skiing in January in the USA with 16 year old only child
 

We are thinking of a skiing holiday (coming from Oz) in our January school holidays which go until the end of January. We have an only child who will then be 16, he has skied a couple of times in New Zealand but lacks confidence. I am not a great skier either, my husband has more confidence. My question is where would a good resort be that would cater for different levels, have some teenage social events where my son could mix with others his age. It is very hard travelling with your parents at this age. He would like the Winter Wonderland feel to the resort, lots of atmosphere etc. I would like a hotel with ski in ski out facilities, I am not into trudging for miles with skis at the end of the day. I am a fair weather skier you see!!

Can anyone help? I have been to Breckenridge and Whistler, enjoyed both, but am very open to new suggestions. A lot of the treads appear quite old about skiing. Steamboat seems to appear a bit, any good for a not particularly good teenage skier? Somewhere with shops for me to look at would be good as well.

Eh- don't know how useful this will be to you. When I was a teenager, I had quite a few friends who really liked Leavenworth, Wa. (Stevens Pass? Maybe.) Leavenworth is a "Bavarian village". Very pretty. Lots to do- Major shopping! Big resort area too, very winter wonderland like. Major family destination, but I'm not sure if it's quite what you're looking for (social wise)(location) but everything else fits. Oh, well- here's the link

http://www.leavenworth.org

Check out the Denver, Colorado area too, maybe.

Hey- just found a great sight for you-
http://www.skiresorts.com/ :)

thanks Mooselywild for the info. Leavenworth is a little bit too twee for me I'm afraid but thanks anyway. I have looked at the other site but discovered lots of foul language on the review section, which kind of put me off. I do appreciate your response though.

Someone else? any ideas? would love to hear from someone who has taken a teenager away with them who had a great experience.

Hmm...does twee mean "cutesy" or "overdone"? Just curious...if so, that's a refreshing opinion! :-D

Yup moosely, it means overdone cutesy!!
I think it is an english expression. Didn't mean to offend anyone.

Not offended- definitely an "English" expression! I love studying languages: specifically origins and usage/definition. I just couldn't resist asking...and I probably should add that the "refreshing" remark was not meant as mocking/derogatory. It's just- most folks on vaca (and some in real life- ex: doggy cashmere sweaters) really seem to like "twee" things. <scratches head> Couldn't tell from your original post what you meant by "atmosphere". And sorry about the ski resorts link
:-] -didn't look at the review section, just the "top resorts" part at the front- gave a nice overview of Whistler, Sugarloaf, etc. Anyway, good luck on find your dream holiday! Hope you have a terrific time!

The big major resorts will have terrain for all of you. You should all invest in a ski lesson also. It will make your visit much more enjoyable, see more of the mountain, vastly improve your skills and meet people. Coming from Oz you can choose from California areas or even go on to Colorado. But any of them will fulfill your skiing needs. I would choose Colorado--Vail, probably. The shuttle bus takes you to the slopes if you are not right on them.

Hi Schnauzer,

Are you committed to the west? The atmosphere you are seeking could be found at either Sunday River, Maine or Smugglers Notch, Vermont. The latter might have more young children, however. Both are large resorts with great variety and ski in/out access. Lots of great long trails for cautious skiiers at Sunday River.

Most of the larger resorts have teen programs. Sign him up for a couple lessons at the beginning of the trip so he can meet some other kids his age and boost his confidence on the resort's terrain.

Weather in New England can be tempermental even in January, but these areas usually have plenty of natural snow, and have good snow-making facilities. New England skiing can be wetter, and occasionally icy, as compared to the west. But there are also more novice and intermediate trails, I believe. Not less challenging, as there are plenty of black trails, but more options for less confident skiiers. And, perhaps, generally less "twee." :)

Hmmm... but how do you get "Winter Wonderland" without "twee?"

By the way, for real Winter Wonderland, but no ski in/out access, check out The Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, NH and the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT.

Oh, sorry, Gretchen's post (while I was posting) reminded me of your origination. New England destination is probably just a bit too far. Best wishes for a great holiday.

thanks all for the posts. I am off to bed now!! late here in Oz. I thought Breckenridge had a wonderlandish feel without the twee!!!
Schnau

If it were me, I would go back to Whistler.

Is Mont Tremblant too "twee?" My teenagers love it - and so do I. It's a blast. Lots of fun apres ski too.

