irishswampyankee

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.

Dayle

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.

Christina

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.

sf7307

>>

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.

tomfuller

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.

FriscoColorado

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.

spirobulldog

I vote for Breckenridge.

Suzie

I completely agree about not counting on Tahoe at Christmas. If you are local you could risk it but if you travel a long distance and want to be sure there is snow, well Tahoe is just too unpredictable. This year isn't the only time in recent years where there wasn't good snow.