Western US skiing recommendations

[construe]

I searched but could not find any recent threads about skiiing in the Western US, so I'll ask my questions here. We're a family of 4 with 2 teenage boys. My boys and I have skiing experience only in western NC, and, well, not sure that means much. I'd guess I'd say we're "intermediate", but it's hard to tell when the runs only last a few minutes and there is little terrain to navigate (at least we are used to patchy ice, lol...)

My wife and I would like to give them some exposure to "real" skiing as an early Christmas present, and so I'm asking folks' opinion about a resort to head to for about 4-5 days of skiing. Ideally, it would provide enough conveniences so we don't have to have a car, equipment (we'd rent there), and also have non-skiing activities for my wife, who doesn't downhill (she does, however, cross-country, so that's an option). We're also looking at early-mid December, so not sure if that early-season time will limit our options too much.

A quick search from her produced the following list of places: Breckenridge, Park City, Keystone, or Copper Mountain. Open to hearing any and all feedback or suggestions.

Thanks!

[Jim3k]

Good list. Add Sun Valley and Steamboat Springs.

Also Crested Butte (Colo.) and Northstar (North of Lake Tahoe).

[diablesseblu]

Good list. Add Sun Valley and Steamboat Springs.

Also Crested Butte (Colo.) and Northstar (North of Lake Tahoe).

Must say, of the places mentioned, Sun Valley has been our favorite. Getting there can be a challenge, but it’s worth it. Also, when traveling during the teenage years, I always rented a car. It was worth the cost for the freedom.

[bundabergdevil]

Good list. Add Sun Valley and Steamboat Springs.

Also Crested Butte (Colo.) and Northstar (North of Lake Tahoe).

Yeah, if you want that classic ski village feel then all the ones listed are good. Aspen, Vail and Jackson tend to be more expensive butt the towns are great.

If you don’t mind a little less development and just a touch cheaper, the Ogden Valley in UT has 3 mountains all accessible within 15 or so minutes. Plenty of opportunity upBig and Little Cottonwood Canyons just outside SLC, too.

[sagegrouse]

A quick search from her produced the following list of places: Breckenridge, Park City, Keystone, or Copper Mountain. Open to hearing any and all feedback or suggestions.

Thanks!

OK, here's the story -- mostly on Colorado. The ski world is pretty much divided these days between Epic and Ikon. They offer season passes that can be used for at least five days for each of their 40 or so resorts (mostly US, but both have overseas resorts listed). The trick for both products is to have early season skiing. The mountains open now in Colorado are Arapahoe Basin (Ikon) and Keystone (Epic). A-Basin is mostly expert terrain with limited other attractions and has both early and late snow. Keystone is the early-season DH for Epic, and it makes snow to open early. Breckenridge, which you mentioned, is very high -- the base is 9,600 feet, and, as you have surmised, it shows an opening next Friday. The snow cover today appears to be man-made.

You should try to be flexible, if you can. Ski resorts are not that busy before Christmas, and you can purchase at the last minute, depending on snow conditions. Another approach, depending on whether you get a break on purchasing in advance vs. walk-up purchases, is to stay at an attractive resort like Vail or Beaver Creek, where you can drive to a number of other resorts within 45 minutes. From Vail, you can get to Copper Mt., Keystone, and Breck quite easily. Steamboat, where I live, is under two hours from Vail. Or, you can purchase multi-day passes at the last minute for a place promising good snow.

The winter flights into the Steamboat airport, about 30 mins. west of town, begin Dec 16-18 and last into April. Steamboat is far enough from the Denver metro area that we get much less weekend traffic -- but it may not be a problem in mid-December.

Anyway, I could go on, but December skiing can be uncertain. Most of the mountains will be open, but there may be only a few runs.

[weezie]

Snowmass is huge. Plenty of terrain but pray for lots of snow beginning to fall...hmmm... yes, now would be good.

And, Aspen is right down/up the road. Costs the big $$$ but the chutes are worth a day. Can be a bit icy.

[dudog84]

I don't have a lot of experience, but hard to imagine anything beating Tahoe for the scenery on the slopes.

[Tripping William]

With the caveat that I don’t ski, and am biased: SLC is tough to beat. Within an hour of the airport:

Snowbird and Alta (Little Cottonwood Canyon)
Brighton and Solitude (Big Cottonwood Canyon)
All of the Park City resorts
Sundance (Provo Canyon)
Snow Basin and Nordic Valley (Ogden area)

[Channing]

If you are going mid-December you really need to watch for snow reports. The last few years Park City has taken a little longer to build a base. Steamboat or maybe even Whistler (if Canada is an option) are probably your best bets for early season skiing. That said, on the whole, nothing beats Park City for convenience. SLC has tons of flights in and out and is only 30 minutes from the mountain. Vail / Beaver Creek are both great, but much like Steamboat, EGE has limited flights (one per day for Delta out of Atlanta). If you are not seasoned skiiers, I can't imagine that you are too concerned about the terrain, but in any event Park City / Canyons is massive with something for everyone (and DV is right there for the country club skiing folks).

