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Non Region Specific April skiing in the US from NZ - where should we go?

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Wade Ice

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This. Early April is my favorite time to ski most of these places.

I’d add Aspen / Snowmass and Telluride to the list. Both peak in late March and early April, more so than just about anywhere else.

I’d vote Colorado over Tahoe for this time of year. The higher elevation helps with snow preservation, and the area’s general climate means nice spring bluebird days are likely.
Many thanks I had a good look at Aspen just maybe a little more expensive than the others at a glance. I appreciate the point about the higher elevations.
 
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Wade Ice

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Yes, early April is fantastic skiing in much of the western US. Just what conditions will be like in various spots is harder to forecast a month out. But higher elevation and north/east-facing slopes give you the best likelihood of wintry conditions. Colorado; Mammoth, California; Mt. Bachelor, Oregon; Big Sky, Montana are probably the best gambles, but as mentioned day tickets are high. More affordable day tickets at high elevation/low exposure include Discovery, Montana; Brian Head, Utah; Snow King, Wyoming; or Grand Targhee, Wyoming. Or stay flexible and follow the cold.

Or, on the other hand, pick a spot you want to experience (Tahoe, Southwest Colorado, and the Pacific Northwest are gorgeous in April) and just enjoy whatever ski conditions occur. There's always a chance you'll fall in love with sun-shiny skiing.
I appreciate your advice and the price-friendly options. Heading back down through Utah might present an option if there's a cold front as you point out.
 

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(weather permitting)
Note that there's zero chance that you won't be able to ski at the places we're talking about. There will be lots of snow, they will be open. The only chance is of having a warming trend, and getting a bit of soft or even slushy conditions. But that's still great skiing mostly at the places we're talking about. You'll be able to ski as much as you want or can stand.

Now about picking a place... lift tickets as I mentioned earlier will be expensive. There's no way to navigate around it. Most major resorts don't have any other deals or discounts or ways to cut costs other than buying online ahead of time. So I'd suggest starting to look at that. Let's assume central Colorado...

-- Copper mountain is cheaper on Thursdays... probably under $100/person
-- Loveland and A-basin are cheaper in general - probably under $100/person every day
-- But they aren't major resorts, so aren't massive, and don't have as much infrastructure - but are still great high altitude places to ski (really high actually, which keeps the snow nice)
-- Winter Park is a little further afield than the rest, which could all be skied in the same week more easily (Breck, Keystone, A-Basin, Loveland, Copper)
-- Vail and Beaver Creek are a little further afield, though not as much as Winter Park, and could be skied to, though they're a little lower
-- Breckenridge will probably be most expensive, between $150 and $200 depending on number of days, Copper, Keystone, and Winter Park not far behind
-- Lift tickets to Breck and Keystone are the same, so if you buy, say, 3 days they can be used at either resort and you could do a day at Vail or Beaver Creek if you wanted to
-- Vail and BC are a bit lower, but will still have great snow (I'll actually be in Vail and likely skiing a few days at Vail and BC, but I'm likely to hit Copper and A-basin too)
-- Buying multiple days online in advance is probably your best bet to get a bit of a discount any place
 

crosscountry

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Now about picking a place... lift tickets as I mentioned earlier will be expensive. There's no way to navigate around it.
Actually, if the OP wants to economize, he'll do well by moving his ski week to the 2nd week of April and buy the 23/24 IKON pass to ski Mammoth!

Great mountain and easy access from LA, his landing spot.

That said, when you fly half way across the earth and stay for a month, you probably aren't all that sensitive to the price of lift ticket alone.
 

