Looking for advice regarding US skiing

A snowHead

Considering the US in either Feb or Easter 2024 (US as we've got Virgin airmiles to use, which don't cover Vancouver unfortunately!)

We went to Whistler Feb 22, and loved it, unfortunately we went for 17 days and it didn't snow once...

Main considerations are:
- we have a 6 year old, so want good ski school (loved the Whistler set up, with separate safe area for them and 0845-1530)
- will have grandparents with us that don't ski, so need some stuff nearby for them to do (they're happy to drive to other places)
- good skiing/chance of powder! Preferably accommodation on the slopes or nearby (don't want to drive every day)

Price not to much of a consideration, the above is more important.

I have no idea about the skiing in the US and Google isn't really helping!

Also I'm assuming Easter is horrendously busy everywhere and we're better off in February (although that works mean a week extra off school for the little one)?

Thanks for any advice! Very Happy

A snowHead

The issue you might have is finding a balance between being close to the lifts and the non-skiers having enough entertainment without excessively long drives.

In USA generally it's not like whistler or euro resorts where you have a big village at the bottom of the base. Usually people base themselves at a close town and drive each day. While there's usually accommodation at the lift base, there's probably not a whole lot else going on.

Do virgin fly to Calgary? You could stay at lake Louise and grandparents have options of things to see do within a relatively reasonable drive.

If you liked whistler and money isn't a concern Vail is an obvious choice skiwise. Perhaps not great for no skiers though.

You might get better advice if you let us know what kind of skiing you are looking for (e.g. just pistes, steeps, touring etc.) and what non-ski activities the grandparents are interested in and how far they are willing to drive.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I like piste skiing, my partner wants good off piste skiing. Essentially he is pretty expert and I'm a good intermediate (can do most black runs but not very stylishly!)

Grandparents happy to do most things, nice restaurants, picturesque areas, cities to visit etc. They'd be happy to drive a couple of hours for a day trip, maybe further and stay overnight. Dad is a big wine fan as well Very Happy

They were quite happy in Whistler hi

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I'm looking to improve my skiing, especially powder. We did quite a bit of off piste in Whistler, but it was very icy so not ideal...

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And yes there are flights to Calgary Very Happy

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Becki, If you dont mind prices Aspen would be good, proper town with things to do. As the G parents dont mind driving theres others places to visit too. No idea when Easter is in 2024 but spring conditions are usually ok there, we've been end of March before.
You will need to check on when ski areas close though if Easter is late.

Kids ski school looked great every time we visited - no kids though - but they seem to take care of them extremely well.

You have 4 different ski areas to go at - local free bus service is excellent between them all, so the G parents could drop you off and go off somewhere, you could bus back. Good miuxture of skiing to keep you both entertained too.

Only draw back is getting there - drive from Denver is long 4 hrs, flying into Aspen is hit and miss - we spent a night at Denver airport when flying into Aspen. You can fly into Eagle and drive which is about 1.5 hrs. Last time we visited we just drove there.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

@Gored, that's my worry, Virgin really seem to have cut down!

We don't have to use them, but have enough points to fly all of us there and back for free, so seems daft not to use them if we can.

I was wondering about flying somewhere then just hopping over to Vancouver, but seems a faff. And I have no idea about US skiing (as it's obvious from my post!), But thought it might be worth a try

@Bones, fab thanks, I'll look into Aspen, think we've always been spoilt in Europe being able to stay on the slopes, that driving/buses seem a real hassle (especially with a small child!), But maybe we'll just need to accept that to ski in the US...

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@Becki,
Atlanta is a major hub, so you could get an internal flight - worth checking partner airlines for Virgin.
TBF have you looked at lift pass prices? They can be pricey! Salt Lake City, Mamouth Mountain, Jackson Hole (has its own ‘airport’), Tahoe (Reno or Sacramento), breckenridge (might be closer to Denver than Aspen), etc. I cant think of any that are close to a serviced Virgin destination - maybe Mount Baker from Seattle is the closest, that is going to be a proper points burn though & I’d be surprised if you find availability for 5x reward seats at once. Maybe time to swap to Avios & start saving points for Japan?

Wow - lots of cuts https://www.virginatlantic.com/hk/en/destinations/route-map.html

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If there are flights to Calgary, I’d go there and Banff at Easter 2024 without a second thought. Early Easter, cold but not too cold, quiet slopes except Easter weekend itself, awesome ski school, Banff town and Calgary for the non skiers.

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Family Ski trip to North America...

"Price not important"...

But you're governed by where you can fly to using the points from your poxy airline loyalty card?

Troll

@red 27, We've got enough points to fly wherever, upper class, and need a holiday to use them up, why would that make me a troll? Puzzled

I got great advice here last year about Whistler and had a fab holiday, so trying again. You don't have to reply to me if you don't want to...

