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USA / Canada - is it worth it?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Curious to get the views of fellow snow heads who have been to the USA/Canada on at least one occassion on how it compares to Europe, I only personally know one guy who has skied in US (Lake Tahoe) and his view was that when you factor in the long haul flight, more expensive lift passes and the lack of connectivity between different resorts, Europe came out tops. But with the Dollar vs Pound/Euro so weak at the moment, it would probably sway a lot of people over there
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
The only one of those that I'd agree with is the flight.
1 week in Aspen (considerd one of the more expensive resorts) at the end of January is costing me about £140 for the lift ticket, which I don't think is much more than you'd pay in France/Switzerland.
Lack of connectivity can be an issue if you want to ski to a different resort every day. There are a lot of resorts close together, so it's not really an issue if you want to hop on a bus to try somewhere different.
Then there's the general lack of crowds, so lift queues are rare, lower costs for food & drink, and similar language for communication.

...but...

It doesn't have as much ice on slopes, or scrum practice to get on the lift, and you have to put up with lots of Americans and Canadians.

My ideal winter plans would be 2-3 trips to the US and one to Europe. Unfortunately I can't afford that much time off yet.
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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?
Glengooly-Guy,
You will get a lot of different vioews on this. If you've never been I would say with prices as they are it's well worth going and seeing for yourself. Personally I enjoyed my trips but don't like jetlag and wouldn't go for anything less than 10 days and would prefer two weeks to make it worthwhile. With a family of four I can't afford it at the moment and probably won't go untill the kids are grown up and I can go for longer holidays without them or at least without paying for them..
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It's unlikely to get much cheaper so now's the time to give it a go.
I'm not sure that the whole experience (for me) has been good enough to make the long flight worthwhile. Also I like doing a few long weekends rather than week-long trips which is definitely more feasible with a 2 hour flight to Europe.
That said, I the only North American place I have been to is Whistler so take an appropriate pinch of salt. It's a very impressive set-up but it always strikes me as NA's equivalent to Espace Killy or the like. I would like to find the time to do a bit of a road trip around interior BC, heliskiing in AK or northern BC or somesuch. I think that would be a lot of fun and quite a different experience from skiing in Europe.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
France has the best skiing.

Switzerland has the best chocolate-box experience.

Italy has the best food.

Austria has the best nightlife.

Chile has the best scenery.

Japan has the best powder.

The US and Canada have the best customer service.

It is well worth the longer flight.

Just tell all the chicks you live in a castle in England. They love it.
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Here's my opinion about the differences between skiing France (Meribel, Val Despair) and Canada (mostly Whistler, bit of Lake Louise):

1. Whistler is lower and hence has more gladed skiing and tree-lined runs. Makes it easier to see where you're going in flat-light or in a snowstorm. Cool

2. In Whistler/LL, you don't get stressed queuing for the lift - people don't trample over the top of you and scratch up your nice skis. Shocked

3. France and it's chalet system of accommodation is good if you like wine - I don't - so I'm stuck in all evening waiting for the meal to finish while my friends all get merry around me.

4. Eating on the mountain during the day seems to be horrendously expensive in France (8 euros for a hot chocolate at one place). In north america, they seem to have cheaper, canteen type places to eat.

5. The Alps are very pretty.

6. France is good for getting a tan (if you want one), or sunbathing. Personally I prefer it when it dumps loads of snow in France because not many of the holiday makers invest in waterproof gear - you get the whole mountain to yourself! Smile

7. I find that the lifts are set up in Meribel to encourage people to ski the area, like it's hosting a scenic tour. The lifts in Whistler are more for encouraging you to ski in a particular zone, which is ok if you know where you're going and know all the little back routes, but if you don't, you'd probably find it quite boring.