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Mammoth should be excellent this Apr ( I was there last Apr in low snow year and still good). You could rent a car in LA and drive there in about 8 hours. It's big enough to keep you entertained for several days, and if ambitious you could drive up to Palisades/Tahoe for a day or two.
Report on my 2022 visit: https://www.skitalk.com/threads/unofficial-guide-mammoth-mountain-ca.28460/

I should add that I've spent the last four Aprils skiing frequently in Utah, mostly Snowbird. Early Apr is a fantastic time to visit Snowbird. The crowds are gone, the sun is bright, snow remains as high quality as just about anywhere in the USA. Staying in a cheap motel in the Salt Lake City suburbs is more affordable than accommodations in many other ski regions. It's actually a fun 11 hour drive from LA to SLC passing very near outstanding landmarks such as Virgin River Gorge, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, and National Parks such as Zion, Bryce Canyon. Traffic is very light for much of the drive and only the last 3 or 4 hours put you in snow country, but where the highway is likely to be clear and fast in April.
Snowbird, Utah Apr 27, 2021:
1678476377973.png
 
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Pat AKA mustski

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With the Ikon coming active on April 10, that opens up Palisades Tahoe as well as Mammoth. You are just as likely to hit winter conditions at the end of April as at the beginning. There is no shortage of snow. Yosemite is currently closed but likely to be open by April, but they were hit with historic snow also. If you fly into LA, you could do the beach/SoCal stuff first. Then drive to Mammoth to ski for a few days, head to Reno/Tahoe to ski for a few more days and continue via the 80 to some NoCal destination tourism.
 

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You're assuming a "week" is only 6 days. But if they ski more, the cost per day goes down.

Well I was just going off of @Wade Ice saying:

We've reserved the first week April 1-6 for skiing

But it's a good question... @Wade Ice could you make use of an Ikon pass next season too? If so, that may swing things toward going Ikon.

How many other "major" mountains have sub-$100/day tickets?

The only one I can think of is Copper on some Thursdays at $99.

The Ikon pass, if used for only the 6 days, would be almost $140 per person per day.
 
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raytseng

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With the Ikon coming active on April 10, that opens up Palisades Tahoe as well as Mammoth. You are just as likely to hit winter conditions at the end of April as at the beginning. There is no shortage of snow. Yosemite is currently closed but likely to be open by April, but they were hit with historic snow also. If you fly into LA, you could do the beach/SoCal stuff first. Then drive to Mammoth to ski for a few days, head to Reno/Tahoe to ski for a few more days and continue via the 80 to some NoCal destination tourism.
Yosemite during full flow would be epic if they reopen... more awesome than a spring day on the slopes imo. (Although the same issues with crowds...avoid weekends). A good option to watch and monitor. There is also badger pass small ski area there if you must ski, but I doubt that will reopen.

The complication though is Tioga pass probably won't open until like Halloween (j/k) , so that throws a wrench in the driving logistics to include on a Mammoth and Tahoe loop
 
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Wade Ice

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Mammoth should be excellent this Apr ( I was there last Apr in low snow year and still good). You could rent a car in LA and drive there in about 8 hours. It's big enough to keep you entertained for several days, and if ambitious you could drive up to Palisades/Tahoe for a day or two.
Report on my 2022 visit: https://www.skitalk.com/threads/unofficial-guide-mammoth-mountain-ca.28460/

I should add that I've spent the last four Aprils skiing frequently in Utah, mostly Snowbird. Early Apr is a fantastic time to visit Snowbird. The crowds are gone, the sun is bright, snow remains as high quality as just about anywhere in the USA. Staying in a cheap motel in the Salt Lake City suburbs is more affordable than accommodations in many other ski regions. It's actually a fun 11 hour drive from LA to SLC passing very near outstanding landmarks such as Virgin River Gorge, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, and National Parks such as Zion, Bryce Canyon. Traffic is very light for much of the drive and only the last 3 or 4 hours put you in snow country, but where the highway is likely to be clear and fast in April.
Snowbird, Utah Apr 27, 2021:
View attachment 196114
Many thanks. You make some good points. Having flexibility and driving from LA to SLC and price. So snowbird is a high, NE facing and recommended skifield for early April?
 
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Wade Ice

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Note that there's zero chance that you won't be able to ski at the places we're talking about. There will be lots of snow, they will be open. The only chance is of having a warming trend, and getting a bit of soft or even slushy conditions. But that's still great skiing mostly at the places we're talking about. You'll be able to ski as much as you want or can stand.

Now about picking a place... lift tickets as I mentioned earlier will be expensive. There's no way to navigate around it. Most major resorts don't have any other deals or discounts or ways to cut costs other than buying online ahead of time. So I'd suggest starting to look at that. Let's assume central Colorado...

