# Headed west with a 1st timer... Need advice on resorts



## BamaBoarder86 (Nov 10, 2011)

Hey guys and gals. I'm in the process of planning my annual trip out west to ski. It will just be me and the fiance as life has continued to get busy with careers and the rest of my group is tied down. She is a first time skier. Being from Alabama, we don't see the slopes often. I usually go 1 or 2 times a year. I've been to several resorts out west including Snowbird, Park City, Canyons, and Jackson Hole. My dream trip is to go to big sky, simply because of lack of crowds and so much terrain. Unfortunately with a wedding coming up, I can't take as much time as usual so only Looking at a 4-5 day trip. Big sky is far more expensive to fly to than other areas plus multiple layovers, so it's off the board. I'm really looking for the perfect spot in relation to my fiancé more so than myself. Here are some things I'm looking for, any help is much appreciated:

- Small crowds! This is by far the most important to me. When I was first learning there was nothing more frustrating that falling over and over with an endless amount of people. For me, excessive crowds made the learning process more difficult than it should have been.

- utah or Colorado only. Mainly cause I will Be flying into either DEN or SLC since I can get a direct flight and its much cheaper to fly into those areas. 

- would really like to stay within 1-1.5 hours of the airport although this is not that big of a deal

- and for once nightlife isn't a big deal this time. We are going to ski and ski only with so much less time

I put together a list below after reading endless articles
And searches on this forum. Any direction with these or any others I left off would be much appreciated as you guys know Far more than I do about the specifics.

Copper mountain
Loveland 
Steamboat
Telluride 
Brighton 
Powder mountain 
Solitude 
Snowbasin 

I have a few leans on these but that's just from researching their sites. So thoughts, advice? Also, the trip will Be unfortunately early (jan 7-11), no
Other options for me this year. Thanks


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

I hate to tell you, but you're about to spend a shit ton of money to side slip around on bunny slopes while your fiance flails about wildly. Go to the beach or something like that. You're gonna be miserable. I'm serious.


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## BamaBoarder86 (Nov 10, 2011)

linvillegorge said:


> I hate to tell you, but you're about to spend a shit ton of money to side slip around on bunny slopes while your fiance flails about wildly. Go to the beach or something like that. You're gonna be miserable. I'm serious.


Ha. Being from AL we can go to the beach every weekend. She's a gymnast and pretty dang athletic. I seriously doubt she has too much trouble after the first day. Plus it's not like I'm an expert, I venture into the blues regularly but that's about it.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Gotcha. Might work out then.

I meant a real beach, like Hawaii.


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## 2hellnbak (Sep 21, 2012)

Why not consider Vermont? There are a couple resorts up there that get good soft snow and I bet you'd save a dime or three.....

If you just want to see the Rocky mountains (I couldn't blame you) then just pick something off the list really.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

Telluride. Stay in town, not mountain village.... Town is less expensive.

Copper doesn't suck either....

Tride will be the least crowded of the options.....


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

Argo said:


> Copper doesn't suck either....
> 
> Tride will be the least crowded of the options.....


+1 Copper
Google vrbo.com/copper which is vacation rent by owner. We are staying at Copper for three weeks in a condo with underground parking. Bus service around the whole resort. Everything you need restaurants, shops, & slopes suited for you and your fiancé. :hairy:


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

SnowDogWax said:


> +1 Copper
> Google vrbo.com/copper which is vacation rent by owner. We are staying at Copper for three weeks in a condo with underground parking. Bus service around the whole resort. Everything you need restaurants, shops, & slopes suited for you and your fiancé. :hairy:


3weeks of copper doesn't suck.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

Ski?

:no1:


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## SkullAndXbones (Feb 24, 2014)

i know you said colorado or utah but you might want to consider the pacific northwest. you can fly into portland or seattle and take a bus to your hotel. they're not that expensive. riding at mt bachelor and staying in bend oregon is much cheaper then your options in colorado. it's like $70 for a lift ticket and there's motels that only cost $50 a night.


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## SkullAndXbones (Feb 24, 2014)

just a heads up, i just checked the prices for flights to bozeman montana, yeah they're $200 more then most other flights but there's a motel 6 there that costs $51 a night (for 2 people). where as places in colorado you're looking at at least $100 a night so the total cost would probably balance itself out.


