Which of these resorts for March 20 - 27

Greetings.

My wife, son, and I are planning a trip from 3/20 - 3/27. We have
narrowed our choices to the following 5 possibilities (listed in
alphabetical order):

1. Banff (Lake Louise and Sunshine)
2. Big Mountain
3. Snowbird/Alta
4. Snowmass
5. Steamboat

First, should any of these be eliminated from consideration due to
potentially poor conditions at that time of year? Specifically, I'm
worried that Steamboat, due to its relatively low elevation (for
Colorado) and primarily western exposure, will be too slushy.

Secondly, will Big Mountain keep us interested for six days of skiing?
My wife and I like long cruisers and the easier blacks, and would
really like more powder experience. Two or three bumped-up runs a day
are enough for us. My son (age 18) skis everything up through the
easier double-blacks - steep with big moguls is OK, but no cliff
jumping/ultra-narrow chutes, etc.

Of course we really hate crowded lift-lines and slopes (like Vail, for
example) and icy conditions.

Nightlife is a minor consideration. We like to hit a few good
restaurants and bars, but no major partying. Strongly prefer moderate
ski-in/ski-out lodging which must have a nice outdoor hot tub.
Examples of good lodging choices would be the Cliffs Lodge at Snowbird
or the Stonebridge (maybe a bit expensive...) at Snowmass. I know no
ski-in/ski-out in Banff. We were thinking about the Inns of Banff if
we go there. Anyone familiar with that place?

And finally, is there anyplace else we should be considering? For
example, is there enough terrain at Jackson Hole within our abilities?
"Our" meaning my wife and I - I know my son would love it.

Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated!

Thanks,
Mark

Any of those places would be fine in late March. Snowpack should be at
its peak around then. The Big Mountain has plenty of terrain to keep you
busy for a week. Jackson Hole is also a good choice. Despite its rep as
an experts playground, there is plenty of terrain for the intermediate
and advanced skier. A day trip to Grand Targhee is also an option if
you are at Jackson.

Banff has the advantage of the Canadian/US dollar exchange rate, so you
can save a lot by going there. Steamboatd and Alta/Snowbird can be a bit
crowded. Not Vail quite type crowds, but if you want to avoid crowds the
Big Mountain is your best bet. Jackson Hole is relatively uncrowded too,
unless you take the tram in the morning. There are often long lines
there. Most of the other lifts don't have long lines though. I don't
know much about Snowmass, so I can't help you out with that.

Mark wrote:

Greetings.

My wife, son, and I are planning a trip from 3/20 - 3/27. We have
narrowed our choices to the following 5 possibilities (listed in
alphabetical order):

1. Banff (Lake Louise and Sunshine)
2. Big Mountain
3. Snowbird/Alta
4. Snowmass
5. Steamboat

First, should any of these be eliminated from consideration due to
potentially poor conditions at that time of year? Specifically, I'm
worried that Steamboat, due to its relatively low elevation (for
Colorado) and primarily western exposure, will be too slushy.

Secondly, will Big Mountain keep us interested for six days of skiing?
My wife and I like long cruisers and the easier blacks, and would
really like more powder experience. Two or three bumped-up runs a day
are enough for us. My son (age 18) skis everything up through the
easier double-blacks - steep with big moguls is OK, but no cliff
jumping/ultra-narrow chutes, etc.

Of course we really hate crowded lift-lines and slopes (like Vail, for
example) and icy conditions.

Nightlife is a minor consideration. We like to hit a few good
restaurants and bars, but no major partying. Strongly prefer moderate
ski-in/ski-out lodging which must have a nice outdoor hot tub.
Examples of good lodging choices would be the Cliffs Lodge at Snowbird
or the Stonebridge (maybe a bit expensive...) at Snowmass. I know no
ski-in/ski-out in Banff. We were thinking about the Inns of Banff if
we go there. Anyone familiar with that place?

And finally, is there anyplace else we should be considering? For
example, is there enough terrain at Jackson Hole within our abilities?
"Our" meaning my wife and I - I know my son would love it.

Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated!

Thanks,
Mark

Mark wrote:
:
: My wife, son, and I are planning a trip from 3/20 - 3/27. We have
: narrowed our choices to the following 5 possibilities (listed in
: alphabetical order):
:
: 1. Banff (Lake Louise and Sunshine)
: 2. Big Mountain
: 3. Snowbird/Alta
: 4. Snowmass
: 5. Steamboat

Since I responded to your other post...

