Colorado Aspen vs Utah Alta
Jun 5th, 2005, 05:24 PM
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Colorado Aspen vs Utah Alta
I am planning a week of skiing in early Aptil with kids. We are intermediate level skiers. Our budget for lodging is under $150 per night
Colorado vs Utah-snow conndition in April, cost, views, etc.?
Any analysis would be very apreciated.
Thanks
DS
Colorado vs Utah-snow conndition in April, cost, views, etc.?
Any analysis would be very apreciated.
Thanks
DS
Jun 5th, 2005, 06:06 PM
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Go to Aspen, but stay and ski mostly at Snowmass. That mountain is huge (it is one of the 4 mountains included in your Aspen lift ticket.) Snowmass has a terrific layout, tons of interesting skiing, and is great for intermediates; also almost all the lodging is ski-in/ski-out, great for if the kids (or you!) need to take breaks. I recommend the Crestwood condos - decent units, probably get good rates in April. Free shuttle bus within town, Crestwood provides free shuttle to/from airport, shuttle to Aspen free in the daytime & cheap in the evenings. (You won't need a car.)
Visit Aspen, maybe try the other mountains (I'm thinking intermediates might appreciate Buttermilk, not so much Aspen Mountain or Highlands.)
With a whole week, I'm thinking Alta might not be enough to explore, particularly for intermediates. Also, base area lodging is limited and expensive (although you might get a deal in early April, who knows?). You'll end up staying in suburban Salt Lake City (and it will be cheap), but you'll need a car and you'll be lugging all your gear and kids to the mountain every day. If you do Utah (and yes, the skiing is wonderful), try to sample a few places....but, I'm biased, Snowmass is probably one of my favorite mountains, and I've skied a ton of places...
Early April, you can't tell for sure anyway, but Utah and Colorado both have good bases - they close for lack of interest, not lack of snow. (Although in Utah, bet on Alta/Bird/Solitude/Brighton to be better snow-wise than Park City due to elevation.)
Have fun whatever you decide!
Visit Aspen, maybe try the other mountains (I'm thinking intermediates might appreciate Buttermilk, not so much Aspen Mountain or Highlands.)
With a whole week, I'm thinking Alta might not be enough to explore, particularly for intermediates. Also, base area lodging is limited and expensive (although you might get a deal in early April, who knows?). You'll end up staying in suburban Salt Lake City (and it will be cheap), but you'll need a car and you'll be lugging all your gear and kids to the mountain every day. If you do Utah (and yes, the skiing is wonderful), try to sample a few places....but, I'm biased, Snowmass is probably one of my favorite mountains, and I've skied a ton of places...
Early April, you can't tell for sure anyway, but Utah and Colorado both have good bases - they close for lack of interest, not lack of snow. (Although in Utah, bet on Alta/Bird/Solitude/Brighton to be better snow-wise than Park City due to elevation.)
Have fun whatever you decide!
Jun 5th, 2005, 06:33 PM
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Not to be redundant, but I completely second the Snowmass recommendation. Have been going for 25 years (?!) and it is great skiing for everyone. We have even converted some of our Aspen Ski snob friends over to Snowmass for its diversity and great layout for group skiing! We own at the Crestwood and love its ski in-ski out location. Am not sure of their prices. Good luck!
