, and the Denver airport is a bit of a hassle in any event. Aspen is a very small airport, very close to both the town of Aspen and to lodging in Snowmass, so when you get there, you are really there.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Park City I was told by Norwegian telemarkers is boring skiing. Alta/Snowbird offers much more challenging skiing if you're heading for Utah. I based myself in Salt Lake City and took a public bus to the skiing if I couldn't get a lift which must have been a 45 minute ride. When not skiing did explore a bit - SLC has some sights but felt a bit sterile to me - the whole mormon thing has it clean and efficient but a bit stiff, if you want more raucous Wyoming or Montana is better. The REI store in SLC is worth a visit though.
Jackson Town in Wyoming is more wild west and fun and could be a good base....imo.
Temperatures could be problematic however that time of year.
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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've done Vail on the end of a business trip to New York and my wife flying out from the UK, to Denver. Although Vail is about 2h from Denver, it does sit right beside the Freeway so getting there is straightforwards. Obviously, bad weather will delay you but that applies to many other candidate resorts. We hired an apartment and it was a good move even just for two of us, as it gave space to relax and we didn't have to eat out all the time. There are resorts nearer to Denver (like Copper Mountain?) but I'd say that Vail is worth the extra 1h drive and some other resorts look close on the map but involve a slow drive on single-carriageway roads off the freeway. The ski area is extensive and varied, other than not necessarily a lot of challenging off-piste-type/double-diamond routes. Two downsides were (a) price - it was the most expensive skiing per head (and that includes a hotel in Verbier in New Year week) and (b) the flight. My wife took 3-4 days to recover from the long flight and drive and acclimatise to the altitude.
I've also done Heavenly Lake Tahoe a number of times, again on the back of a business trip to San Francisco. Quite a long drive to Tahoe, or a flight to Reno and short drive. I very much like the Heavenly ski area and there's a diversity of accommodation available. We drove from the Bay Area leaving after the Rush Hour and it was a bit tedious but quite relaxed. But flying out from the UK you don't arrive 'till in SFR 'till late afternoon and I wouldn't want to then go through jetlag, immigration, transfer, carhire pickup and then the drive in the nighttime. Other threads have suggested 'doing' San Francisco for 2-3 days and then driving to Tahoe at leisure, which I think would work well.
But after all these trips, I'd still not go to the US to ski if I had to fly out of the UK (as opposed to my being there already). For my wife and I, the jetlag effect plus the effort of transferring would be too much. Unless it was perhaps a 10d trip, preferably longer. I know some people aren't bothered by such things, so you may fare fine.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Rethinking this. Book to Salt Lake, and wait to figure out where to go. Snow quality will be the most reliable of the rockies, cascades and sierras. Unless ur there during xmas/new years time, lodging will be much cheaper. I love Alta, like Love it. But one really needs to be excited about off trail (not off piste) to really get the whole alta experience. Also, no snowboarders at Alta still, so keep that in mind. Snowbird is also close by, which is alot of pisted terrain between the 2 of them. But there is no town to speak of, so be forewarned.
PC has alot of what you want. super lux at deer valley, with incredibly (over?) groomed pistes. I have not been there in a long time, as alta is my default, but I have heard that they have done really good things with the PC/Canyons resorts. Snow is not as good as alta, but there is a good town, lots of distractions, and generally more hotel options.
Enjoy!
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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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Banff is fab but can get Insanely cold. . . . - 20+! Also no skiing direct into village, its a car ride to a cable car or it was last time we were there years ago!
New England is lovey and trade but its been well below zero in the past and might limit Mother venturing outside... Shorter flight times though.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Take it from another east coaster, no one should ever travel from Europe to ski in Vermont. I'd also rule out the west coast resorts unless you're in love with Whistler. Otherwise, the skiing isn't good enough to justify the additional flight time vs. Colorado or Utah and not as snow sure.
Based on your criteria you've looking at flying into Denver or SLC. The easiest thing is to tell you to book into Vail/Beaver Creek or Deer Valley/PC. But, these places are likely to be very expensive, even compared to a place such as Courchevel, PC less so than the other three. Vail, Beaver Creek & PC are owned by Vail Resorts, depending on how many days you plan to ski the Epic Pass (link below) may be worth buying and even includes some free days in Europe. The Mormon element gives SLC a very weird vibe, you'll feel it in the airport as soon as you get off the plane. For that reason I avoid Utah, although it's less of an issue in the mountains. Also, given you're traveling with someone over 80 you may be concerned about the high altitudes in Colorado. The resorts in Utah are slightly lower, so for that reason I'd probably give PC the nod.
http://www.snow.com/epic-pass/passes.aspx
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Problem with Park City is that Park City resort (as merged) is just about the least satisfactory bit of skiing in Utah, It's more Vail than Vail itself if what you want is a lot of bits of the ski area to travel to (and pistes to tick off) but the horizontal spread for relatively limited vertical is huge, the crowds are big, there are major pinch points in the lift system and the snowfall is on the low side for Utah. But no denying the Epic pass value.
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