Help! Need Ski Resort Suggestions
 

Hello All--

First of all, I need to say that I love this website. Have gotten some wonderful advice over the years and now I am back asking for more.
After many years of going to Telluride with our family to ski, my husband would like to try another resort. Most likely, we will be going in mid-March (spring break)with our 2 boys (10 & 15). Although the altitude has caused a few problems some years, I have LOVED Telluride because we don't need to rent a car and can walk everywhere. There are lots of places to eat and we have enjoyed all of the condos we have stayed in over the years. That being said, my husband thinks we should try another resort this year.
Any suggestions regarding a ski resort that is within a 90 min. drive from the airport and one that has a town associated with it like Telluride (so that we do not need to rent a car and can walk everywhere once we get there) would be appreciated.
One of the very best aspects of Telluride for us what the fact that you could take a shuttle from the Montrose airport (they are very well organized) and get to Montrose within 75 minutes and never need a car for anything. The grocery stores, restaurants, spas, etc..., were all within a 4 block radius of our condo so we were spoiled!
Are there any other ski resorts like this (I know, I am being very picky) that people would recommend and if so, please recommend nice lodging in-town near the Gondola.
Thanks so much!
PScott

A couple of suggestions to get you started. In Colorado, Breckenridge or Vail would meet your critera. Aspen and Steamboat are more than 90 min. from the Denver airport although you can fly to both places on smaller airlines. You'd still have to arrange transportation to your lodging. I'd stick with either Breck or Vail. Vail covers a large area but does have shuttle bus service. I'd try to stay as close to the main lifts as possible. Lionshead is next to/close to a gondola, but construction there has been on-going for some time. I'm sure they're not finished yet, but it may be better than it was last summer.

Park City in Utah would be another possibility.

Jackson Hole is another option. I'd stay at the Four Seasons.

Most of the Utah ski resorts are within 30 minutes of the airport. I know there is very good shuttle service to Alta/Snowbird and Brighton/Solitude because we have used it (Canyon Transport). I believe there is a similar company that will take you to Park City or Deer Valley.

We think the best skiing is at Alta/Snowbird, but there is no "town" there. There are a number of condos (with pools), a small shopping center at the lift base (including a small grocery), and five decent dinner restaurants, plus several more coffe bars and pizza places, all within a short walking distance of each other. That has always been enough for us.

Brighton/Solitude are a little smaller and low-key, but there is a small village complex at Solitude.

If you would like a real town, consider Park City. It's an old mining town turned ski town. I've never skied there, so hopefully someone else can advise you on the skiing. But it's a nice place to stay, with lots of dining and shopping choices, as well as condos.

Park City meets all of your criteria. Super easy to get to from the airport. Cute town with shopping, art galleries, bars, restaurants, even a day spa. Lots of skiing options (3 resorts in the immediate vicinity).

I have a recommendation for a really nice private home in Park City. It's one block from the Park City ski area and a 10 minute walk to Main Street. Email me at dmlove51 at hotmail (my public email address) if you want more info. We stayed there 3 years ago with our then 21, 20 and 18 year olds. FWIW, I don't ski, and I LOVE Park City. Note that Park City has a shuttle, too, that goes all over town and to all the local ski areas.

Aspen also meets your criteria. You may have to fly through Denver, but and on a smaller airPLANE, but not a smaller airLINE (meaning United flies to Aspen). The ski mountain is right in the middle of town. The airport is about 4 miles outside of town. In town are many hotels, condo developments, incredible shopping and restaurants. It is pretty high on the bling-factor, though. I didn't find Park City that way at all.

Thank you all so much for the feedback.... My husband is leaning towards Breckenridge and I am leaning towards Park City but am wondering about the conditions in mid-March. (I realize that every year is different....but generally???)
Also, was wondering about Crested Butte? I have heard that the terrain is more for intermediate skiers (which for the most part we are -- although husband blew out his knee two years ago and now considers himself a adv. green slope guy).
Does anyone have suggestions about CB or Breck or PC in mid-March?
PScott

I'd vote for Breck because the skiing is better than Park City IMHO and you can also get free shuttle service to Keystone and A-Basin (maybe Copper too?). With that said the town is @ 9600' so altitude can be an issue but that is also why the skiing is so good. Breck has more of a ski town vibe than Park City which is more or a scene.