...but then this only one opinion. I hear the skiing in the pyranees is very different...
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Whitegold, if Japan has the best powder, how can France has the best skiing? Puzzled wink

The point I'm trying to get to is, everyone enjoys skiing differently. For some, the snow quality/quantity is the ONLY thing that matters when it comes to skiing. I used to be one such. But now, I'd go to Switzerland for the chocolate-box experience when I want a "holiday" that involves some skiing. wink Someone else, on the other hand, may consider nightlife the ONE thing that defines a holiday instead...

So, Glengooly-Guy, tell us what you like most about YOUR skiing holiday, then perhaps someone will tell you if N. America is "worth it" or not.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Quote:

I can go for longer holidays without them or at least without paying for them..

There speaks someone with little children, who think they are going to grow up and want to spend their own money to on holiday with Mum and Dad... Puzzled
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pam w,
Funnily enough I have been on skiing holidays with my parents only since I grew up. Parents didn't ski and we never went on skiing holidays together. However since attaining adulthood I have been on holidays occasionally with my parents (Although my father died quite a while back). Granny was a useful babysitter when children were pre ski school and as I lived abroad for a while ski holidays were an occasion for a family get together. Don't really expect the kids to be desperate to carry on holidaying with me after I stop paying though. Laughing
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Quote:

Don't really expect the kids to be desperate to carry on holidaying with me after I stop paying though.

That is, until they got their own little ones and needing you to help baby-sitting? Smile
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After going to Canada for 3 of my last 4 skiing trips, I say yes, its definately worth it! snowHead


Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Thu 20-12-07 8:41; edited 1 time in total
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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.
Whistler is worth the extra expense butgo for no less than 8 full days. You pay a lot for the ski pass but you get more service like people taking your board out of the gondola for you and attendants at the chair lifts and piste marshals on the slow zone pistes. The snow is historically plentiful but watch out for hidden expenses like the tipping system
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
If the reason you ski/snowboard is for powder then a trip to North America is a MUST. Their attitude towards "off-trail" skiing is sooo different i.e. they actively encourage it (within the resort boundaries) and use it as a major selling point to attract punters. Whereas in Europe off-piste skiing is implicitly frowned upon by the resort managers.

If you're not an expert off-piste powderhound then stay in Europe.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
14 years doing skiing and boarding.
One holiday per year.
6 of the last 14 in Canada. The rest in various (cheaper) parts of Europe.

The knowledge that there is going to be powder to ski/board in every morning that you wake up in Canada makes every trip there worthwhile.

The bonus is not having to queue to get on a lift to go and ski/board.

It would be my choice every year if I could afford it.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I would deffinately say it is worth it. As a young couple without kids, the long flights are well worth it. But wouldn't go for a week, we go for two.
The atmosphere is brilliant, I love Canada.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
no contest - US or Canada for main trip every time - Banff twice, Whistler once, Breck once, Tremblant once (but wouldn't go back there), Quebec City resorts once.

No queues, superb piste conditions, better accommodation, lift management, reasonable prices in resport and on mountain....but hten again, I don't go off-piste, I'm not bothered about linking up with other resorts, I like groomers
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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im with holidayloverxx, been for 7 days to Banff 3 times and had no problems with jet lag-tin of red bull keeps you awake on the first night and after that its all good¬!
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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?
As far as Canada goes - I've been 3 times and it is most definitely worth it. Rarely queues for lifts, if there is a queue, it's moved along quickly (no empty spaces on chairs!)
Cost wise seems very reasonable to me, not expensive at all, unless you want it to be

Drawbacks - it can be (very) cold and it is a long way, still worth it though
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Depends where you go. Wouldn't travel to the East coast just to ski, although it makes for a fun weekend if you're there on business.

Skiable powder is never guaranteed.

Whistler - not sure I'd make the trip - although it's been a fun place when I was there. Not champagne powder either trip though.

Utah/Wyoming - yep, I'd be back in a flash.

Colorado - never been but Bro loved it.

