Out of the box suggestion that worked well for me as a kid was June Lake ski mountain in the Sierra Nevadas in California. It's hard to get to, probably closest to Reno. The bonus is that it's the closest mountain to Mammoth that is much larger, more popular, and an hour or so closer to Southern California that pulls so many people that June was relatively empty.

But that was 35 years ago, so who knows...

Aggie Athlete Involved said:

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I learned on Breck peak 9, lots of fun easy runs and fun town. Large runs that aren't steep, graduate into the trees just a bit, fun kid runs.

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I agree. Even some of the blue runs are like advanced greens. Heck, I was even able to get down the blacks on Peak 10.

chimpanzee said:

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Out of the box suggestion that worked well for me as a kid was June Lake ski mountain in the Sierra Nevadas in California. It's hard to get to, probably closest to Reno. The bonus is that it's the closest mountain to Mammoth that is much larger, more popular, and an hour or so closer to Southern California that pulls so many people that June was relatively empty.

But that was 35 years ago, so who knows...

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They got so much snow out there last winter, it was ridiculous. Definitely ended Global Warming as far as I'm concerned.

Drove between LA and Reno a few times in the past year and twice, the road was closed between Bishop, CA and Carson City, NV so I had to detour all the way out to Hawthorne, NV.

Point being the snow out in the Sierras is serious. They're also super serious about chain laws out there. Back in March 2017 after a 6 inch snowfall, it took me 10 hours to drive 10 miles leaving Lake Tahoe because they were checking the chains on every single vehicle.

Donnys Element said:

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Aspen Buttermilk is often the resort I recommend the most when asked this question. They have a fairly wide beginner lift (panda peak) and run for complete newbies. Parking is easy right out front. Only three main lifts, so it's not real confusing like trying to move peaks at Breck. We've generally changed into ski boots right at the base and just left our shoes by the lockers. It has a real laid back vibe.

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+1

HollywoodBQ said:

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chimpanzee said:

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Out of the box suggestion that worked well for me as a kid was June Lake ski mountain in the Sierra Nevadas in California. It's hard to get to, probably closest to Reno. The bonus is that it's the closest mountain to Mammoth that is much larger, more popular, and an hour or so closer to Southern California that pulls so many people that June was relatively empty.

But that was 35 years ago, so who knows...

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They got so much snow out there last winter, it was ridiculous. Definitely ended Global Warming as far as I'm concerned.

Drove between LA and Reno a few times in the past year and twice, the road was closed between Bishop, CA and Carson City, NV so I had to detour all the way out to Hawthorne, NV.

Point being the snow out in the Sierras is serious. They're also super serious about chain laws out there. Back in March 2017 after a 6 inch snowfall, it took me 10 hours to drive 10 miles leaving Lake Tahoe because they were checking the chains on every single vehicle.

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I think Mammoth stayed open until July or August this year, it was nuts.

Yup, Aug

chimpanzee said:

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HollywoodBQ said:

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chimpanzee said:

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Out of the box suggestion that worked well for me as a kid was June Lake ski mountain in the Sierra Nevadas in California. It's hard to get to, probably closest to Reno. The bonus is that it's the closest mountain to Mammoth that is much larger, more popular, and an hour or so closer to Southern California that pulls so many people that June was relatively empty.

But that was 35 years ago, so who knows...

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They got so much snow out there last winter, it was ridiculous. Definitely ended Global Warming as far as I'm concerned.

Drove between LA and Reno a few times in the past year and twice, the road was closed between Bishop, CA and Carson City, NV so I had to detour all the way out to Hawthorne, NV.

Point being the snow out in the Sierras is serious. They're also super serious about chain laws out there. Back in March 2017 after a 6 inch snowfall, it took me 10 hours to drive 10 miles leaving Lake Tahoe because they were checking the chains on every single vehicle.

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I think Mammoth stayed open until July or August this year, it was nuts.

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August.

Only beat by Timberline on Hood which stayed open until August 15th.

Good news....

Breck is getting 30 inches of snow this weekend and beaver creek is getting 20 plus inches. This will set the base real well and just about every beginner run in the state will be open

If you are a family with younger kids, check out Granby Ranch which is near Winter Park. It's a small resort with much better prices on lodging, rentals and lift tickets compared to the big resorts. The runs are perfect for younger kids or beginner skiiers. We went there three times when the kids were younger and they had a blast. It's a very safe place and all of the runs end up at the same base area so you can let your kids ski and hang out at the base and watch them come down. It's a a great hidden gem.

CinchAG97 said:

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If you are a family with younger kids, check out Granby Ranch which is near Winter Park. It's a small resort with much better prices on lodging, rentals and lift tickets compared to the big resorts. The runs are perfect for younger kids or beginner skiiers. We went there three times when the kids were younger and they had a blast. It's a very safe place and all of the runs end up at the same base area so you can let your kids ski and hang out at the base and watch them come down. It's a a great hidden gem.

