advice for a trip out west next winter

[Npage148]

Hi, this is my first post, but ive been lurking here a while. My girlfriend and I are planning a trip out west for next winter either in early Janurary or Mid march depending on how our schedules work out. It will be about a week long. It's hard wading though all the information on the net and I was looking for some advice where to visit. I've been snowboarding for about 7 years and consider my self pretty advanced. I'm comfortable on most terrain as long as the moguls are kept to a minimum and It's not overly icy. The steeps at killington, stratton and gore do not bother me. Ive ridden thigh deep powder a handful of times My girlfriend is an intermediate rider and enjoys blues and some very mild diamonds. I am looking for a place where I will be able to ride deep powder and some challanging terrain without getting overly extreme. My girlfriend would enjoy a place where the crusing runs are nice and groomed with packed powder and she alway wants a nice villiage to go enjoy. We will not be riding exculsively together and probabaly split up to explore by ourselves. The budget is not really a concern but i do not want to break the bank since we are both in college. Also, i will probably not rent a car out there. I have been looking at snowbird, big sky montana and she has heard good things about sun valley idaho. Any other input would be great. Thanks Alot
Nate

 

[Ig ODC]

Open question you ask, but I guess you want some advice and haven't been out west. Well, Snowbird is great, easy to get to, great terrain, has what you are looking for, if you skied and didn't ride I'd recommend Alta, but that is not the case. Also, the best price considering airfare and lodging of pretty much anywhere in the US. Snowbird isn't much of a village, and seeing you are in college, you probably want a bit of apres. Jackson would be a good choice, great intermediate cruisers and tougher stuff too. Big Sky as well as Big Mtn. would fit the bill, a little tougher to get to. Big Mtn. in Whitefish Mt. is an Awesome town, prob. the most fun I've ever had. Whistler would be choice too. You could also do the Fernie thing. As far as deep powder goes, unless you have some sort of "in" with mother nature, there is nothing you can do about that, but Utah consistently has the best snow, by far. You could do Utah, Jackson and Whistler real easily without renting a car. I would think you'd need a car for Montana and places in British Columbia. Oh, and Whistler has an awesome town!

 

[Npage148]

Thanks for the tips. I know its a pretty open question, but im pretty clueless on where to check out and you can bet ill be doing a little snowdance before i get on the plane

 

[tekweezle]

if you want variety and ease of travel, Park City Utah is great. there are 7-9 resorts within driving distance or public bus. the resorts are only about 30 minutes from Salt lake City. I have been there twice on 6 day trips. I loved the variety but the mountains are not particularly huge. If you want to stay at one area, Snowbird and Alta is a great choice. I have been to Snowbird but not Alta.

if you want more mountain than you can ski in a week, I would recommend Whistler Blackcomb in Canada but the travel is a little intense. it;s a 2 hour bus trip from Vancouver to the resort. it was a low snow year this year though. it;s got an excellent village.

I also like Jackson Hole, Wy. it;s cheap and pretty dependable snow conditions. you have to take a bus every morning 12 miles to get to the resort if you stay in town. the mountain has got alot of challenging terrain.

Another idea might be Vail. it is the largest resort in the US. I haven;t been there yet, hope to go next year.

 

[ChileMass]

CO - Summit County areas (Copper, Keystone, Breckenridge, A-Basin, Loveland) are all either directly on I-70 or a very short drive off it. Vail is only 25 miles further, again directly on I-70, so all of these are very easy to get to from Denver International. I love Copper and A-Basin, recommend staying in Breck village for easy access to all hills and lots of apres-ski fun.

UT - Almost all of the major hills are within an hour or so of SLC airport. The snow is somewhat more reliable than CO. Alta is everything you've read about. Avoid Deer Valley unless you need a day to be pampered. Snow Basin is a little-known gem north of town. The town of Park City is lots of fun, great restaurants and nice hotels, but major-league expensive. Downtown SLC is boring (IMHO). Stay in Little Cottonwood canyon at Snowbird or up near Brighton/Solitude instead.

2nd-hand stuff on areas I've never been to: My sis lived in the Taos NM area, and it's supposed to be fabulous. Warm and sunny, but snow can be sketchy some years. I went to Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee in the summer and they look phenomenal. The Tetons are incredible. Targhee has Snowcat-served powder skiing that looks great. Lake Tahoe has a bunch of ski areas and tons of snow, but it's a long drive from SF and it can be crowded with weekending Californians.

Recommendation: check out CO first. It's easy to get a flight from the east coast and easy to access from DIA. Almost all other locations are much harder to get to and will cost more, especially WY and NM.

 

[Treeliner]

My girlfriend would enjoy a place where the crusing runs are nice and groomed with packed powder and she alway wants a nice villiage to go enjoy.

