Need advice on ski vacation

In My Humble Opinion
21

rmariamp thoses are some insane deals - Lake Louise is all but the winner right now. Airfare is very high to their right now ($500-$700) but the price once there is right.

We are looking to take more then the 7days planned - maybe 9 or possibly more. we are thinking of visiting Calgaory (I know I mangled that name) for a few then taking something like that 6and5 holiday.

3 Ski resorts all together w/ shuttle access - It looks made to order to satify both of us.

We were thinking of going in Jan- but from past experence it looks better (snow wise) for Feb.

So how 'bout that ski dope?

22

It’s already been said, but you definitely do not want to even attempt skiing Northern Utah this winter. However, Brian Head may be something to consider.

The scenery is a lot different than the resorts further north, but the snow on the redrock and sandstone are beautiful.

23

For travel before Dec 13 (not optimal but…) check out the Northwest Airlines Canada Fare Sale:
http://www.nwa.com/features/canadasale.shtml

Its really too early for ski-related fare sales. I would expect them to start cropping up in late september at the earliest. NW Airlines has a hub in Minneapolis and consequently often has sales out Canada way. Just keep an eye out for fare sales and pounce when you see a good one.

BTW, I seriously low-balled the average snowfall at Sunshine. According to their website it is 33+ FEET/season.

24

Great idea, however due to work I won’t be able to make it. I’m chained to my desk for the next year. (Thank god there is some kick ass skiing in town.)

25

May I just chime in and offer my home as accomodations? I live in Canmore, Alberta. 10 minutes from world-class skiing at Sunshine; half an hour from Nakiska (where the alpine events for the 1988 Winter Olympics were held) and about 45 minutes to Lake Louise.

Plus, I should be able to get some kick-ass locals discounts.

26

k2dave,

Yes, Crystal Mt. is in Washington.

I could be wrong about needing a car to get to Crystal. Once you’re there you’re in like Flynn. Silver Skis is the closest Lodge to any ski resort I know of in Washington State. Did I mention that it is within crawling distance of the bar? Here’s a site for the Silver Skis Chalet, and here’s another one. I did not see anything specifically regarding transportation to the mountain(besides driving directions), but I am sure a quick email or phone call could clear that up. Here’s the site for Crystal.
Now that I think about it, The Summit at Snoqualmie, which includes Alpental, Ski Acres, Snoqualmie, and Hyak might be fun and inexpensive. There are a ton of new hotels that have been built in the past few years so you can probably get a pretty good rate on a room . The great thing is that you don’t need to pay extra for a pass that will work at any of the four hills, two-minutes apart via the free shuttle. Once you’ve bought a ticket you are good to go.

Here is my breakdown on the specific hills:

Alpental - Nice DBD’s(double blacks). Pray to God that Edelweiss is open. As I said earlier, not alot of kiddie stuff. Your wife will be plenty happy because there is some good blue.

Ski Acres aka Summit West - Not alot of DBD’s but enough to keep you fairly satisfied. More blue than you can shake a stick at. The great thing about Ski Acres is that it is lit at night(Crystal has very little night skiing). They sometimes have a “Super Skier” deal where you can ski all damn night if you want. Another great thing is the crossover trail to Snoqualmie aka Summit Central. There should be plenty of nice mogul fields.

Snoqualmie aka Summit Central. - I used to ski here alot when I was a kid but that was before they built the Silver Fir chair which opened up a ton of blacks and blues. Snoqualmie is also lit at night but I don’t think there is lighting on Silver Fir yet.

Hyak aka Summit East - They used to have a lift that went over the top of the hill to the backside that was pretty rough and ungroomed. It was nice because when you go back there you are pretty much alone. By the looks of the map they might have taken it down all together. It is usually less crowded than the other hills and it feels like a mostly intermediate/advanced area. Tougher terrain than Central and West and bit easier than Alpental.
If you want raw, hard skiing and a ton of different DBD’s and backcountry to die for, Crystal is my pick. I used to bring a backpack, my boots, and a lunch and spend all day back there. Cornices up the yin yang and freshies all to yourself a lot of the time because it might take about 20 to 45 minutes depending on how far out you want to hike, which most people are unwilling to do. They dynamite pretty often so I don’t think you will need a transmitter. Then again, one person dies almost every year in Crystal backcountry.

