We are going skiing in Vail March 11-16. It
will be the first ski trip for most of the
people in our group. How many days of lift tickets should we get? They have packages
with 4 of 6 days. We will not get there in time to ski the first day. That leaves 4 or
5 days. Should we take a day off or ski every day?

This answer probably depends on the ages of the people in your group and how excited you are about learning to ski!

Teens and twenty somethings probably could and may want to ski everyday. Younger kids will most likely tire out after two days of skiing and will need a break by the third day. Same with the forty and above crowd.

Personnally, there is a lot to do in Vail and taking a day or two off during you visit will allow you do experience other activities besides skiing. For me four days of skiing within a week's trip would be plenty = Your muscles need a break!

If you are in great physical shape, working out on a regular basis, you could handle skiing 6 out of 6 days. It is not just the physical exertion but the altitude that will get you if you are not in shape. Otherwise, take a day off to go shopping, see the sites, or do nothing. Have fun and drink plenty of water.

If you are a beginner, then you will most likely not want to ski more than 3 days. Some of you will only want to do 2. Sorry, ski lovers, but I have run these trips for a ski club for years and
find that even the most avid fanatics may bite off a lot more than they can chew. Can't tell you how many lift ticket refunds I have had to do. Skiing out west and at high altitudes is HARD work for beginners especially.

Jeannette-You forgot to mention the effects of drinking too much! I have seen many a skier's vacation ruined out west because they partied too much.

Oh Doc, you are so right. We have one good skier in our group who has 2 days of lift tickets to redeem almost every trip for that reason. One time about half of our bus didn't show for two days except for some races they wanted to participate in. That was at Aspen, and there were just too many good bars, I think. My better half just returned from Crested Butte and said it was absolutely marvelous last week. Said last Sunday and Monday that there was hardly anyone on the slopes and super peaceful. He has been everywhere and has been treasurer of his ski club for
23 years. Banff Canada is his favorite.
I can take it or leave it (skiing) but have been trip coordinator and have seen a whole lot of non-skiing on ski trips in my time. We've lost people along the way and at the airports from the "casino syndrome" also.

Good to hear that conditions were wonderful at Crested Butte. They have had several years of poor snow. We are planning on going to Telluride again this year but I have a nagging to try Beaver Creek....anyone have any thoughts on the two. It seems that both places are crazy priced as far as lodging goes. I keep hearing how wonderful the Hyatt is at Beaver Creek. We have always stayed on top of the mountain in Telluride. Several new hotel/condo's have been built since we were there last...Would love comments from anyone that has been. Thank you,

Thanks for all the help. We'll probably
wait to get lift tickets when we get there.
Saw something on an auction site about
ski coupons. Is this legit?

Is this Shelby? Hey, I would wait until you get here to get lift tickets. For Never-evers there are packages that include lessons and lifts that are cheaper than buying a multi-day lift ticket + lessons separately. If I remember correctly, you have a 5 or 6 yr old - there used to be a package with Lift/lesson/rentals for kids. b

Hi again... Stopped by the Vail Resorts corp office at lunch and picked up some brochures. There is a full day beginner Lesson+Lift pkg for $109/day, and a full day beginner Lesson+Lift+Rental pkg for $134/day. I was talking to some others and there is a 3 day package for "Never Evers" that includes lifts, lessons and rentals for about $100. (No one could give me an exact) The ski school general info # 800-475-4543. Never Evers are those that literally have never ever skied. The first hour is spent putting boots on the correct feet, putting skis on, standing & falling, etc.

I wouldn't chance the auction site for buying lift tickets. In the paper every year they ticket some kid selling coupons for discounted tickets or unused days of multi day tickets. So I be suspicious of tickets bought from an auction being good.

Bly-They usually give you a break if you have a group.

Group tickets at ski resorts are for groups of 20-25 skiers for approximately the same days (ski clubs, corp clubs, etc) not for a family of 5. Most ski resorts will require prepurchase and prepayment before arrival for group tickets. There are some discounts thru entertainment cards, grocery stores or ski shops, but these are generally only a couple bucks a day. As this is the "first ski trip" they'll need lessons at least for the first day and the lift+lesson package is a much better deal.

Bly-Well, if you grab 20 of your closest friends---Seriously, ski clubs are the way to go. Our club offers great trip packages with air, lift tickets, lessons and rental cars included. Better pricing for groups 20 and over. Our group is for singles and couples, but I have heard of family ski clubs. The American Ski Club Association should have a list of clubs in your area.

Thanks. Yes, this is Shelby.
I really appreciate all your help.
Guess we'll just wait till we get there.
Got my peaks cards already.