The one piece of advice I can offer is that you might want to stay away from Snowbird; although you might find it to be an absolute blast, including some of the best riding of your life, I found it to be an almost exclusively advanced experience. Many of the groomers especially those coming from the top wind along steep drop ins for expert terrain, something that I feel could intimidate an intermediate. There is much of a village at the bottom of Snowbird, either. Of course you might personally love Snowbird as I did being a rider of your same ability level. From what I've heard your best bet may very well be Whistler.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

I think any of the major resorts out west would be a great memorable trip. I think you would enjoy JH more than she and she would enjoy Sun Valley more than you.

Might want to consider the diference between a semi isolated destination resort like JH, Sun Valley, Big Sky, Telluride or Steamboat(my personal preference) or a urban/suburban resort area like SLC or Summit County where there are several resort choices.

Good luck

 

[Npage148]

Thanks for all the quick responses. Re-reading my post, i underestimated my girlfriends skills. She can handle some moderate diamons, like okemo's and stratton's but not killingtons or gore's. Treeliner, i see what you say about snowbird being a little too much. I never even thought of steamboat or some other of the less know places. I guess i got a long search in front of me. Also, will the time of the year dictate where i will go? Will one place be better in march, while anothe in janurary? Thanks for the patience and info

Ski resort, I am sure any place will be great. I am a little obessive when it comes to wacky things like this

 

[Ig ODC]

The more I think about it and see other posts, I have to say Whistler. Since you are in college, you'll want some fun, and Whistler has it more than any other town I've been to, and that includes pretty much all the major spots (Vail, Park City, Jackson, etc...). The cost isn't too bad because you get the Canadian currency rate. The skiing is the best, you'll find challenging stuff for you and great cruisers for the lady. Since you ride, you can't do Taos, Alta or Deer Valley. Utah is by far the easiest to get to and probably can be done for the least amount of money, Park City is a fun town, and you'd probably like Park City Ski Area, but for a rider, Snowbird is where it is at. People make Snowbird and Jackson out to be some extreme mountains, and while you can find steeps if you want at those places, there is plenty of intermediate terrain also (let's put it this way, my 60 year old mother skis there).

You're set anywhere you go, the less popular resorts are often the better ones too, nothing is worse than having crowded slopes and lines. (That would be the only negative about Whistler, if you go a holiday week it will be crowded). On the other hand, it makes for some great partying.

 

[patricsaint]

I have to second any Colorado or Utah suggestions, especially as your first trip out west. Both places have pretty reliable conditions too.
I've been fortunate enough to get to CO twice a year for the last 3 and got to Utah twice this year. Most of my ski trips are pretty focused. Fly out, ski 3 or 4 days, fly home. Did spend a week in Utah this past December. Un-friggin-believeable conditions..
Stay in SLC and ski any one of 7 or 8 major mountains. In UT I've only skied Brighton, Solitude and Alta (which is off limits to riders) but there's many more choices.
Or do Summit County CO as someone mentioned and ski Keystone, Breck, Copper, A-Basin etc..
Good luck planning!

 

[Bumpsis]

I would also strongly suggest checking out the Summit County (Colorado) first. You've got: Brec, Keystone, A-basin, Cooper and Vail, all the biggies.

It gives you the chance to try out a large diversity of terrain: Breckenbridge is an itermediate heaven,
and staying in the town of Breckenbridge gives you lots of great bars and restaurants, in other words, nightlife.
Keystone, A-basin, Copper give you a huge range of terrain. My favorite is the back bowls of Copper - true western open bowl skiing.
Avoid Vail. The terrain is excellent but atmosphere sucks unless you're into being among really stuck up filthy rich people. The town is a kitchy tourist hell trap. It's a zoo. It looks and feels fake.

Getting a rental car will give you a much better flexibilty of travel between different areas than
just using the town shuttles. Keep in mind, the distances between the ski areas do add time to your ski commute.

Finally, if you're willing to go a bit off the really beaten path, try Crested Butte, CO.
The town has a terrific, authentic western feel and it's real. Interesting mix of the '70 and now.
Its realitive isolation will give your vacation a very special, "out there" feel.
The mountain is great as well. From super steeps to nice groomers. And you would not even need a car. The shuttles between the resort and the town are frequent. And it is a real party town.

Also,the prefferable time to go is March rather than January. Cover is usually much better and it is the snowiest month in the Rockies.

 

[Npage148]

BUMPPIDY,
I am biting the bullet and going to snowbird for the week of March 13-17. Im super pumped for some steeps and powder. I've done alot of reading various trip reports on teh web and i cant wait. Its all gonna rock.

THanks for all the adivce

 

[Geoff]

My girlfriend would enjoy a place where the crusing runs are nice and groomed with packed powder and she alway wants a nice villiage to go enjoy.

