JillDavis--Listen to the others as far as skiing goes. I haven't skied at either place. That said, we have stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel and it is beautiful! We loved it! As someone else said though, try to go a different time of year. We have always gone in the summer or mid September.

.....Don't laugh, but there is decent skiing just 700 miles up I-75 from where you live......

I am laughing !!! Come on, get serious. I have skied a number of those mid-west ski areas that are not much more than a big hill with a rope tow. I am guessing by now that they have been upgrade to chairs.

Give me the details -- amount of vertical drop, chairs, mid slope base, etc. It is not the same and doesn't compare.

jyares, what a misleading posting. The rating has absolutely nothing to do with skiing. How could any ski resort in TN compete with slopes in the Rockies? It is a Winter Ski Vacation RENTAL DESTINATIONS rating. The rating is solely base on the rental properties available and the pricing. It is an apple and banana comparison. The vertical drop ranges from 556 to 163 feet and run lengths of 1800 to 4400 feet - max is about three quarters of a mile. It is just long slide hill. My guess it will icy most of the time whenever they finally open.

The place probably is adequate to take a beginner lesson or two but not a place where you would want to go for a ski vacation even if the rentals are cheap.

Skied both areas! Kensingtongirl hit all the points!

Drop dead gorgous in Banff/Lake Louise. While we stayed in town of Banff my friend stayed in the Chateau...one of the most beautiful settings these eyes have ever seen!!

If you want to go and have a good beginner ski experience..go to Breck. Save Banff for another winter!

-john

Thank you so much for all of your responses. My heart is yearning for that Fairmont castle in the middle of the Canadian Rockies in Banff Springs - even in the -30 weather. Maybe I will have to learn a lesson the hard way if I come back with a cold. haha

However, you are probably right that it is better to learn to ski in Breckenridge. Plus, it is a super cute town and would be a fantastic trip as well.

Jill your are a smart girl and should know that cold weather does not cause a cold. Frost bite, maybe, but not a cold. Probably more likely to catch something on the airplane than skiing.

What is your main reason for going skiing? Is it to stay at a gorgeous hotel with the skiing being secondary? Or is the skiing aspect the most important? If it's the hotel then I'd go to Banff but if skiing is the major consideration then choose Breckenridge.

history - I want both! :)

A couple of comments -
Skiing in the west IS heavenly, but there are several choices in NC for skiing as well.

I agree with the others re going to Breck for the ski vacation and go to Banff later in the year.

Having said that... you just discovered the Banff Springs. Do you know about Chateau Lake Louise? We chose it over BS. Amazing hotel and amazing location -
http://www.fairmont.com/lakelouise

We live in NC and could go day skiing if we wanted. For school holidays we would rent a house for the long weekend--whence I KNOW it can rain for 3 days, and be muddy at tge top of the mountain in mid-February.
It would not be a bad long weekend for you from Florida sometime, but the slopes are incredibly crowded and a 45 minute wait in a lift line is not at all unusual. And yes, we do have good lifts.
When it was all we could do, it was fine, and our kids learned to ski very young--before we went to Colorado, and they could really enjoy the terrain, and improve out there with lessons, even at black diamond level.
You are on the right track. You'll love Breck. the ski schools now for beginners are SO good (magic carpet "lift" to get you up the hill. the instruction is so good, you'll improve very quickly.
A really good area with pretty good snow guarantee is Snowshoe in West VA if you ever want to give it a try.

Add about ski conditions in NC. Almost all the snow is man made, and actually all the ski areas really want is COLD weather so they can make it, because when they get a big natural snowfall, the roads are bad and people can't get there!! It's a puzzlement!!

Ski at Breckenridge and visit Banff and Lake Louise in the summer when I would guess you would want to escape from Florida's heat and humidity.

No comparison between Banff and Breckenridge IMHO. Why not consider someplace like Telluride, Crested Butte, Steamboat, or Aspen, for historic settings in Colorado? So many people flock to Breckenridge, that it has a pretty high rate of injuries on the hill.

Sorry, am not a big fan of the Summit County over-development of our mountains. blech.

Aspen Mountain is not for beginners so they are shuttling. Not bad, but every day.
There is nothing wrong with Breckenridge. It is VERY easy to get to from DIA, has good intermediate runs, good ski school, cute village, and CLOSE to the slopes. Sorry about Summit County for you, but it is a great ski area.

When I referred to Aspen, I meant the town. There are four ski mountains there.

FYI, Breckenridge is not considered by skiers to be a "great SKI area". Vail, yes. Winter Park, yes. Aspen, yes. Breck is "great" for tourists, I guess.

You'll notice I said they would be shuttling to the ski areas. She chose Breck. I like Vail, but it isn't a "cute" village. Breck is a smaller village than Aspen also. I think the tourists you don't care for are doing a lot for the economy of Colorado also. I'm sure we'd all like it to be the "way it was"--I was pretty shocked to see the growth at Vail, at the base of the mountain--not even talking about the area away from the mountain, since the first time we went there.

It's been YEARS since I was there, but Buttermilk was(is?) a great place to start as a beginner -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttermilk_(ski_area)
http://www.allaspen.com/buttermilk/
http://www.aspensnowmass.com/onmount...rea=Buttermilk

After Buttermilk, I'd go to Winter Park for beginning skiing -
http://www.coloradoskiauthority.com/...ginner-skiing/

I've skied Breck, but the complete newbie with me did not enjoy it very much.

Wherever you go, take lessons.

Gretchen, you said, "Aspen Mountain is not for beginners so they are shuttling. Not bad, but every day."
Which did not make sense as written, but now I think I understand what you meant.

The OP has NOT chosen Breck, as you said.

And please read my post. I did not say I don't care for tourists.

I just want skiers to know that Breckenridge is ok, but there are LOTS of other mountains in Colorado. Personally, it is not my favorite. And it gets so crowded, there are lots of injuries on the hill.

Enough said pour moi.

I don't know the status of Buttermilk or Aspen highlands since they were sort of all combined. You are right--Buttermilk was super good for the novice, and good skiiers didn't bother with it!! But again, no town, as the OP really does want, as I read it. Actually, that seems to be another poster that wanted the small town-ness.
DD was a ski instructor at WinterPark for a year. it is a good mountain, but I find it sort of isolated. I like the variety of things available in Summit County.
If the newbie with you didn't take lessons, and didn't ski to your level, I'm sure he/she didn't enjoy it.

"If the newbie with you didn't take lessons, and didn't ski to your level, I'm sure he/she didn't enjoy it."

The newbie took two days of lessons while I skied. Finally gave up after the second day. Not a reflection of Breck, although from what others have said Breck may be busier at the beginner slopes than other resorts.