fromsuntosnow

We are a family of four with 9 and 11 year old kids. Looking for a nice place to stay and get some ski lessons over Christmas holiday maybe in Colorado. Any suggestions?

Coskier

There are many, many places to choose from. You need to make your lodging reservations ASAP though if you are thinking of a major resort. Most are booked already.

bbyo

We been taking ski trips to Colorado for 13 yrs. with our kids (now ages 17 and 19) When they were learning to ski we chose Steamboat Springs. Their ski school is usually ranked #1 or #2. The resort offers ski-in/ski-out accomodations or a shuttle system for the condos not within walking distance. The village and nearby town are really nice.
Lately, we've been going to Keystone Resort. We stay in the River Run area and walk to the slopes. You are also within driving distance to Arapahoe Basin(our favorite of the CO ski resorts), Breckinridge,& Copper Mtn. There is a lot to do in the Keystone Area. Great restaurants, ice skating, snow tubing, and shopping.
I'd be glad to answer any specific questions about either resort.

luv2go

Steamboat is a great place, with a great town. Also they have a 'kids ski free' program (even over Christmas) so you won't have to pay for their lift ticket!

sundown

Summit County would give you lots of options if you feel like skiing more than one resort. Vail Resorts owns Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin so a single pass allows you to ski any or all of them.

Breckenridge is an authentic town--as opposed to the condo/shop/restaurant ski villages you'll find at Keystone and Copper Mountain--and is really pretty at Christmas with lots of old Victorian houses dating all the way back to its days as a mining town a hundred years ago.

If you can afford it Vail is a lovely town, has some ultra-wide runs and is probably gorgeous at Christmas.

sundown

Oops, forgot to give you some information: Your options are not limited to staying in the towns of Breckenridge, Keystone or Copper Mtn. There are condos and houses for rent all over Summit County. Dillon (set on a pretty lake which will be snow covered in winter) is only about five minutes from Keystone and probably 15 minutes from Breckenridge and Copper Mountain. Other little towns nearby include Frisco and Silverthorne. www.vrbo.com is a website I sometimes use to look for rental condos or houses.

Leta

We have skied all the above mentioned areas in Colorado as well and they are all good, but I would have to agree that Steamboat Springs is a great resort for family skiing. Our boys loved it!

KMK

I wouldn't panic on lodging - I just did a quick search on travelocity for Aspen, and still tons of lodging available Dec. 26-30, for example. However, if you are going to be going somewhere between Xmas and New Year's, it will be pricey. Cheaper just before Xmas and just after New Year's. Although, the sooner you book, naturally the better selection you will have.

In Colorado, I would recommend the resorts that are NOT near Denver; my guess would be those are going to be PACKED with day-trippers from Denver off from school and work for the holidays. (The exception might be Vail/Beaver Creek since I think those are black-out dates for the season passholders.)

Snowmass (part of the Aspen group) is a huge, fabulous, interesting mountain with tons of terrain for all abilities. I also took a lesson with their ski school and was quite happy. The lodging in Snowmass village is almost all ski-in/ski-out and the bus service is great (and free) so you wouldn't need to deal with a car.

I haven't personally been to Steamboat, but that is also a big mountain that would be great for a family, with lots of green and blue terrain, as I understand it.

Outside of Colorado, have you considered Grand Targhee? They always get great early season snow, and it's a low key, never crowded resort with lots of nice, open terrain for all levels. Fly into Jackson Hole or Idaho Falls to get there. It's one of my all time favorite resorts, you can get ski-in/ski-out lodging, and it would be great for a family, I would think.

Coskier

KMK gave good information. When I said you need to book ASAP I meant if it was for the 26th through the 1st. We rent out our condo at Keystone Colorado and it was booked in July. I have gotten many calls from folks desperate to find resonable lodging. If your budget is not restrictive you will not have as hard a time.

We ski every year over Christmas and found Breckenridge to be very crowded, Keystone less so and as KMK Vail and Beaver Creek even less as they block out those dates from season pass holders. Steamboat is also a good choice as you can fly into Hayden and skip the 1-70 drive. Really you would not even need a car in Steamboat.

Really alot of it depends on your budget. My "dream Christmas" would be to fly into Eagle Colorado stay at Vail or Beaver Creek. If it is not in your budget do like Sundown said stay in the towns of Frisco, Dillon, Silverthorne and save a bit of money with easy access to all the resorts.

Now have I helped or added more confusion?

HonestAbe

Was just browsing some skiing posts, and although this post is over a year old, I wanted to add my two cents for future readers who might do this search.

I, too, would recommend Grand Targhee, WY, or Steamboat Springs. Steamboat is a little bigger and has alot more nightlife and restaurant options. However, Targhee has the feel of a "backyard" type of place, even though it is in the beautiful Tetons. Powder is incredible and crowds are few.

Targhee is smaller, so if you want to have as much excitement in the evenings and during the day, go with another place. But I have found Targhee's snow to be the best I've ever skied, and the lack of crowds is a big plus. It is basically on the other side of the Tetons from Jackson Hole.

I've heard Taos is another one with few crowds and good ski school, but they don't allow snowboarders. For me,that is great. But for a snowboarder, it would obviously cross it off the list.