You know it makes sense.

@Orange200, thanks, but no reward flights to Calgary. I think maybe I need to give up on using the points and plan a different holiday with them... Just seems a shame to not be able to use them!

Banff would be my first choice otherwise I think

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Gored, that's a great link thanks, I'd not realised how much they'd cut back... Maybe we'll save the points for Orlando instead...

A snowHead

@Becki, can you fly to Colorado (Denver) or for a real trip of a life time Jackson Hole?

I'm thinking Breckenride https://www.breckenridge.com/explore-the-resort/the-breck-experience/town.aspx

or stay in Teton village if you want ski in/out and then grand parents/you would drive/bus to Jackson Hole resort for the town.

https://www.jacksonhole.com/maps/village-winter

A snowHead

@Gored, I'd not thought about the likelihood of getting 5 reward flights at once either...

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@kitenski, I'm not sure I'm good enough for Jackson hole! Very Happy

but looks like they have good ski lessons for the little one, and Yellowstone is nearby for the grandparents, that might be a very good idea! Thanks!

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@Becki,

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Becki, do you and your partner + 6 year old want to spend pretty much all of your time skiing? Or would you also be doing some sightseeing with the grandparents?

If the former, I'd be thinking of flights to Denver and skiing a few different places in Colorado.

If the latter, I'd be more tempted to head to San Francisco and do a mix of skiing (around Lake Tahoe) and sightseeing (San Fran, Yosemite, etc?).

I've been trolled for airing this opinion before but haven't changed my mind. From UK, I don't think US is worth travelling to just for skiing (Europe is better all round).
For a mix of skiing (mainly Mon-Fri) with sightseeing (mainly at weekends) it's great.

There are a few snowHeads who I think are USA skiing / boarding enthusiasts, who would give good advice, eg @Dave of the Marmottes

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I think Tahoe is a good shout. Loads of sightseeing and, for the wine lovers, Napa/ Sonoma aren’t a big detour on the way to/from SF.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Aspen best for your needs in my opinion

Telluride close second

Vail and surrounding resorts ( Breck/Beaver/abasin etc) also a good option

Research Ikon and Epic passes

After all it is free

San Francisco is fairly interesting and easy to 'do' if you've only got a few days. I've also done Denver/Vail and personally, I wouldn't see Denver as a sightseeing destination. If you opt to fly to San Francisco, be aware that usually, you'll not arrive until late afternoon. I've done Heavenly a few times from SFR, driving and leaving SFR in the morning each time (but I had the luxury of already being there on business anyway). Personally, if it was a SFR sightseeing/Tahoe skiing holiday, I'd make the start the SFR sightseeing segment as you'd then be able to relax on arrival, get over any jetlag, and at the end of the SFR stay, leave for Tahoe in the morning. We could have flown from San José (SFR's sort of Gatwick to London's Heathrow) but we'd still have had to get from Reno to Tahoe so overall, decided it was as easy to drive the whole way. The drive to Tahoe would be far more relaxing in the daytime, so even if you're not going to look at SFR, consider a night in the Bay Area on arrival and then drive to Tahoe in the morning (but then it seems a shame not to take a day to do a quick tour 'round San Francisco, since you're already there).

With Heavenly, you have to decide on which 'entry point' you want to stay at. We stayed at the foot of the Gunbarrel at the Tahoe Seasons Resort hotel, because you can just walk across the car park to the chairlift from there, as opposed to driving. But this did mean we had to hire a cab to go into Tahoe itself. The alternative is to stay in the town or one of the other 'entry points' like Boulder or Stagecoach. One thing you have to be prepared for around Tahoe is very heavy snowfall (that's how it gets those 14 feet bases).

@PeakyB, essentially we want to ski most of the time, maybe a little sightseeing at the weekend (we made the mistake in Whistler of thinking the weekends would be quieter, like in France, which was the complete opposite!).
Grandparents want to do the sightseeing, little one will be in ski school in the week, and maybe a little bit of skiing at the weekend with us.

We went to Whistler for the powder, and it didn't snow once, which is why we're thinking of heading back over the pond. We've been pretty unlucky with conditions in Europe as well over the past few years, I'm excellent at skiing on ice now...! However I've never skied in powder (been going twice a year for the past 10 odd years...)

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@Arno, my dad really wants Napa, so that may be an idea, although my mum has just realised how close Jackson hole is to Yellowstone which she's always wanted to go to, so there may be divorce on the cards...!

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@boarder2020, I've never even thought of Japan... Will have a look Smile

Japan’s amazing. Quite a culture shock but in a positive way.
I have good contacts and useful info about Japan, should you decide to do a 360 turn away from USA Very Happy

You know it makes sense.

