Poster: A snowHead
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I'm planning a week of snowboarding with my husband (feb 16th). In north hem we have only been to Whistler.
Now the idea is US, as it seems to have few SNOW in Europe (am I right?).
Does any one have a sugestion? We were thinking about Aspen, but someone also sugested Jackson Hole.
What do you say?
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Jackson Hole would be fine for a week. They don't piste a lot of it or piste it very often and go can go just about anywhere (provided you are good). No drag lifts either (that you need to take).
Never been to Aspen but I've heard it is good.
Correct re Europe, not having a good season.
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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've been to Aspen four times and Jackson Hole three times and love them both. This past season we tried Aspen again for the first time in many years and had a great time. The skiiing between the four mountains has plenty of options for all standards and there's plenty of off piste style skiing within the resort boundaries. Threre's no way you could get bored in a week as there's plenty on offer. Snowmass is very large on its' own, with over 4000' vertical, about the same as Jackson Hole. Aspen is a beautiful town with plenty of the original victorian buildings remaining. There's little or no through traffic in the major part of town and Aspen Mountain looms over it so you'll get some of that European ambiance with an American twist. Aspen is expensive but many of the options at Jackson Hole are too. There's plenty of ways to get around that though. We stayed at a beautiful B&B in town, The Little Red Ski Haus, which was just great and had a really good breakfast. It wasn't cheap but wasn't at the high end either. I'm sure you can find something to suit your needs if you poke around a bit. Don't let the reputation of Aspen scare you. I think it's the best American ski town.
Jackson Hole is also a great place. You've picked a couple of winners. The expert skiing is exceptional, there's probably a little less for other standards but if you have time/the inclination, a night or two over the Teton Pass at Grand Targhee is a must. Targhee gets lots of Snow and has an intimate feel that can't be beat and most of the skiing is intermediate. Between the two places you'll also have plenty of skiing for the week. The best place to stay at Jackson Hole is in the base village. The town is 10 miles removed from the mountain so it's not the place to stay if you like to be in a ski resort. If you like, or want to try the feel of a western town, you'll enjoy Jackson Hole itself with some real cowboys around in pick up trucks and some wooden sidewalks, antlers, and all that. It has a bit of a honky tonk feel around the edges with Jackson Hole being a favorite of RVer's going to Yellowstone in the summer. The views around the whole Jackson area are outstanding. The Tetons come up right out of a relatively flat area below and are quite dramatic.
Both places have plenty of bars/restaurants too. It seems like it's a good year to go out west. There's so much snow right now. I'm headed over your way with four friends to ski on the 19th-27th with a guide and am very worried about the conditons but what the heck. We've got a guide and should find some good stuff. We'll probably be passing through Verbier so maybe I should look up that group on that Verbier thread...
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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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Oops, didn't notice JF is in Brazil...last I checked Verbier wasn't that way!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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JF, Colorado has a lot of snow and several ski resorts for all abilities.
Utah has about 9 ski resorts with 1 hours drive from the airport or downtown. Lot of snow aswell.
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In case you are still in the research stage.....
I lived out in Keystone for the end of a season, and can highly recommend the area. You have a really good selection between A-Basin (my personal fav for double black diamonds), Keystone, Breckenridge, and Copper. Breck and Copper have a strong reputation for boarding and A-Basin is a local's favorite. Keystone even has night skiing. Frisco is a good central location if you have transport (or a longer bus ride if not), and Breck has the best night life. If you get bored with that you can go over to Vail as well. The Keystone area resorts are about a 1 1/2 hour from the Denver airport during non-rush hour traffic (Vail a further 45 mins to an hour). During traffic the journey can take over 3 hours..... You can arrange transfers if you prefer to not have a car. FYI-- there was a blizzard in Denver at Christmas.
I've also spent some time skiing at Steamboat. I loooove Steamboat, esp for the tree skiing, but it is more isolated and is a longer drive (or another flight) from Denver (prob about 4 hours from the airport).
I've never skied Jackson Hole, but I have friends who have moved out there 15 years ago and haven't come back. Never heard anything but good things about it-- and you might squeeze in a day out to Yellowstone National Park.
Utah is also another option if you don't mind the further flight time and you can get a good fare. Depending on your preference for consumption/volumes/proofs, alcohol&wine may be an issue since you will be in Morman country-- but you also may enjoy the exposure to a subset of American culture. A visit into Salt Lake City or any of the the suburbs (where my sister was considered an old maid because, although married, she was still without kids at 23!) may prove interesting-- I remember being surprised when I went to the mall and saw so many young couples dressed like they were on their way to church, pushing strollers with young kids (almost all of the women seemed to have long hair as well). Apart from the alcohol issue, I personally found it a very interesting experience in the diversity within my own culture!
And if you really don't mind the further flight time, my brother keeps raving about Lake Tahoe (though I have yet to have the pleasure myself).
Denver is a hub for United.
Salt Lake is a hub for Delta.
Hope you have a good trip.
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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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We had a great holiday in Jackson (including snowmobiling in Yellowstone), but getting there was a nightmare! Flight from Denver "too heavy for the conditions" so they threw 10 people off. Not sure if United still have the policy of letting on anyone that waves an Airmiles card at them...
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I love Jackson Hole but think that the main cable car (the Tram) is closed this season for updating. Believe there is supposed to be an alternative chair lift, but not sure how efficient this would be.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We decided to go to breckenridge!
Any tips about the place are very wellcome!
Hope it snows a lot till then. We are going to stay from end feb till 4th march!
If someone knows a good store (meaning nice prices) in Denver, please let me know!
Thank you all for the infos.
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