I asked a question yesterday about snowboading in killington or stowe for a novice and thanks everyone for your replies. But now im not sure is stowe really icy? im going in january. Are the west coast slopes better?

Would like a nice town with lots to do apres ski hopefully without a car, if anyone has any other suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.

Its my first time in the US in winter so I'd like the 'first time' to be a memorable one.

Stowe is a beautiful little New England town and when there's fresh snowfall, it's wonderful. But the chances are good that you could get some ice and some absolutely frigid temperatures or, on the other hand, a spell of warm weather and little snow.
For more dependable snow, great skiing, do the West Coast/Rockies or British Columbia. Whistler, in BC, could keep you going around the clock.
Colorado or Utah are the places to go to find great American powder. In addition to the Western places mentioned your previous post, look into Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
A couple of Western ski resorts like Telluride and Taos cater more to advanced skiers, so keep that in mind. Most big ski resorts have their trail maps on line, so you can see how much terrain there is for a novice or low intermediate.
A vote for the West Coast/Rockies for your first trip. Later, when you feel more confident about your skiing/boarding abilities, give Stowe a whirl.

Well...last year we had record warm temps and very little snow here in New England last January. It seems in New England over the past few years the best conditions have been in mid to late March. I went to Utah last January and had a ball. I enjoy Utah much better than Colorado. In Utah, Park City is where you want to be. Great town and 3 ski areas (Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley, and The Canyons. No need to drive at all. They have a great shuttle bus service. Note that Deer Valley does not allow snowboarding. If you want to check out Colorado, I did enjoy Vail, although it's very expensive.

kate, my first time skiing/snowboarding was out west. dont think i would have liked it in the northeast. colorado is beautiful telluride is not the easiest to get to but once you're there its amazing.

unless trails have changed in 5 years i have to disagree with BTilke. telluride has more beginner trails than most places east or west. its the intermediate trails that they are lacking.

we rented a 1 room effieciency at the base, walked all over town (plenty of pubs, clubs and restaurants) and skied out to the lifts. very memorable (and good) first experience, aside from getting used to the altitude!

I skied quite a bit on east coast and once out west (Vail) ... no question, when it somes to snow, the west is best!

Remember the altitude factor.

Another recommendation for Park City, Utah! Great mountain town with a beautiful, bustling main street with shops, restaurants, and even a chair lift to the Park City Resort. Deer Valley ski area and also the Canyons are both about 3-5 minutes away. You're also within a 40 minute drive to the most awesome mountains of Snowbird and Alta. (I LOVE Snowbird and Alta but I think of them as being more advanced, less frilly than the three huge Park City ski areas)

Vermont historically has a little snowfall in January. If you were to fly into Boston, just extend your flight into Salt Lake City, Utah. It'll add about 3.5 hours to your trip, but instead of driving 3.5 hours to Stowe you'll only have a 20 minute drive to Park City from the airport.

Colorado is also a great place although I haven't been there as much. People love Aspen and Vail. (Aspen has three big ski resorts: Highlands, Snowmass, and another). Also lake Tahoe on the California/Nevada line has at least 10-20 huge ski areas, plus Reno gambling (Reno is a smaller, low rent version of Las Vegas) is about a 10-45 mintue drive depending on which part of the lake you're staying on.

If your intention of staying in Vermont is to be close to the big cities of the Northeast US, you'll be too far away to easily visit. 5+ hours to NYC, 3.5 hours to Boston by car.

Lake Tahoe is a great ski area on the west coast. You can ski during the day and yet also have the option of entertainment and gambling at night.

I'd go to Park City Utah. It's easy to get to - fly into Salt Lake City - nice airport and an easy drive to Park City. There is lots to do beyond skiing/boarding. Jackson Hole is a magical place with wonderful skiing, tons of western charm and there's a lot to do but, and this is a big but, it can be hard to get to. It's definitely worth it though. You won't go wrong with either one.