Western Resort Destination Help Needed

Rich

Rich

New member
Hi,

I'm soliciting suggestions, opinions, comments, etc. and I figure this is the best place to ask.

I live in New York and am planning a week long trip next February/President's Week vacation for myself and my 16 and 14 year old sons. The destination is "somewhere out west." I've been to Alta, Snowbird and Mammoth and the kids have never been out west. The 14 y.o. is a snow boarder, so no Alta and Taos. We all enjoy expert terrain and trees, but the boarder really does not like the bumps. I'm good for a few bump runs but the old knees can't keep up like they used to. I don't see any of us hucking cliffs. Their powder experience is limited to the best that Jay Peak can offer.

We have a full school week, so full travel days are not a problem. We don't need fancy. I don't see us at Deer Valley. We're there to ski. Night life is absolutely not a factor. We don't need shopping, ice skating, health club, but a hot tub is essential and an indoor/outdoor pool would be nice. We would like to stay at a mountain village, but we don't need ski-in, ski-out. I'd rather not have to rent a car. I wouldn't say that we are on a tight budget, but then again, I'm not looking to stay at the 4 Seasons in Jackson.
I could see us at a deluxe hotel sharing a 4 person room, or a one bedroom condo with a pull out couch for the kids.

Terrain park? Half pipe? Both non-issues. They're not interested, and I'm
glad.

Our initial discussions include Whistler and Jackson Hole. I'm somewhat intrigued with the Canadian resorts, such as Kicking Horse, Red, Fernie, Panorama. I don't mind traveling further and out of the way to miss crowds.

We definitely want a backcountry/ wide open bowl, above tree line type of experience. I could see hiring a guide for a day, if need be.

Where would you go and why?

Please HELP! There are so many choices! :D

Rich
 
Rich":2ezsr0lm said:
Our initial discussions include Whistler and Jackson Hole. I'm somewhat intrigued with the Canadian resorts, such as Kicking Horse, Red, Fernie, Panorama. I don't mind traveling further and out of the way to miss crowds.

We definitely want a backcountry/ wide open bowl, above tree line type of experience. I could see hiring a guide for a day, if need be.

Where would you go and why?

Please HELP! There are so many choices! :D

Rich
Click to expand...

For your needs, I'd think that Kicking Horse or Fernie would be good choices. Fernie's got some fabulous terrain, and we'll see what Tony says, but I'd think that your timeframe minimizes the low-elevation r**n risk. Neither Panorama nor Red have much in the way of the "above tree line type of experience" that you're looking for. Slopeside is available at Fernie, but without checking I don't think that it's open yet at Kicking Horse. Don't forget about other interior B.C. options, including Apex, Sun Peaks and Silver Star.

Stateside, consider Big Sky/Moonlight Basin, Montana as it fits your bill, plus has reasonable air access via Bozeman. So does a place like Steamboat with its plethora of slopeside lodgings (albeit without any nosebleed steeps).

It will be interesting to see the thoughts of others.
 
I'm soliciting suggestions, opinions, comments, etc. and I figure this is the best place to ask.
Click to expand...
no soliciting! :lol:

I live in New York

We all enjoy expert terrain and trees

We have a full school week

We don't need fancy

I don't see us at Deer Valley.

Night life is absolutely not a factor.

We don't need shopping, ice skating, health club, but a hot tub is essential and an indoor/outdoor pool would be nice.

We would like to stay at a mountain village, but we don't need ski-in, ski-out.

I'd rather not have to rent a car.

I could see us at a deluxe hotel sharing a 4 person room, or a one bedroom condo with a pull out couch for the kids.

Our initial discussions include Whistler and Jackson Hole. I'm somewhat intrigued with the Canadian resorts, such as Kicking Horse, Red, Fernie, Panorama. I don't mind traveling further and out of the way to miss crowds.

We definitely want a backcountry/ wide open bowl, above tree line type of experience.
Click to expand...

sounds like you know what you need. you might want to look into vacation planner? or look into aspen (bowls). plenty of hype down there in CO. your kids will love it.