You might try Squaw Valley or North Star, both in the Lake Tahoe area. Both resorts have been upgraded extensively in the last several years and both offer runs of different difficulties. I don't ski anymore and never was great at it. I used to ski once a week on a regular basis and always took a half day ski lesson to improve my skills and it really helped me gain confidence and really added to my enjoyment of the sport. The Lake Tahoe area has many places to ski and is really a beautiful area, so you might want to check it out.

Having skiied in the East, South and West, stay west. Too icy in the east--crowded too. Snow quality is just so much better. And just a longer trip. There will be teenagers EVERYwhere, although maybe not as many at that particular time. Vail also offers the possibility of skiing 3 other major mountains within a half hour + A-Basin--all on one lift ticket (not A-Basin, I don't think, but Keystone, Breckenridge and Beaver Creek).

Agree, I would not travel all the way across the Pacific ocean to ski in the Eastern United States. Too icy and the mountains too small.

I agree about staying in the West. Some other family favorites:

Snowmass in Colorado
Park City, Utah

Park City. It's easy to get to (not a lengthy drive from the nearest airport), has 3 area resorts, lots of groomed trails, good ski schools (I can personally vouch for the one at Deer Valley), plenty of accommodations and a nice little town with stuff to do (restaurants, bars, galleries, shops, spa, etc). Not sure about teen events, but there will be other teens there. Note that Deer Valley does not allow snowboarders, but Park City and the Canyons (the other 2 area resorts) do.

But I will say that these Utah areas are smaller--and they can be steeper (Snowbird). Getting to them is easy--agreed. But you can also fly into Vail (Eagle)--or even Aspen. Ski a bunch of mountains at Aspen, although probably not Ajax (Aspen mtn--very advanced).

Schnauzer,

There is a reason Steamboat appears so often in the threads. It is a very nice area with a lot of beginner/intermediate runs. It is where I learned to ski. I was just about your son's age when my parents took me there. It was my first Western ski trip!

For after skiing there is the resort area at the base of the Gondola called (The Mountain) and a few miles down Rt 40 is the town of Steamboat Springs. It is an old silver mining town.

I suggest that the whole family take a 3/4 day ski lesson package. It is the best way to improve quickly.

The Sheraton is located at the base of the mountain right near the Gondola. You can't get closer than that. Also the plaza area has a lot of shops & restaurants. There is also the Best Western Ptarmigan Inn located near the base.

I hope this helps.

Here are my picks: Park City (I learned to ski there when I was a kid), Lake Tahoe, North Shore is better for families (North Star, or Alpine Meadows- Squaw Valley was boring to me. It was like skiing on an angled football field).

I would not go to the Northeast if I were you. I skiied at Killington, Vermont once and it was the worst skiiing experience of my life. Extremely cold and the slopes were completely icy. Plus, the elevations were not very high.

P.S.- I was a teenager when I went to Lake Tahoe and it was pretty fun for me. There is a lot to do and lots of other kids there. Park City is also nice and that's where they have the Sundance Film Festival. There's also lots to do there.

thanks everyone for all your advice, all taken on board and being processed!! Would you believe Europe has now entered the equation? I would prefer the states mainly because it is closer and we can also see Disneyland on the way up and maybe Hawaii on the way back hmm more choices oh no.
Schnauzer

Just went to Steamboat last March and have skied at a few other ski areas out west including Whistler, Jackson Hole, Lake Louise, Sunshine Village, Mammoth and Squaw Valley. I would disagree with cheribob about Steamboat being a good area for beginners. The beginners area is very small and is located directly in front of the Sheraton, which tends to get very congested with all types of skier traffic, not just beginners. In fact, in my opinion, the whole mountain is poorly laid out. Other than the small beginner area at the base, the rest of the mountain is more for intermediate to advanced skiers. Fantastic snow however, probably the best snow I have ever skied. The mountain itself is quite decieving when viewed from the base and is quite large overall with very little beginner terrain, especially for someone who lacks confidence and does not ski much. Also, Steamboat really needs to invest some money into new lifts, which are becoming quite antiquated on some slopes. I would rethink Steamboat as a good choice for a true beginner skier.

If you are a timid skiier, Europe is probably not for you. You have the icy skiing like New England, plus the steep elevations of the west. In particular, the Bavarian Tyrol area is not easy terrain. Plus, convenient comforts are not as readily available. Absolutely gorgeous, but longer hikes from lodge to lifts, disorderly "lines," not much snow making for that fresh surface, etc.

Although I agree that the NorthEast wouldn't suit you for this trip, I wouldn't judge an entire region based on anybody's one trip to one mountain.

