Skiing in Colorado or Utah?
 

Looking to plan a ski trip for Xmas 2006 for myself, hubby, 2 teenage sons - the kids ski but we don't (ntermediate skiers and boarders) - looking for a nice town w/ great restaurants,nice shops, etc. Can't decide between Beaver Creek/Vail, Steamboat or Snowmass in Colorado, Park City in Utah or somewhere else - can someone please help me out with suggestions - pros and cons of each? thanks!

A Vail local here so of course I am biased!! I would check out www.snow.com. Check out Adventure Ridge for your boys!! They won't let you book anywhere else! It is hard to beat Vail/Beaver Creek for shopping and restaurants for you. Our ski school is THE BEST and a great way for your boys to have a great time with other teens. We are easy to get to, offer the largest ski mountain in North America, your ski tickets are good at Vail, B,C, and Breckenridge. X-mas will be busy no matter where you go. My suggestions; Fly into the Vail/eagle airport. It will be well worth the extra dollars in time & wear & tear. Make dinner rezzies ahead of your stay, X-mas crowds fill up our restaurants quickly. Try adventures outside the resorts> like dog sledding, jeep wildlife tours etc. HAVE FUN!!!

Forgot to add link to tempt your tastebuds... check out the dining section at http://web.vail.net/plan/dining.list.cfm

Another helpful Vail link!

Xmas is a very busy week for ski resorts, especially those within daytrip driving distance from a major city. While I would recommend Vail at another time of year, I'd stay away from Vail as well as Park City during Xmas week. Stick to destination resorts such as Steamboat or Snowmass that don't have attract the day skier crowd.

Since you're looking for nice shops and restaurants, and you and hubby don't ski, the obvious choice is Snowmass/Aspen. Aspen has great dining and shopping. Steamboat is a fun, western town but it doesn't have the quantity of dining options and shops that Aspen/Snowmass does.

I just returned from Aspen with my family. It was spectacular. One of the best vacations I ever had. I've been to Vail/BC, Steamboat, and Park City. All are awesome. My second choice would be Park City, but as padams pointed out, being Christmas week, Park City is really close to Salt Lake and therefore could be crowded.