BUMPPIDY,
I am biting the bullet and going to snowbird for the week of March 13-17. Im super pumped for some steeps and powder. I've done alot of reading various trip reports on teh web and i cant wait. Its all gonna rock.

THanks for all the adivce

You don't listen all that well. Your soon-to-be ex-girlfriend isn't going to be wild about your resort selection. Snowbird has no village at all and almost no terrain suitable for an intermediate cruiser.

I'd suggest:
Heavenly Valley - Superb cruiser mountain but the Mott's Canyon area will challenge anybody. It's kind of like Castlerock at Sugarbush on steroids. With all the casinos, there's tons of night life. Close to a good airport in Reno. You don't need a car.

If you have a trust fund, Aspen. Best ski town in North America. 4 ski areas with anything you can imagine for terrain. Snowmass usually works best for people with mixed ability.

Whistler was a good suggestion but it's difficult access. It's a 3+ hour bus ride from Vancouver and flights from the east are expensive and/or require connecting somewhere awful like Chicago.

 

[Treeliner]

BUMPPIDY,
I am biting the bullet and going to snowbird for the week of March 13-17. Im super pumped for some steeps and powder. I've done alot of reading various trip reports on teh web and i cant wait. Its all gonna rock.

THanks for all the adivce

Cool, you're gonna have a blast man- out of the three resorts I rode in Utah last winter, Snowbird was by far my fav...it's quite an experience getting off the tram at 11,000' and then dropping into a steep, wide open bowl.

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

Stratton has steeps?

Utah for snow. Definitely the most reliably. You can stay for cheap in SLC and be in Little Cottonwood canyon and Big Cottonwood Canyon in 45 minutes. The Caynons and Park City/Dear Valet are just over an hour. Going that route will give you great skiing, but not too much else. FOr me, days at Alta and a steak and a brew at Squatter's Brew Pub and I;d be a happy camper. For a couple, you might be looking for more.

I'm a huge fan of New Mexico. I will tell you, the snow is not as reliable. I've had a great time, even in a crappy snow year. Go to Taos and take in the history, and hit the Taos Ski Valley and you'll have a blast. Don't stay at the Ski Valley, stay down in town. There are some great places to stay, or, if you're on a budget, some decent cheap, clean chain motels and you can take in the ambienance. YOu could even do a little tour, Fly into ABQ, ski Sandia Peak, Pajarito, Santa Fe and Taos for some variety. (OK, Throw in Angel Fire too, I suppose.)

(OK, I'm partial to NM because I like being able to get roasted chiles on my cheeseburger )

Also, remember, being from low elevation, sleeping low is a great idea, as you don't know how you're body will aclimate to the higher altitude. Play high, sleep low and you'll likely enjoy your trip more

 

[Npage148]

Im pretty sure i do listen. My girlfriend pick snowbird fully aware of what it has and hasnt got. I actually tried to pick colordo but she shot me down we've read tons of trip reports and gotten advice from friends who have been there. Her mom skied if before she was born and they all said it was a blast. And like IG ODC said above, his 60yo mom skies there. Plus there is the whole winter for her to improve.

and stratton def has steeps, ever look at the prices in the lodge?

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

and stratton def has steeps, ever look at the prices in the lodge?

Da doom, doom, doom!

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Are you staying at the resort?

 

[Npage148]

not sure yet, we need to check prices and transportation and other stuff. I am favoring staying at the mountain though.

 

[ChileMass]

Other than staying right at Snowbird, you'll probably have to stay in southern SLC area which is only about a 20-30 min ride up into Little Cottonwood canyon to get back up to the hill. But, like someone said, there isn't much at all at the base of Snowbird for after-ski activity. If you want to just hang with the GF and be mellow, this will be your opportunity. You can get more active up in SLC itself, but in general, the nightlife in Utah blows (IMHO) except for Park City. The skiing in UT is wonderful but it's boring as dirt.

If this is your first trip west (and last for a while) you owe it to yourself to pack in as much leg-burning and brain-cell-destroying fun as possible, and Utah simply isn't the place for that. Fly to Denver (much cheaper and more convenient from the east coast anyway), stay in Breckenridge and ski the Summit County region. Breck is AWESOME for nightlife and the skiing options are almost endless.

So - You're in college, right? Or just out - same thing. You can ski all day and party all night, right? Your GF is an intermediate who will want some diversion other than skiing, since she's not seriously hardcore. Trust me. I've been to CO and UT many, many times. Go to UT in 5-6 years on your next trip when you've decided you only live for twigs in your teeth and skiing/riding with a snorkel. That's when you go to Snowbird and Alta. For now, go rip it up in Summit County and you'll have stories that will make your buddies in Buffalo green with envy. And post lots of reports on www.COskiing.com.