Jackson vs Squaw vs Snowbird/Alta

[Geo-Teacher]

I'm planning a trip and need some help...I'm looking for a resort that has enough terrian for my girlfriend (who is a beginner/intermediate), but that has terrian that is challenging enough for me...

I have skied Alta and Jackson and love them both...but never Squaw...

Nightlife is not a huge concern...but being able to stay somewhere nice is...

Any help from out there would be great...

[Big Blue]

Depends on whether Tahoe starts getting snow. Definitely pick Squaw if there's snow by the time you decide. You've already hit the others anyway.

["The Big One"]

Like you, I've ever skied Squaw before but I have the other two. Alta and Jackson are top notch for the terrain you're looking for and Jackson shouldnt be bad for intermediate with a lot to offer on Apres Vous, and a new intermediate chair open this year. As far as a nice place to stay Alta doesnt have much nice lodging in LCC so youd have to stay a fair drive away for a nice place. Jackson now has the Four Seasons slopeside which is very upscale and nice for you to stay. Squaw which seems to be a more glitsy resort town should have a lot of nice hotels and amenities slopeside, plus supposedly a wide range of good terrain. Both Jackson and Alta are garunteed to be great terrain and snow wise and because of your predicamite I'd go with Jackson.

[Spats]

Squaw is great for beginners. The green circle terrain is all on a big plateau most of the way up the mountain, with great views.

Tahoe has no snow yet, but if you're thinking about January/February you'll be fine.

[ukeskis]

Tahoe def has the most options. If you want to ski Squaw she can ski Northstar, Mt. Rose, Diamond Peak. Their are a bunch of options she would enjoy, but i would stay on the North Shore.

[Arty50]

As far as a nice place to stay Alta doesnt have much nice lodging in LCC so youd have to stay a fair drive away for a nice place.

Psssst...The Rustler

I'm not saying he should pick Alta, but the Rustler isn't exactly a Motel 6.

[Lostinthetrees]

When you going? If Dec, u better follow the *** snow ***.

Otherwise:
Squaw vs Alta-Bird. Squaw. Skied but never stayed there. Not a glitzy base area as someone who never skied there wrote. I would reco staying at Squaw village for peace and quiet in the evenings. Snowshoeing, telemark, horseback riding, iceskating, etc.

You can drive down to visit North Shore in ~ 20 minutes. North Shore has excellent dining and boutiques to keep her entertained. (Also, I believe there is a shuttle and/or public bus between.)

Terrain - excellent mix for both of you. The ski down from High Camp(mid-station) to base is long and blue/greeeeeen. Next door is Alpine Meadows and again an excellent mix of terrain.

Bring swimsuits when you ski. The pool at High Camp(mid-station) is a fanatastic apres-ski. Lockers and showers, etc.

Vs Jackson? never been.

[bklyn]

eenie meeine miney moe
you can't go wrong wherever you go.

[AntiSoCalSkier]

I'd be a little bit wary of taking a beginning intermediate to Squaw. As spats mentioned, the plataeu at the top of the cable car is awesome for beginners, but if she's just moving on to the blues, Squaw can be a bit intemidating. A lot of the blue terrain is pretty steep, and occasionally mogulled. It's a great mountain for an agressive intermediate, but not so great for a timid intermediate. Also, it's hard to ski together, since the terrain is fairly segregated.

[mookie blaylock]

hate to say it but jackson kind of blows these days. The real estate developer family that bought it increased the bed base so much that now there's always lines. I went there the winter before last season in the down season after christmas and there were hour plus tram lines. The tram requires repairs and this family doesn't want to spend the money to fix it so they will tear it down.Jackson without the tram??????

[Nohillsnearby]

The tram requires repairs and this family doesn't want to spend the money to fix it so they will tear it down.Jackson without the tram??????

Did you hear Tanner Hall was dead and resurrected?

And to stay on topic, I wasn't a ripping skier when the mr & I went to Squaw, but I'm certainly much more comfortable skiing steeper lines now that I've been thoroughly challenged.