In my original post I was thinking you were from UK ( "twee" ), and therefore coming from the opposite direction. My aplogies.

Dreamer, my experiences with the East Coast are multiple trips to Killington, Snowshoe, Wintergreen, Massenhutten, Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain.

I would never overgeneralize one area with one trip to one mountain. I don't know lvk's experience but by reading Gretchen's posts, I doubt her east coast skiing experience is one trip to one mountain either.

I suggest Vail- tons of terrain at all levels. Pedestrian friendly village, where your teen might find other teens. You could ski a day or two at Beaver Creek (great for beginners and intermediates). Vail runs a teen ski school class (there's plenty of intruction but it's really just a way for teens to ski with their peers and not their parents). However, at the end of Jan., most US kids are in school so the teen population may be low except on weekends.

My 2nd choice for you would be Whistler. The only problems with Whistler are the incinsistent weather and snow conditions. Whistler also runs ski classes/groups for teens.

You might try doing some research on the message boards at www.epicski.com. The board attracts skiers, not travelers who ski (which you usually find here). The boards may be a little quiet since it's off-season here.

Also, for Europe, look at www.ski-europe.com

We went to Park City Utah last year between Christmas and New Years with our 15 year old son. We flew into Salt Lake City and made the 40 minute easy drive to Park City. We really enjoyed it. His 2nd time skiing. He also went snowmobiling with my husband while I shopped at the outlet mall. (Idon't ski) Deer Valley was beautiful and the Stein Ericsson Lodge was great. We did not stay there but if we return would love too. We stayed in a 2 room condo at The Lodge at the Mountain Village. We had a kitchen and den with murphey bed in room and a full bedroom and bath in other room. It was a 2 bathroom. It was ski in ski out and overlooked the ice skating rink.

Hi Schnauzer,

When my boys were teens I took them all over the Western U.S. to ski. Their favorite places (and mine) were/are Whistler and Snowbird/Alta in Utah. They liked Whistler for the village and apres-ski activities, but think the snow is better (actually the best!) at Snowbird/Alta. You can get a condo at Snowbird or a hotel with full board at Alta---either would be a very short walk (5 min.) to the lifts. Or, Gold Miner's Daughter at Alta is ski in/out. Both resorts (which are connected and offer a combined lift ticket if you like) offer a variety of terrain. I am an intermediate skier but find that the great dry Utah snow gives me confidence and makes me a better skier.

Park City is not a good choice in January because the Sundance Film Festival totally fills up the town, and you can't get in to restaurants, etc. My son found it very frustrating last January. It will be January 18-28 in 2007.

The nice thing about January is that most resorts offer "low season" pricing. However, U.S. kids will not be on holiday then, so you may encounter few other teens until the weekend.

There are also some new places in British Columbia, in the interior not the coast like Whistler, that have become very popular with my friends (we live in Seattle, Washington). Sun Peaks and Big White are the two I hear mentioned a lot. They are lower-key than Whistler, but have that "village" atmosphere and I believe they have ski in/out accomodations.

Two more places I should mention are in Montana: Big Sky, near Yellowstone Park, and Big Mountain, at Whitefish. Of the two, Big Mountain probably has better terrain for you. You can get there by overnight train from Seattle. The resort has a shuttle that meets the train and takes you up to the mountain. Big Sky you would reach by plane to Bozeman, Montana, with a shuttle from there. I believe the resort offers snowcat trips into Yellowstone National Park to see wildlife.

Enzian makes a good point. You don't want to be in Park City or Deer Valley during the Sundance Film Festival. We went to DV during the festival and endured huge crowds and traffic. Don't go there during the festival.

And padams421 makes a good point about Vail, which I didn't mention 'cuz I've only been there in the summer (so our "skiing all over the West" didn't extend as far as Colorado).

Vail has a nice pedestrian village, similar to Whistler if you count only the original Whistler Village. What would be the ski in/out accomodations there? The Christiana? What else?

"Ski in" in Vail would be hotels at the base of the mountain. Don't even know if it is there any more but Manor Vail was our favorite--it is where the snowboard park is now.
Skiing in Europe might be fun but there is a whole host of stuff to put up with plus, they do not groom their slopes as much as we do in the US, making the terrain harder for those of us who aren't experts.

When I recommended Tremblant, I didn't realize the OP was "crossing the Pacific Ocean" (what does coming from Oz mean?!).

So, in that case, yeah, I'd stay out west.

