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

[dbostedo]

Generally, would Utah be cheaper and have more accom options

So in Utah, the "ski town" experience is mainly given by Park City. If you stay on that side of the Wasatch mountains, you can ski Park City or Deer Valley, and the skiing is great, but more likely to be spring-like in April due to elevation. Alta and Snowbird don't have towns - just the ski slopes and a few lodges/hotels at the end of a steep walled canyon. There's not much else up there. If you stay in Sandy, you're staying in a rather typical city suburb. It's what I did last week, and the skiing was great, but it wasn't a "mountain ski town" experience.

In central Colorado, a real mountain town experience is given best by Breckenridge. Copper has a resort village that's pretty nice, but not a real town. You can also stay in Frisco, Silverthorne, or Dillon, which are real towns but a bit of a drive (15-20 minutes) from the resorts (Copper, Breck, Keystone, A-Basin, Loveland). They're quite a bit cheaper than staying right at the resorts - more like staying in Sandy in Utah cost-wise. But they're still mountain towns. I've stayed in Frisco a few times - it's nice. But if you want that sort of hollywood mountain town thing - definitely Breckenridge.

For others in Colorado, Vail has a very nice sprawling village, and is much bigger and fancier than Copper, but not a real town. And very expensive to stay right by the slopes. Beaver Creek has a smaller, fancy village, and the town of Avon is right beside it, which is nice. And then there's Aspen, which is my favorite place to go out west. Great skiing, real town, and the village at Snowmass... lots to offer. But harder to get to and pricey. I don't know Winter Park well, but Fraser is supposed to be a nice mountain town pretty close to the ski resort, and a lot of people love it. It would be an option too.

Mammoth is also a nice ski town, and there's a village too. But IMO it's not as compact and picturesque and prototypical as Breckenridge or Aspen.

 

[crosscountry]

I don't quite get the obsession with Colorado. Maybe it's just the higher visibility of Colorado for oversea visitors?

The skiing is every bit as good, if not better, in Utah!

Mammoth, which the OP repeatedly ignore, is also a fantastic mountain. In my view, it's as good if not better than Copper or Breckenridge.

About the only place in Colorado that truly standout is Aspen. Authentic ski town, great skiing (requires bus to get to some of the best skiing, but then, so does Utah and Copper). The best part of Aspen is it's a couple hours shorter drive than to Breckenridge! OK, Aspen is not cheap. But in April, the cost should come way down. Might as well enjoy the best of this country can offered at a reasonable cost!

Frankly, if the objective of the trip is combining skiing with sightseeing in national parks, Utah is as good a destination as it gets. Or go to Aspen for the "premium experience".

 

[dbostedo]

I don't quite get the obsession with Colorado.

It's because the OP said they wanted winter conditions and no slush skiing. So the higher elevation Colorado resorts (Copper and Breck in particular) give you the best chance of that.

 

[crosscountry]

It's because the OP said they wanted winter conditions and no slush skiing. So the higher elevation Colorado resorts (Copper and Breck in particular) give you the best chance of that.

Aspen is just as high.

Breck may have high top elevation. But their lifts spans a large vertical, which means the bottom can be slushy, which you need to get through EVERY RUN! I'm not a fan of Breck for spring for that reason.

Granted, Breck could be a good base for striking A-basin, which bar none has the coldest snow in spring time.

 

[dbostedo]

Aspen is just as high.

Colorado resort base elevations:

Aspen mountain: 7890
Snowmass: 8209
Beaver Creek: 8080
Vail: 8150
Copper: 9712
Breckenridge: 9603
Keystone: 9280
A-Basin: 10780
Loveland: 10800
Winter Park: 9000

Those extra 1000+ feet of elevation make a real difference from Aspen/Vail/BC compared to the other resorts in terms of the odds of spring conditions in early April. They'll all have great skiing of course and I'd be happy with any of them. And depending on weather, the lower resorts could even have better conditions - but we're talking odds here right now almost a month out. (And of course, A-Basin and Loveland rule for late winter conditions because of their altitude.)

(And I think I mentioned, I'll likely be at Vail and BC that week, with maybe a little Copper or A-Basin thrown in.)

 

[SBrown]

Aspen is just as high.

Nope.

 

[SBrown]

OK, Aspen is not cheap. But in April, the cost should come way down.

Nope.

 

[Wade Ice]

So in Utah, the "ski town" experience is mainly given by Park City. If you stay on that side of the Wasatch mountains, you can ski Park City or Deer Valley, and the skiing is great, but more likely to be spring-like in April due to elevation. Alta and Snowbird don't have towns - just the ski slopes and a few lodges/hotels at the end of a steep walled canyon. There's not much else up there. If you stay in Sandy, you're staying in a rather typical city suburb. It's what I did last week, and the skiing was great, but it wasn't a "mountain ski town" experience.

