a group of friends and i are planning a ski weekend during the president's day holiday.
we have 2 nonskiers, 3 "can stay upright" skiers, 2 good skiers, and a 5-year old.
can somebody recommend a place that is beginner-friendly, easy to get to, and relatively inexpensive (4 of us are teachers)...?

where do you live? that will help with easy places to get to!

we are in the houston area--leaning more toward new mexico or colorado...
where do you recommend?

Try Durango CO. The slope will accomodate everyone and the town is fun and relatively affordable. Lots of places to eat that are not going to break the bank, range of places to stay in different prices range and style { B&B, motel, hotel, historic hotels etc} and fun shops!

Fly into ABQ and drive 3 hours northwest. While here, be sure to visit Mesa Verde -- it is unlike anything else even in winter!

Make plans soon....busy time at any ski place.

Hope this helps...
Debi

Hope

Love your description of 'two who can stay upright.' Beginner friendly and easy to get to--how about Steamboat, Colo.? It's a self-contained town and ski area that's not intimidating to beginners (that's where my daughter first skiied as a 3 year old--good experience). You can fly into Denver and make the drive with no problems.

Winter Park is the closest major ski area from Denver. It's also very beginner and family friendly but less of a 'town' atmosphere, in my opinion. Still, we've always enjoyed skiing there. They used to have a 'ski train' to Winter Park from Denver. Not sure if they still do but that's a nice option that would eliminate the need for a rental car. Hopefully a Denver-ite will hop on this thread and can help.

Durango and Crested Butte are the two places we like to ski. They both fit your beginner-friendly criteria. I think the lift lines are a little shorter in Durango. We always drive to these resorts (from San Antonio) for the budget but you won't have enough time to drive for a long weekend (14-16 hr drive). The ski schools are great at Durango. I've been there 5 times with brand new skiers, including 5 yr olds, that are skiing well by the 2nd day.

Good luck planning your trip!

We used to take our family skiing at Red River, New Mexico when we lived in Texas. Of all the places we skied, Red River seemed the most "family friendly." Here are some reviews:
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguid...ea_red_river-i

red river is emerging as the front-runner in this plan--what can you tell me about it?
2 of our "can stay upright" skiers are nursing almost healed injuries (torn cartilege in knee and fractured vertebrae...don't ask...), so we were hoping to find something that wasn't just "all ski"
have you done the snowmobiling or snowshoeing there?

We haven't been there in many years, but what I enjoyed about it at the time was that we could stay in town, be close to the slopes and walking distance to restaurants and shops. They also run some good discounts:

KIDS SKI FREE/STAY FREE PACKAGE
For each paying parent who stays at a participating lodging facility for a minimum of three days and purchases at least a three-day Snow Pass, one child (10 years of age and under) stays for free and receives a Snow Pass for the same number of days. (Limit: one child per parent.)
-------------------------------
FOURTH DAY FREE
(Sunday or Monday check-in ONLY)
Guests checking into a participating lodge on Sunday or Monday for at least a four-night stay will receive that fourth night of lodging at no charge. Guests who purchase a Red River Ski Area consecutive three day: Snow Pass, equipment rental or ski/snowboard lesson, will receive the fourth day of the same item free.
http://redriverskiarea.com/index.php

Angel Fire is not far from Red River, so you can do more than 1 mountain if you'd like. Google Red River NM and Angel Fire NM and you should get tons of info.

Both ski places are pretty small [as is Santa Fe] and the towns are little tiny places with older type motels and some places to eat. There maybe other outdoor activities as well, not sure. They are kind of like small old time ski areas; nightlife is a bar scene. I think there are condo's that may be available to rent. Try VRBO dot com

Again, I might suggest that you think about Durango. There is SO much more to do there and so many more choices in places to stay, food, shopping, other activities etc.

Hope this helps...
Debi

thanks, debi
the folks that we are going with have suddenly decided that since they have skied new mexico before, it is time to explore new terrain--namely, colorado

it seems now that breckenridge is the new candidate--anybody got any ideas about where to stay that won't require a teacher to sell a kidney on e-bay?

You'll love Breckenridge! If you are shopping, make sure and stop at the little art gallery next to the bookstore on main street. The owner brings her basset hound to work most of the time and she's precious plus it's a neat gallery. LOVE the bookstore, too.

Sorry--no help on lodgings...

For more reasonable prices, I'd still recommend Durango and or Wolf Creek. Wolf Creek gets more snow than anyone and is already open! Both Durango and Pagosa Springs are great towns, although Durango is bigger and has more options.

Debi

I love Durango, too, but I'm thinking it's cheaper and easier to get to Breck from DIA (since price is an option). Durango is gorgeous, though...

Tess, as they are flying from Houston, they could easily fly into ABQ and drive to Durango or Pagosa.

But of course, if they are flying to DEN, it's a long drive to these places.

Price factor may influence decision too for: airfare, rooms, food, lift tickets etc.

Debi

Go to http://breckenridge.snow.com/winterhome.asp and look at their web specials. They have some "stay 4 nights and get one day lodging/lift tickets free" depending on when you will be traveling. Or check out http://www.gwlodging.com as they have lots of choices and some specials as well. When you drive from Denver to Breckenridge, break up the trip by stopping at The Happy Cooker in Georgetown for an excellent breakfast or lunch.

Colorado is filled with great ski areas with terrain for all abilities and excellent children's programs. Snomass CO might be a good choice since it has terrain for all ability, great kids's programs, and is right next to Aspen, which would be fun for the nonskiers.

Don't discount Utah as an excellent place to go -- it's usually a bit less expensive than Colorado, so compare prices. If you stayed in Park City you would have three ski areas to choose from -- Deer Valley, The Canyons, and Park City Ski Resort --all with a variety of terrain and good kids' programs. It's an interesting town in its own right and is only 45 minutes from Salt Lake, in case the nonskiers would like to visit the big city.

ok--we have now made plans & reservations for breckenridge
now we need something fun that is more than skiing--some of us are not as well put together as the rest
we were looking at snowshoeing and snowmobiling--anybody have any experience with that kind of activity there (or anywhere else, for that matter...)?

You might want to fly into Reno and look for Lake Tahoe resorts.