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mdf

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BCC = Big Cottonwood Canyon = Solitude and Brighton
LCC = Little Cottonwood Canyon = Alta and Snowbird
 
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raytseng

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thanksgiving, nowhere, it is too soon in the season.

If you must choose though, look on Tony Crocker's bestsnow site for past years, though, Utah (specifically alta snowbird) is ranked a "B" end of november while colorado is still a "D" or at best a "C'.

http://bestsnow.net/colohist.htm
http://bestsnow.net/utahhist.htm

As far as all the logistics, my tip is by far the easiest way is just to book a package deal from the resort including getting your shuttle; and usually you it will be somewhat discounted or at least get discounted lift tickets. I don't know your financial situation and how much stress you get from planning logistics.
On subsequent trips you can go your own way to save some money or give you flexibility by being off the mountain.


Finally, if you need just a quiiick overall brief summary of the different resorts, check out powderhounds

http://www.powderhounds.com/USA/Utah.aspx
 

ADKmel

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What about Reno? Ski Tahoe? Lots of flights sometimes $$$$ though but w/casinos can sometimes find cheap rooms..

SLC is easy peasy to fly in and get to so many great Mts.

Alta/bird (others probably do too) have shuttle from Airport to slope side hotels so no car needed.
Goldminers Daughter and Alta lodge breakfast and dinner included in lodging. walk out to the lifts. (no elevator in Alta Lodge)

I fly out of Albany usually via SWest. Sometimes can find decent priced Delta,

I get credit cards that give you Free miles and points (SW now gives 40K miles just spend $$) Same w/AM Ex Delta Card and United has a Chase Card. I fly out west 2 or 3 times using free miles. SW has 2 free bags, Amex card and united card give 1 free bag, delta let my boot bag count w/ski case coming home from Aspen last yr. (i carry boots/1 day ski clothes on plane- do not check)
 

TonyC

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Most skied mountains are Verbier followed by Chamonix and Val D'Isere.
If that's your standard, you will not be impressed by Park City's skiing. I see another Alta/Snowbird aficionado in the making.
the OP, if s/he is in NYC....... close to a major gateway.
Yes take advantage of that. You can probably get efficiently to some more remote resorts with good air service, notably Aspen and Jackson. Those are both places that you should love.
Ok - last question for everyone - if you were gonna roll the dice and book some flights for Thanksgiving weekend - where would you fly? Salt Lake or Denver?
Just say NO to this idea unless it's a refundable ticket. How often did you ski in November from Geneva? Was it ever worth the cost of a flight? Thanksgiving is the worst of all worlds: a long shot anywhere for travel-worthy ski conditions combined with holiday airfare pricing. Don't do it! Between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the dead zone of the travel business. Once you see where there is snow on the ground, you can often score last minute deals on both air and lodging.
If you must choose though, look on Tony Crocker's bestsnow site for past years, though, Utah (specifically alta snowbird) is ranked a "B" end of november while colorado is still a "D" or at best a "C'.
I have updated that table. If you look at the actual recent seasons at the top, you will see that end of November is "A" or "B" only 5 of the past 13 seasons. Furthermore that applies only to Alta and Brighton, which ski fairly well on a 3 foot base. Snowbird gets a lot of snow but needs a 5 foot base with its relentlessly steep and rocky terrain. I would not bet far advance purchased airfare on those odds.

That table is instructive for anyone considering advance air purchases in early season. The number of "A" or "B" weekends rises to 8 out of 13 first weekend of December and 10 out of 13 second weekend. You really have to get to mid-December before you can be comfortable about adequate snow coverage at some of the most elite level areas in the world in terms of snow reliability. Targhee and Whistler have comparable early season track records. Anyplace else the date of high probability snow coverage will be later than December 15, and there are places that date is often after the Christmas holidays.

The Euros seem to understand when real ski season is better than North Americans do. Easter is popular over there. VON has probably seen some great spring skiing at Val d'Isere. Forget Thanksgiving and plan a Denver trip for April. You won't be disappointed. Most of Colorado has a snow reliability profile very similar to the highest altitude resorts in the Alps.
 
