Best place to ski after Christmas?

Hi a friend of mine is looking to find a place to ski this 2007-2008
season after Christmas, probably from around Dec 31 to Jan 5ish.
Looking for USA or Canada in the Rockies more or less. Departing out
of Houston, TX. They are not Texans btw...just flying out of there.

Criteria that are important to me:

There must be snow (duh)
QUALITY lodging that isn't outrageous
Reasonably accessible from airport
ski lifts at least accessible by shuttle but ski in/out preferred
As small crowds as possible
Excellent ski/snowboard school for the kids(1 kid actually)
Also the place must have some good terrain/acreage

Obviously all those criteria are desired by everyone, but I really
don't know what is best. Since it is the busiest time of the season
I'd like to know where we can be guaranteed snow and short lines(a
tough combo I know).

So I am thinking to avoid the Summit county places in Colorado.
Steamboat is a great place but not sure about snow or crowds at this
point though they just got some decent snow.

Places in Canada? Whistler just seems like it will be super crowded.
Banff Lake Louise? The low dollar will make Canada pricey?

I also checked out Big Sky in Montana. Lots of snow and isolated.
Seems really expensive for a place in the middle of nowhere. Sun
Valley? Expensive there too, I guess the movie stars like it that
way. Price isn't such a big deal though.

Utah? Probably crowded, no? Tahoe?

Frankly I think money can be spent to avoid the crowds and get good
snow, so cost is least important.

Any advice certainly is appreciated.

Thank you!

On Mon, 3 Dec 2007 06:59:12 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Hi a friend of mine is looking to find a place to ski this 2007-2008
season after Christmas, probably from around Dec 31 to Jan 5ish.
Looking for USA or Canada in the Rockies more or less. Departing out
of Houston, TX. They are not Texans btw...just flying out of there.

Criteria that are important to me:

There must be snow (duh)
QUALITY lodging that isn't outrageous
Reasonably accessible from airport
ski lifts at least accessible by shuttle but ski in/out preferred
As small crowds as possible
Excellent ski/snowboard school for the kids(1 kid actually)
Also the place must have some good terrain/acreage

Obviously all those criteria are desired by everyone, but I really
don't know what is best. Since it is the busiest time of the season
I'd like to know where we can be guaranteed snow and short lines(a
tough combo I know).

So I am thinking to avoid the Summit county places in Colorado.
Steamboat is a great place but not sure about snow or crowds at this
point though they just got some decent snow.

Places in Canada? Whistler just seems like it will be super crowded.
Banff Lake Louise? The low dollar will make Canada pricey?

I also checked out Big Sky in Montana. Lots of snow and isolated.
Seems really expensive for a place in the middle of nowhere. Sun
Valley? Expensive there too, I guess the movie stars like it that
way. Price isn't such a big deal though.

Utah? Probably crowded, no? Tahoe?

Frankly I think money can be spent to avoid the crowds and get good
snow, so cost is least important.

Any advice certainly is appreciated.

Thank you!

You could join our private group to stay away from people like Scott
Abraham.

Suzie
--
Suzieflame

alt.horror Spanks so far:-

Andy ReVulse SPANK & BAR
Dr Tom Chadwin Walpurgis SPANK
Dark Angel SPANK
The White Lady SPANK
Bod SPANK

wrote:
Hi a friend of mine is looking to find a place to ski this 2007-2008
season after Christmas, probably from around Dec 31 to Jan 5ish.
Looking for USA or Canada in the Rockies more or less. Departing out
of Houston, TX. They are not Texans btw...just flying out of there.

Criteria that are important to me:

There must be snow (duh)
QUALITY lodging that isn't outrageous
Reasonably accessible from airport
ski lifts at least accessible by shuttle but ski in/out preferred
As small crowds as possible
Excellent ski/snowboard school for the kids(1 kid actually)
Also the place must have some good terrain/acreage

Obviously all those criteria are desired by everyone, but I really
don't know what is best. Since it is the busiest time of the season
I'd like to know where we can be guaranteed snow and short lines(a
tough combo I know).

So I am thinking to avoid the Summit county places in Colorado.
Steamboat is a great place but not sure about snow or crowds at this
point though they just got some decent snow.

Places in Canada? Whistler just seems like it will be super crowded.
Banff Lake Louise? The low dollar will make Canada pricey?

I also checked out Big Sky in Montana. Lots of snow and isolated.
Seems really expensive for a place in the middle of nowhere. Sun
Valley? Expensive there too, I guess the movie stars like it that
way. Price isn't such a big deal though.

Utah? Probably crowded, no? Tahoe?

Frankly I think money can be spent to avoid the crowds and get good
snow, so cost is least important.

