Where to go for beginner skier
 

My husband and I are interested in taking a ski vacation in February or March. I'm a very new skier, and he is an intermediate skier. We're looking for a vacation destination with lots of beautiful and easy slopes for me (I'm into nature and the scenery, not the thrills), and some more interesting skiing for him. Looking for a comfortable, casual, friendly atmosphere. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks for your help!

Breckenridge !!!

Barb, for pure spectacular scenery - try Banff, Alberta. Lake Louise specifically. I would recommend Jackson for the same reason, but it's a pretty tough mountain. Other than that almost anywhere in the Rockies will do!

If it's the east coast you're looking at, I recommend Killington. Lots of trails for all levels, and lots to do besides skiing.

off the beaten track but PERFECT for newbies and intermediate skiers is Ski Cooper in Leadville Colorado. Affordable too! They have 2 for 1 lift ticktes on shttp://www.skicoupons.com/index.cfm?region=4&group=15<BR><BR>If you want something more resorty this is not the place, Ski Cooper is very laid back family rustic type of place. Another thing to think about is skiing at Cooper one day while staying at the resort of Copper(similar names different places) pretty close together you will get the resort and a great place to learn to ski that first day or two. <BR><BR>Breckenridge?? No would not recommend it. I live in Colorado and ski most places we never go to Breck, crowded/icy, especially on the runs you would go on!!, Do yourself a favor and try Ski Cooper.

marmot basin in jasper, alberta<BR>sunshine, banff, alberta<BR>lake louise, alberta<BR><BR>if you stay in banff, you can ski sunshine & lake louise. the canadian dollar is pretty low compared to the u.s. so good time to travel canada

Try Lake Tahoe. The view from either Heavenly Valley or Squaw Valley of the lake are absolutely awesome. Lots of nightlife on the south shore. You might also consider Park City in Utah. Good for both beginners and intermediate skiers. Town is real casual and friendly.

If you are skiing east, I would NOT recommend Killington. Too crowded, too busy. Ski Pico, the Mountain next door to Killington (although now that I think of it, it may have been bought out by Killington..) Less crowded, nicer, more "gentle" mountain.<BR><BR>in general the Killington area is great fun. Loads to do with some great restaurants in the immediate area. <BR><BR>Another great spot in Vermont- Smuggler's Notch. Have Fun! <BR>

I would recommend Keystone in Colorado. It probably has the longest beginner slope in the Rockies (Schoolmarm, 3 miles long if I remember correctly). And, it has some challenging runs for the experienced skier, and a whole lot of intermediate runs. It's also a destination (i.e., it has accommodations, restaurants, a small village, etc.), and there's a free shuttle bus that will take you to other nearby ski areas (Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, maybe Copper Mountain(?)). You can buy a single lift ticket that's good at all the areas.<BR>It's an easy drive from Denver International Airport (1 to 1-1/2 hour along I-70 - the roads are pretty quickly cleared during the winter).<BR>You can get discount lift tickets at most supermarkets in the Denver area, or at ski rental shops along I-70 or in Idaho Springs.

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with Tony because the views from Heavenly and Squaw Valley are spectacular but I don't think of those places as very good for beginners. They are especially good for intermmediate and advanced. Both places have that attitude thing going on which is hard for those who are just starting out.<BR>What do you think Tony? Different experience with that for you?

We like Park City, Utah. I am also a beginner and my DH is an intermediate skiier. Park City is easy to get to -- it doesn't require a connecting flight or a long drive. You fly into Salt Lake City and there is public transportation to take you to Park City from there (less than 1 hour).<BR><BR>There are 3 resorts in the area -- Park City, Deer Valley and the Canyons. Haven't skiied the Canyons, but Park City and Deer Valley each have lots of greens and groomed blues. Deer Valley also limits the number of skiiers per day and prohibits snowboarders -- something else that is appealing to a new skiier.<BR><BR>Finally, Park City is a nice destination -- it has a cute town with shops, restaurants and bars.

Vail in Colorado - I know 2 different people who learned to ski there. They have a whole beginner lift and slope and once the person catches on, there are a lot of nice green runs further up. They can download on the lift to get back down to the bottom.

Suzie-Squaw Valley is a great place for beginners. They have a nice beginner area at the top, near the ice skating rink. A lot of beginner places have their areas at the bottom. The instructors are first rate there. Alpine Meadows at Tahoe is another place that is great for beginners, they have wide open bowls at the top which are perfect. Heavenly does have some green trails but IMO, your best bet is Squaw, Alpine Meadows or Kirkwood. As for altitude, the altitude at Lake Tahoe and even at the peaks is lower than Colorado.

Thanks skier, but it was the attitude not altitude that I was pointing out. The attitude toward less experienced skiers is so obnoxious in Squaw and Heavenly.

Suzie-I have skied at both places several times and I have never experienced any attitude. In fact they were very cordial at both places...

I learned at Vail. As mentioned above, it was a great place to learn. The instructors are great and the training area has its own small ski lift so you can practice control over and over. The only mistake I made was going on the greens before I took the lessons. Before was a nightmare. After was excellent.<BR><BR>

Surprised no one recommended Steamboat. Great place, fly into Hayden instead of Denver. Also, Whistler/Blackcomb. They have been rated #1 for a reason, great service, food, European ambience and plenty of nightlife. <BR><BR>As to Suzie's comments about Heavenly and Sqaw, I never came across any attitude.<BR><BR>And Barb, be sure to take a lesson. You can get group lessons included in the price of your package if you are going with a package deal.

I truly hate to be misunderstood so please allow me to clarify. The views at Heavenly and Squaw are good, the scenery, especially this year, is incredible. If a beginner skier is looking for comfortable, casual, friendly atmosphere she will be welcomed by the staff in these places but the skiers may not be as casual or friendly as other resorts around Tahoe. I think it's great that other posters have been spared this experience. So far the snow is great!