As you even mentioned, trying to predict snow conditions is difficult,but assuming the snowfall and temperatures have /are fairly normal,mid-March is an excellent time for all areas suggested.

Crested Butte is great for skiing , but it really consists of two areas. The ski area which has the usual array of hotels,condos, restaurants and shops and the town of Crested Butte about a mile down the road. It also has some restaurants, shops and condos. I prefer the town as it has a more interesting and authenic ambience,more akin to Telluride, but I find both somewhat lacking in facilities compared with the previously mentioned areas. C.B. does have a distinct advantage as it tends to be less crowded and it may well be the most scenic of all. If you do decide to go to C.B., stay in the town and take the shuttle up to the ski area.

I was going ot mention Crested Butte as well but got a bit worried about your mention of altitude problems. CB is quite high, and the ski mountain and the town of Mt. Crested Butte even higher. I love Crested Butte and it is a funky little town and a great place to spend a couple of days. The restaurants are fantastic and the skiing great without any lines. It's an easy 30 minute trip from Gunnison and you can catch Alpine express from the airport.

I haven't been to Park Cities, but I would take Crested Butte over Telluride and Aspen adn Vail any day. But that's just me, I like the fact that the crowds are not in Crested Butte but yet the town just buzzes during ski season and everyone is nice and friendly.

Hi PScott,

I live in Park City and the March skiing is usually great. This, coming from a die hard Snowbird fan.

In answer to one of your questions, the town of Park City has 3 major ski resorts - Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons. All are very fun places to ski and offer all ability levels.

Park City is 40 minutes drive (or less) from Salt Lake International airport - which is RARELY closed. Aspen airport, on the other hand, is closed frequently, off and on, very dependent on weather due to location, etc.

The free shuttles in Park City are terrific! They go to all the resorts and stop all over town. Park City also has one unique feature over any other ski area in the west - the Utah Olympic Park where you can watch the athletes train on Nordic jumps, bob sled, luge and skeleton. You can even take a ride on the bob sled with professional drivers. Best $200 minute you'll ever have!

If you have loved the skiing at Telluride, Snowbird and Alta will have comparable challenge for you.

Utah has 11 ski resorts within 1 hour of the airport, most are less than that.

I like CO skiing too.

I can't compare your choices, as I've only skiied in Colorado (but not in Telluride). As mentioned before, conditions at all the resorts are generally quite good in mid-March.

Also consider the spring break crowds - they're pretty huge at Breck; they may be smaller at places like Crested Butte and Telluride, which are a little further out of the way.

If you've had some altitude issues, keep in mind that Breck is probably the highest in elevation the those you're considering - the town is at 9600 feet, and the ski resort is (of course) higher than that. (The top of the Imperial lift is at 12,850, but you probably won't be going up there).

I think Breck has a lot of intermediate runs (I'm an expert skiier). The resort is known for being windy and cold, because of its elevation, but that's in comparison to nearby resorts. And in March, it's usually warm, at Breck and the other resorts too.

Breck is a former mining town, so has some of that feel, and there's definitely an actual town there. You can walk pretty much everywhere, and there are several shuttles as well.

Of all the places listed I think the town of Telluride is the most similar to Park City. One major old time main street, gondola in town, very walkable. As others have mentioned Park City has the advantage of being a shorter ride from the airport and you also have two other ski resorts, Canyons and Deer Valley very close with several others not that far away either.

While I love Breakenridge, it is the one resort I have been to that everytime we go someone in our party has issues with the altitude.

I would encourage you to look again at Steamboat which is a short drive from Hayden airport which is big enough to handle 737 and 757 size jets. Great skiing, fun town, free shuttle, only drawback is the sulfur smell from the springs.

Truthfully, you can't go wrong with any of the suggestions. Make a list and go to a new place each year!

Realistically, you need a car for Steamboat. Park City or Breck fit the OP's criteria better.

I just got back from my umpteenth trip to Vail and I think it would be great for your family. The village has all that you need and you can easily walk from a condo or hotel room to the Vista Bahn lift. I'd stay in the village as opposed to Lionshead.