[SherpaStyle]

hate to say it but jackson kind of blows these days. The real estate developer family that bought it increased the bed base so much that now there's always lines. I went there the winter before last season in the down season after christmas and there were hour plus tram lines. The tram requires repairs and this family doesn't want to spend the money to fix it so they will tear it down.Jackson without the tram??????

Um, yeh, you're right. Jackson blows. The tram line is always at least an hour long, and they're getting rid of it. I would advise staying away. The place is really over-rated.

But seriously, there isn't much beginner/intermediate terrain. I would advise Alta/Bird although I havent been to Squaw.

[mookie blaylock]

September 09, 2005

The Last Run for the Jackson Hole Tram
Is it possible? Can they do it? The word coming out of Jackson Hole is that this is the final season to ride the tram to the top. If you have ever waited in that line to get first tracks or jammed yourself in at the end of the day you will feel the sorrow. 40 years of faithful service and it soon will be gone with no real replacement in the works. What a shame, I guess it’s time to earn your turns on Rendezvous Bowl.
Photo courtesy of Jackson Hole Resort


good riddance -place blows and it's cold as fuck -lots of pushy fuckballs on cell phones from jersey-no thanks-nice vert though -that hill makes you stay on your toes top to bottom

[Random Task]

My vote is for Squaw as well - significant beginner terrain near High Camp and solid intermediate stuff back towards Granite Chief - Resort at Squaw Creek is pretty nice, but I haven't been to the resort since they did the bulk of the work to the base area - may be good stuff there too... And you can ski KT - a right of passage in the life of a travelling skier.

[ukeskis]

Def do not stay at Squaw Creek, Resort management treats employees like shit and and you can stay elsewhere for less money for better service.. New management came in a year ago and it has been all downhill since then.. Do not stay at Squaw Creek

[Darkside]

Def do not stay at Squaw Creek, Resort management treats employees like shit and and you can stay elsewhere for less money for better service.. New management came in a year ago and it has been all downhill since then.. Do not stay at Squaw Creek

Hmm...all my friends who work their don't mind it too much.

[skiski]

Have you ever skied with a girlfriend/friend/relative who is not as good as you? My experience in those situations has always been that you both have more fun at a resort where easy and hard terrain can be accessed off the same lift. I've never skied at Squaw, but as far as Jackson vs. Alta, I would go Alta in your situation. It's got a better layout so that a good skier can ski with a beginner/intermediate. She can follow the groomer down the valley from Collins or Sugarloaf and she can follow the groomers off of Supreme as well. Meanwhile, you are traversing out, getting good runs and meeting her at the lifts. In Jackson you can do this in Amphitheater, but otherwise she is skiing on AV or Casper and you are over on Thunder/Sublette. I would think that your chances of both of you having a good experience and actually skiing together are best at Alta.

[huckasoreass]

Squaw is ideal for bringing a beginner out. Someone mentioned the terrain is really segregated, but it's the exact opposite. On the upper mountain, beginner/intermediate terrain borders all the good stuff, so she can actually ride just about all of the lifts you do (probably stay out of Silverado). While she takes the easy route, she can pause several times to watch you rip the crap out of a line. Or, you can get off a lift together and you point out a place she can stand to watch, then you go for a five minute hike and come skying off the cornice and shred down to her feet. The crowd cheers, and she's so proud she can't wait to get back to the hotel room and show it.

Seriously, it's nearly perfect. At most ski areas, beginners are relagated to the lower mountain or places without any views. At Squaw, she'll be able to go everywhere. If she has any abilities, she can even hit up KT. My 4 year old nephew snowplowed the entire groomer last year.

That's my two cents. Alta and Jackson seem to be burlier. Squaw's just a bigger kid's playground.

[Huckwheat]

[QUOTE=huckasoreass] My 4 year old nephew snowplowed the entire groomer last year.QUOTE]

Hmmmm.....that isnt necessarily just your average 4 year old though.

