Where would you go?

BigKahuna13 · Post by **BigKahuna13** » May 2nd, '05, 08:27

If you only had a single 3 or 4 day weekend in mid/late February to ski out west or in Canada, where would you go and why?

Stormchaser · Post by **Stormchaser** » May 2nd, '05, 08:29

BigKahuna13 wrote:If you only had a single 3 or 4 day weekend in mid/late February to ski out west or in Canada, where would you go and why?

I would wait until the last minute...figure out who was getting the snow....and storm chase. We planned a trip to Utah this year...hadn't snowed in two weeks when we got there, and didnt snow the whole week we were there. Next time, I want pow!

snowsprite · Post by **snowsprite** » May 2nd, '05, 08:41

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skiadikt · Post by **skiadikt** » May 2nd, '05, 08:46

BigKahuna13 wrote:If you only had a single 3 or 4 day weekend in mid/late February to ski out west or in Canada, where would you go and why?

i guess stormchase but i think the popular consensus would be snowbird/alta given the proximity to the airport. early morning flight and you can be making tracks by lunchtime. ski the morning you leave and fly home in the afternoon. odds are usually pretty good that you'll have some fresh. canada's way too far.

2knees · Post by **2knees** » May 2nd, '05, 08:49

Grand Targhee or Big Sky. either and because they still seem like they havent been overdeveloped/overrun.

robrules · Post by **robrules** » May 2nd, '05, 09:28

Utah would be the choice for me. That is the time of year I have gone and have not been dissapointed with the snowfall. So many great mountains within a reasonable car ride from the city - you wouldn't have to be stuck doing the same one all 4 days. Jet blue flies there pretty cheap and gets you in late at night so you can leave after work on Wed. or Thurs. then leaves late on Sunday getting back just in time to make it to work on Monday morning. No missed time on the slope.

Mtn Man · Post by **Mtn Man** » May 2nd, '05, 09:45

Direct flights to Utah or Reno are always good for a quickie vacation. Stormchasing is always a good idea, but tough if you need to plan ahead for vacation time. Mid Feb to Mid March is prime time though for pow. That's when I usually plan my west trip(s).

B)

Geoff · Post by **Geoff** » May 2nd, '05, 09:56

BigKahuna13 wrote:If you only had a single 3 or 4 day weekend in mid/late February to ski out west or in Canada, where would you go and why?

There's no way in the world I'd pick Canada for a 3 or 4 day weekend. Vancouver is just too far from Whistler and you have to connect to get to the Canadian rockies.

My criteria for a short trip are:
* Nonstop flights including a late-afternoon flight back east
* Ski resort within an hour or two of the airport
* Late-afternoon flight back east

From Boston, that means Denver (a 6:30pm United flight that arrives in Boston at midnight) or Salt Lake City (a 4:30 Delta flight). New York may have a few other options but most of the ski flights to places like Steamboat and Vail probably don't run every day.

If I lived in Baltimore, I'd cherry pick the good days at Ski Santa Fe using the Southwest BWI to ABQ flights. Ski Santa Fe is a little place but the terrain is superb. I'll start praying for Manchester, NH to ABQ service.

I notice that Continental is putting in seasonal Newark service to Albuquerque and Calgary. Sadly, "seasonal" to them means summer.

Geoff · Post by **Geoff** » May 2nd, '05, 10:04

Mtn Man wrote:Direct flights to Utah or Reno are always good for a quickie vacation. Stormchasing is always a good idea, but tough if you need to plan ahead for vacation time. Mid Feb to Mid March is prime time though for pow. That's when I usually plan my west trip(s).

B)

The farthest east you can get from Reno is Chicago or St Louis on American. I wouldn't recommend those airports in the winter. If I'm going to Tahoe, I either fly to California or Vegas to avoid the weather problems.

Cityskier · Post by **Cityskier** » May 2nd, '05, 10:19

UT is by far the easiest place to get to that I have gone. For a short trip from the NYC area I don't think you'll be able to do anything as easily.

