Hello,

My friend and I--both late 20s single guys from New York--would like to take a ski vacation somewhere in the western US or Canada in February or perhaps April. Both of us are intermediate skiers, but we have never been to the "real" ski country out west. We are looking for a place that is not only a great mountain, but is one that has good nightlife, etc. We would like to avoid places that are really family- or couples-oriented.

Budget is somewhat of an option, as is accessibility from the nearest airport (we are coming all the way from NY, after all), but primarily we want to go somewhere that has great conditions and is also a lot of fun.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

I have heard that Colorado has the best combination of ski resorts & young party towns. Utah & Jackson Hole Wy are also possibilities but it's probably easier/cheaper for you to get to Denver.

Big Mountain in Northwest Montana is also a good choice. Delta,Northwest and Alaska airline fly into Kalispell which is 12 miles from the slopes.
For more info. go to
WWW.bigmtn.com
www.whitefishmt.com

If you want to be close to a "major" airport, fly to Salt Lake City, and ski either Alta/Snowbird, or Park City/Deer Valley/The Canyons. They're less than 45 minjutes from the airport.

If you fly to Denver, you'll be 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive to Breckinridge/Keystone/Copper Mountain, and a little farther to Vail.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have heard that Whistler is an amazing ski destination. Anyone know if it's more family-oriented or adults-oriented?

There is going to be a big difference between Feb and April. April can be pretty quiet anyplace. In Feb I would go to Vail, you can fly into Eagle about 30 min away. Vail has the best skiing/nightlife combination IMHO. For ideas on saving some money look at http://www.econovail.com

Whistler should be a good destination for skiing in February and has great night life in the village. (April would be too much chance of rain.)

Skiied at Whistler/Blackcomb a few years back. I wouldn't describe it as focused family or adult...more middle of the road offering something for everyone. It does have one hell of a mountain...the biggest vert. in North America at over a mile. It takes 30-45 minutes just to get all the way to the summit but once up there...the skiing is awesome. The town is a 'master planned' type (meaning it was built all at once) with a European type flavor I thought similar to Vail. There were restaurants, bars, clubs to suit everybody. The dollar has usually been stronger in Canada as well. Fly into Vancouver...very scenic 2hr drive to the mountain. If you get a shuttle to the mountain, you would not need a car here.

I always recommend Breckenridge as well. Breck has a mining town history so you have more of a western authentic town feel. Sure Breck caters to families, but it's got quite an apres ski scene as well. It always ranks high in that catagory in the ski magazines. Some may be critical of the mountain quality, but I always been able to find great stashes that satisfy. Plus, if you use Breck as a base, you can easily ski at Copper, A-basin and Keystone...all within 45 minutes, all completely different mountains. All have different weather patterns so some may get more of the fresh than others in a single storm so you can follow the deep stuff. If you want to stretch it, head to Vail/Beaver Creek 90 minutes away. Fly into Denver...2hr drive to the mountain. There are shuttles that run to the neighbor resorts so you could do this without a car as well.

I've never been, but Lake Tahoe might be more adult oriented with the gambling scene available. There are 4 or 5 separate ski areas there to offer good variety. Fly into Reno.

For proximity, you can't beat flying into Salt Lake city and being at the mountain 45 minutes later. If you catch a very early flight, you could be skiing on the same day you leave NY.

Personally, I'd recommend early April as opposed to Feb. You can't beat a Spring nighttime dump and sunny powder the next day with no crowds. They can get a little wet weather at Whistler in April because of the proximity to the ocean but that's more the exception than the rule and besides...it's still awesome skiing at the higher elevations where wet weather at lower elevations means fresh at the top.

April is going to be pretty iffy but very cheap. You'll need to check closing dates because some areas are in national forests and close the 15th. Denver could be economical to fly into from NY (Eagle won't be). You can ski Winter Park, Breckenridge, Copper, A-Basin and points further west like Vail and Beaver Creek. YOu may want to rent a car since you can ski different places. While van service is available to almost anywhere for 2 of you it will be cheaper to rent a car overall.

These responses are great, and giving me food for thought, thank you!

I would choose Tahoe. Heavenly ski resort is named that for a reason- gorgeous scenery and plenty of intermediate trails. Also nearby is Kirkwood ski area- also great for intermediates. Book one of the casinos- you can't go wrong with Tahoe!

Ya know....

From New York, it's almost as cheap to go to Europe and ski the Alps as it is to do Colorado, Utah, or places like Whistler in Vancouver...

If it were me, I'd be thinking Tres Valles...

Have fun!
Mark

Aspen and Jacksonwhole are fun.Vail can be fun as well.Beckenridge is more for famlies.