 Poster: A snowHead
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Having excperienced the Euro expense this Christmas in Europe, where we have skied for the last 4 Christmases, we would liek to do a big one to N. America next year. Kids will be 11 and 8. Wife skis only on beginner slopes
Any thoughts?
My fears are
1. tooooo cold!
2. long journey
3. ski bus malarkey
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Watching this post with interest as we found it a bit steep in Europe and up for consideration is spending the whole two week Xmas break stateside. Have skied in Colorado and Whistler pre-kids and thoroughly enjoyed it. Am thinking about Tremblant which would be a shorter flight time than the Rockies.
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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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kendadj, Tremblant has a few Hillocks not proper Mountains.Ive heard it is very snowy though. 
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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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keshvane, Snowmass, next to Aspen, is almost all ski in, ski out with tons of skiing for all standards. It has over 4000' vertical too, big for the states. It would be great for the kids and hassle free for you too. Aspen is right around the corner so you can also ski the other resorts there if you like (on the same pass), and Aspen will be beautiful over the holidays. Colorado is not too cold. It can have a spell here or there but cold is not the norm. The drawbacks could be some difficulty in getting there and expense. Perhaps you can find a good package. I've been lucky enough to ski all over the US and Europe and I'm sure the Aspen area for the holidays will fulfill your expectations.
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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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Big White is one of the best NA family resorts. Virtually all accommodation is ski-in/out, so no ski buses required. Temperatures are not usually too extreme (normally around -5 to -15C at Christmas). Yes it's a long journey, but you can't have everything!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Do you want to ski, or do you want a sun tan? 
This is not a rethorical question. That time of year, warm weather means rain! So if you really want to snow ski, instead of water-ski, pick a resort that has lots of precipatation. But make sure it's cold enough so it's coming down NOT in liquid form!
Northeast US/Canada: For the last god knows how many years now, the northeast region of US has seen rain and very limited openning of terrains during Christmas/New Year. So my advice for anyone who doesn't live in the northeast are: GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!
Going beyond the northeast does make the journey longer. There's no avoiding that. Just like cold weather and snow goes together. Long flights gets you to the best snow. Otherwise, might as well stay in Europe.
Colorado: Colorado has good reputation for early season snow. And it's not particularly cold for ski resorts. From all I've heard, Steamboat Springs is one of your best bets. It gets even more snow than the pretty snow-happy resorts in the rest of the state. Due to the limited bed base, it doesn't get maddeningly crowded. DISCLAIMER: I've not been there. All is what I heard. And heard often and consistantly. It isn't cheap though.
Utah: For reason I've not understand, it's less consistant for Christmas there. It's also colder than Colorado on an average year. The same seem to apply to the Canadian Rockies such as Banff area.
Pacific coast (Tahoe/Whistler): It's always a hit or miss. Christmas has a higher chance of misses than hits. It gets madly crowded by N.A. standard. Still not as bad as some of Europe, though not far behind. They do queue up for the lift at least!
Personally, I'd pick Colorado for Christmas/New Year for the best chance on good snow.
Ski bus? What ski bus? Ever heard of rental cars? Oh yes, it's call rental car, NOT hired car!
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Another vote here for Snowmass, have been there at xmas 4 years running and it has everything that you need. Slopes are great and they do not seem to get the large crowds that resorts such as Vail gets at that time of the year.
The Aspen/Snowmass area is connected by a great bus system that negates the need for a car. Aspen mountain and Aspen Highlands are worth visiting if you get tired of Snowmass.
The instruction is first class and class numbers tend to be very low.
Journey time is normally about 12/13 hrs and you can fly into Aspen airport and then it is only a 20minute transfer to Snowmass or Aspen.
United normally have good airfares to Aspen via either Chicago or Denver.
We stay at the Wildwood Lodge which is pretty basic, but does a free hot buffet breakfast as part of the package,its near the old village mall and so near to resturants and also near to the bus transit centre. It is approx 400m from the middle of the nursery slope.
Having been there this year, the exchange rate against the Dollar has had the same effect as with the Euro, things have got approx 25% more expensive but i belive that America is still good value.
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This Xmas was abnormally cold - particuarly the pre Xmas week in Banff would have been very limited fun (though some sHs seemed to enjo it regardless) but generally I'd say don't worry about it.
For milder climate, reasonably reliable snow & beginner friendly terrain I'd say places like Big White & Silver Star fit the bill.
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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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Thanks guys,
It sounds like Snowmass, thermal undies and a good book for the Flights.
Keep em coming.
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We went to Canada this Christmas/NY, to a resort in BC called Silverstar (as mentioned by fatbob).
It is pretty near perfect for families:
- loads of snow
- wide variety of slopes: lots of very wide and easy greens all the way from the top for beginners, as well as enough hideously difficult chutes and cliff faces to keep even the most demanding expert happy
- not too busy: even during the holiday peak period, I found myself completely alone on some runs.
- manageable size - almost impossible to get lost on the mountain or in the village
- very laid back atmosphere thanks to all the Australians and Kiwis working there
- lots of other stuff to do like tubing, snowshoeing, sleigh rides through the forest (that is in fact what we did on NYE and I would thoroughly recommend it!!!)
- thanks to the weak Canadian dollar, it is a bit more affordable than US resorts at the moment. Even the poshest restaurants in the village were only charging £10-£17 for a main course, for example.
- it is very pretty: all the houses and buildings are painted in bright colours. Makes good photo!
My only reservation about it is that the nightlife scene is not exactly raving mental, but if you're there with a family, that's probably not what you are after anyway.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| keshvane wrote: |
| It sounds like Snowmass, thermal undies and a good book for the Flights. |
And your gold card. 
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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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