[Jim3k]

I don't have a lot of experience, but hard to imagine anything beating Tahoe for the scenery on the slopes.

I had to give skiing up a few years ago due to altitude-related health. But before that, I spent over 50 years skiing the West. Started as a young teen in Colorado. But skied in California, Washington, Idaho, Arizona and Montana. (Somehow missed Oregon.) (Also skied some in the Northeast.)

The scenery in all of these states can be phenomenal. Still, the only place where I encountered a deep spiritual feeling from such mountainous panoramas was at Schweitzer Mountain above Sandpoint, Idaho. On a late February afternoon, in -5° degree weather, with a ground blizzard at my feet, I stood (on skis) above the cliff, overlooking a partly frozen Lake Pend Oreille, to the East. The lake was backed by the Bitteroot Mountains miles across the way. I must have stood there for fifteen minutes, awestruck by the conjunction of colors, blue sky, multiple hues of blue and white on the lake, with late afternoon light on high wispy clouds, evergreen trees, the white Bitterroots, the snow sweeping off the cliff at my feet, and the bitterly cold air. Good thing I was dressed for it. Wow! Still remember it!

Others may have experienced something similar somewhere else.

[rsvman]

With the caveat that I don’t ski, and am biased: SLC is tough to beat. Within an hour of the airport:

Snowbird and Alta (Little Cottonwood Canyon)
Brighton and Solitude (Big Cottonwood Canyon)
All of the Park City resorts
Sundance (Provo Canyon)
Snow Basin and Nordic Valley (Ogden area)

This. There really isn't anyplace better.

[diablesseblu]

This. There really isn't anyplace better.

When I reminisce about our ski trips out west, our best flights were always to SLC. If you ask the then preteens about our trips though, it was not the skiing or the ease of travel that was memorable. It was a mid December trip to Sun Valley. We rented an SUV and drove from SLC to Idaho. It was a haul, but must say, the accommodations, snow and skiing were terrific.

Surprisingly, what those now fully grown adults still talk about is our horse drawn sleigh trip (under a full moon) to Trail Creek Cabin for dinner. And, I thought at the time that they just indulged us and hated it.

Point being, just figure out what works for your budget and schedule. You cannot predict what teenagers will like and/or remember fondly. The important thing is you want to do this with them.

[Jim3k]

I had to give skiing up a few years ago due to altitude-related health. But before that, I spent over 50 years skiing the West. Started as a young teen in Colorado. But skied in California, Washington, Idaho, Arizona and Montana. (Somehow missed Oregon.) (Also skied some in the Northeast.)

Oops. Forgot Utah--Park City and Snowbird are both outstanding. Apologies to Utah lovers. Snowbird is known for its powder, which can be a challenge for lesser experienced skiers.

Should also note that Northstar is only an hour from the Reno airport--and there is regular shuttle service.

Rental car prices these days are way out of line. Avoid them if you can.

[75Crazie]

If you do decide on Colorado or maybe Utah, and if you or your family is new to those kinds of altitudes, do some research on altitude sickness before you go. The NC mountains are no preparation at all for the altitudes of the Colorado ski slopes, in particular, which I believe are at higher altitude than most other North American ski resorts (I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong there). Altitude sickness hits some people hard and others are practically unaffected at all, so it's hard to predict if your family will experience it. Headaches and nausea are typical symptoms; they will go away in a couple days or so as one acclimates. If you cannot stage your trip (for example, you're going to Breckinridge but can maybe stay in Denver a couple of days first), you might want to investigate some sort of pharmaceutical remedies (I have no experience at all with these, being one of those that are blessedly unaffected by rapid altitude change and having lived for 20 years at 8900 feet in the Rocky Mt foothills). I do know that non-pharma recommendations include drinking significant amounts of water, staying away from alcohol the first day or two, and trying a hi-carb diet before and during the trip. Sorry, I don't want to scare you, if you follow some of these tips you should be OK, but it's nice to be prepared for whatever awaits you.

I would say that any of the Colorado, Utah, and Idaho, slopes will give you some breath-taking views.

[construe]

Serious thanks to everyone who's responded...you all have been very informative!

[dudog84]

Should also note that Northstar is only an hour from the Reno airport--and there is regular shuttle service.

That was the other thing about Tahoe...most of the slopes are less than an hour from The Biggest Little City in The World. Had my best New Years ever in that city, long before most everybody started dropping a ball at midnight I think Reno was the only one outside of NYC that did.

