Where to spend next winter on a budget?

[kmartshopper]

Just looking for any ideas for where to spend a few months next winter.... you all seem to have been around a bit and may have some good ideas or things to consider that I haven't yet.

I favor low crowds and longer lasting powder over very advanced terrain or even total snowfalls. (ie. Snowbasin over Snowbird). I don't hike out of bounds either (or inbounds that much even).
I am cheap and probably too big of a crank just meet some roomates on CL. Need to figure out a way to stay for <$1500/m for the few months. No RV's in parking lots.

Currently thinking of these options:
Driggs, ID -> Grand Targhee. A few Jackson daytrips. Only concern here is weather... lack of sun. But leaning this way anyway.
Frisco, CO -> Epic Pass (vail/keystone/a-basin/breck/beaver). May be pushing the housing budget. ++Variety, sun.. crowds?
Ogden, UT -> Snowbasin midweek. Powmow & daytrips wknds. Cheap, nice uncrowded - less snow than SLC.
South Tahoe, CA -> Epic Pass (heavenly/kirkwood/northstar). Tahoe... eh?
SLC, UT -> Snowbird midweek. Solitude wknds. (I did this with brighton a few years ago).

Any thoughts or tips?
Thanks

 

[Tony Crocker]

a few months...

I think this is a key issue. Are we talking about a whole season December to April or just the mid-January to mid-March core? The more shoulder season time the more bias I would put toward SLC/LCC/BCC for snow reliability. Grand Targhee has comparable reliability but that's a fairly modest sized area to spend a whole season. The Jackson day tickets are expensive and the reliable part of Jackson's season is rarely more than Christmas to mid-February plus a few last minute call powder days.

I view the Ogden areas and Northstar/Heavenly as reliable only during the core season. Kirkwood is usually quite a bit better though. For the Epic group, Vail is good early, A-Basin and the high alpine at Breck late.

Other places? Whistler would be a great place for an entire long season, not sure how cheap that could be done. Interior B.C. is cheaper, but the individual areas generally have flaws that might wear on you over an entire season. Interior B.C. is good if you're willing to move around, but driving distances can be long.

 

[jasoncapecod]

How about Bend?
Affordable housing with a affordable skiing. Might not have the driest powder around , but it's snowpack is reliable.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Yes, should have mentioned Bend. Fits all the requirements unless you're a steeps junkie.

 

[Marc_C]

Need to figure out a way to stay for <$1500/m for the few months. No RV's in parking lots.

You can easily find 1 BR or studio apartments on a month-to-month or short term lease in Sandy and Midvale (Salt Lake Valley towns, near to BCC & LCC, and decent locale ie: not the local knife and gun club zone) for well under $1K/month.

I just did a quick search and found the Wasatch Club Apartments on State Street in Midvale. A 584 sq ft 1 BR currently goes for ~$600.

 

[kmartshopper]

I'm planning on heading out after xmas and staying through the end of March. So the shoulder season's aren't too important.

I hadn't given Bend much thought, but checking out Bachelor, it looks like a good possibility. Like a giant Sugarloaf. I don't mind not having fairy tale light powder, but no rain and ice. Sounds like that's fairly rare there - not like east coast. I'll have to check it out more. Are those backside double blacks like the rocky chutes as Snowbird or just steep?

The CO option with the epic pass does sound tempting just for the variety of places to try. Although none of them are places I could afford retiring at, so more just fun than a serious exploratory trip. I haven't really been to CO, but I do get the impressions it's fairly crowded by west coast standards.

@Marc_C - yeah, I always keep SLC on the list just because I know I can swing it and I know it would still be awesome. I just get a little turned off by (at least my perception of) the skier traffic and the associated level of effort needed to find tracks up LCC especially. I do miss the Mexican food though... VT must rank 50th in Mexican food.

 

[Admin]

I'm currently working on a feature article on Bachelor and Bend after my press trip there a couple of weeks ago. Your comment is ironic for the terrain of the Northwest Chair did indeed prompt me to comment that it reminded me of Sugarloaf. Nothing there, in my mind, deserves a double black rating. The mountain, though, is a behemoth, the town has a cool, funky vibe and rents are cheap.

Sent from my HP TouchPad running Android 4.0 ICS

 

[Tony Crocker]

Are those backside double blacks like the rocky chutes as Snowbird or just steep?

Backside of Bachelor Summit is consistent single black steepness, not nearly as steep as a lot of Snowbird. But it's vast and 1,900 vertical of emptiness. If you choose Bachelor, don't leave at the end of March; first half of April before they restrict operations is prime.

 

[EMSC]

The CO option with the epic pass does sound tempting just for the variety of places to try. Although none of them are places I could afford retiring at, so more just fun than a serious exploratory trip. I haven't really been to CO, but I do get the impressions it's fairly crowded by west coast standards.

Specifically any of resorts that are easily accessible by the Denver area would definitely be categorized as crowded IMHO. That includes Vail Inc places, and Intrawest places out here plus a few others. There are some stretches of weekdays in Jan or Feb (but not around the holidays) that are decently less crowded. Many other resorts in Colo are a lot less crowded by comparison, but may still have holiday and spring break periods where they can get moderately crowded.