-- Copper mountain is cheaper on Thursdays... probably under $100/person
-- Loveland and A-basin are cheaper in general - probably under $100/person every day
-- But they aren't major resorts, so aren't massive, and don't have as much infrastructure - but are still great high altitude places to ski (really high actually, which keeps the snow nice)
-- Winter Park is a little further afield than the rest, which could all be skied in the same week more easily (Breck, Keystone, A-Basin, Loveland, Copper)
-- Vail and Beaver Creek are a little further afield, though not as much as Winter Park, and could be skied to, though they're a little lower
-- Breckenridge will probably be most expensive, between $150 and $200 depending on number of days, Copper, Keystone, and Winter Park not far behind
-- Lift tickets to Breck and Keystone are the same, so if you buy, say, 3 days they can be used at either resort and you could do a day at Vail or Beaver Creek if you wanted to
-- Vail and BC are a bit lower, but will still have great snow (I'll actually be in Vail and likely skiing a few days at Vail and BC, but I'm likely to hit Copper and A-basin too)
-- Buying multiple days online in advance is probably your best bet to get a bit of a discount any place
Thanks so much you are very insightful. Sorry to change direction a bit but we've been hung up on the flights to Denver from LA and reconsidering (only reconsidering) if we should drive to Utah (where we were going after colorado anyway) and ski from there on the days that are suitable being we will be able to have 10 days or more there. It may be cheaper and have more options for accom etc. If you had a moment and are familiar with this location, could you comment if any skiing would be suitable in early April there?
 
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I appreciate your advice and the price-friendly options. Heading back down through Utah might present an option if there's a cold front as you point out.
Hi there. I'm thinking of going straight to utah now. Maybe not the glam of colorado (although I'd have no idea) but more options and as I was going back through Utah anyway, it would give me around 10 days to pick and choose, maybe cheaper for lifts and accom etc?. If so, which fields would hold up best you mention snowbird?
 

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we've been hung up on the flights to Denver from LA and reconsidering (only reconsidering) if we should drive to Utah (where we were going after colorado anyway)
The skiing in Utah should be great - look at Alta and Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon, and Solitude and Brighton in Big Cottonwood Canyon mainly. Park City and Deer Valley, on the other side of the Wasatch Mountains, are lower and more likely to have spring conditions and less likely to have good snow. Likewise for Snowbasin and Powder Mountain, further to the north.

You could stay down in the Salt Lake City suburbs (Sandy or Cottowood Heights) pretty affordably and drive up to the resorts in about 1/2 hour or so (weather and traffic dependent - on storm days or powder mornings it can be really backed up). Or stay up at Alta or Snowbird resort near the slopes for a wonderful experience, though with a lot of cost. Staying at the Alta lodges is really great, and include at least lunch and dinner in their price at the lodge - there are really no other restaurants there, so you're meant to basically stay in the lodge and ski, nothing else.

But that's a long drive from LA - over 11 hours according to Google maps. (Another 4.5 and you could be in Breckenridge. :) )

If you're looking to drive, Mammoth is again a good option. Less than 6 hours from LA, pretty nice town, great skiing, and high enough elevation that it should be good in the first week of April. And they're having a record snow year. You're a bit more likely to get variable conditions in California than Colorado, but I've done that drive from LA once, and it worked out great.
 
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Mammoth, Snowbird or Bachelor would be my first choices.
Even with this season’s fat snowpack, the first week of April is springtime & you are probably more likely to have spring conditions than winter even though you could still get either or both. I would be looking for ski areas that have lifts and skiing on many different aspects and elevations. You are still early enough that those areas would still have most if not all terrain open.
Your idea of returning through the National Parks of southern Utah is a good one & springtime is usually a great time of year.

“Spring is a battle between summer & winter”
 

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A840DFCE-8B1E-4E56-8311-0596EAAC9458.jpeg
Loveland, CO May 2, 2022

C9804F76-03A1-46BB-8DE5-CB804A51FBB1.jpeg
Arapahoe Basin, CO May 5, 2022

April should be far more reliable for cold snow.
 
