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(Not Europe but...) Breckenridge or Killington, end Jan?
Hi, all,
I realise this is not necessarily about Europe, but rec.s.a. seems a bit silly this season, so perhaps someone here with experience of European and N. American resorts can offer advice. We're coming from England, last week of January '04, with a three-generation party (two 50+ grandparents, 30+ vegetarian daughter, and 9yr grand-daughter who's a complete beginner) and we'd prefer self-catering accommodation, but catalogue choice seems a bit limited. Breckenridge (Rockies) & Killington (New England) both have what we're looking for, and apparently reliable snow (it's a bit early for most European resorts). We've also read that the kids' tuition is particularly good in USA, so it seems worth crossing the pond for. We'll be skiing rather than boardriding, BTW. Question is, does Breckenridge offer enough advantage over Killington to offset the longer journey? What's the weather like, esp considering a 9yr old? Or are there better alternatives anyway, even in Europe? Thanks for any pros & cons, Steve Pardoe www.pardoes.com |
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#2
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(Not Europe but...) Breckenridge or Killington, end Jan?
"Steve Pardoe" wrote in message .. . Hi, all, I realise this is not necessarily about Europe, but rec.s.a. seems a bit silly this season, so perhaps someone here with experience of European and N. American resorts can offer advice. Hi Steve try the moderated version - rec.skiing.alpine.moderated - found this first and couldn't believe nonsense on unmoderated group when I looked there later. We're coming from England, last week of January '04, with a three-generation party (two 50+ grandparents, 30+ vegetarian daughter, and 9yr grand-daughter who's a complete beginner) and we'd prefer self-catering accommodation, but catalogue choice seems a bit limited. Breckenridge (Rockies) & Killington (New England) both have what we're looking for, and apparently reliable snow (it's a bit early for most European resorts). We've also read that the kids' tuition is particularly good in USA, so it seems worth crossing the pond for. We'll be skiing rather than boardriding, BTW. How long are you going for - if it's only a week stay as far east as possible unless you have a cure for jetlag - some people recommend Melotonin which can be bought over the counter in the USA, but it's never done me any good. Question is, does Breckenridge offer enough advantage over Killington to offset the longer journey? What's the weather like, esp considering a 9yr old? Or are there better alternatives anyway, even in Europe? In Europe the ski-school in Soldeu Andorra is highly recommended, staffed mainly by native English speakers and skied by huge number of English skiers Not such a good place for expert skiers though and self catering choice is limited Thanks for any pros & cons, Steve Pardoe www.pardoes.com -- Paul Schofield Time flies like an arrow Fruit flies like a banana |
#3
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(Not Europe but...) Breckenridge or Killington, end Jan?
Hi, Paul & all,
Paul Schofield wrote in message ... "Steve Pardoe" wrote in message .. . ....., but rec.s.a. seems a bit silly this season, snip Hi Steve try the moderated version - rec.skiing.alpine.moderated - found this first and couldn't believe nonsense on unmoderated group when I looked there later. Indeed, thanks for the tip, I should have looked harder! How long are you going for - if it's only a week Yes, I take your point. In Europe the ski-school in Soldeu Andorra is highly recommended, staffed mainly by native English speakers and skied by huge number of English skiers Not such a good place for expert skiers though and self catering choice is limited And it seems from skiclub.co.uk that the early season (9th week) snow record is not too brilliant. Paul Schofield Time flies like an arrow Fruit flies like a banana ;-) Thanks again, Steve |
#4
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(Not Europe but...) Breckenridge or Killington, end Jan?
