While the East Coast is closer to you - and has some nice resorts - it doesn't get the great snow they receive out here in the West. I think both Deer Valley,Utah -(and the adjacent - larger community of Park City would be great) as would Colorado's Beaver Creek - and the nearby Vail. Colorado's Aspen also have a lot of choices - and of the 4 mountains - Snowmass is great for families with a lot of intermediate/beginning slopes - and Buttermilk has probably more beginner runs than any of the others.

And at "The Summit" - on the way to Vail from Denver - are 4 good resorts: Breckinridge, Copper, Keystone and A- Basin - but A -Basin probably is for the more advaned skiers.

All of these have fairly good transportation from resort to resort, especially in Aspen and The Summit.

BTW - they all have good ski schools. You might all want to consider taking group lessons initially - perhaps even sign up for a week's worth - and get a better deal.

Or take a lesson - go practice a bit on your own, take another lesson, and so forth. They all have some kind of "bunny" hills.

Uno Mas: The advantage of a group lesson - at least when you are starting - it that it's not only less expensive - but you also are learning with others - who will be falling down/looking a bit klutzy - and you can have some nice camaradiere.

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Good info for you Tremblant may be closest cheapest
great beginner ski schools. gostowe.com for the US
Colorado has a bunch of stuff more $$$ farther Utah as well.
But for beginners will not matter much.
Vail is my absolute fav...

You can ask ten people and get a dozen recommendations. If our friends in London has asked that same question I would have a very different response based on actually having skied all of those areas. First all areas have good ski schools and it is difficult to say that one is better than the other especially at the beginner level. Second, Deer Valley and Beaver Creek are very high end resorts which means they will be very expensive especially at time of year. Even with a favorable exchange rate they would be expensive for many people.

When reading your description of quiet, low key please, Copper Mountain came to mind. Great ski school (both of my sons learned to ski there). Has the best skier separation of any mountain anywhere. Hard core skiers to the right and beginners to the left and never will they meet. Lots of housing right at the base so accesses is very easy. Night life is limited but several decent restaurants. Two hours from the Denver International airport with one direct flight a day from London. If you focus is on learning to ski this is a very good place to do it. My recommendations for beginners is two full days, a day of practice, and then half day lessons and half day practice as you develop some skill.

Regardless of where you go, it areas will be packed. Those two weeks are the highest usage during the year.

Good luck.

Copper Mtn and the Summit area is the easiest to reach from Denver, and you could also zip down to Vail (less than a half hour) for a day if you like.

If you don't care about staying slopside - check out the cute little town of Frisco, which is located in the middle of the areas at the Summit: http://www.townoffrisco.com/

There is a great B& B on the main drag - Frisco Lodge is it?

Also -if you are enrolled in ski schools - don't worry about the crowds as you will have priority on the lifts.

For the Frisco Lodge - see:
http://www.friscolodge.com/?gclid=CNOZ66yc2K0CFcYZQgodRmFknA and
http://business.townoffrisco.com/locations/frisco-lodge-bed-and-breakfast

If you wanted a cheaper alternative to Colorado, try Pennsylvania. http://www.snomtn.com/index.php/learn-to-ski-snowboard-month/
My son learned to ski there when he was in High School.
Not too far from the Scranton/Wilkes Barre airport.
Aren't there any ski slopes in England or Scotland?

I don't think New England had much snow over Christmas/New Year this season, it's always a crapshoot. Can you visit in late jan/ early Feb?

I think most major ski resorts have good ski schools. I'll throw Lake Tahoe into the mix, as that is one of my favorite places. It is just beautiful with the lake, and due to the few casinos, housing tends to be a lot cheaper than in places that are solely ski resorts. There are plenty of nice places to stay there, some suite hotels, etc. And there are so many different places to ski. I ski Heavenly mostly, and it is convenient. But you can go to Sierra Ski Ranch just for the day, it is great for beginners. But I know Heavenly has all kinds of terrain and good lessons, and is so easy to get to.

As for entertainment, a lot of ski resorts don't have much of anything to do, you are there to ski and eat and sleep, and they are fairly isolated. That is another advantage of Lake Tahoe (around Stateline), no, you won't be going to casinos with kids, but there are movie theaters, ice skating, and other things to do. The casinos are pretty low key compared to Vegas, actually, but they are there. And Heavenly is very easy to get to, there are buses from the Reno airport (only takes about 45-60 min) and you don't need a car in town. There is also public transportation to other resorts if you want, there is a free bus to Sierra, for example, and that is only about 30 min away.

Whenever I am there, I meet people from the UK, actually, as it is a good deal and beautiful place to go.

oh, no snow at Tahoe at Christmas this year. No snow much of anywhere this year. You never know about that, I think there usually is at Christmas.

<<<I'll throw Lake Tahoe into the mix, as that is one of my favorite places.>>>

I would never count on enough snow at Christmas in Tahoe, especially if I were laying out nonrefundable money. It's not that uncommon to have very little snow until at least mid-January (it's usually great by MLK, not so this year).

not all that easy to get to, but it has THE best track record, snow wise. Wolf Creek in Colorado.

http://www.wolfcreekski.com/

They have 220 inches of snow this [ski]year.

Colorado is most likely to have the snow you are looking for. I'm no expert on skiing but have lived in New England (VT/NH) and California, and I don't believe the snow can't be counted on in the same way as the resorts in CO.

Sorry, I don't believe the snow CAN be counted on...

