 Poster: A snowHead
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A bit late planning this but here goes :-
Looking for a resort around Xmas 2007 for two families ( my daughter lives in Indiana so we are considering North America)
2 couples - 40s/50s
1 young lady ( she may bring a US friend who will also be a beginner)
2 young brats ( will be 3 & 5 then)
Nice resort -
Good Beginner facilities ( all kids and 1 adult - she is a Swiss 'Reine' I think)
Good Intermediate slopes ( 2 adults plus me kidding myself!) - long dreamy French/Swiss style reds the preference
No requirement for anything beyond that
prefer good mountain stops ( why are we considering NA?)
Smaller resort the better - hate being any distance from bars and lifts ...
Nice resort atmosphere preferred to number of McDos
May take nanny but creche facilities in resort/hotel /preferred.
Anyone got any ideas / reccomendations for other accomodation - 2 condos perhaps ?? as we embark on ' European revenge for the Griswalds?'
Thanks
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 10-08-06 17:03; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Frosty the Snowman, Urrggh... Thanks again ( will someone change my medication I'd swear things are moving in front of my eyes).. very clever site this .. even knows when I've screwed up ...
NURSEY ... MORE Laudanum please ...
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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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Don't know that many places offer European length reds yet are small and relatively uncrowded - possibly the Okanagan resorts in Canada as described in another thread. Breckenridge/Copper may be another choice but expect them to be busy over Xmas. Kids creche & good kid's ski school more or less de facto at most N American resorts from what I've seen.
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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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There are always pluses and minuses. Tremblant has a quaint compact village, but the weather (extreme cold with high humidity) could be unwelcoming for youngsters. The same applies to Smuggler's Notch and anywhere in the East.
Whistler is more spread-out, and also has unpleasant weather (rain). Your best bets in Canada could be Sun Peaks or Big White - but they're harder to get to than your Whistlers or Banffs. (Banff / Lake Louise is not ski-in ski-out so doesn't qualify, by the way.)
In the US, some lesser-known places like Solitude, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Big Mountain, Telluride all have small, compact ski-in, ski-out villages. The latter two are a bit tougher to get to. Keystone is compact (if you stay in River Run) but rather quiet at night. Squaw Valley has a nice base area village now, but will probably be pretty busy, and the skiing is quite tough.
Your best bet in the US, I think, would be Beaver Creek - compact, ski-in ski-out village, but with plenty going on. Lots of well-groomed runs. And it's lower than Winter Park, Copper, Breckenridge or Keystone, so likely to be less cold and less risk of altitude sickness. It won't be deserted at Xmas (not sure where will be) but the slopes will certainly be quieter than Vail's. The downside: it's not cheap!
Snowmass is also a quiet little ski-in ski-out village, but is a bit harder to get to from Denver.
And another excellent choice would be The Canyons - compact base area village, big (by US standards) ski area.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Martin Bell wrote: |
| And another excellent choice would be The Canyons - compact base area village, big (by US standards) ski area. |
...and the area is expanding!
There's great condos about 100 yards from the lifts, and you get priority lift privileges, and a bell hop to carry your skis to and from the main gondola.
(these were not the reasons for me buying there, just some of the benefits!)
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| Quote: |
and a bell hop to carry your skis
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What! All of them? 
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Frosty the Snowman, well, one pair per skier.
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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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ThanksWear The Fox Hat, Martin Bell, andfatbob, Plenty to research there .... rather surprised at the initial prices that I am seeing for accomodation .... $1700 - ish a night for a 4 - bed condo ... but then again ... bit larger than Europe ..
Thanka Very Much
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eEvans, you should be able to do better than that for a condo, i'd have though. I've found it impossible to beat TO prices to N.America, admittedly at Easter hol time. Try United Vacations (United Airline's TO bit) ; they're inefficient (in my experience) but had some very good deals on flights and accomodation, they're more or less completely flexible and can obviously provide internal flights. They're not a 'full service' TO, so no transfers nor any odious rep getting under your feet, hooray to both.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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richmond, Thanks .. Had alook at United Vacations. Given that we don't need flights it was just their hotel offering that I researched and it is very similar to others that I've found. I'll get on the phone next week to enquire directly but the premium is all around 'Xmas Week' where the price premium is much greater than in Europe. Understandable given the limited amount of school holidays that kids get in the US and non-attendance is a big NO.