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

F1EA said:


> Ski?
> 
> :no1:


I noticed that too! OP,.. OK, so you mentioned that your fiancé is a NewB skier, but do _you_ even snowboard? 

While we're not entirely bigoted towards "Mixed" couples,…? We are most certainly _NOT_ in the habit of advising Full blooded skiers!!!! If _that_ is in fact what you are? This thread should have been posted in the "skiing" subforum that no one here checks or contributes to!  :lol:

Good luck on your two plank vacay! :finger1:



  :rofl3:


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

SkullAndXbones said:


> i know you said colorado or utah but you might want to consider the pacific northwest. you can fly into portland or seattle and take a bus to your hotel. they're not that expensive. riding at mt bachelor and staying in bend oregon is much cheaper then your options in colorado. it's like $70 for a lift ticket and there's motels that only cost $50 a night.


:facepalm1: please don't encourage the nubes our bunny hill would look like a bamba razorblack.... and you forgot to include the associated medical expenses.


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

chomps1211 said:


> I noticed that too! OP,.. OK, so you mentioned that your fiancé is a NewB skier, but do _you_ even snowboard?
> 
> While we're not entirely bigoted towards "Mixed" couples,…? We are most certainly _NOT_ in the habit of advising Full blooded skiers!!!! If _that_ is in fact what you are? This thread should have been posted in the "skiing" subforum that no one here checks or contributes to!  :lol:
> 
> ...


Name is bamaBOARDER though. I'm guessing the sub culture in alabama isn't quite as defined there.

Anyway, if she is athletic and not really a skier yet, get her riding. It's way more fun, especially in the beginning! pizza/french fries sucks ass. In fact the sport is just stupid (coming from a skier for 30+ years) Or let her fall on her ass trying to go up stairs in the ski boots. your choice


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## SkullAndXbones (Feb 24, 2014)

wrathfuldeity said:


> :facepalm1: please don't encourage the nubes our bunny hill would look like a bamba razorblack.... and you forgot to include the associated medical expenses.


did i say oregon? my mistake. i meant to say CALIFORNIA. go to california.


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

2hellnbak said:


> Why not consider Vermont? There are a couple resorts up there that get good soft snow and I bet you'd save a dime or three.....
> 
> If you just want to see the Rocky mountains (I couldn't blame you) then just pick something off the list really.


The problem with VT is to get away from the crowds you have to get away from the major airports (meaning farther from NYC/Boston than they like to drive) and are in for a 3+ hour drive.


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

f00bar said:


> Name is bamaBOARDER though. I'm guessing the sub culture in alabama isn't quite as defined there….



:lol: Yeah, I'm Just being a nit picking, sarcastic dick this morning is all!


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## BamaBoarder86 (Nov 10, 2011)

Snowboard. We will both be on snowboards. The entire time. I used "ski" as a general term. My bad haha


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

BamaBoarder86 said:


> Snowboard. We will both be on snowboards. The entire time. I used "ski" as a general term. My bad haha


I still use ski as a general term when talking casual talk with ppl that don't know I'm an avid snowboarder (even if I'm not) but I like to think I am.

Not even sure what defines "avid snowboarder" don't rightly care either k:


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

See,.. Now I really can't say for certain why it's so important to me, other than I just feel boarding is soo much cooler. But I do go out of my way to make sure I never use the term "ski" to describe what I'm doing when I snowboard. I'm sure It makes absolutely no difference to anyone but me, but it just _feels_ wrong to use ski in talking about it! 

Not to mention, it is technically innacurate!


:dunno:


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

BamaBoarder86 said:


> Snowboard. We will both be on snowboards. The entire time. I used "ski" as a general term. My bad haha


Sounds like you want to maximize time on the hill. Especially as a noob she'll need breaks throughout the day (no matter how fit you are, as you know there are muscles that probably don't get used for anything else, involved in snowboarding).

So my advice is, go where you can stay on the hill cheapest. Jay Peak, VT has some reasonable on hill ski in ski out accommodations. 

Not sure about the American NW, but Kimberley in BC, has cheap on hill accommodations as well. Plus a noob friendly bunch of lifts steps away from the condos.