One of the best uses of Virgin air miles is buying flights on ANA so Japan is good!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Depending on how early easter is, you might catch Cherry Blossom bloom in Japan. February could be busy if crosses over Chinese New Year, so check them dates! Trade off might be less powder in late March/April compared to Feb. But quieter slopes + cherry blossom. Contemplating something similar myself, however I have an avios 2-4-1 voucher expiring end of Jan 2024!

Not sure how feasible Napa trip would be. Certainly out of season to see grapes on the vines, etc. will make you feel you are missing out (+ Sonoma is better & less commercialised than Napa imo).
You can also probably forget getting to Yosemite from Tahoe as the tioga road pass will be closed due to snow.

I think one of the problems you will hit, is how far a decent resort is from a major international airport - so you are either looking at long road trip or internal flight. Vegas would give you quite a few options with an internal flight or long drive. Certainly brings Denver (Beckenridge, Aspen, Veil) into play, as well as Salt Lake, Jackson Hole or a longish drive to Mammoth or internal flight to Reno for Tahoe, etc. Don’t rule out an open return. Virgin allows you to mix your arrival airport with different departure airport.

A snowHead

A snowHead

Of the potential destination, Aspen had been mentioned which is quite good.

Jackson Hole should be up on the top of the list. Yellowstone nearby will entertain the oldsters endlessly. Even the ski addicts might be persuaded to give up a day of skiing to do some sightseeing. It’s that good.

Ski school for the 6 year old can be taken for granted in any destination resorts. As long as you can handle the expense, US ski school are generally quite good in looking after ankle biters.

The mountain of JH isn’t huge. But it’s got variety the fit any intermediate and up. And if you end up skiing the same run multiple times and wondering what to do, it’s time to take a lesson or two to step up your game. The instructions are good and the mountain is full of runs that facilitates progression from intermediate to expert.

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We drove from San Francisco up to Tahoe. I don’t remember it being a particularly long drive.
One issue was that the car rental company appeared not to have heard of snow chains. Ended up buying a set from a supermarket.
Drove from there to Yosemite, which was magical in the snow.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@abc, that's fab knowledge thanks!

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Becki, One thing you dont mention is trip length, this might influence the destination as some places might be difficult to keep non skiers entertained for the duration.

Jacksons a good shout but I wouldnt want to be a non skier there for a couple of weeks or so, why I didnt suggest it - but if you do seriously consider it, i've got a friend there who may be able to offer some ideas.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Bones, it would probably be two weeks, I think it's too far to go for much shorter really, especially with the jet lag (which was pretty awful when we went to Whistler!)

After all it is free

A few years ago we went into Las Vegas then drove up to Mammoth - a easy day’s drive through Death Valley. After a week in Mammoth drove to Lake Tahoe for another week - skied Heavenly, Squaw Valley, Northstar and Homewood - all from a base near Heavenly. Then dropped down form the mountains (via the Jelly Belly factory Eh oh!

) and up the Sonoma Valley (stayed in Sonoma) and down the Napa Valley - and then into San Fran for a few days. This was all late March/early April over 3 weeks with about 12 days skiing. Snow was ok everywhere and SF was very warm - even had a day on the beach down in Santa Cruz! Flew out of SF.

Still gets the vote for best family holiday by all the family!

Good luck with whatever you decide.

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The Napa Valley is really quite a way out of San Francisco and while it's a great excursion in the summer, I'm not sure it's that fantastic in the middle of winter., or that much will be open. Marin County (home of the mountain bike) on the other side of the Bay Bridge is quite nice and could be combined with a visit to the Giant Redwoods at Muir Woods, which includes a steam train option. But again, these are all more summer-type excursions (nt sure the train even runs in the winter). Personally, if I was transiting SFR airport then I'd just do a very touristy visit to central San Francisco, including the trolley cars, Pier69 etc. and perhaps Alcatraz (although I think you've got to pre-book that).

The other option is to drive down Highway 101 through Silicon Valley and then over to Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay and visit the aquarium there, returning along the iconic coast road Highway 1 into the south of city. But again, that might be much more attractive a trip in the summer.

My thinking is that since you're arriving SFR late afternoon anyway, book 2 nights in San Francisco. Crash out on the arrival night, then have a day's quick sightseeing, and on the second morning pick up the rental car and drive to Tahoe when you're all more relaxed and adapted to the time difference.

And as someone mentioned, you get the same thing at SFR car rental that you get at GVA - big 4x4 SUVs, but with no option to rent chains. You also need to be sure you're getting a car with full winter tyres and not just all-seasons. Renting at SFR is a bit like renting at Venice for the Italian Alps: most of the cars aren't going into the mountains. It's not like renting at Denver where the city itself is already at high altitude and far more cars will be winterised. But once you're aware you'll know what to look out for.

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Looking for advice regarding US skiing

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