jackgus

Hi, we are a family of 2 adults and 2 boys, 10 and 12yrs. We are coming to America for a holiday this Dec-Jan 09. First stop New York for Christmas, then DC, then Orlando Disney World. We want to arive there about the 5th of Jan for 4 nights. Then we want to go skiing. Where do you recommend? We are thinking of Breckinrdige, Vale and Steamboat. We would appreciate any feedback on our plans, especailly ideas on where to stay. In New York we hope to rent an apartment. Idealy we would rent an apartment or similar when skiing as well. We are going to get the train from New York to Washington and then from DC to Orlando. Then fly to Denver. Thanks for your ideas. Regards Kate

irishswampyankee

The Summit County area of CO offers many choices: Keystone, Breckenridge, Vail, Beaver Creek. I would recommend Breckenridge. It is an actual town, has many condos and restaurants and great skiing. Vail is lovely but a "village" type place, extremely expensive and not as many choices but has fabulous skiing. Steamboat is a nice town but I don't care for the skiing as much plus not as many flights as to Denver. Check out websites such as vrbo.com for rentals from owners at all your destinations and there are, of course, also lots of rental agencies.

Jimingso

ttt

Tess

From the info. you've given, I'd say go with Breckenridge. It's easy to get to from the Denver airport and your family will love the 'town' feel. Plus it's easy to get to other ski areas in Summit County.

dfr4848

Kate - For WDW, I'd suggest staying inside the park. Being on the monorail is extremely convenient and allows you more flexibility in your schedule. Easy to head back for afternoon break if needed. We stayed at the Polynesian and loved it. Regardless of the hotel, look into staying on the concierge floor. They usually offer perks such as breakfast, snacks during the day and heavy snacks and drinks in the early evening, as well as nicer rooms. Also got some free early passes to the park. Overall, we thought the costs pretty much evened out over a regular room, and it was much nicer experience.

As to skiing, any of the 3 you've mentioned would be very good. We've been to all 3 (winter and summer) and liked them all. Vail is generally more "upscale" and expensive than the others. Steamboat has some of the best powder in Colorado and was a town long before skiing became a sport - so it has some charm of its own. We thought the skiing was excellent. Breckenridge is also a town of its own and as noted is close to other ski areas such as Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone. We have often stayed in Dillon and skied in both Breck and Vail. You can't go wrong at any of the 3 IMO.
Breck and Vail are closer to Denver and there are lots of shuttle options between DEN and the resorts in Summit County - or rent a car.

I would throw out one thing to at least consider if you're not aware of it. Many airlines in the winter fly non-stop from their hubs to some of the ski resorts. By way of one example only, you can get to Hayden (30 mi from Steamboat) non-stop from Houston (on CO), Dallas/Ft Worth (on AA) and Atlanta (on DL) (as well as some other cities). Obviously, there are disadvantages as well as advantages to this, but more than once we've been able to get directly to the resort areas without problems when DEN has been shut down or experienced serious delays due to weather, and it can save on travel time in most or many cases.

repete

All decent choices.

Although the snow is usually better in Utah, so if you're not locked into Colo. then Park City might be worth consideration. Just guessing that since you're a Kiwi, light powder might be something you don't get as much of at home, so I'd rank them: Utah, Steamboat, Vail and Breck if that's what you're seeking.

Your preference for atmosphere -- nightlife, town feel -- might help us narrow it down.

irishswampyankee

Agree with repete. If you're not set on CO, Park City, UT is a great town, wonderful skiing in several areas, and only 45 min drive from Salt Lake City airport. There are lots of shuttle options from the airport if you don't want to rent a car and there is a bus system in Park City and surrounding area that will take you just about everywhere.

jackgus

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Park City sounds a good option. We have a friend who goes there every year and highly recommends it. Our main aim for skiing in USA is great snow, although a nice town environment would be a bonus. We would like to save money as much as possible, Park City sounds cheaper than Colorado. However we may not come again and would like to be at the best place. Thanks for feedback about WDW, we will look into the concierge floor thats a great tip. Many thanks Kate

Hazelmn

You've gotten some good advice here. I would concur with nearly everything that has been said:

1. Of Vail, Breck, or Steamboat, I like Steamboat the best. You really get away from the crowds and it is a great, great family ski place.