Just my $0.02 of course... :hairy:


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## racer357 (Feb 3, 2011)

Flights to Denver are cheap. Flights everywhere else cost at least twice as much. From Indy to Denver right now is 205.00 round trip.

Indy to SLC 540.00
Indy to Reno 586.00
Indy to Portland 685.00

I am sure the search from Alabama is similar.


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## jtg (Dec 11, 2012)

SkullAndXbones said:


> did i say oregon? my mistake. i meant to say CALIFORNIA. go to california.


First rule of snowboarding, you don't blow up decent places by encouraging newbs and tourists to go visit them for the entire internet to see :no2:


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## SkullAndXbones (Feb 24, 2014)

jtg said:


> First rule of snowboarding, you don't blow up decent places by encouraging newbs and tourists to go visit them for the entire internet to see :no2:


the second rule of snowboarding is that we DO NOT talking about snowboarding.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

SkullAndXbones said:


> the second rule of snowboarding is that we DO NOT talking about snowboarding.


His name is Robert Paulson


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## Bamfboardman (Dec 11, 2012)

BamaBoarder86 said:


> Hey guys and gals. I'm in the process of planning my annual trip out west to ski. It will just be me and the fiance as life has continued to get busy with careers and the rest of my group is tied down. She is a first time skier. Being from Alabama, we don't see the slopes often. I usually go 1 or 2 times a year. I've been to several resorts out west including Snowbird, Park City, Canyons, and Jackson Hole. My dream trip is to go to big sky, simply because of lack of crowds and so much terrain. Unfortunately with a wedding coming up, I can't take as much time as usual so only Looking at a 4-5 day trip. Big sky is far more expensive to fly to than other areas plus multiple layovers, so it's off the board. I'm really looking for the perfect spot in relation to my fiancé more so than myself. Here are some things I'm looking for, any help is much appreciated:
> 
> - Small crowds! This is by far the most important to me. When I was first learning there was nothing more frustrating that falling over and over with an endless amount of people. For me, excessive crowds made the learning process more difficult than it should have been.
> 
> ...


Honestly out of all of the places you named, Solitude will be the least crowded and best terrain. You'll also have a lot of options when it comes to difficulty. It won't be expensive either.


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## Tuan209 (Dec 26, 2008)

Id go to SLC.

You can stay at pretty much stay at any hotel in Salt Lake and drive to multiple resorts that are only 30 mins away. 

Night life in SLC sucks but cant beat the easy access to multiple resorts. Did I mention that the airport is roughly 30 - 40 mins from the resorts?


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

*Nobody calls it snowboarding, squares!*

If I am around my friends or wife I always call it skiing because it annoys them.

If there is a brobrah nearby I make sure to call it shredding.


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## SkullAndXbones (Feb 24, 2014)

poutanen said:


> His name is Robert Paulson


in death, in project mayhem, we have a name.


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## mojo maestro (Jan 6, 2009)

It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.


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## flow-boarder (Oct 23, 2014)

chomps1211 said:


> See,.. Now I really can't say for certain why it's so important to me, other than I just feel boarding is soo much cooler. But I do go out of my way to make sure I never use the term "ski" to describe what I'm doing when I snowboard. I'm sure It makes absolutely no difference to anyone but me, but it just _feels_ wrong to use ski in talking about it!
> 
> Not to mention, it is technically innacurate!
> 
> ...


The term bugs me too. In fact I even abhor using the term "ski resort". I try to use Mountain Resort or Alpine Resort - or to antagonize skiers Snowboard Resort


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

flow-boarder said:


> The term bugs me too. In fact I even abhor using the term "ski resort". I try to use Mountain Resort or Alpine Resort - or to antagonize skiers Snowboard Resort


Ask me how much I love the name Canadian Ski Patrol... :facepalm3:

I have all the same duties and all the same expectations of a patroller on skis. Oh well, it's only a name!


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

poutanen said:


> Ask me how much I love the name Canadian Ski Patrol... :facepalm3:
> 
> I have all the same duties and all the same expectations of a patroller on skis. Oh well, it's only a name!


What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.


But not as sweet as Canadian Ski Patrol...:jumping1:




SnowDog | SnowDogWax.com


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