Steve Pardoe wrote:
Hi, all, I realise this is not necessarily about Europe, but rec.s.a. seems a bit silly this season, so perhaps someone here with experience of European and N. American resorts can offer advice. Hi Steve, r.s.a is not the place to go for anything these days. Even the flamming and ranting isn't what it was. There is a r.s.r.north-america which is a great place to post for info on these places. Have x-posted this to that group. We're coming from England, last week of January '04, with a three-generation party (two 50+ grandparents, 30+ vegetarian daughter, and 9yr grand-daughter who's a complete beginner) and we'd prefer self-catering accommodation, but catalogue choice seems a bit limited. Personaly I have not skied any of these 3 resorts so I can't really comment (but when has that stopped anyone on usenet:-). I have skied in N America a fair bit so I'll offer my 2p worth anyway. Breckenridge (Rockies) & Killington (New England) both have what we're looking for, and apparently reliable snow (it's a bit early for most European resorts). We've also read that the kids' tuition is particularly good in USA, so it seems worth crossing the pond for. We'll be skiing rather than boardriding, BTW. Agree with the comment on tuition, I've had experience in the USA and Canada and it's always been excellent. I wouldn't say that end of Jan is early for Europe though, I've never found problems this late. Question is, does Breckenridge offer enough advantage over Killington to offset the longer journey? What's the weather like, esp considering a 9yr old? Or are there better alternatives anyway, even in Europe? The East coast is renowned for very cold conditions and not much fresh snow, but with the cold conditions and snow canons they generaly do have a fair amount open, especialy early in the season. Breckenridge being in the Rockies will get a lot more snow, and I gather it's quite a lively place and you should find suitable accomodation there too. For what it's worth my choice would be to fly that bit further and go to the Rockies. Once you've b*ggered about getting to the airport, getting checked in and getting airborne the extra couple of hours to Denver is not a big deal. Cheers, Steve ~~ ~~ |
#5
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(Not Europe but...) Breckenridge or Killington, end Jan?
Hey Steve,
I've never skied in the Eastern US, but one thing to consider is that if you do go to Breckenridge, you will have access to more than one ski resort. Copper Mountain, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin are all in Summit County as well (and, if memory serves, are connected via free shuttles). Vail is also relatively close by... good luck, john |
#6
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(Not Europe but...) Breckenridge or Killington, end Jan?
"Steve Pardoe" wrote in message ...
Question is, does Breckenridge offer enough advantage over Killington to offset the longer journey? What's the weather like, esp considering a 9yr old? Or are there better alternatives anyway, even in Europe? I wrote a long and reasoned response to this, which I lost to a ^%$#@!Google "Internal Server Error". The executive summary, based on some knowledge of both places, is: Go to the Rockies. Breckenridge is a great place and there are many others. Right now I haven't decided whether to go to Breckenridge or Steamboat for this year's first trip. Killington is, I'm sure, a fine place -- but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, if you see what I mean. Giles Morris |
#7
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(Not Europe but...) Breckenridge or Killington, end Jan?
Giles wrote:
I wrote a long and reasoned response to this, which I lost to a ^%$#@!Google "Internal Server Error". The executive summary, based on some knowledge of both places, is: Go to the Rockies. Breckenridge is a great place and there are many others. Right now I haven't decided whether to go to Breckenridge or Steamboat for this year's first trip. Killington is, I'm sure, a fine place -- but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, if you see what I mean. Giles Morris When is your trip going to be? If it is the early to mid part of January, go to Steamboat. I have always had good luck getting incredible conditions in Steamboat in mid-January. Hoping to get up there this year at that time. -- Chester Bullock, Ethical, custom website hosting, design and programming Tenxible Solutions, http://www.tenxible.com Web Based Autoresponder and DRIP system, http://www.toolsre.com AIM: tenxible YahooIM: ccb247 |
#8
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(Not Europe but...) Breckenridge or Killington, end Jan?
Thanks for the extra input, all of you.
Steve "Chester Bullock" wrote in message ... Giles wrote: I wrote a long and reasoned response to this, which I lost to a ^%$#@!Google "Internal Server Error". The executive summary, based on some knowledge of both places, is: Go to the Rockies. Breckenridge is a great place and there are many others. Right now I haven't decided whether to go to Breckenridge or Steamboat for this year's first trip. Killington is, I'm sure, a fine place -- but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, if you see what I mean. Giles Morris When is your trip going to be? If it is the early to mid part of January, go to Steamboat. I have always had good luck getting incredible conditions in Steamboat in mid-January. Hoping to get up there this year at that time. -- Chester Bullock, Ethical, custom website hosting, design and programming Tenxible Solutions, http://www.tenxible.com Web Based Autoresponder and DRIP system, http://www.toolsre.com AIM: tenxible YahooIM: ccb247 |
#9
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(Not Europe but...) Breckenridge or Killington, end Jan?
