# Budget winter vacations?



## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

Wolf creek is good also. You can stay in south fork or pagosa springs. Lodging in south fork should be cheaper. Hand and feb should be less expensive too. Lift tickets are under $60 a day. If your chick stays on the lower part of the hill its only $20 a day.


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## snowvols (Apr 16, 2008)

Was it Grand Targhee the resort in WY? 

I don't know how far Lincoln is to SLC but I would look into SLC. You could do it cheaper than going to somewhere in Summit. Stay somewhere cheap in downtown SLC and be 20-30 minutes from the lift. Plenty of things to do once you get off of the hill. Lame part is bars close at 1 so gotta remember that. If you need any info let me know in regards to SLC.


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## CMSbored (Apr 2, 2009)

targhee and jhole would be a long trip for you. plus I80 has a track record of being closed all the time. trust me, i live on it. SLC is probably the same distance as jhole but you still have to take I80 there(shortest route anyway)which again is hit or miss. i would stick to colorado. loveland would be ok if you stayed in georgetown or silverthorne. a 4pack is only $130 so you could get two and still have lodging money.

anyway, good luck


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## neednsnow (Nov 30, 2007)

Loveland or Wolf Creek will be your best low-cost options. You're not going to get the resort experience, but she can go shopping anywhere. This gives her the opportunity to really learn how to ride. Have her be sure to pack her Ipod/Mp3 player. I turned my ex onto that and it tripled the amount of time she was willing to spend on the mountain.

I just looked at the driving distance from Lincoln. Yeah, I'd say your best shot is Loveland. I've never been, but heard great things about the place, and the 4-pack is right up your alley.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Monarch is a good choice and Salida is a nice enough town. I like it quite a bit actually. The vertical isn't huge there, but there is some real terrain in Mirkwood. It's a highly over looked ski area. I have several friends who make three or four trips a season to ride at Monarch, and they are expert riders. There is definitely goods there or they wouldn't go. I haven't been in Mirkwood personally, but I've looked it over from the ridge across the highway plenty. It looks like a fun mini golf area to me.

You should be able to get a roadside motel in Salida for around $40 a night. Downtown Salida is quaint and fun to walk around. 

Wolf Creek would be a good choice too. Pagosa has more going on, but if you stay in Southfork you don't have to worry about the pass being closed before you get to the ski area. You should be able to find a good deal on lodging, probably not as cheap as Salida.

Loveland is going to be the cheapest near Denver. You could try finding a place in Georgetown or Idaho Springs. Traffic woes on weekends though.


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## skycdo (Sep 15, 2011)

If you wanna come all the way down to Monarch might as well drive a little further to Wolf Creek. Pagosa Springs is a interesting little town. There is a good number of shops, the hot springs are kick ass during the winter and if she wanted, Durango is only an hour drive from Pagosa and that's a whole visit by itself. Plus, if you look on their website, you can hit one of their local days and ski for half off.


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## JeffreyCH (Nov 21, 2009)

Thanks a bunch for all the tips guys. I looked quick, and yeah the resorts in Wy. are about a 14 hour drive. I could do it, but I'd be beat to shit by the time I got there lol. It actually looked closer to SLC, but I'm going to stick with Co. 

So that narrows it down to loveland, Wolf Creek, or Monarch. At this point I am leaning towards Monarch, I worked for a company in my early 30's that was based in Salida so I'm very familar with the area. I stayed there a couple times a month for almost 2 years, and know the owner of one of the small motels if he still does I can probably get a discount. 

To bad Loveland ski area isn't closer to the town of Loveland, I have an old friend that lives there and told me I could crash on his couch anytime. However Loveland looks good too. Does the Summit county bus run through silverthorne? If so I might just go to A-basin, I love that place. If lodging is reasonable around there. If I remember right our patrol has a deal with loveland for discounted tickets, so I might be able to afford to ride a couple days at both.

My GF has expressed no interest in learning to ride, but I'm working on that lol.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

The bus does run through Silverthorne and Dillon. What the lines are I don't know but we have plenty of members here who live there. 

Lodging it going to be more of a premium in Summit County though. Much more so than in Salida or South Fork. 