 

[Tony Crocker]

The organizer of last years' EpicSki forum trip spends the months of January and April in Summit County to minimize the crowd issues. That trip last year was first week of April. I'm inclined to agree with EMSC that for the "take a whole season" scenario it might be best to choose a region less busy. Or one like SLC when you have the option to choose convenient but less busy areas on the days when the popular ones are most congested.

 

[Marc_C]

Or one like SLC when you have the option choose convenient but less busy areas on the days when the popular ones are most congested.

I think sometimes w.r.t. SLC it seems non-locals view it as either Alta/Bird or Snowbasin / Powder Mtn., kinda forgetting that there are 6 other resorts within the same driving range. In SLC you need to keep *all* options open and go wherever current conditions (which would include crowds, the wind direction of the last storm, etc) suggest would be best for you. That could mean Solitude/Brighton, one of the PC areas, or even Sundance for a given day.

 

[kmartshopper]

I think sometimes w.r.t. SLC it seems non-locals view it as either Alta/Bird or Snowbasin / Powder Mtn., kinda forgetting that there are 6 other resorts within the same driving range. In SLC you need to keep *all* options open and go wherever current conditions (which would include crowds, the wind direction of the last storm, etc) suggest would be best for you. That could mean Solitude/Brighton, one of the PC areas, or even Sundance for a given day.

This is probably the best option for fun, but I think the ticket and travel costs would end up high. Figure about 60 days @50$ (probably higher) = $3k. Plus it would end up with 1hr vs. 1/2hr for most places. Although maybe plopping down in the Layton area and doing the full pass at snowbasin (1/2hr) then mon-thur pass at Solitude (1hr) to have some storm chasing flexibility and variety. Could do that for like $1500 for both passes.

 

[Marc_C]

Look into the Solitude pass a bit more - it's pretty innovative as season pass products go. There are a lot more options than just full and mid-week.

There are definitely ways to go lower than $50-$65. For example, a season pass for Monarch Mtn in Colorado gives you half off a day ticket at any of their partner resorts. One of those is Alta. The Monarch pass cost $329 last year and you could obtain it entirely on-line and via email.

 

[Admin]

Monarch's 2012-13 season pass goes on sale April 1. Costs $329 through 7/4/12, renewal price $319.

 

[kmartshopper]

It's interesting you mention the resorts with shared relationships like that. Do you know of any in UT that have reciprocal benefits with any VT or NE resorts? Maybe I can help cover the early/late season at home.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Maybe I can help cover the early/late season at home.

Really? Early/late season in the Northeast is a crapshoot, and this year should surely have driven that point home. The quality ski season in the Cottonwood Canyons is on average mid-December to late April and can be even more than that. There are fixed costs like the season passes, and it seems to me if you can take 3 months you might as well make it the whole season.

 

[kmartshopper]

Really? Early/late season in the Northeast is a crapshoot, and this year should surely have driven that point home. The quality ski season in the Cottonwood Canyons is on average mid-December to late April and can be even more than that. There are fixed costs like the season passes, and it seems to me if you can take 3 months you might as well make it the whole season.

Yeah, driving's another big cost, but I still have a way to go before I'm completely free. So I think it's just that window for now.

 

[Marc_C]

It's interesting you mention the resorts with shared relationships like that. Do you know of any in UT that have reciprocal benefits with any VT or NE resorts? Maybe I can help cover the early/late season at home.

None that I'm aware of.

 

[kmartshopper]

Have any of you spent enough time at those Colorado places (Vail, Breck) as well as VT (Stowe, Killington) to comment on how the definition of "crowded" may vary between the two areas? I mean Breckinridge could never feel as crowded as Killington, could it? For comparison, I'd say snowbird sometimes has longish lines and can feel a bit crowded - but it would compare to a pretty good day in VT - closer to how VT feels midweek. I don't think I ever saw Brighton crowded.

 

[EMSC]

Have any of you spent enough time at those Colorado places (Vail, Breck) as well as VT (Stowe, Killington) to comment on how the definition of "crowded" may vary between the two areas? I mean Breckinridge could never feel as crowded as Killington, could it? For comparison, I'd say snowbird sometimes has longish lines and can feel a bit crowded - but it would compare to a pretty good day in VT - closer to how VT feels midweek. I don't think I ever saw Brighton crowded.

Certain sections of the mountain and definitely lift lines (depending on where you ski, what lift, and especially on the weekends) can most definitely be just as crowded as Kmart. More so at Breck than Vail, but also Vail at times too... Terrain is far more vast however so you can nearly always find somewhat roomy turns compared to the east if you are high enough caliber of skier and know where to go at what times of day.

Again, weekends and holidays are the real issue. Mid-week is far less crowded except March when spring breaks are going on. You have 4+ Million people in very easy day trip distance of the central Colorado resorts on the front range from Cheyenne, WY down to Pueblo. Further away things are less crowded in Colorado.