2. Don't forget about Utah. Deer Valley is expensive but worth it, and other places like The Canyons and Solitude are great as well. Very close to a major airport as well.

3. Aspen / Snowmass is great -- add it to your "maybe" list.

http://www.familyskiresorts.net

Kay2

All the ski areas you mention and the other posters list are great and you will find alot to enjoy at any of them. I'm not sure which is the "best" as they all are good.

As to Utah or Colorado--both offer high probability of good powder by second week of January with cold temps to match. Just avoid the holiday weekend January 17-19.

Park City resorts are at lower elevation than many of the Colorado resorts, so if any in your family are affected by high elevation, that is a consideration.

We've had better driving weather experiences in Utah than Colorado when trying to get to/from the resorts during snowy weather. We've both taken shuttles and rented cars in both states with trade offs of convenience to go to store/ski rental/etc., total cost for all people, comfort level driving in snow/ice.

Some questions that might help you zero in on this part of the trip considering your concern about balancing cost and quality:

Are you using one airline with an open jaw ticket to/from the US? Can you originate your return from Denver or Salt Lake City?
If not, which has the best low cost flights from Orlando this year (and maybe next year)? I haven't searched, so I can't say. I know from my SE US city it is much easier/cheaper to get flights to DEN than SLC.

There are lower cost resorts that have great snow, but don't have much ski town atmosphere--such as Winter Park, Colorado.
If you do a search on any of these resorts on this board, you will find the pros and cons of each. None are "bad".

You shouldn't have trouble renting a condominium in any of the ski locations. vrbo.com as suggested is the first place I start. I also check the booking services listed on the ski resort site as sometimes they have a "free night" offer that make them competitive. But those deals are probably not posted until much later. You could check online though to get a feel for this year's prices direct from owners and the agencies in each location.

jackgus

Once again many thanks for the information. I am having second thoughts about going to New York. It look so lovley in the autumn and summer and sounds very cold in the winter. I think we may be better to return as a couple sans children some time in the future. It would then make sense to go to LA Disneyland, however I imagine Christmas week should be avoided. We will arrive LA around the 24th of Dec and would love to have a white christmas. Should we fly to Steamboat, have a week there. Then down to Denver and on to Breckenridge for another week. Then to Las Vegas and Grand Cannyon. Then up to Salt Lake, ski there for another couple of weeks. Then to Los Angeles. What are your thoughts? Does anyone know whether we should get season passes. We will check out VRBO thanks. Cheers Kate

Kay2

I can't offer that much advice on your revised itinerary. I've only been to Colorado to ski at Christmas and not your other locations at that time. But I will respond to bump you up to the top. Also, it appears that skiing is gaining in the proportion/importance of your trip. What are your skill levels? What else do you want to do besides downhill ski? Or snowboarding? What is the image you have of the ski resort and nearby town? (many of the ski areas may have a base village but the real town is some distance away).

I think many people expect NYC to be snowy white at Christmas, but it rarely is. It is still nice for the lights, entertainment, and shopping, but it is often cold.

DC can also be wet/cold, but lots of indoor activities at the museums.

I can't speak to Disneyland.

I can tell you that the week between Christmas and New Years is very busy at the ski resorts and the later you go to ski, the more snow you are likely to find. Some years we have gone skiing in Colorado just before Christmas with great base and another time it was icy. It will likely also be very cold at the ski resorts at that time. It is so hard to predict one year in advance!

You'll find mixed views about Las Vegas for kids these days. Lots of lights and the outdoor shows, but the rest seems to gearing back toward adults.

I can't tell you of conditions at Grand Cannyon in January. The north rim is likely to be closed due to snow, but I'm not sure of south rim.

Season pass question depends on number of days and whether you can ski within one ownership/pass. Often have to be purchased at beginning of ski season.

repete

Hard to believe I would ever recommend against all the slope time one could find, but the holidays in DC and NYC are great times to visit ... and would break up a trip nicely.

There are also plenty of great things for boys that age to do.

December isn't all that cold or wet in DC --- especially for skiers: Average high 48F (13C) and it is one of the drier months.