Oz is a fairly common nickname for Australia......first time I heard it, a friend said she though it was because Australia was so unique...(animals, etc.)

It is often referred to as Oz because a lot of aussies have very nasal accents and when they say Australia it sounds like Orzstraya - and aussies have to shorten everything, thus Oz. Sorry for the confusion.

We thought it might be nice to warm up after the skiing. I might do another post about other locations to tack onto the skiing bit. Again, when you fly these distances you have to make it worth your while!

Here are my 2 cents...have skied all around the world but my favorite is Whistler. The town is awesome-heaps of shops, restaurants, families, and not too expensive either (well, I am from USA so my dollar was a bit better up there). Haven't been in a few years but while it is a challenging mountain there is enough for everyone. I used to see lots of kids his age around the village, which is very safe. There is also a recreation center with ice skating and just so much to do.

I second lisettemac and also vote for Park City and Deer Valley. DV is very chic but not that difficult a mountain to ski. Of course it is challening but it's just not like Vail or Jackson Hole that have some really steep terrain. Park City is great, more varied terrain, and a great town again with shops, restaurants, and other activities. It's also so close to SLC that you could rent a car (maybe there is a shuttle) and go to other areas like Alta to ski as well.

I love Vail. It's just fabulous but there is some terrain that is very difficult but you could also go to Beaver Creek which I found to be much easier and more for "intermediate" to beginning skiers. It is also very chic, and I saw more ppl sitting around drinking at lunch than I did on the slopes.

I also adore Breck. Great town, great long runs, nice people.

Can't go wrong unless you choose to go somewhere very small or to the East Coast-don't do it! The snow and weather is too unpredictable. Good luck and have a great time!

If you want to also see Disney and/or Hawaii, I think any of the northern CA/NV resorts make a better fit.

There are MANY good ski resorts all around Lake Tahoe (many already mentioned), or Bear Valley, or there is Badger Pass in Yosemite national Park (an AMAZING place where you can take the shuttle bus up to Badger and then in the afternoon go back "home to your room on the floor of the Valley w/ views of Yosemite Falls.

All of the above are convenient to SF for flights to HI, and you could also fly to either SF or Reno from Orange County or LAX.

Abby43---you must not have read through the whole thread. Someone pointed out that Park City is not an option in late January because of the Sundance Film Festival. It's a zoo---not a good time to go for skiing.

And the rest of you---keep in mind that they will be traveling from Australia, and need a place that is relatively easy to get to by public transport. To me, that suggests (given their interest and abilities) Alta/Snowbird (Canyon vans direct from SLC airport); or Vail. Possibly some others, but not Vermont, not Europe, not Badger Pass in Yosemite.

Gee - I've only driven to Badger Pass once - every other trip was by public transport . . . . . There are daily buses from San Francisco, or it is an easy drive from SF/Oakland/San Jose/Sacramento airports.

And the Tahoe resorts are convenient to RNO, SMF, and SFO airports by either buses/shuttles or rental cars.

An open jaw into LA and out of SFO through HI woulld be a very easy loop. Fly into LAX. Visit Disneyland. Fly to Reno or Sacramento. Ski Tahoe or Yosemite. Fly out of SFO to Hawaii and then on to Oz. Most of my Brit an Oz friends have visited Tahoe and they usually fly from Reno to SFO and catch their intercontinental flights from there.

I would NOT recommend Alta/Snowbird since the OP has indicated that their 16 yr old isn't an experienced skiier and they are looking for a place with lots of "winter wonderland" atmosphere. Alta/Snowbird is for experienced skiiers and there isn't much "town" or non-ski activities (shops, restaurants, galleries, clubs, etc).

Hmmmm. . . I guess we all import different meaning to the term "Winter Wonderland." But I don't see how South Lake Tahoe/Heavenly could fit in there under anyone's definition.

What about Northstar at North Lake Tahoe? I haven't skied there, but I do know it is supposed to be "family-friendly" and good for beginner to intermediate skiers.

What about focusing on places with the ski in/out hotels that Schnauzer specified, along with the Winter Wonderland feeling, and good beginner/intermediate runs. Does that leave only Vail, Whistler, and the new BC resorts (Sun Peaks, Big White)? Those are the places that families I know go (along with Snowbird/Alta, which seems to have been rejected) but there must be others. What about Solitude, Utah--they have easier terrain than Snowbird.

And Schnauzer, I know you have been to Whistler already and are considering something different, but I think for the best combination of what you want, it's hard to beat the on-mountain condos on Blackcomb Mountain.