Where to take the family...

on their (well, my kids) first real ski trip? (Sorry Intrawest, Snowshoe DOES NOT constitute a real ski trip.)

Dates would have to be March 24-29. Important considerations: cost of airfare from Nashville or Atlanta, accomodations must be at least walk to slopes/lift convenient, some kind of village at the base with eats/shopping/etc., not ridiculously expensive, decent runs for the greenies as well as some amount of challenge for me (those of you that know me can feel free to judge what that level is) that is convenient to escape to for a run or two.

My initial thoughts are:

Solitude- Pros, easy access, easy cheap(ish) lifties, B'ton next door, pow possibility, potential for random maggot safety meetings Cons, lodging kinda $$$, airfare kinda $$$

Breck- Pros, cheaper air than SLC, cheaper digs than Soli, big ass town to entertain wife & kids in Cons, always get skunked on the snow when I go to CO, drive from DIA, always get skunked on the snow when I go to CO

Sooooooo, anyone have any suggestions on other places, hookups, wanna PayPal me a couple grand, etc.? Currently, I'm leaning in the Solitude direction.

Solitude. Utah. Not Breckenridge, IMHO. Skunked on snow in CO - me too, and I live here.

Utah is certainly lacking in terms of the "nightlife" that Breck/SuCo can offer, but whatever, if you ask me.

Option 3 - Alta Lodge. My kid is 9, she *loves* the A-lodge. I've been very happy with it, and it is surprisingly kid-friendly. We've stayed at the Cliff, which the kid likes, and while the Alta Lodge seems more expensive, the Cliff add$ up fast, all things considered; the Alta Lodge actually winds up being cheaper.

Dunno. I live in CO, my vacations are in Utah. If I lived anywhere else, my vacations would be....in Utah.



Iain

Steamboat. Family friendly, decent variety of challenge, Utah snow in a Colorado resort and the beer is better.

I dunno, the Rockies are kicking ass. I think Breck is in your futures.

I know you want to go to UT, but you should really consider whether or not your kids will enjoy that type of snow just yet.

Some kids like what they are already used to, and don't want to adapt to new things quiet yet. I would see breck as a better fit if that is the case for you since they will most likely be skiing flatish groomers most of the time and they have a great ski school with some kind of outdoor playground type thing.

How old are the kids BTW?

If you kids are adventurous and have the idea that they can conquer anything, Solitude might be a better fit. There is not as much beginner terrain at Soli than Breck, so they would probably have to seek out challenges at Soli in order to keep themselves occupied for an entire week, especially if they have only skied at Snowshoe.

Big Mountain in Whitefish kills it for families. Plus Whitefish is awesome.

I have no idea about the airfares (although I'd guess it'd be cheaper than UT) but Smuggs is supposed to have the best kids program in the country, and March is generally the best month in NE. There's plenty of challenging stuff there, the restaurants and nightlife HAVE to at least equal Soli, and there's bound to be a few mags around. Just something to throw in the mix.

Stowe (or Smuggler's Notch) is a great option for the east. Good snow in March. Fun town. Kids activities. However, I would recommend a week at The Cliff Lodge (Snowbird). Freakin' place rocks. Great food, kids activities (swimming, ice skating), and Utah snow in March....ahhhh. Even though, I live in Park City, I would never pass up the opportunity to spend a weekend at The Cliff. Lastly, although I have never been (in the winter), I know many east coast people with small children who swear by Mt. Tremblant.

Not sure if anyone has brought this up (I tried a search and haven't seen anything), but VRBO (www.vrbo.com) is a great site to check out once you've decided your destination. Vacation Rentals By Owner- homeowners put there properties up on this website, just click location (state or country) and then browse through towns. I've scored some amazing deals in Mexico, Canada and all over the US. You will be corresponding directly with the homeowner, so it is a great way to negotiate better rates, cleaning fees, and I've even gotten nights free for referrals on a property I had a great experience with. If you're traveling with family, it's a nice alternative as you can have a washer/dryer and full kitchen. Make sure to ask about bus schedules and what HOA amenities are available to you (hot tubs, gyms, snow removal, ski shops, etc).

http://www.vrbo.com[/IMG][/EMAIL][/url]

Alta or Solitude would be good in Utah. I don’t think I would do Snowbird for your kids first trip out west. The terrain there can be kind of intimidating.