Suzie, I am truly mystified as to your comments about the skiers there having an attitude. I have been skiing for over 30 years there and never encountered any kind of attitude among the skiers. Perhaps, you were having an off day or something.

I am a very timid skier and just enjoy being out on the mountain and taking in the scenery so my vote would be Telluride, CO. It is in a box canyon so there are mountains all around you for heart stopping beauty. The sun shines there more than Miami and it is just out in the middle of nowhere with such clean air. The main thing about being a new skier is the amount of people on boards or skis that are whizzing by you like you are the stalled car in the Indy 500. I found Telluride to be great because there is a huge mountain just for beginners with wide open wide runs with few skiers as most people are over on the main mountain where all the steep chutes are. There is plenty for an intermediate to do here as well. My husband is such a good skier but he loves to come over to "my" mountain and do the long winding trails. Lifts here are not scary to get on and off and it is such a quiet spot compared with a Keystone, Breckenridge etc. We have skied most of the resorts in Colorado and Utah and Telluride seems the perfect place to learn and improve. E me if you would like.

Suzie<BR>Don't know what you mean by an attitude. I've been skiing over 30 years at Heavenly and Squaw Valley and never run into any problems. I taught my kids to ski there along with Northstar and Alpine Meadows. When they were starting, they particularly liked the large bowls at Squaw Valley. The only place I have ever been that had anything like an attitude was Deer Valley in Utah. On the other hand, Park City, Alta and Snowbird were great. Similarly, we love skiing at Vail. Anyway, Barb was looking for a place where her husband could enjoy some intermediate skiing while she enjoyed the beginner slopes. I think both Heavenly and Squaw would be great for that. I would also agree that Alpine Meadows and Northstar would be good. There are so many fun things to do around the lake, the scenery is fantastic, there are great restaurants. Don't see what's not to like.

Winter Park, Copper Mountain & Keystone are known for good beginner programs. Breckenridge is NOT recommended for beginners. There aren't as many green runs, the school's not as well known, & it tends to be icier. Schoolmarm, the fabulous beginner run at Keystone, is actually 5 miles long top to bottom & is my favorite beginner run in the state.

Sorry Barb, forgot to mention that all those places also have great scenery & expert runs for the hubby! <BR>Alot of the really good skiers who live here only go to Winter Park, because it's not as chichi/resorty. The whole summit county area (which includes keystone & copper) is much more commercialized, expensive, & full of people who are too conscious of what you're wearing.

Barb, I'm 40 and just had my first beginner ski lesson two days ago at Copper Resort. I'm still pinching myself over the fact that I was skiing (O.K., snowplowing) with confidence down the beginner run by the end of the day! <BR><BR>My instructor talked about equipment, stances and so forth, then we practiced going up a small conveyor belt and skiing down a gentle slope. Next, we boarded the ski school lift and skiied down ten or twelve times, and by the afternoon I was on the quad lift!!<BR><BR>Copper has over 1,200 employees at its peak, 400 of whom are ski instructors. My teacher was funny, gentle and patient, unlike a couple of instructors I've seen in the past at other resorts. (Purgatory in Durango comes to mind) I felt totally comfortable, and gauged my progress throughout the day by watching the adorable little five year old ski schoolers. If I kept up with them, I knew I was doing well, haha! <BR><BR>I think the best part was that EVERY Copper employee we encountered (lift operators, restaurant waitress, instructors skiing below us on the lifts, trail groomers) offered/shouted praise and encouragement at every step, it was great!<BR><BR>I'm sold on Copper, hope you get to experience it some time.

If the northeast, I highly recommend Sunday River in Bethel, Maine. A huge amount of snowmaking over several mountains of interconnecting trails of all levels. Excellent ski school and the added fun of LONG blue (easy!) runs - even from the top! Comfortable, casual, and friendly hits the mark along with beautiful scenery and charming town. The two main hotels there have ski in/out access and outdoor heated swimming pools that you be in while you watch the skiers, snowfall, or fireworks!!!

Ooops! Meant long GREEN trails from the top!

my partner and i spent a lot of time at tahoe his first year skiing, and as a beginner he enjoyed northstar most. also plenty to enjoy there for an intermediate.<BR><BR>i will tell you this about heavenly and attitude. there cat track on the california side is marked beginner, but it is very narrow, and at the end of the day we were coming down, quite slowly as it was only the 4th or 5th time my parnter had skied, and we got several nasty looks/comments from skiers who were upset that they had to slow down for us. no reflection on the mountain (which rocks!) or the staff... just a few a**holes in skis.

(Wonder why these speed demon a**holes ski the beginner runs in the first place?) <BR><BR>Gotta tell ya my Heavenly experience -- the snowboarders just love to cut in front of novices as closely as they can, obviously in the hope that they'll fall. When my friend witnessed one of those imbecilic snowboarders doing that to me, he skiied right over the top of the kid's snowboard, stopped and turned, and warned him in no uncertain terms about cutting me or anyone else off like that again. Seemed to work, but if someone does that to you, I'd recommend reporting them to the ski patrol. Even Picabo Street had her pass yanked at Copper this year for repeatedly ignoring warnings about skiing recklessly and too fast!

This may sound silly but if you are a beginner/intermediate you might try the NC mtns. In late Jan and Feb there is almost always good conditions and the prices are way less than the ski areas out west. I know they are bigger/better but depending on where you are and your budget, it might be something to think about.

I'm a beginner skiier and enjoy skiing here in WA State. There are excellent places to ski if that's really all you're looking for. Not great resorts; but good skiing within an hour of Seattle. Also, eastern WA has some good skiing as well. I found the folks at Crystal to be VERY accommodating.