Where to go in North America (non-skier) ?

I'll be on vacation next March (probably west coast USA) and I want to
add a few days skiing at the end of the trip. Trouble is I'll have my
non-skiing wife with me (and early-intermediate kids) and I need some
suggestions on where is best to go. None of us have ever been skiing
in North America before.

I'm not too worried about the overall size of the resort but there
needs to be enough to keep the wife happy for two or three days. And
she doesn't drive.

Since we're flying over from UK we could consider almost anywhere
(East or West, North or South).

Thanks in advance.

James.

"icicle" wrote in message
m...
I'll be on vacation next March (probably west coast USA) and I want to
add a few days skiing at the end of the trip. Trouble is I'll have my
non-skiing wife with me (and early-intermediate kids) and I need some
suggestions on where is best to go. None of us have ever been skiing
in North America before.

I'm not too worried about the overall size of the resort but there
needs to be enough to keep the wife happy for two or three days. And
she doesn't drive.

Since we're flying over from UK we could consider almost anywhere
(East or West, North or South).

There is a bit to do in South Lake Tahoe though not much (unless you can
afford to send her to a Casino for a week!). There's almost no shopping
there to speak of. Try www.skiheavenly.com for information. The weather in
March can be very variable - could be absolutely freezing in early March &
the last time I was there 2 years ago at the very end of March it was 60+
degrees & disgustingly hot up on the mountain. Non Skiers can ride the
Gunbarrel Cablecar up to a restaurant & also can take the new Gondola up to
a spectacular viewing point as well (though I don't think there is a
restaurant up there). Depending on the age of your kids the ski school is
pretty good but not cheap.

The Embassy Suites place is good for families & has an indoor pool - but not
cheap. It is right beside the Gondola though. www.embassysuites.com

Squaw is kinda cut off from anywhere - its just a huge ski complex though
there will be a hotel with a pool etc but very little else for a non Skier.
Nearest town is a good few miles away. Kirkwood is a small resort on the
west coast of the lake & nice for kids - the lift system is a bit
antiquated.

Never been to Northstar but I think its pretty much the same with regards to
entertaining a non-skier.

Driving up the west side of the lake is not guaranteed (certainly not in
Early March) depending on the weather - the road is quite often closed for
weeks at a time (though its always been open when I've been there!). Trying
to drive the other way around the lake is a very long way!

Expect to be a bit shocked by the price of Lift tickets, Ski Hire &
Skischool in comparison to say Austria. A One day lift ticket at Heavenly is
about $60 now I think. That said, there is very little that comes close to
the views you can see from the top station there.

HTH

I.

My recommendation is Salt Lake City, Utah. There are major ski
areas(Snowbird, Alta, Park City, Deer Valley, etc.) within an hour of
downtown SLC. You can get discount lift tickets at the supermarkets
in town.

"Joseph Feng" wrote in message
om...
My recommendation is Salt Lake City, Utah. There are major ski
areas(Snowbird, Alta, Park City, Deer Valley, etc.) within an hour of
downtown SLC. You can get discount lift tickets at the supermarkets
in town.

There's also some quite reasonable skiing just outside Portland in Oregon
(Mount Hood Meadows) which is not a bad place - good shopping & eating.

(terry morse) wrote in message . com...
While South Lake Tahoe has some things to occupy the non-skier, I
suggest Whistler instead. The pedestrian village would suit your
non-skiing, non-driving wife well. Plenty of shops, spas, and
restaurants to keep her occupied.

I went to Tahoe (again from the UK) in March and was highly
disappointed with South Lake Tahoe as a town. On the website they go
on about loads of shops, bars, restaurants etc. but basically there's
nowt outside of the casinos. All the shops are either ski shops or
tourist tat and we only found 2 bars outside of the casinos, one of
which was about a mile away from the casinos (which the Virgin rep
didn't tell us when she recommended we walked there from the
casinos!). The casinos were a bit of a let down as well to be
honest...

We're going to Whistler this year and it looks as though it will be a
much nicer town.

Dan

Dan Morgan wrote:

We're going to Whistler this year and it looks as though it
will be a much nicer town.

Whistler may suit your needs better, but it isn't really a town.
It's Intrawest's idea of a mountain village. Shops, restaurants,
hotels, condos, night clubs, all in a pedestrian-only enclave. Not
that it's a bad thing, it's just not a town.

Truckee, CA is a town. Park City, UT is a town. Jackson Hole, WY is
a town. Aspen, CO is a town. Whistler is a theme park.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/

Terry Morse wrote in message ...

Whistler may suit your needs better, but it isn't really a town.
It's Intrawest's idea of a mountain village. Shops, restaurants,
hotels, condos, night clubs, all in a pedestrian-only enclave. Not
that it's a bad thing, it's just not a town.

Truckee, CA is a town. Park City, UT is a town. Jackson Hole, WY is
a town. Aspen, CO is a town. Whistler is a theme park.

Point taken, but as long as I don't have to trek miles to get to
places I'm not fussed!

(icicle) wrote in
m:

I'll be on vacation next March (probably west coast USA) and I want to
add a few days skiing at the end of the trip. Trouble is I'll have my
non-skiing wife with me (and early-intermediate kids)

It really depends what you want, for fantastic scenery, tough skiing, and a
town for the wife/kids with possibilities of snow mobiling/dog sledding,
Yellowstone etc try Jackson Hole.

regards,

Greg

All of the other replies suggested western areas. Here is a plug for
some eastern areas.

The Lake Placid area has all kinds of non-skiing winter sports available
while the skiers are at Whiteface.

The Conway area has great outlet shopping while the skiers have their
choice of Attitash, Wildcat and a number of other resorts (that are
smaller).

Quebec City offers one of North America's most quaint cities, while
being close to Mt. St. Anne, La Massif, etc.

Happy skiing, Joshua Segal

Thanks to all the info.

So we've got :
1. South Lake Tahoe
2. Salt Lake City
3. Portland, Oregon
4. Whistler
5. Jackson Hole
6. Lake Placid

I'm suprised that nobody mentioned any Colorado resorts - I did have
Aspen in mind, but it seems extreeeemly expensive - but then skiing
the big resorts anywhere in North America costs about two or three
times more than Europe. Maybe its best to find a smaller resort near
to a big town - Portland, Oregon perhaps? Any other suggestions ?

Salt Lake City sounds interesting (but again expensive) does anyone
know of any smaller, quieter resort nearby ?

I've heard Whistler described as "Disneyland on snow" and it sort of
put me off. Is there enough for a non-skier to do (after shopping and
a trip to the spa) ??

Thanks again,

James.