[Book_Face]

Lots of good advice already in this thread:
1) If going in December, definitely check the weather to see which resorts actually have enough snow to ski
2) SLC and surrounding resorts are always a good option. There you should plan to stay in Park City where there's a great town and lots of good restaurants. Park City, Deer Valley (skiers only), and Canyons are all right there. Then you can drive < an hour to Solitude (fun and good for intermediates), Alta (great for skiers only - by far my favorite resort in UT), Snowbird (you better be good), and Snowbasin.
3) In CO, I much preferred Keystone to Copper. My favorite spot in CO is Telluride - great scenery, town, and a fun ski mountain for all abilities.
4) In CA, I love Mammoth as it's my home mountain. It has a huge amount of varied terrain for all skill levels and is a beautiful spot overall. It's just not easy to get to (5 hour drive from LA, 3 from Reno). They do have some limited air service.

Have fun!

[sagegrouse]

If you do decide on Colorado or maybe Utah, and if you or your family is new to those kinds of altitudes, do some research on altitude sickness before you go. The NC mountains are no preparation at all for the altitudes of the Colorado ski slopes, in particular, which I believe are at higher altitude than most other North American ski resorts (I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong there). Altitude sickness hits some people hard and others are practically unaffected at all, so it's hard to predict if your family will experience it. Headaches and nausea are typical symptoms; they will go away in a couple days or so as one acclimates. If you cannot stage your trip (for example, you're going to Breckinridge but can maybe stay in Denver a couple of days first), you might want to investigate some sort of pharmaceutical remedies (I have no experience at all with these, being one of those that are blessedly unaffected by rapid altitude change and having lived for 20 years at 8900 feet in the Rocky Mt foothills). I do know that non-pharma recommendations include drinking significant amounts of water, staying away from alcohol the first day or two, and trying a hi-carb diet before and during the trip. Sorry, I don't want to scare you, if you follow some of these tips you should be OK, but it's nice to be prepared for whatever awaits you.

I would say that any of the Colorado, Utah, and Idaho, slopes will give you some breath-taking views.

Altitude problems in Colorado? My house in Steamboat Springs is at 7,000 feet, about the same as the ski area base and higher than any place east of the Mississippi. Many places are higher. Yes, you can have altitude sickness.

IMHO (where the H got lost in a snowbank last April), a major part of the problem is hydration. The air is very dry and rather thin -- it sucks liquids out of your body like a suction pipe. Make a concerted effort to drink water every hour or so.

Second, don't bust your butt skiing the first day. To me, altitude problems manifest themselves as fatigue. A relatively easy first day will help.

Third, keep your diet on the light side for a day or two -- like avoiding 24 ounce T-bones, e.g.

Fourth, there are altitude meds, especially if you are prone to nausea. My daughter took them in the Andes, where they were hiking at 14,000 -- makes everything taste funny, apparently, but the meds seem to work. I have never taken them, but they help if you have nausea.

As to variations in base elevation, the Colorado and Utah resorts tend to be the highest -- with Alta, Keystone, Breck (9,600!) and Crested Butte (9,350!) having a base of at least 9,000. Ditto for Mammoth in California. The Tahoe resorts are just above 6,000 feet at the base, as is Jackson Hole in WY and Sun Valley, ID is a bit lower. The Canadian resorts even lower -- Lake Louise in Alberta (Banff) is 5,400.

Why the base elevation? Well, even if you ski for 5-6 hours a day, you are spending 20+ hours a day at or near the base elevation

[Indoor66]

I had to give skiing up a few years ago due to altitude-related health. But before that, I spent over 50 years skiing the West. Started as a young teen in Colorado. But skied in California, Washington, Idaho, Arizona and Montana. (Somehow missed Oregon.) (Also skied some in the Northeast.)

The scenery in all of these states can be phenomenal. Still, the only place where I encountered a deep spiritual feeling from such mountainous panoramas was at Schweitzer Mountain above Sandpoint, Idaho. On a late February afternoon, in -5° degree weather, with a ground blizzard at my feet, I stood (on skis) above the cliff, overlooking a partly frozen Lake Pend Oreille, to the East. The lake was backed by the Bitteroot Mountains miles across the way. I must have stood there for fifteen minutes, awestruck by the conjunction of colors, blue sky, multiple hues of blue and white on the lake, with late afternoon light on high wispy clouds, evergreen trees, the white Bitterroots, the snow sweeping off the cliff at my feet, and the bitterly cold air. Good thing I was dressed for it. Wow! Still remember it!

Others may have experienced something similar somewhere else.

Snowy Mountain Pass west of Centennial, WY on SR 130.

[rsvman]

There is definitely a reason they call it Alta!