1st time skiing out west
 

Plan on going out west to ski for the first time with husband.(in Feb) Both good intermediate skiers..any suggestions?

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.