The week after Christmas is actually one of the least crowded weeks of
the year. They'll be fighting crowds (and paying $$$$$ for
accomodations) on Dec 31 and (maybe) Jan 1, but the 2-5 Jan dates should
be clear just about everywhere.

My $.02, since crowd avoidance and reasonably priced accomodations are
the big criteria, would be to delay the trip by two days and plan on
skiing Jan 2-6. Crowds and prices drop like a stone on the 2nd. At that
point, it's just a matter of following the snow.

//Walt

wrote:

cost is least important.

Any advice certainly is appreciated.

ah. cost is least important? go to one of the private slopes, like the
Yellowstone Club.

Or if cost is a serious component, try Jackson Hole. The town is
overbuilt in motel rooms for the summer trade so rooms are cheap during
the winter, they run a cheap/free shuttle bus, the town is pleasant, the
slopes are huge and varied, they have a very nice beginner/kid area, and
it's Jackson Hole.

Be aware that the days you've specified are traditionally the most
crowded days of the year EVERYWHERE - it's when families take the kids
skiing with all their new xmus gifts ...

On Dec 3, 11:00 am, lal_truckee wrote:
Be aware that the days you've specified are traditionally the most
crowded days of the year EVERYWHERE - it's when families take the kids
skiing with all their new xmus gifts ...

Yeah, I know, but not much of a choice since kids are involved. Now I
know why a lot of people don't like the little buggers...they mess up
all the fun!

wrote:
On Dec 3, 11:00 am, lal_truckee wrote:

Be aware that the days you've specified are traditionally the most
crowded days of the year EVERYWHERE - it's when families take the kids
skiing with all their new xmus gifts ...

Really? You think that it'll be crowded *after* New Years? The group
is going Dec 31 to Jan 5. I thought everybody went back to work/school
after the first, but how would I know, since I'm always back at work on
those days...

Anyway, I missed the part about money not being so important. I'd just
observe that you don't avoid crowds by spending more money, you avoid
crowds by either a) spending time to travel somewhere really really out
of the way, or timing your trip to go when others are not. In fact, my
experience is that the more expensive resorts are more crowded at high
season than the cheaper ones. cf. Vail.

Yeah, I know, but not much of a choice since kids are involved. Now I
know why a lot of people don't like the little buggers...they mess up
all the fun!

//Walt

Walt wrote:
wrote:
On Dec 3, 11:00 am, lal_truckee wrote:

Be aware that the days you've specified are traditionally the most
crowded days of the year EVERYWHERE - it's when families take the kids
skiing with all their new xmus gifts ...

Really? You think that it'll be crowded *after* New Years? The group
is going Dec 31 to Jan 5. I thought everybody went back to work/school
after the first, but how would I know, since I'm always back at work on
those days...

Think school vacation. Kiddies off the week after xmas. Everybody
back at school and work after the first. Next busy time is MLK
weekend. Then February vacation time.

Make it big those dates and everything else is just gravy.

Anyway, I missed the part about money not being so important. I'd just
observe that you don't avoid crowds by spending more money, you avoid
crowds by either a) spending time to travel somewhere really really out
of the way, or timing your trip to go when others are not. In fact, my
experience is that the more expensive resorts are more crowded at high
season than the cheaper ones. cf. Vail.

Yeah, I know, but not much of a choice since kids are involved. Now I
know why a lot of people don't like the little buggers...they mess up
all the fun!

//Walt

VtSkier wrote:
Walt wrote:
wrote:
On Dec 3, 11:00 am, lal_truckee wrote:

Be aware that the days you've specified are traditionally the most
crowded days of the year EVERYWHERE - it's when families take the kids
skiing with all their new xmus gifts ...

Really? You think that it'll be crowded *after* New Years? The group
is going Dec 31 to Jan 5. I thought everybody went back to
work/school after the first, but how would I know, since I'm always
back at work on those days...

Think school vacation. Kiddies off the week after xmas. Everybody
back at school and work after the first.

Yeah, school vacation is the overwhelming factor in crowdedness or lack
thereof. Are there many schools that extend their vacation past Jan 1?
I don't think so.

//Walt

On Dec 3, 1:24 pm, Walt wrote:

Yeah, school vacation is the overwhelming factor in crowdedness or lack
thereof. Are there many schools that extend their vacation past Jan 1?
I don't think so.

//Walt

Many of the kids in Texas are off until Jan. 6 this season so I dunno..

wrote:
On Dec 3, 1:24 pm, Walt wrote:

Yeah, school vacation is the overwhelming factor in crowdedness or lack
thereof. Are there many schools that extend their vacation past Jan 1?
I don't think so.

//Walt

Many of the kids in Texas are off until Jan. 6 this season so I dunno..

OH GOD, NO, NOT TEXANS!!!!!