In central Colorado, a real mountain town experience is given best by Breckenridge. Copper has a resort village that's pretty nice, but not a real town. You can also stay in Frisco, Silverthorne, or Dillon, which are real towns but a bit of a drive (15-20 minutes) from the resorts (Copper, Breck, Keystone, A-Basin, Loveland). They're quite a bit cheaper than staying right at the resorts - more like staying in Sandy in Utah cost-wise. But they're still mountain towns. I've stayed in Frisco a few times - it's nice. But if you want that sort of hollywood mountain town thing - definitely Breckenridge.

For others in Colorado, Vail has a very nice sprawling village, and is much bigger and fancier than Copper, but not a real town. And very expensive to stay right by the slopes. Beaver Creek has a smaller, fancy village, and the town of Avon is right beside it, which is nice. And then there's Aspen, which is my favorite place to go out west. Great skiing, real town, and the village at Snowmass... lots to offer. But harder to get to and pricey. I don't know Winter Park well, but Fraser is supposed to be a nice mountain town pretty close to the ski resort, and a lot of people love it. It would be an option too.

Mammoth is also a nice ski town, and there's a village too. But IMO it's not as compact and picturesque and prototypical as Breckenridge or Aspen.

Thansk. and do you think the price in Breck (skiing accom etc) vs Snowbird (assuming staying in Sandy) would be similar?

 

[dbostedo]

Thansk. and do you think the price in Breck (skiing accom etc) vs Snowbird (assuming staying in Sandy) would be similar?

I think Breck will be somewhat more expensive (though I'd need to go look at prices on VRBO and AirBnB and travel sites)... but it will be worth it to be in town at a great resort if you really want the mountain town experience. If you're focused more on the skiing, I think Snowbird/Alta and staying in Sandy will be great skiing and more affordable, and closer to the other places in Utah you want to visit.

 

[Wade Ice]

Thansk. and do you think the price in Breck (skiing accom etc) vs Snowbird (assuming staying in Sandy) would be similar?

So in Utah, the "ski town" experience is mainly given by Park City. If you stay on that side of the Wasatch mountains, you can ski Park City or Deer Valley, and the skiing is great, but more likely to be spring-like in April due to elevation. Alta and Snowbird don't have towns - just the ski slopes and a few lodges/hotels at the end of a steep walled canyon. There's not much else up there. If you stay in Sandy, you're staying in a rather typical city suburb. It's what I did last week, and the skiing was great, but it wasn't a "mountain ski town" experience.

In central Colorado, a real mountain town experience is given best by Breckenridge. Copper has a resort village that's pretty nice, but not a real town. You can also stay in Frisco, Silverthorne, or Dillon, which are real towns but a bit of a drive (15-20 minutes) from the resorts (Copper, Breck, Keystone, A-Basin, Loveland). They're quite a bit cheaper than staying right at the resorts - more like staying in Sandy in Utah cost-wise. But they're still mountain towns. I've stayed in Frisco a few times - it's nice. But if you want that sort of hollywood mountain town thing - definitely Breckenridge.

For others in Colorado, Vail has a very nice sprawling village, and is much bigger and fancier than Copper, but not a real town. And very expensive to stay right by the slopes. Beaver Creek has a smaller, fancy village, and the town of Avon is right beside it, which is nice. And then there's Aspen, which is my favorite place to go out west. Great skiing, real town, and the village at Snowmass... lots to offer. But harder to get to and pricey. I don't know Winter Park well, but Fraser is supposed to be a nice mountain town pretty close to the ski resort, and a lot of people love it. It would be an option too.

Mammoth is also a nice ski town, and there's a village too. But IMO it's not as compact and picturesque and prototypical as Breckenridge or Aspen.

Sorry Ignore my last question I see your comment about staying in Silverthorne etc for a similar price to Sandy.. Thanks so much for your support it has been invaluable. I'm torn between the Colorado experience and the flexibility of Utah and picking the colder days.... But I understand either should be great options.

 

[Wade Ice]

I think Breck will be somewhat more expensive (though I'd need to go look at prices on VRBO and AirBnB and travel sites)... but it will be worth it to be in town at a great resort if you really want the mountain town experience. If you're focused more on the skiing, I think Snowbird/Alta and staying in Sandy will be great skiing and more affordable, and closer to the other places in Utah you want to visit.

I'll have a good look at the pricing and pick. If I stayed in Sandy would I be able/possible to visit national parks from there on the warmer days? I am researching but your experience would assist greatly.