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BoofHead

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Helpful and timely thread. MrsBoof and I have just locked down a week at Snowmass. We land in LA 8 days prior and are driving to Aspen. First 2/3 nights are in Las Vegas and then on to Colorado via Utah. Trying to decide whereabouts to ski for a couple of days ie somewhere in Utah or somewhere else in Colorado. Some good info in this thread
 

Jim Kenney

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After Vegas, you have a number of options for a couple days of skiing on the way towards Aspen. You could visit small but scenic Brian Head ski area in southern Utah. It would be only a minor deviation from direct route to Aspen and good for a couple of days "tune-up" skiing. Or you could go to Alta/Bird or Telluride, these would take you a few hours out of your way, but are both spectacular and challenging. BTW, Aspen is one of my favorites so I think you've made a good choice to make it a cornerstone of your trip.
Some photos and commentary on Aspen ski areas:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170427135036/http://www.epicski.com/a/aspen-highlands-co-a-pictorial
https://web.archive.org/web/20170427141406/http://www.epicski.com/a/snowmass-co-a-pictorial
https://web.archive.org/web/20170427124951/http://www.epicski.com/a/aspen-mountain-co-a-pictorial
 

BoofHead

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After Vegas, you have a number of options for a couple days of skiing on the way towards Aspen. You could visit small but scenic Brian Head ski area in southern Utah. It would be only a minor deviation from direct route to Aspen and good for a couple of days "tune-up" skiing. Or you could go to Alta/Bird or Telluride, these would take you a few hours out of your way, but are both spectacular and challenging. BTW, Aspen is one of my favorites so I think you've made a good choice to make it a cornerstone of your trip.
Some photos and commentary on Aspen ski areas:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170427135036/http://www.epicski.com/a/aspen-highlands-co-a-pictorial
https://web.archive.org/web/20170427141406/http://www.epicski.com/a/snowmass-co-a-pictorial
https://web.archive.org/web/20170427124951/http://www.epicski.com/a/aspen-mountain-co-a-pictorial
Thanks Jim, will check them out.
We have been to Aspen Snowmass before and although it was a very poor season, we liked the place. Also very convenient to fly out of Aspen for return trip as well.
I do have to take in to account that I’ll be with MrsBoof ;isnowboarder, capable but not very fit, Black Diamond stuff ok.
I like the idea of smaller places. Cheers
 

Philpug

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What about Reno? Ski Tahoe? Lots of flights sometimes $$$$ though but w/casinos can sometimes find cheap rooms..
Came to post this. Mt. Rose is 24 minutes from the airport..26 if you hit the lights.
 
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VON

VON

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I have updated that table. If you look at the actual recent seasons at the top, you will see that end of November is "A" or "B" only 5 of the past 13 seasons. Furthermore that applies only to Alta and Brighton, which ski fairly well on a 3 foot base. Snowbird gets a lot of snow but needs a 5 foot base with its relentlessly steep and rocky terrain. I would not bet far advance purchased airfare on those odds.

This is a great resource Tony, thank you!

Yes it's true, I've actually never been skiing in Europe before the first week of February.

But in the age of Instagram, I'm seeing new videos posted by my favorite skiers/brands every day now and I'm getting a false sense of "ski season is almost here!" :ogcool:
 

Nathanvg

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As far as terrain, the reason I like my most frequented mountains in Europe is that there is plenty of wiiide open terrain - which means I can include my friends of all ski levels in a day of good skiing - but there is also very easy access to off-piste skiing with a relatively small amount of hiking required. I definitely don't need the steepest and deepest to be happy. Though of course the bigger the mountain and wider the variety - I will not complain!

But what is also very important to me is the idea of getting to access the American ski culture out West.

I'm targeting the places I can get in and out of the fastest first.

Your skiing desires are a little hard to decipher. As a result, you are getting all kinds of different suggestions.

