 Poster: A snowHead
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HI there.
Myself and 2 others normally ski europe every year, with the occasional trip to Whistler thrown in every now and again. However this year we would like to go to USA or Canada, can anybody give us any reccomendations off the following.
We will be travelling out in the first week of Jan 06 and we will be staying for between 11 and 14 nights.
We would like if possible to have near enough ski in ski out accomodation or be staying in an alpine village rather than a ski town which is say 2o mins drive from the mountains.
2 of us are competant skiers and 1 of us is a competant boarder, we'll ride most things.
We don't mind about the size of the ski area, length of flights or transfer times.
We don't need luxury accomodation 2 or 3 star will do us.
As for nightlife we just need a couple of bars or pubs.
At present we were thinking of Fernie, but I've been a little worried about the snow conditions and possible rain and also we were going to stay in the alpine resort so we can be straight out on the slopes, but is this too far from the town for night time food and ales. Other Canadian options are also Big White and American I'd like to do Lake Tahoe on a budget is this possible.
Another possible destination is Winter Park, but I don't want to make the wrong choice can anybody point me in the right direction please.
Can anybody please recommend any jems of resorts out there, good skiing on uncrowded slopes, little or no lift queues, decent snow in jan, stunning scenery ect. We are also trying to keep the cost down so if any of you have any tips they will be much appreciated.
The other option is rent a 4x4 and tour but I'm worried that 14night isn't really enough time to properly do a bit of a ski tour.
Thanks, I really love this site, I can get lost looking through it for hours at a time.
Alpine Bullit
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Of the places you've listed, I've done a few 2 week trips to Winter Park. If you want slopeside, you can stay at the Zephyr or the Iron Lodge (Rusty can correct me on this) There's a couple of bars at the slopeside area, and you can get a free bus into the main village if you want a bit more variety.
A fair bit of skiing/boarding, and not too many traverses for the boarder.
Great powder, and on weekdays, the place tends to be quite quiet.
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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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Hi Alpinebullit,
Fernie is a great place but have you ever thought about Red Mountain (now rebranded as Red Resort).
Have a look at the website.
This will be our 3rd Winter in a row to Red and it is a unique and special place and there is nowhere better to stay than the delightful Rams Head Inn which is only a short walk to the base area and lifts.
The Rock Cut pub is just down the road and the fine "Gypsy at Red" restaurant is only a few minutes walk away.
Red is a place where you really need your own transport to reach but it then allows you to visit another of my favourite "unspoilt" places, Whitewater.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Alpinebullit,
Welcome to Snowheads!! - I visited Winter Park at about that time, last year. Conditions were excellent, and while past performance is not necessarily a guide to future prospects, this resort does get the highest snowfall in Colorado (and is also the home hill of two of our US snowheads: ssh and Rusty Guy). - I posted a report somewhere in the resorts archive. - I stayed at the Winter Park Mountain Lodge which is just across the highway from the resort base area (but you still need to catch the shuttle to get there: the highway is below the hotel in a cutting, and another 20 feet above the base area on a steep (walled) embankment: you can't just stroll across the road). The particular attraction of this hotel is that it has its own microbrewery.
Another possibility for that time of year is Utah. Accomodation in Park City gives you direct access to Park City Mountain Resort (lifts from the resort base area and one from the centre of town), and there's a free shuttle to the Canyons and Deer Valley. Again, Utah has an impressive snow record, and my experience of early January was good, with reasonable temperatures and a lot of new snow. If you're planning to rent a car, then you've also got a load of great hills within about 45 minutes drive.
I'd be a little wary of Canada that early in the year: it can get bitterly cold in January in the central region, I've certainly experienced temperatures around -30 in the Banff area. Fernie is not quite so bad, but as you point out, you can get rain there (I should say, however, that my one trip to Fernie in early January coincided with a huge dump of fresh powder, whilst Kimberley - about a 90 minute drive away was pretty thin on top).
I haven't visited the Okanagan resorts, but by all accounts the weather conditions tend to be rather milder. It's on my list of must-visit areas.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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there are a great many very good locations in the US and Canada. i have been to Banff in january several times and the weather/conditions were fine. other than a small lodge at Sunshine nothing is ski in/ski out.
it is difficult to pick or compare Colorado resorts. they all have advantages and disadvantages. i bought a home near Winter Park because it is my favorite part of Colorado. To start with there has not been the development that has occured in other spots. it reminds me of the way Colorado used to be. Winter Park is a small town. in the UK it would be a village.......a small village. the ski area gets great snow and has the terrain I like. i suppose the bottom line is I could work or ski anywhere and I chose WP to get away from crowds.
just as an aside someone mentioned ssh. he lives in Boulder and volunteers part-time as a guide for the "Over-The Hill Gang" at Copper Mountain. it is a very large vibrant group of retired skiers. the guides are given a pass and perhaps a small stipend. i'm certain Steve has visited WP a great deal.
there are no bad choices. i simply prefer WP, however, the reality is you can find a great vacation at any resort. in january snow conditions will be similar everywhere.
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Cheers for the information everybody, I know my question was pretty broad, but your remarks are certainely helping me. I really appreciate it and I will let you know how I'm getting on.
Alpinebullit.
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With 14 days (and a car) you could do Tahoe and Mammoth.......fly to San Francisco, pick up a car (go for a 4x4), if you time it right you are 3-4 hours drive from San Francisco to Tahoe (avoid the rush hour), do the Tahoe resorts then drive down to Mammoth, stay there a few days and drive down to LA (6-7 hours), drop the car and fly home.
Ski in/out would be a problem as that will cost big bucks. If you have a car you can easily find somewhere to stay a short drive away which is much cheaper
The above tour is easily doable, but if a big Sierra storm comes over you could find road conditions tricky for a few days.
The other easy one is fly to Salt Lake City and do all the Utah resorts which are 1-2 hours from the city. Again ski in/out is a problem.
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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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Colin, a big sierra storm closes the roads.
the vast majority of the SLC resorts are thirty minutes from the city. ski in/out exists at Alta or the Bird. If you have a car stay in Sandy at a moderate motel and drive 20 minutes up the canyon.
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