1. Never been there - but spring comes slower to Canada.
2. Never been there.

(Of what remains...)
3. Best chance for "powder", but don't really meet your other
desires for cruising and easier blacks. Never considered
Snowbird a good intermediate skiing place. Alta is a
little better I think. Of course, there's Park City,
which is much more Colorado-like.
4. Good all around choice - it's got cruising out the wazoo, plus
some challenging skiing here and there. And you can always try
Highlands for some really steep stuff, or Aspen mountain. Aspen
the town is very interesting in many ways - it's a 10-15 minute drive
away. Summary: Good elevation, huge mtn, but doesn't get the snowfall
of Snowbird/Alta.
5. Already expounded upon in another post. Good night life, good
cruising, big, but wider variation on snow conditions. Could be
great, could be firmer than you might want.

-Paul C.

Thanks for the reply Brian.

Jackson does look interesting, and the idea of the potential day at
Targhee was one of the main reasons I mentioned it. I know you don't
know how we ski or what we can handle, and I'm not sure how to get
that across in writing, but I'll ask anyway: Do you think we'd be
able to handle skiing off the tram? You sound like you've been to
Vail - are there any parts of that mountain that would be similar in
difficulty to what we'd likely encounter?

Mark

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 17:43:58 GMT, Brian Sniatkowski
wrote:

Any of those places would be fine in late March. Snowpack should be at
its peak around then. The Big Mountain has plenty of terrain to keep you
busy for a week. Jackson Hole is also a good choice. Despite its rep as
an experts playground, there is plenty of terrain for the intermediate
and advanced skier. A day trip to Grand Targhee is also an option if
you are at Jackson.

Banff has the advantage of the Canadian/US dollar exchange rate, so you
can save a lot by going there. Steamboatd and Alta/Snowbird can be a bit
crowded. Not Vail quite type crowds, but if you want to avoid crowds the
Big Mountain is your best bet. Jackson Hole is relatively uncrowded too,
unless you take the tram in the morning. There are often long lines
there. Most of the other lifts don't have long lines though. I don't
know much about Snowmass, so I can't help you out with that.

Mark wrote:

Greetings.

My wife, son, and I are planning a trip from 3/20 - 3/27. We have
narrowed our choices to the following 5 possibilities (listed in
alphabetical order):

1. Banff (Lake Louise and Sunshine)
2. Big Mountain
3. Snowbird/Alta
4. Snowmass
5. Steamboat

First, should any of these be eliminated from consideration due to
potentially poor conditions at that time of year? Specifically, I'm
worried that Steamboat, due to its relatively low elevation (for
Colorado) and primarily western exposure, will be too slushy.

Secondly, will Big Mountain keep us interested for six days of skiing?
My wife and I like long cruisers and the easier blacks, and would
really like more powder experience. Two or three bumped-up runs a day
are enough for us. My son (age 18) skis everything up through the
easier double-blacks - steep with big moguls is OK, but no cliff
jumping/ultra-narrow chutes, etc.

Of course we really hate crowded lift-lines and slopes (like Vail, for
example) and icy conditions.

Nightlife is a minor consideration. We like to hit a few good
restaurants and bars, but no major partying. Strongly prefer moderate
ski-in/ski-out lodging which must have a nice outdoor hot tub.
Examples of good lodging choices would be the Cliffs Lodge at Snowbird
or the Stonebridge (maybe a bit expensive...) at Snowmass. I know no
ski-in/ski-out in Banff. We were thinking about the Inns of Banff if
we go there. Anyone familiar with that place?

And finally, is there anyplace else we should be considering? For
example, is there enough terrain at Jackson Hole within our abilities?
"Our" meaning my wife and I - I know my son would love it.

Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated!

Thanks,
Mark

Thanks for the reply (both here and to my 'Steamboat' post), Paul.

Based on your input, I think we're going to eliminate Steamboat from
consideration. It's definitely a place we want to get to, but I think
it might be smarter to wait for a year when we can go in, say, late
February.

Regarding Snowmass, Aspen, etc., is there really any good reason to go
to Aspen Mountain if we're staying at Snowmass, aside from being able
so say you skied there? My impression from what I've read is that
it's relatively small and crowded and doesn't really have anthing you
can't get more/better of at Snowmass or Highlands, depending on what
you're looking for.