It sounds like you may be going with a group with varying skiing skills. If so, what are those skills? A expert that wants to ski the steepest stuff, will hate Vail and love Snowbird. But a beginner or intermediate skier would love Vail and hate Snowbird.

Overall, skiers who "don't need the steepest" and are comfortable on red runs in Europe, will enjoy any of the major ski areas in western North America. Denver and SLC are good gateway airports. NYC may have flights to Gunnison (crested butte's airport), Aspen (aspen/snowmass), Montrose (Telluride), Hayden(steamboat) and Jackson (Jackson Hole). All of these smaller airports are more pricey but more convenient and the ski areas are generally much less crowded.

If you just want a simple list of good skiing near Denver and SLC, I'd consider
  • Vail,CO: Big and most popular in USA with famous wide open "back bowls." Downside is price and very little expert-level steep skiing. Culture is lacking
  • Breckenridge, CO Good mix of all types of ski runs with a historic town. Pricey
  • Winter Park, Co. Good mix of all types of ski runs and much more economical
  • Snowbird, UT Great for advanced and expert skiers with 500" of snow. Slope side lodging is pricey or you have to stay in suburban SLC and drive up daily. Not good for beginners/experts.
  • Park City, UT Big with good mix of all types of ski runs with a historic town.
 

BlueDevil63

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Everyone has pretty much said it already. But I thought I would give my direct observation of Park City vs. Vail/Beaver Creek. I lived in Park City and I now live in Eagle, so Vail/BC is my home mountaiin(s). For the total resort, skit town scene it is hard to beat Park City. It really has it all for a complete family winter/ski vacation. Vail also has a lot but has a much more "fake" and "manufactured" feel to it. Plus it really has nowhere near the options that Park City does. Vail (the village) is really quite tiny compared to Park City. Even Vail and Avon together is much smaller than PC. Then add in SLC just 30 min easy drive away. The drive from Denver to anything just really sucks now if it involves the I70. Construction, accidents, weather all turn it into a total sh*tshow. That rarely happens on the I80 to PC.

Hitting something on the Denver side of Vail pass (not a bad idea) the only real ski town, total winter experience you have is Breck IMHO. Breck is fun but watch out for the crowds and cold there. I also find the base altitude a bit hard to get used to at first (insomnia) and I live at 7200'.

The skiing at Park City/Canyons is definitely nothing to write home about. Vail and Beaver Creek are MUCH better. Vail and Beaver Creek are actually very significant mountains (ignoring the villages and the crowds). Beaver Creek has some of the best sustained top to bottom skiing there is. Park City boasts large vertical and large acreage but it is cut up and spread out and you really can't do any real skiing for more than 1200 vertical ft or so despite the 3100 total vert. Driving to the front is definitely an option but the drive can be a real pain to do more than once or twice in a week vacation. Better is to drive to Snowbasin/Powder Mountain. Easy drive from PC.
 

BlueDevil63

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Your skiing desires are a little hard to decipher. As a result, you are getting all kinds of different suggestions.

It sounds like you may be going with a group with varying skiing skills. If so, what are those skills? A expert that wants to ski the steepest stuff, will hate Vail and love Snowbird. But a beginner or intermediate skier would love Vail and hate Snowbird.

I really don't think an expert will hate Vail and especially not if you add in Beaver Creek. I absolutely feel that Vail (and definitely Beaver Creek) have significantly more expert level skiing than Park City/Deer Valley. Talking lift served only here. I'm an expert skier. Vail and Beaver Creek are WAY more fun than PC/Deer Valley. Are they Snowbird? No, not close. But Vail and BC offer plenty of fun for the expert. I do think a beginner may hate Snowbird though.
 

PTskier

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How are the Aspen flights these days? In the past I've seen Aspen luggage stacked on the pavement at DEN when the Aspen plane maxed it's weight limit.

Some years the west stays dry and New England has much better snow. I've skied March hard pack in Big Sky, Durango, Wolf Creek, and March slush & rain at Park City. Stay flexible.
 

