lvk

The kids' spring break doesn't start until 4/1 this year. I see that Park City officially closes on 4/11 and Vail on 4/17. Does anyone have experience skiing this late in the season at either of these resorts?

I know a lot depends on what Mother Nature and El Nino have planned for this winter, but I need to book soon, and would like to know what the odds are of having a decent skiing experience before we shell out $$$.

Any other suggestions about good Spring Skiing areas would also be appreciated.
Thanks!

skipop

I would suggest Copper in Colorado or Alta/Snowbird in Utah. Alta/Snowbird simply get more snow than Park City and, as a result, should have a bigger base. In Colorado, Copper has a higher base elevation than Vail which usually translates into a bigger base and better conditions late season.

gc

lvk,

The farther north you go, the better your chances. Check Banff, probably more snow and less $$ due to exchange rates.

Here's an example:

http://www.skimag.com/skimag/news/ar...449883,00.html

Coskier

Been to both at that time. Park City was pretty much mud the year I went, I am sure it vaires from year to year. We ski Vail often late in the season and would go there! BIG plus is that you can get a great deal on lift tickets on-line now
http://vail.snow.com/info/pb.lifttic...ing.spring.asp

greenfieldhunter

Spring skiing in Utah is great as long as you do not go to Park City. Previous poster said it - snowbird or alta. Additionally there was a great package last year for the budget skier. Lodging at a Sleep Inn in Sandy and lift tickets for $62 nite per person. Seeing how a Snowbird tift ticket is about $50 retail you can see this is a good deal.The ticket was good for snowbird alta briton and solitude. The thing about SLC is you have 10 resorts/ski areas within 1 hour of the airport. You do not have to book in that far in advance . The only catch is you need a rental car- for the real secret utah resort check out Powder Mountain. Alta Snowbird and Pow Mow 500+ inches average

lenleigh

Not that you can base your trip off this but I was just reading in the Denver Post about the winter predictions. Typically we get the most amount of snow in March and this year some are prediciting we will get a lot of snow late in the season. The article suggested that some resorts may want to stay open longer this year.

But, it's Colorado.... Good thing about Vail or many other summit county resorts is that they are all relatively close so if one has more snow you could always take a little drive.

lvk

Thanks for the replies. Snowbird is DH's absolute favorite place to ski (so far . We wanted to try somewhere different. It looks like Vail might be the better choice of the two.

We're looking at staying in a condo in Avon. How convenient is that to the ski areas? (Vail & Beaver Creek). Would we have to drive or are there shuttles? I probably should post this on a new thread, but I give it a shot here.

Thanks again for your prompt responses!

amwosu

I don't like (some of the people) who go to Vail in comparison to other resorts. We've been all over Colorado in the past twenty years but we go to Aspen every year for winter break. The employees and other visitors in Aspen are pretty cordial. Everyone is good about taking turns getting on the lifts and even though it is the busiest time of the year we never encounter grumps.

At Vail it was every man for himself (and we weren't even there during a busy time of the season) getting on the lifts and I couldn't believe the number of people smoking on the mountain. I know others will disagree and have different experiences but...

I'm not recommending Aspen for the late seaon, I think the conditions are too icy there in April but Winter Park and Copper are both nice places for Spring Break, especially with kids.

lvk

amwosu,
It's funny that you say that. We didn't like the Aspen "attitude" at all. We've been avoiding Vail, because we thought it would be a similar experience. (Our friend's son is an instructor there and she's been trying to get us to go there for years.)

A recent TV news report predicted that the El Nino effect was going to cause a longer snow season this winter (similar to the Denver Post article mention above) resulting in good spring skiing. We'll see!

After more research, we booked Heavenly Valley in Lake Tahoe this spring (they're trying to stay open thru Cinco de Mayo) But thanks to your suggestions, Copper, Winter Park and Powder Mountain are on our "list" for the future. We're also trying for Banff for Xmas 2005.

padams421

Avon is at the base of Beaver Creek, and I have heard that BC put in a gondola to run from Avon up to the mountain. Can anyone confirm?

Avon is about 20 minutes from Vail. If I were going to do most of my skiing at Vail, I would stay closer to Vail. Try West Vail for less expensive lodging options.

MaureenB

I heartily agree with the Winter Park suggestion. We've gone there for years. It's a very down-to-earth place-- no 'attitude' there.

eroz

Didnt' like Aspen, LOVE Vail. Have been there several times and everyone is cool and fun and casual. Highly reocmmend it!

MaureenB

I have to say that I am always puzzled why people like Vail, and out-of-staters always inquire about it. We've lived in Colorado since the late 60s. To us, Vail is a fake Swiss manufactured 'village' set next to a busy highway with no authentic spirit to it whatsoever.
Yes, it's a good ski mountain, but no better than Winter Park/Mary Jane and several others. I think Vail must do an excellent job of marketing itself, to get the name recognition and cache it's got. Vail is definitely overrated in our book. And it attracts the 'nouveau riche' see-and-be-seen crowd, also IMHO.
I'll take Aspen anytime, for a high-end resort experience; and Winter Park or Steamboat for a low-key authentic Colorado experience.

BLYVAIL

Ok, obviously biased, but as someone who has grown up in Colorado, skied most of the big Colorado and Utah resorts, taught in Australia, skied in Cananda and Europe - for sheer terrain, there is no comparison to Vail. It has miles of groomed runs, open bowl skiing, treed glade skiing, steep bumps, cliffs, terrain parks...more skiable terrain than several other resorts put together. An actual town that you can walk, shop, eat, drink in -unlike say, Winter Park (my parents have a condo there) or Copper Mtn (coach Special Olympics @ Copper) Ok - done with my rant!

Both Park City and Vail will probably have some pretty good late season skiing. I'm partial to Vail over Park City because I like the longer runs of Vail. At Park City, it felt like the runs were short then immediately back on the lift. I liked the terrain and layout of Deer Valley better.

Beaver Creek (my personal favorite) did put in a lift from the parking lots in Avon. It is not from the center of town. You take the lift to the Ritz Carlton lift at Bachelor Gulch, from that lift you can ski between BC, Bachelors Gulch and Arrowhead. You will be able to ski down via catwalk to the car or bus. There are shuttles that run throughout town and into Vail. Depending on the ages of the kids, Beaver Creek might be a more accessible mountain than Vail.

What condo are you looking at in Avon?

Dayle

OK, I live in Park City and have been skiing in Utah (and all over the West) for over 30 years.

I wouldn't recommend Heavenly Valley for April skiing. I would recommend Mammoth over Tahoe for late season skiing any day.

As for Utah: Snowbird and Alta, Brighton and Solitude are all great through April. No crowds, great snow and cheaper lift tickets. The Park City resorts do turn to mud, at least at the bottom.

Vail is great, but some of the best teraine I've ever skied is at Whistler. Great lift system, endless, long runs and every type of skiing you could want. Only drawback is it rains a lot.

MaureenB

For late spring skiing, check the amount of south-facing slopes a ski mountain has. I know that's one reason Steamboat gets mushy in the afternoons and frozen lumps in the a.m. most spring times.