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This is not bad advice. Grandby is great for beginners. Way cheaper than a big resort as well.

Not sure where that forecast came from but it's not accurate at all.

Really good advice on Granby. If they get the hang of things, then winter park is close. I think if your kids are going to ski school, put them at a smaller resort that's cheaper. Once they learn then take them somewhere big.

JustPanda said:

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Not sure where that forecast came from but it's not accurate at all.

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They ended up with 24 inches from the storm so it wasn't far off

I remember in 2000, Park City went from 0", and no idea when they would open in 3 days.

If Mama N is in the mood, watch out.

I have been to a ton of places with the family. I didn't pay attention if you will drive or fly and where you live. If you are flying, I suggest Utah, cheaper, usually better snow, cheaper accomodations, slightly higher cost of flights
Alta - no snow boards and plenty of greens now
Brighton - very beginner friendly and most days goes 9am - 9 PM, you can ski from top to bottom on Greens.
Solitude - fairly beginner friendly, but I would just keep driving 10 minutes up the road to Brighton

The other side of the range in Utah is Deer Valley, Park City etc. They will be more $$$ and the snow will typically not be very good at that time. Deer Valley I think is still no snow boards.

On the same path and next to Alta is Snowbird. The terrain is steep, so I would not go there unless you are experienced skiers. I like it alot, but I always end up with some less experienced skiers and they hate it there.

Utah has lots of other family friendly places like snow tubing, snowmobiling and sledding hills

If you are set on Colorado, my ranking for families
Copper Mountain - The green runs are plentiful and they are separated from the blues and blacks
Breckenridge - already mentioned, I rate then below Copper but good
Beaver Creek - expensive but lots of wide open well groomed greens and easy blues

If I drive my default is
Wolf Creek Colorado, low cost and best and most snow in Colorado and it's not even close. Stay in Pagosa Springs, the only concern is the road up there if you don't have 4x4. 95% of the time there is no issues, but because they get the most snow, it can get like 2 feet in one day. Very family friendly. Issue is, this is pretty much a place to drive to, it's way away from any civilized airport. No frills kind of a place. Lot's of tree skiing if you like that like me and my family.

The other area in Colorado that is nice is the Aspen area. $$$
Buttermilk is almost all green and super beginner friendly
Snowmass has tons of greens but it is a giant place

During that time, summit county Copper and Breckenridge will be very crowded

I have been to New Mexico. Ski Apache, Taos, Angel Fire, Red River. Red River is super nice for beginners. The issue will be big crowds and iffy snow conditions in all the NM resorts. IMHO Taos is far the nicest in New Mexico but I didn't think very beginner friendly.

So if it were me, I would go Utah (Brighton and Alta) or Wolf Creek in Colorado.

Anyone been to Grand Targhee?

We're headed back to Jackson just because we know the town well. the skiiing in Jackson stinks, though, so I'm toying with driving to Targeee...

Towns03 said:

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Anyone been to Grand Targhee?

We're headed back to Jackson just because we know the town well. the skiiing in Jackson stinks, though, so I'm toying with driving to Targeee...

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I have not but it is on my list to try next time. I heard it is great and not crowded. The ski maps show it would be nice for all levels. If you go report back as I will be interested. If you stay in Jackson it is a about 70 minute drive.

I could not justify $230/day for lift tickets. I don't care how great the snow might be at Beaver Creek.

Roc96 said:

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I could not justify $230/day for lift tickets. I don't care how great the snow might be at Beaver Creek.

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As we've seen all the Aspen/Vail/Beaver Creek recommendations on this thread, I've been waiting for somebody to actually discuss price.

For comparison, a 1-day lift ticket on 1/1/2024 is:

• Copper Mountain - $204
• Vail - $269
• Beaver Creek - $269
• Aspen Snowmass - $244
• Breckenridge - $251
• Keystone - $220
• Winter Park - $221

For comparison with these resorts I've either skied or snowboarded at:

• Killington, VT - $162
• Snowshoe, WV - $92 (redass number, not so great of a mountain)
• Alyeska, AK - $139
• Heavenly, Lake Tahoe, CA/NV - $167
• Whitefish, MT - $87 (I've only hiked down the mountain in the summer but it looks very skiable)

I assume cost is a factor.

This reminds me of the Australia / New Zealand ski situation.
In Australia, it's cheaper to fly to New Zealand because the prices at the 2 Australian ski hills are exorbitant while New Zealand has more options and better snow.

Holy ****, didn't realize it had gotten that crazy. It was just a few years ago when I thought the 200 window price at vail was insane and now everyone is over that mark apparently, really surprised to see Copper that high.
Probably should've mentioned this last week before the passes went off sale but for any active duty, retired or even separated folks there's a really good deal on the Epic passes. Active/retired are ~150/person, to include dependents. Not sure what the cost is for folks who separated but I think it was in the ~500 range as of a few years ago, which is still a pretty good deal.