TonyC

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I really don't think an expert will hate Vail and especially not if you add in Beaver Creek. I absolutely feel that Vail (and definitely Beaver Creek) have significantly more expert level skiing than Park City/Deer Valley. Talking lift served only here. I'm an expert skier. Vail and Beaver Creek are WAY more fun than PC/Deer Valley. Are they Snowbird? No, not close. But Vail and BC offer plenty of fun for the expert. I do think a beginner may hate Snowbird though.
All of these observations are spot-on IMHO.
 

mdf

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How are the Aspen flights these days? In the past I've seen Aspen luggage stacked on the pavement at DEN when the Aspen plane maxed it's weight limit..


I was amused to note that the two baggage carousels at the Aspen airport are marked "Denver" and "Not Denver". My impression was that the not-Denver flights were a better gamble. The Denver carriers are tempted to find a reason to cancel and consolidate flights if they are not full.
 

Slim

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My friends living outside NYC have told me that flights to Denver were much cheaper and faster than flights to Salt Lake City. I am sure this depends on your price bracket and random variations too though.

If you fly Southwest, you get free bags. If you do not pony up extra money though, you will not sit with your friends/family, unless you have a kid 6 or under.

For future reference, you can get cheap season passes to Copper and Winter Park if you buy early ($400 for one resort, free kids season pass. A bit more for both resorts) Also good to look at the MAXX pass. (5 days each at each of the 44 resorts). Again, if you buy early it can be a very affordable way to ski many trips both east and west.

Denver airport has shuttles to most resorts, good if you are solo. If you are with a group of 4 I'd rent a car. Park City and winter Park both have free shuttles, so if you are solo or with 2 people, no need to rent a car. I bet most other resorts are the same.

Be aware that the 1.5 hour drive time from Denver to Winter Park is a best case scenario. There are crowds of front range skiers heading out on friday afternoon and powder mornings. This often causes traffic jams on I-70. If it snows hard they will close down the freeway, or at least it will slow to a crawl. If you add these two factors together, it has taken us 5 hours to drive back one time. Don't plan to drive straight to your flight! I am sure it's the same story in Salt Lake City.

If you are renting a car, be aware that (as far as I know) no one rents cars with winter tires. And if they offer chains, I am sure it would be exorbitantly expensive (since they wanted $30/day to rent me a $20 booster seat for my kid).
 

KingGrump

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Don't plan to drive straight to your flight! I am sure it's the same story in Salt Lake City.

Usually the drive to SLC airport is a straight shot unlike the normal cluster on I70 west of the tunnel.
 

focker

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In my experience flights from MSP (Minneapolis) to Denver are half the cost of flying to SLC. I've done that trip for $160 pp round trip, not including bag fees. Cheapest I've seen SLC for was over $400
 

Beartown

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In my experience flights from MSP (Minneapolis) to Denver are half the cost of flying to SLC. I've done that trip for $160 pp round trip, not including bag fees. Cheapest I've seen SLC for was over $400

This is because MSP and SLC are both Delta hubs, and thus most people in these cities are "hub captives" (no other great options from one to the other). MSP to DEN is going from a Delta hub to a United hub, thus lots of competition and low low fares.
 

Nathanvg

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I really don't think an expert will hate Vail and especially not if you add in Beaver Creek.
I agree that lots of experts will enjoy Vail but "an expert that wants to ski the steepest stuff" will be disappointed with Vail. Snowbird, Taos, Crested Butte, Jackson... These are the places for people who must have the steepest stuff.

I'm an expert who skis BC/Vail every year with family in addition to other destinations. I enjoy both and both have lots of advanced terrain but when you start talking about sustained 32 degree or steeper pitches there isn't much. Vail has Rasputin, chicken yard and front side chutes (often closed) areas. BC doesn't really have any. Stone creek chutes are short (about 300' vert), several glades have short steeps and lots of long mogul fields. Peregrine might barely qualify. I doubt I'm missing much but if so, please share.
 

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