That said, everything I have seen in North America (bar the service - but then the North Americans find it hard to do good on mountain food which I think makes a reasonable counterpoint) I've seen in Europe.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I liked North America but the phrase 'Have a nice Day' whilst giving rotten service began to grate somewhat.
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T Bar, At least they are pleasant! Not found the service to be rotten...
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
It is always worth going to different places. You get different things from different cultures, surroundings and people. It all adds to your experience in life.
The US and Canadian Dollar are both weak against the £ so it would be an ideal time to go. We like both Europe and America for skiing. This year we are doing 10 days in Banff and a week in Zermatt. Last year we did a week in Passo Tonale and a week in Aspen. We got different things from each Holiday. The one thing we got from all of them was a huge smile as we love skiing wherever we are Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Largely agree with what WTFH and hd said.

My feeling for visitors from afar is go big, go prime time, and you won't be disappointed. (If it was your 5th visit or you had a very small budget I might recommend something more off the beaten path.)
Go big - Aspen (my personal fav because it has all: groomers, bumps, offpiste extreme, acreage/4 areas in close proximity, scenic, apres ski, resort ambiance, albeit pricey), Vail, Jackson Hole, Snowbird/Alta, Park City, Big Sky, Whistler, Mammoth, Breckenridge, etc. Our major individual resorts while not tiny, are smaller than a number of Alpine behemoths. Aspen, Park City, Lake Tahoe, Summit County Colorado, and others feature multiple ski areas clustered fairly close together to offer more variety.
The attractions that entice me to the Alps are good skiing, great scenery, and fun European cultural ambiance. Thinking in reverse, US ski areas offer less cultural/historic interest, but places like Aspen and Jackson Hole have interesting Western/cowboy/mining origins, fine scenery, and excellent skiing.
The prime time in the US West for best combination of good snow and nice sunshine is early March.
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Glengooly-Guy, what WTFH said... I am skiing 11 days in the US, 8 in Canada and 6 in Switzerland this year. If I could have squeezed in another 6 days in France I would think the proportions would be just right. If you have young kids - the standard of kids daycare and kids ski school is reason enough to go to the US/Canada by itself.

But North America and Europe bring different things, I would definitely not want to say goodbye to skiing either. David Murdoch makes an excellent point about the on-the-hill food. This might relate to the shorter opening hours of most US resorts - and fewer people wanting to stop for an hour plus...

If I was going to go to North America just once, it wouldn't be to the typical first 2 places UK skiers go - Whistler (climate too coastal) or Summit County (eg Breckenridge - too high, quite busy).
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Done about 15 weeks in Europe and a 10 day trip to Lake Louise.

Lake Louise good points- One of the most beautiful places on Earth, great snow, no queues, fantactic service, feeling of being in total wilderness

Lake Louise bad points- Crap apres ski, crap mountain food, jet lag, generally more expensive than a week in the alps
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stoatsbrother, if iwas given a North America choice, I would be strongly inclined towards Montana, for a whole bunch of reasons.
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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.
colorado is pretty awesome. summit county is good for skiing somewhere different everyday. copper mountain, keystone, breckenride, a-basin are all great resorts in my opinion. also nevada/california/lake tahoe area have some nice resorts relatively close to one another. the skiing is awesome at all these places.
good luck
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I think it comes down to a bit of luck sometimes. After my big Lake Louise honeymoon trip in Dec 2004, we booked a cheap week in Soll, mid March. They had massive dumps of snow and Soll goes down as one of my best holidays ever. We only stayed in a basic hotel but conditions were perfect.

Got rained on in Alpe D Huez in late Jan 2004 and for that reason it was crap
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Just go - it is an experience not to be missed. I only get jet lagged on the way home and that is probably because I can't afford to fly Club. But beware the queues at immigration.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
skilegs, same here - going there is no problem, up early but that's fine
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
David Murdoch wrote:
Skiable powder is never guaranteed.