Good luck(especially after that last little tidbit)!

27

I’m with Telemark on Summit County Colorado.

You can ski Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone and one other resort that is slipping my mind at the moment.

Basically, you buy your passes and you can ski any of the mountains. Breckenridge (my second home) has exellent accomodations and the shuttles are free. There are a lot of excellent restaurants (yep, even the 5 star places allow you to wear jeans) on the main strip of Breckenridge.

Shopping is high class too. Don’t feel like skiing? Lot’s of individual boutiques and high class shopping. If you want to go for the bargains? Take the shuttle to the Silverthorne Outlets, lots of name brand shops with great bargains.

Breckenridge has a good variety of easy to black diamond slopes (if you ski at Breck, hit Mach 1, it’s not the hardest but it will challenge your ability none-the-less), Breck has 4 mountains.

Keystone has 2 mountains with A Basin just up the hill from there (not part of the resort but if you are into serious high alitude skiing and the most incredible views, this is your side trip, may require a paid trip up as they aren’t part of the Breck/Keystone/Vail resorts anymore.)

Vail is usually a very crowded place but has some of the best skiing available and the town of Vail is a fun place for night life.

Copper Mountain has excellent skiing as well, it can get windy up at the top but the high speed quad gets you up there in a manner of minutes.

Over all, book your flight into DIA, tell your travel agent to get a shuttle to Breckenridge (I am serious, it’s the best place to stay) all you need from there is your skis, some cash and some clothes (of course you need a place to stay but that’s a given.)

Once the shuttle reservations are booked, and you arrive in Summit County, you have the world at your heals. And a damn good time to boot.

28

For my money, if you haven’t skiied the west before, Kirkwood is definitely on the short list of ski mountains. It is unlike anywhere I have been before as it is there for one purpose, for skiers to ski. They average over 400 inches of snow per year, and by mid-Feb it is usually rockin’. I was there for the 2nd time this year and got over 70 inches of snow in a ** 3-day period!!!**

Other places - Jackson, Vail, Aspen, etc… seem to cater to tourists with skis more than skiers per se.

A few ski mountains for people who like skiing

[ul]
[a] Kirkwood, Calif - tons of snow
** Bridger Bowl, Mont. - unknown & friendy outside Bozeman
[c] Sun Valley, Ida. - great mountain & resort
[d] Steamboat Sprgs., Colo. - great cowboy skiing
[e] Whistler - B.C. - never been but everyone I know luvs it
[/ul]

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these places. As a easterner myself, I know that every trip I have taken was worthwhile, even when conditions were sub-par. Mid Feb seems to be ideal. I try to go somewhere every other year, and I heartily suggest that you do whatever it takes to get out this winter. You’ll never look at Killington or Smuggler’s the same.

29

Thanks for all the advise and help. Another monkey wrench was thrown into the press. We were all but set for Lake Louise then a friend that lives in CO said he might be able to get a great deal over there (he mentioned Copper for $15/day and a 2 room condo for $125/night). We gave him until mid sept to see if he can actually get these deals.

Since my wife and I like to ski diffrent terrain it would be great if he and his gf could come as we would both have someone to ski with and I could bring someone w/ me when I ski off trail.

If it doesn’t come through it’s back to Lake Louise and then Washing state as a 3rd.

Thanks you GingerOfTheNorth for the offer if this falls through we may take you up on that.

30

My first ever trip to the Rockies was with my family in eighth-grade to Copper Mountain. Nice mountain with varying terrain. I am sure they have an advanced lift system now. You’ll love it!

31

Taos.