Snowmass is a great family destination. Ton’s of easy cruisers for the kids and enough expert terrain to keep you happy. 90% of the lodging is ski in/out and they have a nice new gondola for inclement weather.

If you’re renting a car in Denver to go to Breck, it would only cost a little more to drive to Snowmass.

I take my family to Mt. Bachelor for spring break every year, and we always have a great time. No on mountain lodging, but a couple of resorts just a short drive away. Great snow, lots of easy terrain for kids and a bit of good stuff for you.

Weather in Bend is usually good in late March, and there's plenty of other activites to keep your family busy; Biking, hiking, fishing..........

Unfortunately, the dollar is tanking against CA - the best place I've found for family skiing is Big White. Friendly atmosphere, lots of free/cheap kids entertainment (free hot chocolate, ice sakting, tubing), no car need, tons of greens/blues and a few nice playgrounds for dad. My son loved it at 6 and still enjoyed it at 9 when he was hitting the OB/trees with me.

It's not quite such a good deal now at .98 instead of 1.50, but I wouldn't hesitate to put it on the list. It doesn't have the nightlife/terrain of whistler, but it is better geared for kids.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by teledave

accomodations must be at least walk to slopes/lift convenient, some kind of village at the base with eats/shopping/etc.,

My initial thoughts are:

Solitude

Breck

Sooooooo, anyone have any suggestions on other places, hookups, wanna PayPal me a couple grand, etc.? Currently, I'm leaning on Solitude

---

Assuming you are serious on those requirements, you're going to limit yourself pretty substantially.

In Utah, Solitude/ Brighton/ Snowbird/Snowbasin etc. don't really have what you ask as far as village with shopping etc. You'll be looking at the Park City, DV, The Canyons area.

In CO, with your requirements, it sounds like Breck, Vail, or Aspen will be at the top of the list. Steamboat is great for kids, and it's never too early to learn trees, but it's a mile or two into town.

OK - it's a push, but Whistler has what you're looking for. Look at flights to SeaTac and driving up to keep the price down.

I'm an Ice Coaster - don't do that to your kids :nonono2: - they'll thank you when they're older - go west young man.

Personally having done CO and UT with the fam, UT wins hands down. My daughter is 6 years old and she loves the Soli and Alta Ski Schools and the price is right. Airfare may be a bit more, but you get it back in lodging and resort costs.

Steamboat is family friendly and kids ski free.

Telluride is a great place for beginners. It also has plenty of steeps. Getting there usually requires two flights, but direct flights from Atlanta to Montrose are available. Oh yeah, the $$$. It is not on the cheap end of things, but if you look hard for a deal and eat in the condo once or twice a day, it might work out.

Steamboat, it truelly is a great place for families... Our lines are also non existent usually.

That's all we have though, mellow terrain only and the snow is skied out quick. I swear.:wink: :wink:

Plus I think there is direct flights from atl now

if you need to get on a plane, head west. I would look at some weather pattern forecasting. if indeed theres a La Nina, Utah might be the place getting skunked. colorado may be a safer bet for snow this season, but who really knows until it happens? hold off booking the trip until you see where the precip is going.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by teledave

on their (well, my kids) first real ski trip? (Sorry Intrawest, Snowshoe DOES NOT constitute a real ski trip.)

Dates would have to be March 24-29.
My initial thoughts are:

Solitude- Pros, easy access, easy cheap(ish) lifties, B'ton next door, pow possibility, potential for definite maggot safety meetings Cons, lodging kinda $$$, airfare kinda $$$

---

Would you consider flying out on Sunday, 23rd? Could ride Monday with ya. Or show on Sat and ride Sunday and Monday with ya. :biggrin:
Got a Sunday/Monday pass at Soli, I get some "kids ski free tickets" when I pick up my pass. I will need to see if your kids are young enough to use some and how Soli works that dealio. I need to get Taylor up there a few times too this year.

Just looked at soli site and kids 6 and under ski free.

Ron, I'll have to recheck those dates and get back to you once I get closer to booking.

First, thanks everyone for the input. I got a couple more ideas from it and that's what I was looking for. As far as kids ages I have an 8 y/o daughter and 11 y/o son, both ski anything around here not necessarily aggressively though. As far as the village thing goes, it doesn't have to be huge like Vail or WB just someplace to kill about two hours every late afternoon/evening.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bite me

go west young man.

---

Thanks, it's been a long time since anybody called me a young man.