Colorado snowfall is 20% below normal this fall "Steve" wrote in message ... Steve Pardoe wrote: Hi, all, I realise this is not necessarily about Europe, but rec.s.a. seems a bit silly this season, so perhaps someone here with experience of European and N. American resorts can offer advice. Hi Steve, r.s.a is not the place to go for anything these days. Even the flamming and ranting isn't what it was. There is a r.s.r.north-america which is a great place to post for info on these places. Have x-posted this to that group. We're coming from England, last week of January '04, with a three-generation party (two 50+ grandparents, 30+ vegetarian daughter, and 9yr grand-daughter who's a complete beginner) and we'd prefer self-catering accommodation, but catalogue choice seems a bit limited. Personaly I have not skied any of these 3 resorts so I can't really comment (but when has that stopped anyone on usenet:-). I have skied in N America a fair bit so I'll offer my 2p worth anyway. Breckenridge (Rockies) & Killington (New England) both have what we're looking for, and apparently reliable snow (it's a bit early for most European resorts). We've also read that the kids' tuition is particularly good in USA, so it seems worth crossing the pond for. We'll be skiing rather than boardriding, BTW. Agree with the comment on tuition, I've had experience in the USA and Canada and it's always been excellent. I wouldn't say that end of Jan is early for Europe though, I've never found problems this late. Question is, does Breckenridge offer enough advantage over Killington to offset the longer journey? What's the weather like, esp considering a 9yr old? Or are there better alternatives anyway, even in Europe? The East coast is renowned for very cold conditions and not much fresh snow, but with the cold conditions and snow canons they generaly do have a fair amount open, especialy early in the season. Breckenridge being in the Rockies will get a lot more snow, and I gather it's quite a lively place and you should find suitable accomodation there too. For what it's worth my choice would be to fly that bit further and go to the Rockies. Once you've b*ggered about getting to the airport, getting checked in and getting airborne the extra couple of hours to Denver is not a big deal. Cheers, Steve ~~ ~~ |
#10
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(Not Europe but...) Breckenridge or Killington, end Jan?
We're coming from England, last week of January '04, with a
three-generation party (two 50+ grandparents, 30+ vegetarian daughter, and 9yr grand-daughter who's a complete beginner) and we'd prefer self-catering accommodation, but Breckenridge (Rockies) & Killington (New England) both have what we're looking for, and apparently reliable snow (it's a bit early for most European resorts). We've also read that the kids' tuition is particularly good in USA, so it seems worth crossing the pond for. We'll be skiing rather than boardriding, BTW. Question is, does Breckenridge offer enough advantage over Killington to offset the longer journey? What's the weather like, esp considering a 9yr old? Or are there better alternatives anyway, even in Europe? I have never skied Killington but in the East the weather varies from mild to bitter, it also feels colder for a given temperature than the Rockies or the Alps. There are days when the hardy stop for a hot chocolate after a couple of runs and the rest don't ski. Killington also does not have a resort as such so you have to travel to the slopes each day. I personnally find this a bind and if you want to back to the accomodation at different times it might be difficult (I'm not sure what buses are like there but often it is very limited, a car is a must and the half the group can't go back early. Breckenridge has the advantage of real snow and skiing close to the resort. You can ski the rest of Summit County but count on 45min to 1hr travel each way. If you stick to Breckenridge the experianced skiers might get board after a few days (although they have opened a new mountain since I was last there). The other disadvantage of Breckenridge is it's altitude (the resort is nearly 3000m high!) Some people are only affected by tiring a little quicker some get hit with altitude sickness. If you do go take it easy the first day or two and stay a night in Denver if you can. My favorite North American Resort is Whistler. Another of the few American resorts with a resort at the base of the lifts. Lots of natural snow (though less powdery than the Rockies) and a large variety of runs for all levels of skier. With all the time spent at the airport and overland travel the difference in total journey time between the east and west US is quite small and the difference in the skiing is so great I would not consider going to the East. I would not disregard Europe. Late January is not really early season and you would be very unlucky not to have good snow. Les Arcs would probably suit your group nicely (especially 1800 which is more beginner friendly and is more central to the ski area). The Arcs Adventures ski school are very good. (Recommended over ESF) |
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