Skiing out west

[Drumguy]

I've skied Whistler Blackcomb 3 times and love the glacier and back bowls on Blackcomb. Skied at Squaw for the first time last April and fell in love with the mountain. I've skied Mammoth a number of times and it's great when the winds not too bad.

I try to delay my booking until I see which part of the Utah/Whistler/Tahoe areas are getting the snow as all are terrific but they can differ significantly each year based on the snow fall. I know Tahoe got 27" early this week iirc.

 

[UConnJim]

Park City is kind of strange. You have to join a club to get into a bar and drink. Those Mormans created some odd liquor law and it is probably the same throughout the state.
Consider Jackson Hole.

The liquor laws in Utah were changed a number of years ago. Just walk into a bar or restaurant and get a drink.

 

[CAHUSKY]

I may be a little biased having lived in/around Tahoe for the past 27 years but.......Tahoe!!! Happy to answer any questions if you end up heading this way. Squaw and Heavenly opened today. Heading to Squaw Sunday.

 

[uconn1999]

Any suggestions? I'm planning a trip this winter. Thinking Utah. I've already done Big Sky, Steamboat, Breck, Vail, Keystone and Arapaho. Looking for something new. Thoughts? Looking for fairly challenging, moderately priced, with a ski town type nightlife as well.

Love Utah, Snowbasin is my fave, PowderMtn is pretty cool and of course the canyons.
We avoided Park City

 

[WisePig]

Park City has acquired the canyons and they are now attached via a Gondola. The resort is huge and has a nice little downtown for nightlife. It is also close to the airport and Deer Valley Resort.

I was not a fan of Heavenly in Lake Tahoe because of the layout. Did not like the morning and closing time waits to access the skiing terrain via a single Gondola or bus ride.

 

[jleves]

I don't have a lot of varied experience out West, but I've spent a week a couple of times at Vail and I've been to Mammoth many dozen times. Unfortunately I've never gotten to the Utah resorts as they sound great. I grew up skiing at Okemo and Killington. One thing east coast skiers learn is to use their edges which is totally lost on west coasters. The first time I skied out west at Mammoth there was this tiny quarter inch of crust (not ice) on stop of snow that was so easy to break through with an edge and get into amazing soft snow. It was like running a butter knife over the top of vary cold butter with a soft inside. It was about the best snow I had ever skied in and everyone around me was complaining about how icy it was. If you can ski anything at Killington outside of Outer Limits you will be one of the top 5% of skiers on a mountain out west. Another way to look at it, the worst day out west, assuming they have coverage in a non dry year, is better than 95% of the days you ski on the east coast. One other thing you can get out here is 'wind packed' snow on a cornice. Once again, west coasters will complain about how icy it is and you'll see them yard sailing it down the steeps because they don't know how to use an edge. Wind packed snow is my absolute favorite thing to ski on - you can carve turns like nothing you've ever experienced back east.

So my two cents: If there is fresh snow, the back bowls of Vail are the best thing I've ever skied. If it hasn't snowed in 5+ days, Vail isn't very good. Fresh snow at Mammoth is typically very heavy, hence the term Sierra Cement. It's still fun, but you have to be better than decent to deal with the 'powder'. I used to be a pretty good and was asked to join the Ski Patrol at a local Southern Cal resort and I have no problem with the cement, but most people I ski with who are good and can handle a black diamond OK, struggle in it. That being said, once the powder is gone, Mammoth takes care of their snow way better than Vail. 5 days with no snow and you get great corduroy runs in the morning and fluffy mounds as it gets moved around in the afternoon.

Hope that helps.

 

[Hoophound]

What do you guys recommend for mid March in Colorado? Colorado is a definite on account of my desire to get some gummies and such. Assuming I like breweries, resraurants, coffee and rustic civilization, what's best?

 

[Jaker]

Heavenly and Northstar suck.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

I am always a sucker for canyons side of park city.