Mister Moose · Post by **Mister Moose** » May 2nd, '05, 10:42

I used to live out in Colorado, and could catch most of the storms. When I lived in Breckenridge, I'd wake up to the sound of avalanche mortars being fired. That's when you know a good day is in the offing. You think there is an endless supply of snow.

Living back East and flying out west has confounded that experience. It may be bad luck, or maybe I'm jinxed for having left paradise. Many trips out west for me since have been plan way ahead, arrive to find disappointing conditions. I've skied very little western powder since I left, and what I got I had to hike for.

You don't say what your priorities are, trip cost, powder, resort ambiance. Assuming it's powder, you have to stormchase as has been mentioned. Don't forget the overall trend in the last 5-6 years has been drought conditions over much of the US Rockies. That seems to sway the importance of stormchasing. Next year's pattern will likely be different than this year's... no predicting it. The problem with stormchasing is that you may miss the good airline deals, lodging may be harder to find or completely booked.

One great area I'll mention to the board for advanced skiers and powderhounds is Kicking Horse, BC. It's an 85 miles west of Banff in Golden, which means it isn't real easy to get to. However, it has 4,133 feet of vertical, and is undiscovered/uncrowded. No resort village whatsoever. It's the Jay Peak of Canada. On a good snow month, it could be skier's heaven. When I was there, of course, they hadn't had much snow in a while. Not a week-end trip.

I think the best compromise is to wait until 3 weeks before your week end. Watch the weather, gauge the trends, select the snowiest place and buy the ticket 7 to 14 days in advance to get a reasonable rate. The area itself is secondary.

newpylong · Post by **newpylong** » May 2nd, '05, 10:59

My Favorites:

Whistler-Blackcomb, nothing really comes close, its got them all beat. Bring your checkbook.

Breckenridge - Great mountain, and many close by if you get sick of it (how?)

A lesser known but great place is called Big Mountain, up in Montana. I had a blast there...

BigKahuna13 · Post by **BigKahuna13** » May 2nd, '05, 11:08

Mister Moose wrote:I used to live out in Colorado, and could catch most of the storms. When I lived in Breckenridge, I'd wake up to the sound of avalanche mortars being fired. That's when you know a good day is in the offing. You think there is an endless supply of snow.

Living back East and flying out west has confounded that experience. It may be bad luck, or maybe I'm jinxed for having left paradise. Many trips out west for me since have been plan way ahead, arrive to find disappointing conditions. I've skied very little western powder since I left, and what I got I had to hike for.

You don't say what your priorities are, trip cost, powder, resort ambiance. Assuming it's powder, you have to stormchase as has been mentioned. Don't forget the overall trend in the last 5-6 years has been drought conditions over much of the US Rockies. That seems to sway the importance of stormchasing. Next year's pattern will likely be different than this year's... no predicting it. The problem with stormchasing is that you may miss the good airline deals, lodging may be harder to find or completely booked.

One great area I'll mention to the board for advanced skiers and powderhounds is Kicking Horse, BC. It's an 85 miles west of Banff in Golden, which means it isn't real easy to get to. However, it has 4,133 feet of vertical, and is undiscovered/uncrowded. No resort village whatsoever. It's the Jay Peak of Canada. On a good snow month, it could be skier's heaven. When I was there, of course, they hadn't had much snow in a while. Not a week-end trip.

I think the best compromise is to wait until 3 weeks before your week end. Watch the weather, gauge the trends, select the snowiest place and buy the ticket 7 to 14 days in advance to get a reasonable rate. The area itself is secondary.

Since we're only talking 3-4 days, first priority is travel convienence. Want to spend as little time travelling as possible. Snow quality, cost and ambience all follow in that order. Gather from the comments so far that UT is the most convienent destination from NYC. Given that, where would you go?

Storm chasing probably isn't an option. Given that, what UT ski areas would be good bets for decent snow in most year?

andyzee · Post by **andyzee** » May 2nd, '05, 11:19

Stormchase if possible, otherwise Utah.

Hal U. Dewin · Post by **Hal U. Dewin** » May 2nd, '05, 11:30

I'd like to experience some 70+ degree days in Tahoe before giving my answer.

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