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Any suggestions for finding a white Christmas?

Any suggestions for finding a white Christmas?

Old May 24th, 2007, 10:00 AM
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Any suggestions for finding a white Christmas?

We live in Honduras and my youngest children have never seen snow. I know with the crazy weather there are no guarantees of snow, but does anyone have any ideas of a nice vacation for Christmas that might provide some snow? Children will be 2 1/2, 6 and 14, all girls. I would just love to see their faces when they first see snow and let them experience the fun my older four children had playing and sledding, etc. I am thinking of a resort or nice hotel with sledding, tobagons, etc. Thanks for any advice. Ana
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Old May 24th, 2007, 10:06 AM
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A Colorado Mountain resort is sure to have snow at Christmas, (even if they have to make it!!)
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Old May 24th, 2007, 10:40 AM
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I would go as far north as possible, to a town with a ski resort. Like the previous poster suggested, Colorado resorts would be good -- also Montreal, Vancouver, or Vermont. Even if it doesn't snow, the resorts make their own snow overnight, so your kids will still get the experience.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 10:46 AM
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We spent last Christmas in Steamboat Springs, CO. Great snow and lots of it, fantastic skiing with all the powder. Really nice time (and we're not used to seeing snow either).

BTW, also rather easy to get to. CO has non-stops to Hayden (about 20 mi away) from Houston and other airlines offer similar flights from other hubs like DFW and DEN.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 11:12 AM
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My choices would be Lake Tahoe or Colorado. No guarantees of a lot of natural snow of course but there is usually at least some on the ground. Plus the ski resorts make snow.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 11:36 AM
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The Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch would be a great choice. I was there the end of November and it was really snowing each day. It's a great resort with skiing and all kinds of other outdoor activities especially for children but adults too. I would go back in a heart beat. You can fly to Denver, rent a car and be there in about two hours.

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Proper...ch/Default.htm

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Old May 24th, 2007, 12:03 PM
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You can't count on a white Christmas anyplace in Vermont.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 12:07 PM
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I really appreciate the replies. Steamboat Springs sounds perfect as we can fly from Honduras via CO to Houston, and then up to Colorado. I will do the research on this area. We will have to buy all sorts of clothes in advance of course as it is never below 75 degrees here but I really want the little ones to have this experience. Thanks so much. Ana
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Old May 24th, 2007, 12:12 PM
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i would not count on vermont to have snow at christmas. i currently live next door in maine.
all of the resorts in the northern half of colorado open by thanksgiving. my suggestion is to fly into denver, take a shuttle van to one of the resorts in summit count. approx 3 hours from the airport straight up into the mtns. if you can - do this drive in daylight as it is stunning. summit county has 4 ski areas. araphoe basin, keystone, breckenridge and copper mtn. i think your girls would enjoy the atmosphere in keytone or breckenridge. keystone is modern, has ice skating in town and is an easy mtn for younsters to learn to ski on. breckenridge is a restored victorian village and with decorations looks like a picture book at christmas. you can easily stay at one and be at the other in 30 mins. there is public transportation (summit county stage bus system) throughout the area if you don't want to rent a car. loads of restaurants in the towns of dillon and frisco and at each ski area. many christmas activities.
steamboat springs would be another fun spot. they have a very cowboy/western theme. there is a hot springs just outside town.
for choice accomodations i would choose and reserve as soon as you can. busiest 2 weeks of the year for family vacations.
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Old May 24th, 2007, 12:22 PM
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Colorado has 3/4 main ski areas if I'm not mistaken. Steamboat is an area in norther CO kind of by itself. Telluride is all by itself in southern CO. Then you have the area around Glenwood Springs with the Vail area back east and the Aspen area south.

The Vail area is much more accessible than any of the others. You can fly direct to Denver from many airports in the U. S. The drive from Denver to Vail is on Interstate 70 and very easy even with lots of snow. There are numerous ski areas in and around Vail. Aspen is another two hours or so. I would go to the Vail area myself. Easy to reach and just as nice as all the rest. Steamboat is not easy to get to even though they have direct flights during ski season. It's a neat town but small. There are lots of things to do around Vail.
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Old May 25th, 2007, 05:16 AM
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ana - just a couple of follow up points. When you're looking at flying options, remember that a lot of airlines only have seasonal service to some of the ski areas of Colorado (ie, Nov - Mar or April). So some of these nonstop flights from places like IAH, DFW, ORD, etc may not show up in the schedules until 90 days out or so. Not always, but though it was worth mentioning.