Now that I live in denver my go to is copper or winter park (berthoud pass is also a ton of fun if u want some backcountry on the way out to winter park). Everyone is infatuated with Vail, but if you're there I'd do beaver creek instead. Vail just isn't appealing to me without a huge amount of fresh snow

 

[Jaker]

Like Beavercreek, Copper and A Basin, also Crested Butte

 

[sledog]

You didn't mention the Aspen complex.

 

[NJHusky]

Lots of good advice already.

I agree with the comment about checking the seasonal patterns. A few years ago we were booked for Tahoe and we switched to Jackson hole 3 days before our trip because Tahoe had almost no snow. When They have snow it's great....but it can be bad too...and the powder is heavy...hence the Sierra Cement moniker. But it has a great nightlife. Also lots of different mountains to choose from. And when they get snow they usually get hammered.

If you are a powder junkie go to Utah. Alta usually has the most snow. And it's the driest snow. But no night life. Park city is breckenridge lite

You said you liked Big Sky but there is no nightlife there.

Whistler is a haul. And it usually rains in the village. But s fun mountain. And you can do day heli trips.

Revelstoke is big but a pain to get to. And no nightlife. It's 15 min to town and the town is small. Lots of good heli skiing from Revi though

If you want a town and very challenging terrain with a reasonable degree of reliability in snow I would pick Jackson hole. Tried to convince my wife to move there but no dice.

Another outside the box pick is Mt Bachelor in Oregon. There is no lodging at the mtn but it's a 20 min drive from bend which is a cool town. And when they usually have decent snow. A buddy of mine hiked up on Friday and had 3 ft of fresh

 

[CAHUSKY]

Heavenly and Northstar suck.

Heavenly sucks? What level of skier are you? They have awesome steeps and challenging terrain. Not to mention a great location near a ton of activities and gorgeous lake views. Northstar isn't great for super advanced skiers but is great for beginners and makes an intermediate skier feel like a pro since the black diamond runs are pretty easy. Only thing that sucks is they lack super challenging terrain although it's improved significantly the past few years with new runs. Or, do you just have a general distaste for Vail Corp? That I could understand.

 

[NJHusky]

What do you guys recommend for mid March in Colorado? Colorado is a definite on account of my desire to get some gummies and such. Assuming I like breweries, resraurants, coffee and rustic civilization, what's best?

March in CO is usually the best month. The back bowls at Vail are great on powder days...and you are close to Breck, Beaver Creek, Copper and Keystone. But skiing/staying at Vail is $$$. Breck has a great town (my favorite ski town) and Vail has the village. FYI, the base at Breck is 9600 ft.

Aspen also has a lot of activity, but the town is not my fav....There are 4 ski areas there. Snowmass is a great mtn.

Haven't been to Telluride since they built the village mid-mtn, but hear good things...as long as the elevation of the village doesn't bother you.

 

[DSpice]

I've lived in SLC for the past two years after growing up in CT. The liquor thing is slightly odd, but doable. State Liquor Stores are easy enough to buy booze from, and the 3.2 beer from the grocery stores is marginally weaker than a regular Bud Light (4.0% vs 4.2% by volume). As far as skiing goes, all of the resorts are easy to get to. I can't compare them to other places, but I'm in love with the Cottonwoods resorts.

 

[Chuck]

Can't go wrong with any of the place mentioned here. I think some of the advice will be dependent on who you are traveling and skiing with. I've done a guys trip to Vail and it was great. Lots of solid night life. Terrain was great and varied. I was the weakest skiier of the group, but did the bowls and some tree skiing with the group.

If you are going with a family, we typically go to the Canyons in Park City. Nice (though expensive) lodging options, good terrain and unbelievable snow. The powder in Utah is legitimately different than anywhere else that I've skied. Park City resort is underrated in my opinion, and Deer Valley is like skiing without any of the work. Park City is a very cool town. It's perfectly easy to get alcohol, but more family friendly when going out. I've never done Alta, Snowbird, etc.

If it's just you and a spouse / significant other, my wife and I loved the Ritz in Beaver Creek. A lot of expert / hardcore skiers mock Beaver Creek because it is overgroomed. I (and my knees and thighs) am okay with the grooming.