We used to ski all the time at beautiful, Blue Lake Tahoe (when we lived in SF) - mainly Heavenly Valley and Squaw, although we liked other resorts there as well. One of my ole ski buddies just skied there yesterday - at Heavenly - on the south shore. He was pleasantly surprised that they have made some good snow on some of the runs, mainly higher up - and he was happily cruising around the mountain in several places, both on the Cal and Nevada sides - although The Face/Gunbarrell - is barren.

It is an issue if you are coming all the way from the UK and planning your holiday around it, the snow. I guess I wouldn't bet on Tahoe if it doesn't usually have a lot by CHristmas, too bad.

I get snow reports daily from Tahoe and today it said the base was only 18 inches!!!! maybe way up at the summit which is about 10K feet.

London to Boston is 6 hours. From Boston you can easily drive to smaller ski areas with excellent ski instructors.

In Massachusetts (about one hours' drive north of Boston):
http://www.wachusett.com/
http://www.skinashoba.com/

Or in New Hampshire (about 1.5-2 hours' drive north of Boston):
http://www.patspeak.com/
http://www.gunstock.com/

They all have snowmaking equipment, so as long as it's cold they make snow if mother nature hasn't. Since you're beginners, you have more choices without driving far. My kids learned skiing at Gunstock and Pat's Peak - both have top quality, experienced instructors to teach kids and adults. I personally haven't skied in Massachusetts.

Have you considered Vancouver, BC, and Whistler resort? It is a fun international village somewhat similar to the ski resorts of Switzerland and the snow conditions this year are decent and are getting better and better: http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/index.htm

Good snow is iffy anywhere early season. This yr has been esp bad everywhere but last yr was fabulous everywhere. One never knows so it's a gamble. Usually western areas have more snow than New England but NE areas have more sophisticated snowmaking systems. Having skied at all the areas mentioned above over the yrs, except Wolf, I would recommend the Park City, UT area. There are 3 ski areas in town - Park City Resort, Canyons and Deer Valley. DV is the most upscale and most expensive. They have great grooming, wonderful base lodges and food but perhaps not as many green (beginner) trails as the other 2. You can get trail maps of all online which will give you the % of green, blue and black trails. All have good ski schools. Park City is an old mining town about 45 min from the Salt Lake airport. It has atmosphere, all kinds and prices of restaurants and many, many lodging choices. You may prefer a condo as opposed to a hotel. Pkg deals are available for lifts, rental equipment and lessons. There is a free shuttle bus system. Having said that, Christmas time is the most expensive time at ski resorts which have tourist prices anyway. Park City is also at a lower altitude than most CO areas. Living and exercising at 9,000 ft in Breckenridge/Frisco can be challenging for folks who live much lower. Wherever you choose, have a wonderful time.

nbebb,

For your requirements I would recommend any of -

Park City, UT (Park City Mtn Resort, Deer Valley and Canyons)
Vail, CO (Vail & Beaver Creek)
Aspen, CO (Aspen Mtn, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, Buttermilk)
Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia

All have nice village areas and are large enough to offer a huge variety of non-ski activities. All have significant investments in snow-making in case of dry early seasons (which thankfully don't happen that often in these areas). Almost all Rocky Mtn ski areas (US or Canada) have excellent ski schools for adults and tots alike.

Snow is MUCH better and more dependable in the Rockies.

Park City is 40 minutes from the SL International airport.
Vail is about a 3 hour drive from Denver airport.
Aspen has a small airport, but is sometimes closed due to weather.

Vail and Aspen skiers sometimes fly in to Eagle, CO airport. You would probably have to connect at Denver.

Whistler/Blackcomb is about 2.5/3 hour drive from Vancouver airport (correct me if I'm wrong, it's been many years since I skied there and we were stuck in a massive traffic jam....)

Hope this helps. Last year I was in the grocery check out line behind some folks from Ireland. They said their first year skiing Utah was 2002 during the Olympics. They haven't skied Europe since - now they come to Park City every year.

I learned to ski in Aspen and loved that area, it is great for beginners and, of course, lots to do in Aspen. Problem is that it is expensive and farther from the airport. You can fly into Denver and take a bus, but they really sock you for that, also.

Last year I was considering Deer Valley as a friend went and really liked it, but when I checked it out, there was nothing to do there at all. Except ski, of course, but I think that is literally it at Deer Valley. At least Park City has a little more of a town. So I was thinking about it, but then went back to Heavenly as it was easier and cheaper and I do really like it. That was in March, though. I guess it depends what non-ski activities you are desiring, perhaps Deer Valley has some sports activities but if there is anything to do in Deer Valley, I'd like to know what it is.

<<<Last year I was considering Deer Valley as a friend went and really liked it, but when I checked it out, there was nothing to do there at all. Except ski, of course, but I think that is literally it at Deer Valley>>>

Deer Valley is a ski area a couple of miles from the town of Park City and on the Park City shuttle line. It's not a separate out-of-the-way place.

If you fly to Denver and want to go to Park City or Aspen, consider riding the California Zephyr (Amtrak train). If you use the Frazer/Winter Park stop you are close to Park City.
If you go through the beautiful Glenwood Canyon to Glenwood Springs you are 41 miles from Aspen. There is a good bus service from Glenwood Springs to the assorted Aspen ski mountains. http://www.rfta.com/
The largest hot spring fed swimming pool in the US is within a block of the train station in Glenwood Springs. I have seen people swimming in it in November.

Checkout Copper Mountain and Frisco, Colorado
http://www.henryebarr.com/frisco/

Copper offers great separation of advanced and beginner terrain. Staying in Frisco offers quick access to Copper Mountain and the other 2 major resorts in Summit County Colorado.

I vote for Breckenridge.