christy1

Since your trip is in Feb/March I don't see a disadvantage to booking now. It's not like December, which can be such an iffy month in terms of snow. Avoid spring break weeks in March.

Just a note--you probably have a reason why you are traveling when you are, but just so you know, prices can be cheaper in January at ski resorts than in Feb and March. Many people have just traveled for xmas, and kids are in school, so fewer people travel in January. I've found some very good lift/lodging deals in January. I find that condos are often less expensive and slopes are less crowded, too.

Oh and you asked about Steamboat lift tickets--they're one of the most expensive places ( I think $94 this year) and there are NO deals. They are famous for having no coupons or deals.

fmpden

Is looks like you have decided on Park City. That probably will fit you needs well especially for the beginner. You will find that the skiing and terrain is very different from your prior experience at Winter Park and Tahoe. The area is lower in altitude and most of the slopes are east facing which means the snow can get much softer on warm days. Also, the runs themselves are much shorter so you spend more time in lift lines and riding up. The above is more true for Park City and the Canyons than Deer Valley. The west facing Snowbird area is similar to Colorado but is not convenient from Park City. I don't think you can say that one area is steeper than another. Just a matter of what terrain you chose to ski.

sf7307

Unless you want to "just ski", I'd highly recommend a ski area in a town setting -- Park City is great, as is Breckenridge, Aspen, even Vail (although the "town" is really a ski resort village, it's very attractive, and has great shops, bars and restaurants, and it's big). I wouldn't choose a ski area that doesn't have a town close by (walking or shuttle distance), just in case one of you either doesn't want to ski one day, or you want to go out in the evening, etc.

evmo

Another great option for researching various lift ticket deals is http://www.Liftopia.com - the site had about 120 resorts selling deals last season, they sell tickets like expedia sells hotel rooms.

mrssparky

When we stayed at Copper, our lift tickets were discounted with the lodging. It was an extra $79.00 for a four day lift ticket. We were less than a five minute walk from a great chairlift, and there were fireworks!

I would look for a package deal.

Overall, I think Utah has cheaper lift tickets than CO. More competition I guess. Steamboat is great, but very pricey, with no deals to be found.

Kay2

We haven't had any more problems with soft snow at DV that time of year than at WP per se, but weather dictates all. The runs are shorter, so you so have to get in line. But the usual rules apply about going early, taking early lunch break, etc. to avoid the crowds.

Another thing we like about DV is no snow boards.

Lesson prices may be more expensive at DV than other resorts.

I don't see any disadvantage to booking your points tickets now if the seats are limited, your dates are firm, and the times/route are right. I don't see any advantage to buying lift tickets now. I'd only buy them in advance of arrival in SLC if part of a good discount package and as was pointed out, often lesson includes a ticket. I wouldn't book lodging this far in advance unless they were offering me something like $50 per night or I could cancel without penalty. You aren't going on a holiday and there is plenty of lodging in Park City. Keep an eye out for a great package or discount through their website. Rental cars are usually cheap at SLC.

If you search here you will find old discussions about the 3 resorts. Evidently many people do not like Canyons because of the short runs and flat areas, I think. I haven't skied there, so I can't say.

christy1

I don't think I've stood in much of a lift line at Deer Valley--betwen the fact that they limit the number of lift tickets sold, the fact that a lot of people that go there aren't very concerned with actually skiing, and the fact that it's the priciest lift ticket in the SLC area, it just doesn't get crowded.

fmpden

For the past ten years I have skied the Park City during the first week of March. And I have stood in plenty of lift lines especially on nice sunny days. By my standards anything over a wait of more than ten minutes is standing in a line. And because the runs are short, I find myself spending a lot of time in lift lines even on slow days.

Kay2

I also don't have patience for longer than 10 minutes in a lift line. We were at Deer Valley last of Feb/first of March 2010. We usually take the lifts all the way up to Empire Mountain and stay up there until bored, then over to Flagstaff and maybe Bald Mountain, which is much busier. One afternoon we skied down to the Silver Lake Lodge area and some of the lifts had long lines (to us), so we changed our plans and tried a little more of the lower mountain than we had before. We don't usually ski down to Snow Park Lodge until ready to leave.

Because we ski at different times each year as schedule allows, I can't compare lines directly from one resort to another. I've seen long lines at the base at Winter Park and Breckenridge for sure.

Of course, the OP's wife will be more limited on her first ski trip.

One think I liked about Winter Park as a beginner was that I could go to the Discovery Park area and ski down the short beginners slopes over and over without long lift lines because only beginners would hang out there. I didn't need long runs then. I enjoyed the rest riding back up.

christy1

I agree 10 minutes is too much. Maybe it's that we usually go in January. Or, we also usually ask a mt host where the least crowded runs are. My general experience at DV is that I ski almost right to the lift.