Have fun. The budget doesn't allow us to take the family vacation out west this year so feel free to share highlights so we can live vicariously through your adventures.

 

[Jay-Bone]

What do you guys recommend for mid March in Colorado? Colorado is a definite on account of my desire to get some gummies and such. Assuming I like breweries, resraurants, coffee and rustic civilization, what's best?

I was in Steamboat last year. One of the best tree riding mountains anywhere. Great glades from super steep and tight to open and blue square level. The only problem with the super challenging area is there is a short uphill hike for a short steep portion and long run out back to the lifts. The base of the mountain has a decent little town feel and Steamboat Springs is a 10 min drive away and a cool western ski town feel. I was there for the infamous cowboy downhill and that was fun. Fairly easy 30-40 min drive from the airport, expensive lift tickets, and the only mt in the surrounding area. If you ride more than 3 days, I strongly advise getting the Max Pass. It paid for itself for me out there and then everything back here for the rest of the season was gravy.

I did Breck, Keystone, Vail and Arapaho ages ago and the snow was not amazing at the time. The back bowls at Vail are something to behold but overall its crowded and expensive. Arapaho is a die-hard expert mountain. Cheap and smallish and not meant for beginners or intermediate. Akin to as Mad River is to the NE. Some good hairy stuff and an impressive headwall. Keystone had some good trees in the Outback and I believe have since greatly expanded their hike-to terrain. Breck I remember the least but has some dicey stuff, a lot of terrain, cool town, but expensive. All these mountains are relatively close which is nice.

The other biggies are Telluride and Crested Butte, but they each stand alone. As you've read above Telluride is supposed to be great. Crested Butte is known to have very challenging terrain as well.

Enjoy, mid-March should be time for prime spring skiing and the snow should still be decent.

 

[Jaker]

Heavenly sucks? What level of skier are you? They have awesome steeps and challenging terrain. Not to mention a great location near a ton of activities and gorgeous lake views. Northstar isn't great for super advanced skiers but is great for beginners and makes an intermediate skier feel like a pro since the black diamond runs are pretty easy. Only thing that sucks is they lack super challenging terrain although it's improved significantly the past few years with new runs. Or, do you just have a general distaste for Vail Corp? That I could understand.

Killebrew canyon at Heavenly is good when patrol has the nerve to open it. I can think of a bunch ski resorts in NE that are better than Northstar.

 

[Hoophound]

Beaver Creek is a great place. I’m looking for the best place for a couple in their 40’s with 3 kids ranging from 10-17. I like rustic bars and restaurants with good quality food Price doesn’t matter too much, but honestly, I don’t really care for hotels no matter how nice. I prefer some outdoor space, our own kitchen (mostly because I get up early and like to chill with coffee in a kitchen/living room with fireplace). I also like a lot of space for everyone to hang out independently if they want to. We’ll probably rent a house or townhouse.

We’ve been considering Beaver Creek, Breckinridge or maybe even trying something different like staying in Golden and driving out to Breck, Keystone or Arapahoe Basin a few times. I’m good with skiing 3 times in a 9 day stay and I’ve heard Golden is really cool. We want a great western experience in a pedestrian friendly town with character. I’m not really into the commercial side of skiing and on mountain villages. I like places that are more small town authentic. Ski areas are for skiing only at this point in my life. Nightlife is best in town and low key or in a brew pub with a good band or decent selection on the sound system.

As an aside, I’ve always wanted to try Whitefish MT. That’s unlikely for this year but still possible. Big Sky is the more common choice, but I find the town of Whitefish interesting looking. Anyone been there?

 

[Jaker]

Beaver Creek is a great place. I’m looking for the best place for a couple in their 40’s with 3 kids ranging from 10-17. I like rustic bars and restaurants with good quality food Price doesn’t matter too much, but honestly, I don’t really care for hotels no matter how nice. I prefer some outdoor space, our own kitchen (mostly because I get up early and like to chill with coffee in a kitchen/living room with fireplace). I also like a lot of space for everyone to hang out independently if they want to. We’ll probably rent a house or townhouse.