I've also skied all over the world and agree that Breckenridge would be another good option. The town is terrific and the skiing is pretty good too. Park City is pretty big and there is a good bus system for which to get around, but it would be a shame to go there and NOT ski Deer Valley, The Canyons, Alta, Snowbird, etc. For that you need a car.

Personally I'm psyched more than ever because I'm going to Telluride for the first time in February and it sounds better than ever!!!

What about Whistler??? It is a 2.5 hour drive from the Vancouver airport but you can take a shuttle and once you are in the village there is no need whatsoever for a car. It's my favorite place ever and trust me, I've skied almost everywhere!!! Have fun.

Skiergirl, the Park City shuttle goes to Deer Valley for sure and possibly The Canyons as well.

Regarding Whistler, isn't the "village" a manufactured ski resort, as opposed to a "real" town?

Taking the shuttle to the other Utah resorts is an option but that takes TIME. Hence my suggestion for a car.

Whistler is great and that's my opinion. It's a walking village which is what the OP wanted. Why stomp all over it? You don't even ski sf7307 so get over it!

Geez, skiergirl, why the hostility? I happen to love ski towns whether or not I ski. As I mentioned before I LOVE Park City. I like Aspen. I like Tahoe. It was a QUESTION -- is Whistler a ski village as opposed to a town? Snowmass = ski village. Aspen = town. Park City = town. Northstar = ski village.

Thanks again to all who made suggestions and gave advice... all very helpful.
Interestingly enough, we have had a number of family and friends go to Whistler and they just loved it as well.... I would love to go there someday but trying to get from Alabama to Whistler is more than I want to deal with this year (both from a time and monetary standpoint), so we are leaning towards Colorado or Utah. We went to Big Skye a number of years ago and just loved it but again getting there involved 2 plane changes (both of which were delayed which resulted in one excruiatingly long travel day for us) and then a long shuttle ride (or so it seemed at 1:00 in the morning...) to the resort so that is why Colorado or Utah are probably are best bets.

After all the wonderful advice, I'm now leaning towards Park City, although I bet my husband reads the posts and votes for Breck. Meh. What can you do?
Thanks again for all the great advice.
Oh, and Skiergirl, you will have a grand time in Telluride. Lots to do and so easy to get around if you stay in the town or even up in Mtn. Village. Again, only issue with Telluride for some of our family and friends over the years has been altitude problems. Drink lots of water and ask the locals what to do...they give good advice. Have a great time.
PScott
PScott

We have been to Whistler a couple of times. It is a great resort when the conditions are good but it gets a lot of rain. We live in Atlanta, and it is quite a trek to get there from here (door to door with change of planes, etc.- 10 hours). You can get comparable or better skiing in Utah or Colorado, and they are only half the distance. Whistler's "village" is much larger than what is at Northstar, or Snowmass, but it is not a "real" town in the sense that Breck or Park City are. I still think you would like Jackson Hole but it would involve a change of planes for you.

PScott,

The park City shuttles do go to both Deer Valley and The Canyons. They bus system even goes out to the Factory Stores, a place I hate, and the Utah Olympic Park a place I and visitors just love.

There are shuttle companies that specialize in transportation between Park City and the Cottonwood Canyons.

The two largest shuttle companies serving the airport/Park City are All Resorts Express and Park City Tranportation. There are others too.

My vote is Steamboat Springs (HDN), and you can take a dip in the hot springs.

You get a lot of opinions but sometimes wonder about the backgrounds since, IMO, some of the opinions are a little off.

I am a skier of 40 years and reside in Colorado -- so you know my biases.

I have skied Park City during the first week of March for the past ten years, and about half of the time the snow was marginal. The mornings were OK on top but soft and slushy in the lower half by the afternoon resulting a ice and hard pack the next morning. Alta and Snowbird were much better because of the altitude. I would prefer Alta but there is nothing there.

Breck would be much more dependable for the snow at that time because of the altitude. You will hit crowds because of Spring break but that is true everywhere. Breck is a big mountain and will handle a lot people. The town set up would be similar to Telluride. Their is an hourly free s\ bus system that covers all of Summit cty -- Keystone and Copper ski areas plus the various small towns in the area. Provides a number of options for skiing. The Breck intown bus system is very good giving non-car access.