Thanks again,
Mark

On 10 Nov 2003 13:05:15 -0700, Paul Christofanelli
wrote:

Mark wrote:
:
: My wife, son, and I are planning a trip from 3/20 - 3/27. We have
: narrowed our choices to the following 5 possibilities (listed in
: alphabetical order):
:
: 1. Banff (Lake Louise and Sunshine)
: 2. Big Mountain
: 3. Snowbird/Alta
: 4. Snowmass
: 5. Steamboat

Since I responded to your other post...

1. Never been there - but spring comes slower to Canada.
2. Never been there.

(Of what remains...)
3. Best chance for "powder", but don't really meet your other
desires for cruising and easier blacks. Never considered
Snowbird a good intermediate skiing place. Alta is a
little better I think. Of course, there's Park City,
which is much more Colorado-like.
4. Good all around choice - it's got cruising out the wazoo, plus
some challenging skiing here and there. And you can always try
Highlands for some really steep stuff, or Aspen mountain. Aspen
the town is very interesting in many ways - it's a 10-15 minute drive
away. Summary: Good elevation, huge mtn, but doesn't get the snowfall
of Snowbird/Alta.
5. Already expounded upon in another post. Good night life, good
cruising, big, but wider variation on snow conditions. Could be
great, could be firmer than you might want.

-Paul C.

Mark wrote:
Thanks for the reply Brian.

Jackson does look interesting, and the idea of the potential day at
Targhee was one of the main reasons I mentioned it. I know you don't
know how we ski or what we can handle, and I'm not sure how to get
that across in writing, but I'll ask anyway: Do you think we'd be
able to handle skiing off the tram? You sound like you've been to
Vail - are there any parts of that mountain that would be similar in
difficulty to what we'd likely encounter?

An intermediate could work his way down from Rendevous Mtn (tram) IF the
weather and visibility was good - but he likely wouldn't enjoy it. Watch
out in less than good conditions, and don't fall off a cliff or into
Corbetts. Lots of wuss hills are putting up scare-signs as some sort of
advertising gimmick - Jackson's is real:
http://ski.mountainzone.com/2000/freshtracks/jackson/html/photo02.html
But it refers to the Tram and Rendevous Mtn primarily.

When people report lots of intermediate/advanced terrain at Jackson
Hole, they are speaking of the other lifts and the gondola. And there IS
lots of intermediate/advanced terrain available; more than many other
big resorts - Jackson is BIG. Check out the map
http://www.jacksonhole.com/mountain/map.html - The Apres Vous and
Gondola sections are suitable for intermediates.

Vail has nothing to compare with Jackson's serious terrain. Nothing. Not
a thing. Nothing.
But the intermediate/advanced terrain of Jackson is comparable in the
sense of being acessable terrain, reasonable to ski. And it is far, far
nicer to ski, with unbelievable scenery, and genuine ambiance as opposed
to a squalid phony base village.

Mark wrote in message . ..
Greetings.

My wife, son, and I are planning a trip from 3/20 - 3/27. We have
narrowed our choices to the following 5 possibilities (listed in
alphabetical order):

1. Banff (Lake Louise and Sunshine)
2. Big Mountain
3. Snowbird/Alta
4. Snowmass
5. Steamboat

Mark

I would avoid Snomass. My opinion is that it is just a bad Vail. It
has the same feel as a montain and same crowds, but it just isn't as
good. The big burn is not as good as the back bowls. It isn't as
steep. Aspen and Aspen Highlands (you must ski this mountain) have
one fourth the skiable acres, but I spend almost all my time there.
Furthermore, snowmass has no nightlife or town feel. I don't think
that vail would have crowds around the time you are thinking if you
wanted to go there. March is a good time to go to Banff though.

Mark wrote:
: Thanks for the reply (both here and to my 'Steamboat' post), Paul.
:
: Based on your input, I think we're going to eliminate Steamboat from
: consideration. It's definitely a place we want to get to, but I think
: it might be smarter to wait for a year when we can go in, say, late
: February.
:
: Regarding Snowmass, Aspen, etc., is there really any good reason to go
: to Aspen Mountain if we're staying at Snowmass, aside from being able
: so say you skied there? My impression from what I've read is that
: it's relatively small and crowded and doesn't really have anthing you
: can't get more/better of at Snowmass or Highlands, depending on what
: you're looking for.

You're welcome...I always like comparing ski areas. Steamboat is
probably best between early/mid-Feb and mid-March, although one year
they had 240 inches in January alone. Actually, the place isn't
even steep enough when serious snow falls, at least with the old
narrower skis. But it's worth a shot at some point -- it is a
fun place.