We’ve been considering Beaver Creek, Breckinridge or maybe even trying something different like staying in Golden and driving out to Breck, Keystone or Arapahoe Basin a few times. I’m good with skiing 3 times in a 9 day stay and I’ve heard Golden is really cool. We want a great western experience in a pedestrian friendly town with character. I’m not really into the commercial side of skiing and on mountain villages. I like places that are more small town authentic. Ski areas are for skiing only at this point in my life. Nightlife is best in town and low key or in a brew pub with a good band or decent selection on the sound system.

As an aside, I’ve always wanted to try Whitefish MT. That’s unlikely for this year but still possible. Big Sky is the more common choice, but I find the town of Whitefish interesting looking. Anyone been there?

Jacksonhole or Telluride

 

[Jay-Bone]

So I think we're going to stay in Park City for a few days right off Main St and ride PCMR and The Canyons. This gives a better chance of good snow and some night life. Looks like we can get a decent AirBNB for $340/night. From there I will probably do a few days at Solitude / Brighton then a few days for Alta / Snowbird. For Solitude it doesn't seem like there's much else affordable other than the Silver Fork Lodge. Anyone know about it? And then for Alta I'll just stay in SLC as there doesn't seem to be much in the canyon. Is the bus transportation pretty good or do you suggest I rent a car? Any other suggestions for lodging, dining, transportation, etc? Thanks.

 

[Jerry1714]

Any suggestions? I'm planning a trip this winter. Thinking Utah. I've already done Big Sky, Steamboat, Breck, Vail, Keystone and Arapaho. Looking for something new. Thoughts? Looking for fairly challenging, moderately priced, with a ski town type nightlife as well.

Jackson Hole

 

[Jaker]

As long as there is good snow, you can't go wrong with J-hole

 

[Danzz]

I was in Steamboat last year. One of the best tree riding mountains anywhere. Great glades from super steep and tight to open and blue square level. The only problem with the super challenging area is there is a short uphill hike for a short steep portion and long run out back to the lifts. The base of the mountain has a decent little town feel and Steamboat Springs is a 10 min drive away and a cool western ski town feel. I was there for the infamous cowboy downhill and that was fun. Fairly easy 30-40 min drive from the airport, expensive lift tickets, and the only mt in the surrounding area. If you ride more than 3 days, I strongly advise getting the Max Pass. It paid for itself for me out there and then everything back here for the rest of the season was gravy.

I did Breck, Keystone, Vail and Arapaho ages ago and the snow was not amazing at the time. The back bowls at Vail are something to behold but overall its crowded and expensive. Arapaho is a die-hard expert mountain. Cheap and smallish and not meant for beginners or intermediate. Akin to as Mad River is to the NE. Some good hairy stuff and an impressive headwall. Keystone had some good trees in the Outback and I believe have since greatly expanded their hike-to terrain. Breck I remember the least but has some dicey stuff, a lot of terrain, cool town, but expensive. All these mountains are relatively close which is nice.

The other biggies are Telluride and Crested Butte, but they each stand alone. As you've read above Telluride is supposed to be great. Crested Butte is known to have very challenging terrain as well.

Enjoy, mid-March should be time for prime spring skiing and the snow should still be decent.

Steamboat has great tree skiing. Tried tree skiing at Mad River Glen and almost killed myself.

 

[sledog]

I've skiied Vail/BC 6-7x / yr since the 70s. and work in a side trip to cruise Snowmass - only 2 hrs away. Have always had a great time at Vail / BC. Like the LONG runs.

Breck is always crowded, and has more yahoos. Jackson is tuff to navigate, and not very good w/o new snow. Canyons layout is very choppy. All of Utah has short runs. DV and PC had best cruising, and if you want steep - Jupiter Bowl. Taos is a Mad River / Arapahoe clone, and not worth more than a day trip.

Hope to get to Whistler this year.