I am a big fan of the Beaver Creek and Vail ski areas although I ski Breck 3 to 1 over those areas. The Vail/Eagle airport provides less than one hour access to these two. Both areas, especially Beaver Creek, are very upscale with great services but all new unlike Breck, Park City, Telluride which are old Victorian style mining towns.

Personally think Breck would be your better choice of all the prior recommendations.

Thanks again to all.....am still debating. Any suggestions for a place in Park City that is an upscale condo near everything so we won't need a car for the whole week? (I say whole week but it's really only 3 or 4 days of skiing ...). (Keep in mind I was spoiled in Telluride since we only needed to walk 4 blocks in any direction for ANYTHING.) Would like to have the same experience in Park City if that's where we choose to go this year. I would love some condo suggestions (2Br/2Ba).
Pscott

No question in my mind - Vail!

Hi again PScott,

If you do choose Park City, right off the top of my head, I would recommend the Marriott Mountainside as a possibility. It's right at the base of Park City Mtn Resort, step outside to the Pay Day 6 pack, ski in, ski out. Nice outdoor pool. Very upscale timeshare condos and you can walk to Main Street.

PCMR base has shops, restaurants and a small ice rink. Shuttle stop right there if you don't want to walk or need to go elsewhere.

The Park City resorts don't get quite as much snow as the Cottonwoods, but I think if you have been happy with Telluride, you will be happy at the Park City areas. Telluride is one H*** of a mountain, but their snow years vary hugely.

Snowbird, Alta, Brighton and Solitude are always better snow quality than Park City. Higher, more snow, but not much in the way of non-skiing activities, restaurants, "town".

If you are hard core skiers - choose Alta and Snowbird. If you want a mix, choose Park City.

As I said, I've skied at many of the CO resorts and have really liked all of them. Bbut the times I've been there, multiple Januarys and Marches, the conditions have been less than ideal. Hard park and icy. One January we did hit great powder. It's just a matter of timing. It's an outdoor sport and nothing is every guaranteed.

Oh, there is a new place at the base of PCMR too called The Lowell. I would have to check to see if it's completely finished.

Another very nice place is Hotel Park City, but it's not slopeside. Marriott's other property on Main St. is the Marriott Summit Watch, also very nice.

Other condos are just TOO many to name.

Hope this helps! I've shoveled over a foot out of my driveway the last two days and another foot plus expected tomorrow. My home is a bit lower altitude than the bases of the resorts.

I think Park City is an excellent idea, but I'd recommend staying near Main St and the Town lift. You can get right up the mountain, shops and restaurants are right there, and you're close to the Transit Center to get to Deer Valley and The Canyons.

Last winter we stayed at the Grand Galleria (found a place on vrbo) and didn't need a car at all.

Ooooh, Dayle....shoveled a foot of snow and another foot expected?!! I can't wait! We are coming for New Year's week with ALL the kids....looking forward to the powder.

I love Park City and there is so much fine dining in addition to great skiing. Main Street is very happening.

Having lived at Copper Mountain for over four years, I do know something about Summmit County snow as well as Vail in Eagle County. While one can run into a snow drought which will cause conditions to be hard-packed and icy, this is highly unusual. There were few days during my stay in the mountains when I didn't ski because of lousy conditions. And, believe me, when you live at a ski resort and can ski anytime, you get pretty picky.

We stayed at Mt Thunder Lodge in Breckenridge. VRBO was used to book the condo. The booking was super easy and included underground parking. It is across the street from the transit terminal that accesses Summitt County and a gondola. Around the corner there is a City Market, Liquor Store, etc.. The location is within walking distance to downtown with its many shops and restaurants. Loved the free transportation and how easy it was to get around.

In our zeal to trumpet our favorite ski resort or state, we lose track of the original question -- skiing in mid-March !!! I will still maintain that good skiing conditions are more likely at Breckenridge than Park City at that time of year simply because of the higher elevation. The same would be true for other Utah resorts that have a higher base altitude than Park City.