I agree with Hucka, that Squaw will allow you to ski great stuff without totally ditching your lady. There are countless great options for showing her once where to ski and then where to wait, and then the next run she does her way and you do yours...and she can watch you ski.

[SquawMan]

speaking of amazing young kids at Squaw.....check this girl's 'resume' out....

http://www.skimag.com/skimag/last_ru...327072,00.html

[CWD]

I can't comment on snowbird/alta vs Jackson as I've only been to both places a couple of times but if you decide to go to Tahoe read on....

My sister, an excellent athlete but who had only skied once before in flagstaff, came to visit me in Tahoe last year to go skiing. We spent day 1 at squaw, day 2 at heavenly, day 3 at Alpine Meadows and day4 at Mt Rose.

Like many of the intermediate skiers I've introduced to tahoe, she liked Heavenly the most. Then in order, alpine, mt. rose and finally squaw. She felt the green runs at squaw were too easy but the intermediate runs inimidated her. Heavenly had blue runs up the wazoo, and she loved it. It wasn't a great day of skiing for me though. I thought the best day was at Alpine because on the three major lifts, Summit Six, Scott and Sherwood, after showing her the ways back down the hill to the lift, we were able to split up at the top and meet at the bottom. She got intermediate runs that she wanted and I got the more challenging runs I usually ski. (it probably helps that I have had a pass at Alpine for a number of years and didn't help that I don't really know squaw's layout.)

A big highlight for her at Alpine was the spending the morning with an instructor who really raised her level of skiing quickly. She got her skiing the easiest groomed black diamond run and really comfortable on the blues. I'd suggest spending your time at Alpine and use the money you save on lift tickets to get her a one on one lesson with instructor. I can give you the name of the best women's instructor there if you'd like.....

And maybe a day at Heavenly for the view.

[The Dad]

I've spent about 35 days at Squaw, and about 5 at Alta or Snowbird.

When my wife and I started skiing Squaw about four years ago, I was a somewhat rusty advanced skier from childhood trying to regain his skills, and she was a reasonably solid intermediate who had learned as an adult. Because of the unusual way that Squaw organizes its terrain, we found the lower mountain at Squaw ideal for both of us.

Squaw has few official named or rated trails. Instead, they rate the lifts -- basically, they rate it by something between the least difficult and average terrain accessible from the lift. This is often annoying, but has its benefits. Most notably, it means that you'll have a nice blue run -- e.g., the Resort Run down to Squaw Creek, a.k.a., Lakeview -- that has "advanced" (black) and "expert only" (double-black) spurs that drop off at points. You start off together at the top of the lift, get some nice turns in together, then you drop off into an advanced or expert run, and you meet up at the bottom and ride up together. On the lift, you get to brag about your line if the chair goes over it -- "look, those are my tracks!" -- and try to convince her to join you by showing how nice the snow is.

We skied Squaw almost exclusively for the past four seasons, and my wife improved dramatically -- IMHO, at least partially due to this kind of terrain option. Season before last, after we took the Tram Bowl down into Silverado, a steep black groomer under the tram. On the way back up on the chair, my wife notes that the snow on the double-blacks looks sweet, and asks if I think she can do it. I tell her the tough part is the drop in, but she'll do it no problem. Long story short, we take the easiest of the drop-ins and she toasts my ass in the chutes near the bottom.

Which is a long-winded way of saying, I love Alta to death (at least on weekdays) -- the snow and terrain are unbelievable. But if you want a place that will challenge you both and allow you to ski together at least part of the day without boring you or exhausting her, I'd think seriously about Squaw.

As far as lodging, beside the Village and the Resort at Squaw Creek, slopeside options for two include Plumpjack (also the best restaurant in the immediate vicinity) and the Squaw Valley Lodge (join the Granite Chief Club for free at www.squawvalleylodge.com for guaranteed best rates). I've stayed at the Village and Lodge and enjoyed both -- the Village is newer, the Lodge is usually cheaper and more convenient to KT-22 and Squaw One chairs. You can often find direct deals from owners at both on www.craigslist.org.