 

[dbostedo]

I'll have a good look at the pricing and pick. If I stayed in Sandy would I be able/possible to visit national parks from there on the warmer days? I am researching but your experience would assist greatly.

The big 5 National Parks are all like 4 hours drive away from Sandy. So possible? Yes, barely I guess. But a ton of driving round trip.

 

[Wade Ice]

The big 5 National Parks are all like 4 hours drive away from Sandy. So possible? Yes, barely I guess. But a ton of driving round trip.

Thanks, I'll head to either colorado or SLC and then do those on the way back down and stay somewhere like Moab or similar.... The tough decision is the skiing one I'll let you know what the outcome is

 

[raytseng]

As the weighting of your priorities are known only to you and a little all over the place so really hard to give you the best advice, so I think you got to narrow down your itinerary for us a bit

If you just need a general overview of all the US ski resorts, I can suggest spend some time reading on powderhounds.com

In this day and age if you aren't the type that wants to do research, but you still just want a bunch of answers, you can also use chatgpt and that'll give you as much info as we are providing as this is all real general stuff in a conversation format. You can even ask it to plan an itinerary for you.
Once you get to real specific questions or decisions or have something to work off of, that is when folks here can add the most value.

 

[Popeye Cahn]

Honestly, do you want to drive or ski? Mammoth is a short trip from LAX (4-5 hours), Tahoe another 3 hours. Food for thought.

 

[Wade Ice]

As the weighting of your priorities are known only to you and a little all over the place so really hard to give you the best advice, so I think you got to narrow down your itinerary for us a bit

If you just need a general overview of all the US ski resorts, I can suggest spend some time reading on powderhounds.com

In this day and age if you aren't the type that wants to do research, but you still just want a bunch of answers, you can also use chatgpt and that'll give you as much info as we are providing as this is all real general stuff in a conversation format. You can even ask it to plan an itinerary for you.
Once you get to real specific questions or decisions or have something to work off of, that is when folks here can add the most value.

Fair enough. I have done a lot of research and the original question of if we can ski the first week of April has been answered well. The valuable feedback has led me to explore more details from the experienced contributors. To assist so you don't have to plow through all of the comments and replies: As it stands it's narrowed down to Colorado or Utah in the first week of April. I know you're a mammoth fan and there is Yosemite there but I'm going to the parks in Utah after skiing so more time in one location will help with options.
Thanks for the sites and forums you detailed. I'll have a look at those.

 

[Wade Ice]

Honestly, do you want to drive or ski? Mammoth is a short trip from LAX (4-5 hours), Tahoe another 3 hours. Food for thought.

Ski, but I've decided to go to the national parks in Utah rather than Yosemite. I've heard Utah is very different to NZ and that will be amazing. If I head that way I can include my second week (dedicated to the national parks) without too much travel once there.... I hope

 

[LiquidFeet]

Have you and your family stayed overnight at high elevation before? Did you have difficulties with altitude?

 

[Popeye Cahn]

Ski, but I've decided to go to the national parks in Utah rather than Yosemite. I've heard Utah is very different to NZ and that will be amazing. If I head that way I can include my second week (dedicated to the national parks) without too much travel once there.... I hope

Yosemite is difficult in the winter, the only way in is from the west side. As for Utah, Bryce if you can, I found it better than Zion in some ways. Where ever you find yourself, welcome to the States and have a great time!

 

[raytseng]

I can throw in your park jam is more about trees and lakes and waterfalls vs utah rockscapes you can do a west coast loop.
Ski resort options would be Mammoth, Lake Tahoe, and Bachelor.
Assuming starting at LAX, go to mammoth then travel to tahoe. Then north to Bend, OR for Bachelor potentially taking a couple of days for nature and stuff along the way. Then west through central Oregon to Oregon coast(a lot to see along this route), then South along coast for Redwoods NP. On return, additional NP options include Yosemite NP, Sequoia NP, and then Death valley NP and Joshua tree NP further in the South.
Volcano type stuff also avail on the northbound way including lassen, crater lake, and surrounding areas (probably skip lassen tho), but these are more 1hit sights.
You can also do some city touristy stuff in SF or LA too if that's what you want to do, like Disneyland or socal warm beaches.
It really depends what you want to see and do

If you are set on SLC and skiing, I can suggest just get on a plane from LAX to SLC and save a couple days off your trip each way...unless you really want to see Las Vegas and other stuff on that route too (grand canyon?).
You can even just fly to slc just for the skiing then fly back to CA for the non-ski portion of your trip...it is a very easy flight.

For the above route, if you want to skip so. cal, you can get a connection to Reno or Sacramento to get to tahoe asap, and save some days that way too.