It is when you go heliskiing. Very Happy
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Glengooly-Guy, yes it's worth it. It's a very different experience to Europe. Flights are a pain, lift queues are much more civilised. Snow is usually better. Accomodation is rarely on slope or there's very little but lots of cheap motel based stuff. Apres ski (Whistler excepted) isn't quite as much of a feature. In fact Whistler is an exception to most of that. If you can afford it Whistler is the best of both worlds.

USD is weak at the moment but don't think the CAD is ??
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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?
Travelex rate today - $1.96 CAD to the £.
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I live in Whistler, and for the last 2 years we have had great snow years, and it has been very light and fluffy, not the usual heavy stuff we get. this year is shaping up very nicely, and we are currently getting dumped on, all the way to the base is light snow. great skiing. check out my signature for my blog about whistler snow conditions. i update it daily (well almost)
as for original question, i can't really answer because I have never skied in Europe, but Whistler and BC in general has great skiing. If you like wild times as well, then Whistler is your place. if you don't care so much about apres, then interior BC would be better, in some ways. they get less snow, but doesnt get tracked as quick.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I have been coming to Canada almost exclusively for the past 12 years with only a couple of trips to Europe in that time. I would certainly agree that you really have to come for at least 10 days and probably 14 to make it worth the flight and jet lag, but once you start coming it is additictive. I just find the entire experience more relaxed and enjoyable and that is almost certainly due to the people here more than any other factor. It can be cold, but that is why the snow is more reliable. I would see overall costs (excluding flights) to be comparable to Europe so if budget is a significant constraint then the additional flight cost becomes important.

We all want different things from our skiing trips, for me the top two were reliability of snow and stress free environment (it is a holiday after all!). Canada beats Europe in my experience on both of these by a long way. The draw back for Canada was cost/duration of travel and that was easily resolved by emmigrating Toofy Grin
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This is really interesting, I would certainly consider North America for 2009.
This might sound like an odd question, but is the snow different?
Would the whole concept of no marked pistes be a good thing for someone wanting to try off-piste for the first time?
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
zebedee wrote:
This is really interesting, I would certainly consider North America for 2009.
This might sound like an odd question, but is the snow different?
Would the whole concept of no marked pistes be a good thing for someone wanting to try off-piste for the first time?


there are marked pistes but there is lots of "inbounds off-piste" - ie ungroomed snow which is patrolled and made safe (or as safe as practically possible) from an avalanche point of view. So it is an ideal place to start doing off piste - you can concentrate on the skiing and not worry about getting lost (or no more so than you would on piste) or whether the whole slope will suddenly start sliding
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
zebedee,
The further away you get from the ocean there is a tendancy for the snow to have a lower moisture content and be lighter. My understanding is the snow conditions vary a lot within North America but in Utah, Colorado, Inland BC etc. in particular there is a tendancy to have light snow.

As far as being a good place to try off-piste I would guess it is not a bad place but even in North America you are probably better off starting with an instructor both to help with technique and findingthe bestsnow. In my experience Instruction isn't as cheap in North America as in Europe so you will probalby be paying a bit more to enjoy it. Most people who try it in America seem to be enthusiastic though.
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T Bar wrote:

As far as being a good place to try off-piste I would guess it is not a bad place but even in North America you are probably better off starting with an instructor both to help with technique and findingthe bestsnow. In my experience Instruction isn't as cheap in North America as in Europe so you will probalby be paying a bit more to enjoy it. Most people who try it in America seem to be enthusiastic though.


Oh yeah, that was the next question. I assume the quality of instructors in on a par with Europe, generally?
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minx wrote:
Travelex rate today - $1.96 CAD to the £.


That is certainly not weak, the Canadian dollar has been hammering almost every other currency for some time now. There has been a slight drop recently, but overall the graph here shows it has been doing very well against sterling for the past few years.


Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Thu 20-12-07 17:43; edited 1 time in total
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