I shall keep looking...
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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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Ski Independence can do cheap passes too, and cover some resorts (JH) which worldski do not
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You know it makes sense.
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A few places at which you might want to take a look. Steamboat has a history of good early season snow and offers extensive intermediate skiing. It's a bit of a haul from major airports and the village may be larger and more spread out than you seem to want. Park City, UT (could ski at Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, and The Canyons). Though pricey I think staying at Deer Valley would meet most of your needs and Park City has lots to offer. Also, if snow was sketchy in the Park City Resorts you could drive over to the Cottonwood Canyons areas (Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton) which have a very good snow record. I live in the North East and while there are places in the East that might meet your needs very well, the weather is so variable I'm always hesitant to recommend it to those travelling a long distance.
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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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Do you mean Xmas 2007, or Xmas 2006...
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Poster: A snowHead
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As mentioned Salt Lake City is close to several ski areas and less than 1 hrs drive to Cottonwood Canyons, Snowbasin, Park City ski areas.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hoppo, Xmas 2006 ..
Thanks all, still looking ,,, a few days on the phone required ...
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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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if you consider a 15 hour drive of 925 miles (based upon indianapolis to jeffersonville vermont) to not be "too far". 
that's if the roads are dry.
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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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Rusty Guy, he could fly. Just a thought.
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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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Rusty Guy, Is Winter Park closer 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Frosty the Snowman wrote: |
| Rusty Guy, Is Winter Park closer |
Nope.
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Rusty Guy, I think flying might be the order of the day ..
richmond, my daughter is a she
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| eEvans wrote: |
| richmond, my daughter is a she |
Mine too; it makes life much simpler, doesn't it? (The 'he' was you, BTW; I assumed, for no good reason, that you would be making the trip from Indiana too.)
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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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| richmond wrote: |
| eEvans wrote: |
| richmond, my daughter is a she |
Mine too; it makes life much simpler, doesn't it? (The 'he' was you, BTW; I assumed, for no good reason, that you would be making the trip from Indiana too.) |
Not sure -- having a 16 yo daughter who HAD to have a car and has US taste (sic) in clothes ... might have been easier to have had a boy.... apologies for the joshing ..'twas no more than that ..
Only way to travel in Indiana is by air ... by car the endless corn drives you mad ! Mind you best solution is probably to avoid it in total.
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eEvans, no apology required.
I qute like the idea of driving across endless prarie (or whatever it is). I enjoyed 3 days across the Russian steppes on the trans Siberian Railway.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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A little post script thanking everyone for their help. We had chosen Beaver Creek ( and everything arranged accordingly); However plans had to change ( not mine and unavoidable) and we'll be staying in Europe for Xmas .. Oh well best laid plans and all that. Bit late to be organising but 2/3 of us now going somezhere 'special ' __ looks like Val d'Isere or similar for a couple of weeks. Thanks to all who responded.
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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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I would recommend somewhere in Summit County, Colorado, I have been there and also to Sugarloaf in Maine at Christmas. I would say that Maine was colder, icy and the snow was mostly manmade, Breckenridge and Copper Mountain were much preferable - loads of snow and no ice. The actual resorts will be quite expensive at this time of year, but not as crowded as you would think. Also 'crowded' in the US is the same as quite quiet in Europe. If you don't mind staying a shuttle bus distance from the slopes I would recommend staying somewhere like Frisco where there are free half hourly buses to Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone and A Basin. I have rented condos from Seymour Lodging and can recommend them.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Martin Bell wrote: |
| Your best bet in the US, I think, would be Beaver Creek - compact, ski-in ski-out village, but with plenty going on. Lots of well-groomed runs. And it's lower than Winter Park, Copper, Breckenridge or Keystone, so likely to be less cold and less risk of altitude sickness. It won't be deserted at Xmas (not sure where will be) but the slopes will certainly be quieter than Vail's. The downside: it's not cheap! |
Beaver Creek will be good for the kids as there are many slopes that are so flat and long that it builds confidence. I would however choose Breckenridge instead as Peak 8 has long flat slopes as well, but the surrounding areas are much more interesting than Beaver Creek which I find to be a booooring resort.
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FAQ
, you'll find many of your compatriots here .. although few are out of bed yet 