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Wade Ice

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1st week in April is typically a wonderful time to ski in CO. Snowpack is max depth and spring break crowds are gone. Could have great spring conditions, mid-winter conditions or fresh powder. More north and east facing resorts at higher elevation are more likely to have cold snow (A-Basin, Keystone, Breck, Copper, Winter Park, Vail’s front side and Blue Sky Basin, some of Beaver Creek, Aspen area resorts). Utah and Tahoe are lower elevation and more likely to have spring conditions sooner the CO. Don’t think you can go wrong with much of the Western US in early April.

The skiing in Utah should be great - look at Alta and Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon, and Solitude and Brighton in Big Cottonwood Canyon mainly. Park City and Deer Valley, on the other side of the Wasatch Mountains, are lower and more likely to have spring conditions and less likely to have good snow. Likewise for Snowbasin and Powder Mountain, further to the north.

You could stay down in the Salt Lake City suburbs (Sandy or Cottowood Heights) pretty affordably and drive up to the resorts in about 1/2 hour or so (weather and traffic dependent - on storm days or powder mornings it can be really backed up). Or stay up at Alta or Snowbird resort near the slopes for a wonderful experience, though with a lot of cost. Staying at the Alta lodges is really great, and include at least lunch and dinner in their price at the lodge - there are really no other restaurants there, so you're meant to basically stay in the lodge and ski, nothing else.

But that's a long drive from LA - over 11 hours according to Google maps. (Another 4.5 and you could be in Breckenridge. :) )

If you're looking to drive, Mammoth is again a good option. Less than 6 hours from LA, pretty nice town, great skiing, and high enough elevation that it should be good in the first week of April. And they're having a record snow year. You're a bit more likely to get variable conditions in California than Colorado, but I've done that drive from LA once, and it worked out great.
Excellent options and I really appreciate the accommodation input in SLC vs up the mountain. I could maybe even do a bit of both depending on the price.

I was thinking of staying in Las Vegas for a night on the way up because we are flying from NZ a day earlier now, just to break that up.

Of course, your last comment "4.5hrs away" throws a spanner in the works. Generally, would Utah be cheaper and have more accom options or do I commit and drive the extra?.... Would Snowbird and Alta, all weather conditions considered, have similar conditions to Copper etc?

And the experience for the kids; does utah (alta lodges) have the ski resort / town experience for them that colorado has?

Mammoth is still an option but the idea of being able to be more flexible around Utah and Colorado with the days available is leading me that way. I still want to do some tramping in the national parks in Utah so I had provisioned time for that. I had planned around 5-6 days colorado and the same in Utah
 
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Wade Ice

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Mammoth, Snowbird or Bachelor would be my first choices.
Even with this season’s fat snowpack, the first week of April is springtime & you are probably more likely to have spring conditions than winter even though you could still get either or both. I would be looking for ski areas that have lifts and skiing on many different aspects and elevations. You are still early enough that those areas would still have most if not all terrain open.
Your idea of returning through the National Parks of southern Utah is a good one & springtime is usually a great time of year.

“Spring is a battle between summer & winter”
Thanks the national parks in Utah have me thinking it would be there or colorado. Colorado looks to offer more but the logistics are slightly harder / more expensive. Utah for both skiing and tramping gives more time in one location without a set plan (cold days ski warm days walk)?
 

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Thanks the national parks in Utah has me thinking it would be there or colorado. Colorado looks to offer more but the logistics are slightly harder / more expensive. Utah for both skiing and tramping give more time in one location without a set plan (cold days ski warm days walk)?
If it is spring conditions, Ski in the morning walk in the afternoon.
 
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View attachment 196152
Loveland, CO May 2, 2022

View attachment 196151
Arapahoe Basin, CO May 5, 2022

April should be far more reliable for cold snow.
That's truly amazing! I love how you can still see the snow shadows and ski even when overcast. In NZ we ski on volcanoes so there are no trees and it has to be bluebird or nothing. Icy hard groomed trails and only powder on very very rare occasions. We're excellent skiers on what would be very hard-packed / icy snow in US and good at avoiding rocks, but if we get a chance to experience your picture we'll be hopeless and I'm sure laughing all day at each other :)
 

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