Terrain park? Half pipe? Both non-issues. They're not interested, and I'm glad.
Click to expand...
welcome to 2005!
 
admin says: Stateside, consider Big Sky/Moonlight Basin, Montana
Click to expand...

NO! we have had terrible snow years years in the past. you will chew your ski's and boards up from all the rocks. plus we have a sick terrain park that nobody in your party would be interested in. you'll fit right in down in CO. it's kindof like Killington.
 
Personally, I'd use the LGA/SLC flights to maximize my skiing time. You can take the Saturday morning flight and be on the slopes before noon and avoid the worries of NYC rush hour. On the last day, you can ski most of the day and still catch the 4:30 flight back east and land around 11pm.

From there, it's a matter of deciding your price point on where to stay and where to ski.
 
If you want the high alpine, and don't want to go back to AltaBird or Mammoth, I think Whistler is the obvious choice in terms of massive terrain like that, especially if you want to stay in one place the whole week.

I am a fan of several of the other Canadian places you mention, but to get the most out of that week you need to do it as a "ski safari" as described here: http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... php?t=1154 . The first time I did this was with my 14-year-old, but that was one kid not 2, and he's very used to those kind of trips. In terms of the "backcountry/ wide open bowl, above tree line type of experience" Lake Louise, Castle Mt, Sunshine and Kicking Horse (in rough order of quantity) have that kind of terrain, and if you get out a map you'll see those 4 areas are widely dispersed. Fernie is an unusual area in that the bowls are intermediate-to-advanced, and the steep expert stuff is mostly in the trees. If you want to trim the driving/changing lodging of that trip, base yourself in Lake Louise (north) or Fernie (south) and commute occasionally to Sunshine/Kicking Horse (north) or Castle/Big Mountain (south).

Jackson is a mountain you would enjoy but President's week is getting borderline for snow preservation. I was there at that time once and if I hadn't skied the Hobacks on my first run of the first day it would have been sun-baked cement the rest of the trip. I will finally be heeding my own advice and be skiing Jackson in late January 2006.

Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows would also be on the short list of the "backcountry/ wide open bowl, above tree line type of experience."
 
My only first hand experience is Fernie BC . It has really grown since we were last there (mid 90's) but it has everything you can ask for and now more of it. The place is loaded with wide open bowls and tree skiing . We took the Greyhound bus from Calgary, Alberta ( 3 hour trip) so no rental car was required. I have read that they now have direct shuttles from Calgary airport to Fernie.
 
Rich":3bxj768p said:
Our initial discussions include Whistler and Jackson Hole. I'm somewhat intrigued with the Canadian resorts, such as Kicking Horse, Red, Fernie, Panorama. I don't mind traveling further and out of the way to miss crowds.
Click to expand...
Another places that are not well known in the US is Big White and Silver Star in BC interior. From what I heard from a good friend out there, these are great areas and more family oriented, less hardcore and less crowds. You might want to check those out via the net. Plus there is plenty of catskiing in the area.

I see your in NY, if your not far from the border, you can leave from Montreal or Ottawa (Western NY: Toronto) and fly into Kelowna. SKICAN has probably one of the cheapest deal on ski trips in Canada. Check them out.

http://www.bigwhite.com
http://www.skisilverstar.com
http://www.skican.com
 
I can vouch for silver star, It'll have some great, tough terrain for when you want a challenge, and some less tough stuff for when you want to relax a bit. I think (not sure) that there is another resort (big white ?) that is within day trip range from there so you can potentially go somewhere else if you get bored.

I was at SS for a week one time when i was 18, with my family and another (huge range of abilities ) and everyone had a good time.

Onlything is apres ski. Other than the little resort village, there's nothing. If you're not looking for anything other than some dinner and a drink though, this is really worth considering.
 
Jonny D":3pdzwet5 said:
I think (not sure) that there is another resort (big white ?) that is within day trip range from there so you can potentially go somewhere else if you get bored.
(...)
Onlything is apres ski. Other than the little resort village, there's nothing. If you're not looking for anything other than some dinner and a drink though, this is really worth considering.
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That why I mentioned both Silver Star and Big White, they are close too each other.

