What state? There are at least a dozen states and hundreds of ski resorts.

never been out west to ski so I am looking for suggestions to begin my search. I know there are many...looking for family friendly, ski-in/out and nice town area.

Park City, Utah and any number of towns/ski areas in Colorado.

I love Park City, and would also recommend Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Both have the advantage of being at lower altitude (around 7,000 at the base), have nice towns, and plenty of intermediate skiing.

I personally find Utah and Colorado too cold. Tahoe and Whistler (near Vancouver) are warmer and have more to do.

Seriously? I always thought Whistler was colder than everyplace except Lake Placid. I've not gone because of that.

The best intermediate mountain, anywhere, is Snowmass. An lots of ski in/out properties.

For ski in/out resorts, you might want to look into Northstar or Sugar Bowl.

And if you want cheaper skiing and less town atmosphere -- check out Montana.

If you are coming from the east, it is much easier to get to the Colorado or Utah resorts than Whistler or Tahoe. Park City has the advantage of having a real town at the base of the mountain. So does Breckenridge (although I am not a huge fan of the ski mountain). Snowmass has great intermediate cruisers, but no real town (but you are about 10 miles from Aspen). Vail has great ski options, including the back bowls, and an ersatz Tyrolean village at the base. Steamboat is also a great mountain for intermediates and has pretty reliable snow; it also has a real town about 3 miles from the mountain. Having said all that, I love Beaver Creek for great intermediate skiing and small lift lines; however, it is expensive.

Hope that is not too confusing.

thanks so much for all the info. We would be coming from the east so that was helpful.

Anyway, Northstar and Sugar Bowl have ski-in/ski-out but not the town at all, just the village in Northstar's case and the lodge in Sugar Bowl's case. The town of Truckee is nearby but not at the mountain.

To narrow it down, perhaps you could consider where you can fly to most easily--and preferably non-stop in the winter.

South Lake Tahoe is about an hour and a half from Reno, Park City is 35-40 minutes from Salt Lake City, Breckenridge and Vail are 2 hours from Denver, Snowmass is 15 minutes from the Aspen airport, but (I think) four hours from Denver, Whistle is three hours from Vancouver.

The Eagle/Vail airport has good service with reasonable direct flights from several hubs. That airport is about 30 mins from Vail and an hour from Breckenridge and an hour and a half to Aspen.

We really enjoyed Breckenridge - charming little town.

How long are you planning to stay? Do you have a preference of being next to a city with things to do or a quiant town etc? South Lake Tahoe has casinos and some nightlife and close to Reno for example. Park City is a small cute town with some bars ec and is close to Salt Lake.

South Lake Tahoe is not really that close to Reno, but North Lake Tahoe is (and it's a freeway the entire way).

How about Big Mountain in Whitefish Montana?
www.big-mountain.com

dmlove---Whistler is not cold. If you have not gone because of that, re-consider. I've skied in far colder conditions in Utah, Montana, Oregon, and yes, Tahoe area. If you like skiing with varied terrain and lots of after-ski dining options, give it a try.

Nora, my husband has skied Whistler with some friends, and I was invited and declined! I guess I will re-consider (although they're going to Aspen this year). Thanks.

Look into Solitude and Brighton in the Salt Lake City area.

Both are excellent intermediate areas -- and most intermediate areas in the West are tougher than their eastern and especially midwestern counterparts.

Solitude is lovely, but doesn't have much of a town area.

If you can afford it, Deer Valley is a perfect intro to Western snow -- lots of groomed run but you can also find powder in spots.

Whistler is fabulous on a number of levels, but the snow isn't close to Utah or Colorado.

As another "good intermediate skier" from the east, I'll say that I liked Breckenridge, didn't care for Squaw Valley (lots of big bowls and not a lot to challenge me other than steepness).

I personally really like Alta. And if you are skiers, not snowboarders, it can't be beat: it's ski-only. We had a nice package with the Alta Peruvian, including 3 meals/day and ski tickets. The lodge is ski-in/out. And the mountain is about 45 min from the SLC airport; we got van service to/from, so we didn't even have to rent a car.