The town of Loveland is no where near close to the Loveland ski area. Seems every year, I see someone who booked a hotel in Loveland because they thought the ski area was right there...:laugh:


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## BsMcluvinBeach (Sep 16, 2011)

Argo said:


> Wolf creek is good also. You can stay in south fork or pagosa springs. Lodging in south fork should be cheaper. Hand and feb should be less expensive too. Lift tickets are under $60 a day. If your chick stays on the lower part of the hill its only $20 a day.


I live in Texas and I went to wolf Creek on four trips last year and spent less than 1000 bux. The food on the mmountain is cheap and awesome. We stayed in a motel for about 80 bux a night which included breakfast and free wifi. Ended up spending around 200 per trip. The mountain gets unbelievable amounts of POW POW and has a great backside that no one is ever on. Highly recommend it. Cons: no parks, pipes, or jumps on the mountain. Pros: Tons of backside freshies and no skier families running around with the little hellions. *children


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## Tarzanman (Dec 20, 2008)

Snow trip for 5 days for $1000? Doable, but tricky if you're going to a big mountain with higher lift ticket prices.

5 Days riding during peak season will cost you ~$360-$460 for lift passes. If you already know you are going to spend that much, then you might consider a Vail Resorts, Inc Summit Pass. Unlimited riding at A-Basin and Keystone, Holiday blackout dates at Breckenridge. The Summit Pass is currently $409.

Flights from Lincoln to Denver are currently ~$320. You could drive it. It is ~540 miles to Keystone from Lincoln.... so you're looking at 54 gallons of gas (in a 20 mpg car) which will cost you ~$220 dollars for a round trip (if gas is $3.80 per gallon with 7% tax). If you don't drive, then you'll need to rent a car or hire a transport to get you from the airport to Keystone/Frisco. I think they charge $80 per person for that route.

Lodging (I hope a local can chime in here) will cost at least $70/night during ski season. 5 nights means $350

So,
Lift tix: $409
Lodging: $350 
Driving: $220

That is $979. Adding a third person will cut your lodging and gas costs by -$170. Adding two people will cut them by -$285... but 4 people in a small motel room won't be fun.

JACKSON.
Flights into Jackson, WY from Lincoln are ridiculous. $500 (which is what it costs me to fly there from Atlanta). That is half your budget gone on just flying.

Jackson, WY has a hostel with public bunks for $32/night or private rooms for $80-$90/night... but lift tickets in Jackson are usually $90+ unless you bundle them. Even so, I have not seen any bundling packages for lodging and lift passes for 5 days in Jackson that will run you less than $900. The discount rate JHMR gives hotels is ~$70/day for lift tickets. If the Hostel is $64/night (for 2 people) then I don't see you spending less than $80 a night for a motel/hotel somewhere. Figure $450+ for lodging unless you bring in a group of at least 4 people.

If you drive to Jackson, that is 734 miles which is 74 gallons of gas which will cost $300 round trip.

So
Lift tickets: $450 or $350 depending on whether you do a bundle
Driving: $300 ($200 if you bring a third person)
Lodging: $320 for hostel, or $400+ elsewhere

I do not see a trip to Jackson costing less than $1000, no matter how you slice it.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Is your $320 flight for 1 or 2 people? If it's for one I'd say drive. Gas is also running under $340 a gallon around here. It's been about the same in the mountains. 

Hot tip. The Western Convenience store in Idaho Springs gas prices are basically the same as in Metro Denver, sometimes cheaper. It's on the right just before you get to the Safeway in town there. So fill up there an your way to Summit, if that is where you choose to go.

I still think your Monarch idea is a solid one. Fun hill, cheap tix, lodging, and good eats are around. Plus, I think the best snow falls on that pass. The lightest fluffiest I ever ride in Colorado. It also has the advantage that they rarely get skunked. Storms from the south and north tend to always put snow on that pass. In La Nina years, which this year is predicted to be, there can be long dry spells for Wolf Creek. While Summit gets lots of snow. Happened last season. Monarch still got their fair share of snow.


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## JeffreyCH (Nov 21, 2009)

I think I'm going to plan on Monarch, I have history there and I'd like to see the rest of the mountain. I called the Aspen leaf lodge where I used to stay all the time and the owners have changed, but the guy I talked to said I could get a room for 2 for a week around 350 and he would throw in some vouchers for discount lift tickets. I'm pretty stoked about it, last time I was there we rented some sleds and since I sold mine this past winter I may have to take a day and do that. If I don't go wakeboarding any more this season I should be able to swing it....Dammit I hate having to make sacrifices like that.


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