We are just a couple of teachers who like to go skiing with the kids, so we don't stay at ski in/ski out resorts. We'll stay in Georgetown and ski at Loveland, or stay in Pagosa Springs and ski at Wolf Creek. We can ski for under a hundred dollars per day per person at those places.

Crested Butte is $155 for a one day ticket on 1/1/24. And as far as saving costs, you can fly into Gunnison, get a cheap shuttle bus ticket from the airport to your hotel at the resort, use the free mountain shuttle to get to the restaurants and shops in town, and then ride a shuttle back to the airport and never need to rent a car or drive yourself. It is a super convenient way to get around and saves a decent amount of money over renting a car.

txags92 said:

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Crested Butte is $155 for a one day ticket on 1/1/24. And as far as saving costs, you can fly into Gunnison, get a cheap shuttle bus ticket from the airport to your hotel at the resort, use the free mountain shuttle to get to the restaurants and shops in town, and then ride a shuttle back to the airport and never need to rent a car or drive yourself. It is a super convenient way to get around and saves a decent amount of money over renting a car.

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Ditto for steamboat, This, and how friendly and down to earth the folks that live/work there are why it's one of my favorite ski towns by far.

Vail Resorts jacks up the prices after 12/3 because they offer passes at a 50% discount from March to December. Once that window closes, they rip the day rate to make up for the lost revenue on the day passes.

If you buy before June it's possible to get day pases for less than $100. If you wait till later it's still possible to get Vail/BC day passes for about $115/day. The key is you have to buy before that window.

If you are just now buying passes then you have screwed up.

I got both my sons and my full epic season passes for under a grand combined. I bought them in April.

Just so you know... if you want to camp in colorado this summer you better be on the website exactly 6 months in advance at 9am Texas time or you won't get those either

We were up there in June and stayed in Granby. I'm not a skier, but Granby looked like a place I might be able to ski. Lots of open land and not too many trees. The slopes looked manageable as well.

Time to start getting worried if you're planning a Christmas ski trip to Summit County. There's next to nothing in the extended forecast, above freezing temps for a week starting next, and only a 24 to 25 inch base at Key and Breck. That's going to be a brutal combo. We're expecting a solid number of cancellations and Vail has a base that's 66% higher than the Sumco hills.

Do yall expect Beaver Creek to be okay and still be solid? If the forecast holds? TIA

My brother is at BC right now. I left this morning. They have good snow but they need more. I told him to ski Vail, but his kids are in SS at BC.

The snow at Vail is the best by far on the 70 corridor. Nice thing about BC is that you can ski both.

Edit to add real numbers:

To put it into perspective, Breck's base is 63% of the average that this point in the season (24 vs 38) and that numbers only likely to grow over the next 2 weeks. Not only do they have the least snow, they get the most skiers. That's a bad bad bad combo.

For comparison: the Breck / Key base is 60% of the Vail base (24 in he's vs 40 inches). It's usually 33% higher at this point (40 inches vs 30 inches)

So yeah, I'd either look at changing to Vail or Snowmass/Highlands because if the forecast stays true, they will be the only hill with a decent base at Christmas. Steamboat will probs be ok too but at 33 and likely dropping 5-6 inches over the next 2 weeks, it's probs gonna have a lot of snow snake snipers.

Vail is 33% above average 40 vs 30. BC is 44% above average (39 vs 27), Steamboat is 34-% below average (33 vs 50), and Snowmass is 76% higher (37 vs 21). Moral of the story: the dry line has been eastern Eagle County and it's a BIG drop off. Again, I'd look at potentially moving from Sumco to Eco if possible. These numbers are BAD for most of the "eastern" ski hills.

Edit to add: WP is the one exception. It's 13% above the historical average

I'm thrilled about my upcoming skiing trip to Austria this year! All set for the adventure, I've taken care of some essential details, including booking a vignette for the journey online at https://vignetteoesterreich.eu. While I'm excited about the trip, I want to ensure that everything is in order. Has anyone else used this website for ordering a vignette? Is it a legitimate and reliable way to secure it? Your insights would be greatly appreciated as I make the final preparations for this exciting skiing excursion!

Retired Principal said:

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Aggie Athlete Involved said:

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I learned on Breck peak 9, lots of fun easy runs and fun town. Large runs that aren't steep, graduate into the trees just a bit, fun kid runs.

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I agree. Even some of the blue runs are like advanced greens. Heck, I was even able to get down the blacks on Peak 10.

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All Vail resorts will be $250/day before we know it. They want people to buy the epic pass and are making you suffer if you chose not too. They sold 2 millon this year already for this season.

Including myself. It's just easier to suck it up and buy the pass.

Have 3, same reason