See another satisfied customer. :wink:

Lack of nightlife, that can be a good thing when your the parent of a teen. :lol:
 
I premised my answer on his request for above timberline terrain. Silver Star has almost none and Big White has a short section of about 700 vertical.

I forgot to comment on Big Sky/Moonlight. Lone Peak's terrain is big-time steep and exposed. Rich and his sons need to be comfortable on Wipe Out/Drop Out at Mammoth, High Rustler at Alta and the Upper Cirque at Snowbird in order to enjoy Marx, Lenin, Gullies, Headwaters, etc. What's a little strange IMHO that in constrast most of the lower terrain below treeline at Big Sky/Moonlight is very gentle. So I think upper intermediate/advanced skiers need to be aware of the potential terrain gap.
 
my $0.02 on the canadian stuff...

whistler's advantages are the vast terrain and easy backcountry access, and the fact that it is a 2 hr shuttle direct from Vancouver airport. most obvious drawback would be the cost. lift tickets in midseason are $73 / day. you might be able to score a discount if you buy bulk, but it's still the most expensive place in canada. also, the lodging can be pricey...you are paying for canada's "premiere" resort town. and don't forget those damn tropical winds that blow through in january :twisted:

fernie is a great resort, lots of terrain of all variety, and a little cheaper. but the town is not walking distance from the lifts. there are slopeside accommodations and i would recommend staying in these if you don't have a car.

lake louise / sunshine - usually less snow, but less chance of freak rain storms in the middle of the winter. not sure about on-site accommodations...i have stayed in banff with a car.

one thing to keep in mind, your $US won't go quite as far these days up here...
 
mark":1ywgwtax said:
lake louise / sunshine - usually less snow, but less chance of freak rain storms in the middle of the winter. not sure about on-site accommodations...i have stayed in banff with a car.
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Sunshine Valley is the only one with limited accomodations near the lifts. Excellent shuttle service between the 3 areas and Banff.

Fernie, Big White definately have on-site accomodations.

I agree about what Mark said about Whistler. It's a great place, but it's can be a zoo and the weather is... well, it's the weather. :roll:

With teens that have never been out West, I probably wouldn't choose Whistler.
 
I don't know why not take teens to Whistler. Adam was first there at age 13, then went to Mike Douglas' camp at 17. The other person in my Extremely Canadian clinic this March was a 17-year-old from Ohio, and it was obvious he was having the time of his life.

It really comes down to the personal preferences of this family. From what he said about previous trips and terrain, Whistler sure looks like first choice to me. If they prefer a more low-key atmosphere (particularly during President's week) or want something cheap, they should go somewhere else. And Whistler is still less expensive than several American resorts.
 
I'd agree with Tony.
My dad an I hit whistler when I was about 14. He hurt his kneed the first day, so I spent 3 days on blackcomb alone. It was AWESOME!

Though I will say, in hindsight, that I did a lot of dumb stuff, and when you're all alone on that huge mountain, the consequences of -say falling in a tree well- can be disastrous.

So if the kids will split up and be alone, be wary, or give them some radios or something.
 
We all enjoy expert terrain and trees, but the boarder really does not like the bumps. I'm good for a few bump runs but the old knees can't keep up like they used to
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My experience is that Pacific Northwest mountains do not form a lot of bumps. I'm not sure why this phenomena occurs, but to speculate:
1. the storms come quite frequently to help fill ruts in
2. the higher water density snow does not seem to get 'molded'/moguled as much by skiers
3. the terrain is more open/less defined -- not focusing traffic on one path

I don't think Whistler has ever been known as a bumpers mountain. Of course there are a few lines and some high traffic areas/chutes (top of Whistler Bowl), but I think it is easy to find lots of wind buffed/un-moguled steeps.

Colorado & Taos seem to form bumps quite easily. Maybe Jackson/Utah somwhere in between?

My $0.02
 
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