I'm a huge Alta fan as well and would never go to SLC without a stop ... I hesitate to mention it because the lifts aren't that great and the amenities are average.

Still, for snow and on-slope fun alone, it's excellent.

dd - I agree with Neil's summary. One suggestion in case you're not aware of it. Many airlines have direct/non-stop flights during ski season to many resorts in Colo. from all over the country. Just one ex: CO, AA, DL have nonstops to Hayden, CO (about 30 min drive to Steamboat Springs) from Newark, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and Houston. We think it's a real time saver and much easier than having to go through Denver. FWIW, those storms that shut down Denver last Dec (which I know were a little unusual) had no impact on those nonstop flights to/from Hayden.

It might be worth considering.

Breckinridge has a nice town and great for families/intermediates. Can't go wrong with Vail or Park City as well.

Again thanks to ALL for the suggestions. Convenience, no car rental, some town activity, not too crowded since it's during president's week are some of our considerations...guess I'm asking a lot?

I can't say about Breckenridge (I've always wanted to go, but haven't been) nor about the crowds -- I think it will be pretty crowded everywhere over President's Day week, but Park City does meet all your other requirements, including no need for a car -- you can take a shuttle from the airport, and in town, you can walk or take the local shuttle.

Sugarbowl, Kirkwood or Northstar in Tahoe are all great!!!

Those are all great for skiing, but none of them has the "nice town area" dd418 wants (especially Kirkwood, which isn't even driving distance from a "nice town". Sugar Bowl and Northstar are both a few minutes from Truckee).

Oh gosh, Whistler is awesome, it's next to Vancouver a beautiful city and easy to get to.

Fly into Seattle rent a car and drive to Canada or fly into Vancouver.

Kid friendly would be Silver mountain in Idaho, it has a giant amusement park, the adults love it to, and a beautiful mountain to ski on.
Fly into Spokane and rent a car an hour to sn hour and a half drive to get there.
Park City is nice but very busy and lots of top skiers go there to show off and people go there to show off it's not my cup of tea. I have friends that live close so have been there many times and prefer Idaho or Canada.

Wherever you go have a great time.

Big Mountain, Whitefish Montana is a ski town that feels like a ski town. People are friendly, they work hard and play hard. It's lot of fun there. Only down side is that if it's not a sunny day (rare sunny day) then visibility is poor on the mountain. It's a town with great atmosphere and not pretentious.

Salt Lake City is a great option with a variety of ski venues, good deals and great snow. Car rental would be needed if you wanted to try different mountains.

Sun Valley Idaho could be a good choice. Great mountain and when they get snow it is good snow. Staying at the Sun Valley Lodge gets you free transport from the airport and there is a free bus system (with ski racks) to get you to the ski hill or into town for dinner. Look at their website to see if they have stay and ski packages.

Have fun where ever you choose!

Salt Lake City is a great option with a variety of ski venues, good deals and great snow. Car rental would be needed if you wanted to try different mountains.

Not true with Park City, you can catch a van/bus/ limos there easily from the airport and shuttle around Park City to Deer Valley and Canyons

DD,

I live in Park City and agree that it would be great for your requirements. I've skied all over the western US and Canada and enjoy pretty much everywhere. My opinion is that the snow is best in the Rockies.

Park City, and all the other UT resorts are some of the very easiest to get to and our airport is hardly EVER closed. Some of the smaller airports in CO get closed more often due to weather. Eagle/Vail and Aspen airports are up in the mountains and tricky flying.

Whistler is fabulous, but it rains there a lot due to low altitude at the bottom half of the mountain.

Since you are ging during President Day week - like EVERYONE else, count on it being crowded everywhere.

Deer Valley is the only place I know of that limits its ticket sales (still a lot of people). Christmas week and President's weekend are the only times they hit the limit.

Hope this helps a little