#1: Whistler
#2: Blackcomb (*Hint, they are the same village and H U G E)
#3: Vail
#4: Park City

The drive/train/bus ride from the Vancouver airport is a bit over your criteria for time but the Sea-to-Sky highway is GEORGEOUS! There is a reason the winter Olympics are going there. Village: Great, Mountains: Huge terrain/vertical

I realize this is posted after ski season, but I stumbled upon it and wanted to provide my two cents for future readers. I was amused as some of the provinciality you got in your answers! People are certainly proud of their favorite ski resorts :)

You asked for a ski resort that was 1) close to an airport and 2) had a real town. I saw the discussion really focus on Park City, Breck, and Whistler. I felt that there were two resorts that received strikingly little input:

Steamboat Springs. The Hayden airport (35 mins away) is every bit as large as and has better flight service Montrose. If you've been happy with Montrose, you'll be happy with Hayden. And Steamboat is a great ski town with a wonderful family atmosphere (http://www.familyskihub.com/ResortSteamboat.html).

Jackson Hole got a mention, but it is really worth looking at. Jackson has major air service on jets, and the town is great for that day when you want to do something other than ski. Lots of places to eat and drink, and a heck of a ski mountain.

With all that said, it is hard to argue with any of the several Salt Lake City resorts when it comes to your criteria, including Park City.

The Top 20 Family Ski Resort Listing at http://www.familyskihub.com is a good place to look for reviews, as is http://www.snow.com.

If you stumble across this post again, where'd you go?

I did stumble back over this post and enjoyed re-reading all the info. as once again, we've got the same dilemma this year, only we are thinking of going over Christmas break this year.
As for last year, after all of that, we ended up going on a fantastic non-skiing trip out west. Our usual entourage for skiing couldn't make it this year and we decided we only have a few years left for family vacations with the kids (as the oldest is starting to look at colleges), and we needed to do the Grand Canyon/Sedona/Scottsdale trip with them. We have an absolutely lovely vacation (because I researched it to death), and the kids said it was one of the best trips ever. That being said, my husband and I decided we really did miss skiing and are investigating trying to go over the week before or after Christmas somewhere which opens up another whole can of worms. We've never skied during that time so don't know the best place for us to go as I guess some ski resorts might not even have good snow at that time. Any suggestions?

I don't know if cost is a factor but I would think generally that you will have lower airfare costs flying to a major hub like salt lake city than flying to Hayden springs for Steamboat or to jackson hole.

Snow level will be lower the earlier you have to go. If you ski Christmas week, many places will have their highest prices then and it will be more crowded.

Other than the snow factor which is hard to predict, I would still recommend Utah because you can fly into slc and there are 9 ski resorts between 30-60 minutes of that airport. If it is crowded, you can choose to go to the less crowded locations rather than be stuck with limited choices. The 9 are: SLC-brighton, solitude, snowbird, alta; Park city has deer valley, park city, and canyons; there is Sundance ski resort near Provo which brings us to 8, and then near Ogden there is Snow Basin which is fantastic and where the Olympics downhill racing was held. That is 9, but I realized now there are 2 other much lesser known ski resorts near Snowbasin (Powder Mountain and Wolf something....), so there are 10 or 11 resorts to choose from.

This is THE resource a lot of skiers use to plan Christmas and Spring Break trips. This guy is great at looking at historical averages, weather patterns, etc. As you'll see the exact location matters a lot--one place in Utah might be a very bad bet while a nearby resort will have a good chance of great xmas conditions.

http://webpages.charter.net/tcrocker818/fam_ski.htm

if you are looking for more detailed advice on ski resorts than you get here, check out the travel forum at epicski.com.

Wow, Christy, I wish I had that website before we went to Park City in mid-December a few years ago! (We had a great time, and would go again, but not so early -- conditions were not very good)

I know, it's great how specific it is, and you realize you can't make generalizations about Utah resorts or Colorado resorts or California resorts--depending on which direction they face, how high they are, weather patterns, etc, conditions can be really different at resorts that are close to each other.

Thanks so much for the website referral Christy1. I just looked at it and sent it out to a ski group. Really interesting and very useful info. Am starting to think about Steamboat!

Thanks again.

great website references, christy1! thanks.