Last time I was at the Aspen area, I skipped Aspen Mountain (aka Ajax)
in favor of Snowmass and 2 Highlands days. While it's got some interesting
areas (Bell Face, Elevator, some cruising), it also seems to be one
of those areas where you usually end up in a gully run-out. I think
your impression is pretty accurate - although I probably wouldn't
call it small.

Snowmass has got to have some of the best cruising around. Again, it's
huge. There are definitely some "clincher" steeps at Highlands. The
latter is mostly a big ridge with increasingly steep side drops the
higher you go. The big thrill there is probably Highlands bowl, but
it's a big hike to the top. Snowmass is sort of the opposite, a very
broad ski area, but actually about the same vert. There is some "double
black" terrain - but I think it's mostly hike-to (not a lot of climbing)
and I'd think it would be open then.

Never been to Buttermilk/Tie Hack, but the name says it all.
All blue/green, all the time I think.

You mentioned Jackson...as others have said, it's got a lot of blue
stuff on the right (Apres Vous), and it's pretty fast blue stuff - some
of it might almost be black at Colorado areas. Very impressive place,
fun town (a little touristy, but I like it). Lal hit it right on - an
intermediate could definitely get down from the tram but it wouldn't be
particularly enjoyable - and again, the blue runs from there aren't that
relaxing. Also, it faces east (and base elevation is 6300 feet) so it
actually has some of the same issues Steamboat does - it can get baked
with some big crud on the lower faces. It gets a hefty amount of snow.
I love the spring there, but I like skiing crud and slush. The
out-of-bounds there is really, really fun. I think that it's
really a mountain for more experienced skiers who are very comfortable
on steeper runs and in somewhat variable snow conditions. Put it
on the list, though, it's a "must-ski".

Good luck in your decision. I'm sure you'll enjoy wherever you end up!

-Paul C.

If your looking for a destination with lots of skiing and choices, go to
Lake Tahoe, I've found you have 15 ski resorts around the lake and the South
Lake Tahoe you have Casino and shows for night life. You have Heavenly,
Squaw Valley and (Kirkwood which gives you more snow than anywhere in the
country, almost 600 inches a year) They are top notch.

"Mark" wrote in message
...
Greetings.

My wife, son, and I are planning a trip from 3/20 - 3/27. We have
narrowed our choices to the following 5 possibilities (listed in
alphabetical order):

1. Banff (Lake Louise and Sunshine)
2. Big Mountain
3. Snowbird/Alta
4. Snowmass
5. Steamboat

First, should any of these be eliminated from consideration due to
potentially poor conditions at that time of year? Specifically, I'm
worried that Steamboat, due to its relatively low elevation (for
Colorado) and primarily western exposure, will be too slushy.

Secondly, will Big Mountain keep us interested for six days of skiing?
My wife and I like long cruisers and the easier blacks, and would
really like more powder experience. Two or three bumped-up runs a day
are enough for us. My son (age 18) skis everything up through the
easier double-blacks - steep with big moguls is OK, but no cliff
jumping/ultra-narrow chutes, etc.

Of course we really hate crowded lift-lines and slopes (like Vail, for
example) and icy conditions.

Nightlife is a minor consideration. We like to hit a few good
restaurants and bars, but no major partying. Strongly prefer moderate
ski-in/ski-out lodging which must have a nice outdoor hot tub.
Examples of good lodging choices would be the Cliffs Lodge at Snowbird
or the Stonebridge (maybe a bit expensive...) at Snowmass. I know no
ski-in/ski-out in Banff. We were thinking about the Inns of Banff if
we go there. Anyone familiar with that place?

And finally, is there anyplace else we should be considering? For
example, is there enough terrain at Jackson Hole within our abilities?
"Our" meaning my wife and I - I know my son would love it.

Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated!

Thanks,
Mark

"Chuck" wrote:
If your looking for a destination with lots of skiing and choices, go to
Lake Tahoe, I've found you have 15 ski resorts around the lake and the South
Lake Tahoe you have Casino and shows for night life. You have Heavenly,

[snip]

I'd second the suggestion about Tahoe. And -- although I think Heavenly
is overpriced, it's so huge and spread-out that you can ALWAYS find an uncrowded
place to ski that has fun, suitable conditions for everybody.

Plus, for lazy skiiers like me, you can catch the new Heavenly tram only
100 feet from the main US highway through downtown Southlake.