Some posters have mentioned Vail, Aspen, & Breckenridge. We've also been to those places in the winter and I'd certainly put them on the list of places to consider - they're all very nice.
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Old May 25th, 2007, 06:46 AM
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Since two people have jumped on my Vermont suggestion, let me clarify that I suggested the ski resorts in Vermont -- not anywhere in the state. You are basically guaranteed to have snow on the resort mountains in VT.
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Old May 25th, 2007, 07:10 AM
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Um. You are guaranteed to have snow at the Ski Resorts in Vermont? Maybe. But this season their guaranteed snow was actually slush. The worst ski season ever. And, east coast ski resorts are no comparison to those out west. Try Whistler, Vail, or Park City.
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Old May 25th, 2007, 07:11 AM
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Utah is also a possibility...Deer Valley for example, easy to reach from Salt Lake City. If you plan to go skiing, some resorts like Deer Valley put a limit on the number of tickets sold so the slopes aren't over-crowded. The Lodges at Deer Valley is a condo/hotel, so you'd have space to spread out combined with the usual hotel services.
http://www.deervalley.com/groups-and...dges-at-dv.jsp
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Old May 25th, 2007, 08:16 AM
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Sheesh. Okay, so if you happen to have the worst ski season ever this year, the snow in Vermont might not be of optimal consistency. I should have been more specific, obviously.

This winter, many of the Pennsylvania resorts had no snow at all, so the season lift passes were being cross-honored at resorts in Vermont...because there was snow there, even if it wasn't the powdery perfection VT folks are used to.

I was suggesting Vermont as an alternative since their resorts tend to be more reasonable than resorts in CO, especially on weekdays. Didn't know Ana's budget, and figured she may want a range of choices.
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Old May 25th, 2007, 08:33 AM
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But the OP says she wants the children to be able to play in the snow and to go sledding, etc. Not just skiing. So if the only snow on the ground in Vermont in December is man-made and only on the ski slopes, the OP and family will have made a long trip for something that isn't what they wanted. Sadly, the chances are less and less likely these days that Vermont will have a truly white Christmas.
(We almost did the same thing last year...we planned a trip to Germany/Austria winter resorts for a white Christmas, but work plans put a stop to that trip. As it turned out, there was almost no natural snow on the ground at the places we'd had in mind.)
The Lodges at Deer Valley I mentioned above are obscenely expensive for Christmas and for all I know, completely booked already.
A non-hotel condo in a Colorado or Utah ski resort probably is the best opportunity for the OP to find snow in December without breaking the bank.
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Old May 25th, 2007, 08:38 AM
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How about the White Mountains in NH - Mount Washington will have snow (although you can only see it from a distance) and the ski areas will all be making snow if they don't have the real stuff.... Lots of stuff for kids.
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Old May 25th, 2007, 12:09 PM
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Thanks for all the suggestions. Right now I am leaning towards Colorado and looking at various spots. The prices are high but hopefully we can find something. No one in the family has ever skied so all this will be quite new. I am planning on sitting by a fire, reading a book and watching my children enjoy themselves. Since they have never felt temps below 75 F, should be interesting to see how they like the cold! Thanks for all the advice so far. Ana
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Old May 25th, 2007, 12:20 PM
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Look into Snowmass, CO. It is right near Aspen. It is a very family friendly resort and most of the accomodations consist of slopeside condominiums. There is a wide range of options from budget (for a CO ski resort) to luxury, unlike places like Beaver Creek or Deer Valley (which by the way are great, if pricey, options), which offer primarily luxury lodging.

The least expensive option would be to stay in a one of the towns off I-70 which are near all the Front Range resorts. Frisco is a nice town with a lot of fairly inexpensive condos for rent (check VRBO.com). It is an easy 1.5 - 2 hr drive from Denver and within 30 min. of Keystone, Breckenridge, A-Basin, Copper Mtn, Loveland & Vail. You would probably want a car to best enjoy the area, but it is possible to do with out in Frisco as there is a free bus system called the Summit Stage that runs all throughout Summit County and has stops for several lines right in Frisco.
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