 Poster: A snowHead
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Thinking of going to USA/Canada next March. Could you give me some suggestions of resort and hotel please with the following requirements:
1. Large learn to ski area without steep drops! (one of the party is a beginner and scared of drops off the side of the mountain)
2. Learn to ski area accessible without chair lifts (she doesn't like them either!!!)
3. Good skiing for intermediates
4. Large resort with lots of restaurants and apres ski
5. Good quality hotel (4/5 star) with ski in, ski out
Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
Mark
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Keystone, Colorado
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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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Whistler, Vail, Steamboat, Big White would be the best bets
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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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Park City
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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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are you sure you want to go skiing with anywhere with someone who doesn't like steep drops and chairs? 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Kimberley BC most of Mtn is Blues and the bunny hill is poma lifts, you have ski in/out, the town ( 5-10 min away) has a decent restaurant collection and the bars at the area are hopping after skiing.
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One of Mammoth Mountain's beginner areas has a poma button tow, and the rest of the resort should suit the rest of the group.
I should tell you to come to Squaw, but our main beginner area is at the top of the mountain and only has chair lifts. Our lower beginner area is at the end of the parking lot and does have a rope tow. Plenty of intermediate terrain, ski in/out and the apres is ok, but finishes early as is usual in California. The on hill food is terrible, though!
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I'd leave her behind and just enjoy yourself..................................
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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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Have a look at
http://www.sunvalley.com/SunValley/info/mtn.aspx
It is a bit of a trek to get there from the UK. It is not really a place for experts but intermediates and beginners should have a good time. The beginner terrain is on Dollar Mountain whilst the intermediate terrain is on Baldy and they are not adjacent so if that is an issue, dont go.
Ketchum the town has a lot of decent restaurants. It is a place well favoured by Hollywood in that (I think) Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Governor Arnie and some others have places there. Just before Ketchum is a town called Hailey which Bruce Willis and Demi Moore bought up, more or less.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| MarkAndMichelle wrote: |
Thinking of going to USA/Canada next March. Could you give me some suggestions of resort and hotel please with the following requirements:
1. Large learn to ski area without steep drops! (one of the party is a beginner and scared of drops off the side of the mountain)
2. Learn to ski area accessible without chair lifts (she doesn't like them either!!!)
3. Good skiing for intermediates
4. Large resort with lots of restaurants and apres ski
5. Good quality hotel (4/5 star) with ski in, ski out
Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
Mark |
Breckenridge is great for what you need,stay at Beaver Run Resort,ski in ski out,also loads of top class eating places.[img][/img]
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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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Breckenridge ticks all the boxes except 2. (but it's a bit low on oxygen). Banff ticks all except 5. (unless you stay at Sunshine, which is not to everyone's taste) and 2., but does the rest in spades. Your chum will have to get to grips with chairs sooner or later, and better sooner than later. Is there anywhere with no chairs?
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MarkAndMichelle, mont tremblant, stay at the fairmont hotel
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You know it makes sense.
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| MarkAndMichelle wrote: |
Thinking of going to USA/Canada next March. Could you give me some suggestions of resort and hotel please with the following requirements:
1. Large learn to ski area without steep drops! (one of the party is a beginner and scared of drops off the side of the mountain)
2. Learn to ski area accessible without chair lifts (she doesn't like them either!!!)
3. Good skiing for intermediates
4. Large resort with lots of restaurants and apres ski
5. Good quality hotel (4/5 star) with ski in, ski out
Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
Mark |
In my experience, you'll struggle to meet Point 2. in North America. Over there, drag lifts are largely confined to absolute beginner slopes (ie those you grow out of after 1-2 days) or advanced runs where chair lifts would suffer from frequent closure due to high winds.
The intermediates issue, Point 3, is also an interesting one. Many intermediates like to explore endless miles of piste, and most North American ski areas are very small by European standards. However, NA resorts typically have fabulous bump skiing, lightly gladed runs and easy powder bowls that will have adventurous intermediates drooling with excitement. It all depends what you're looking for.
Similarly, apres ski is often in short supply over the pond. Resorts are small, and nighlife tends to focus on the TV and hot tub. Very few places have the kind of liveliness that you'll find in a place like Courchevel.
I'd concur with others that Breck or Vail will meet many of your requirements, although not Point 2. If your list is inviolable, maybe you should look to Europe instead - and I say that as a huge fan of transatlantic skiing.
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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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| Quote: |
Is there anywhere with no chairs?
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Nowhere I've ever been. But I think it's easier for someone who is very scared of chairs to learn to tackle them once they have grasped the basics of skiing and feel confident on their feet, so looking for somewhere a beginner doesn't need to use chairs is logical enough. Ditto with steep drops. I have a brother in law who suffers from vertigo and can get really freaked, even on slopes with no drop off that most people with notice. And once he's nervous his technique goes to pot. He's also very opposed to falling over - he thinks falling is a disaster whereas to me it's simply a non event. I've struggled for five years now to try to persuade him to take lessons to improve his technique - he just won't, and I think he's going to give up any day now, which is a shame. A really good and patient instructor who will give just the right amount of "shove", to push people just a little way out of their comfort zone, is what's needed. I've never skied in NA but from what I read there's often very good instruction available. Sounds like this lady needs all the help she can get to enjoy her skiing in future and it's nice that her partner is trying to find somewhere she'll enjoy.
I'd give her three years max, though.  Then off to Jackson Hole.
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Poster: A snowHead
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N. America is actually a poor choice for high-adversed. There're occasionally chairs with NO SAFETY BARS!!!
I do have a friend who's a good strong intermediate skier but she's quite afraid of the chair. She would pull the bar down at the first opportunity and resist raising it till the last possible moment. She choose resorts carefully, making sure all chairs have bars.
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