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Family ski trip -- Looking for recommendations (1 Viewer)

gianmarco

gianmarco

Footballguy
Looking to take a family ski trip over the next year. Open to all ideas.  Here's the basics.

-- Virtually no skiing experience. My wife and I have only gone once before and it was many years ago.  

-- Will have 3 kids with us, ages 14, 6, and 3 when we go.

-- Open to going anytime from this December to next March (spring break). Ideally during winter break or spring break to minimize time missing school.

-- Plan on ski school for everyone and preferably something the kids can do without us having to be there if we can do things separately for some of it. 

-- Don't need high quality ski conditions as we won't know the difference. Prefer a good family-friendly environment that can make the above easy.

-- Ideally like to stay where it's easy to get to slopes with kids or very easy to travel between room and slopes. That said, not looking to spend a ton for the convenience. 

-- Something all inclusive would be great where everything is taken care of. We have no equipment so will need to rent anything while there for all of us.

That's it. Will most likely be driving to wherever this is. Open to suggestions for number of days to spend (4-7 days) so that's enough to have fun but not so long that we are exhausted and ready to go home.  If Spring Break (mid March) is cheaper than winter break, then that would be ideal. 

Anything else we need to know? Talk to me about this like I'm a 5th grader. Complete ski newb. And how much are we looking to spend on something like this?

 
Holiday Valley...can stay in slopeside accommodations, hotel style or chalets available.  I prefer the chalets...can literally ski out your door to a chair lift a few feet away.  Good mix of trails available for novice skiers and intermediate skiers.  Quaint little town of Ellicottville a couple minutes up the road.

 
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Skiing is hella expensive, so plan on dropping some serious loot.

where do you want to go?

older kids can do all day lessons on their own. 

There are ski/lesson/rental packages.  Liftopia.com and getskitickets.com are your friend for tickets If you can lock in dates early. 

Miss school. Spring break, etc are too busy and the most expensive time to go. 

Make sure everyone is warm. Nothing ruins skiing faster, than being cold and miserable. 

Headed up next week,  for our 4th trip this year.  Happy to answer any questions. 

 
Keystone or Breckenridge might be a good fit for you. Very family friendly with other resorts and towns nearby ( Denver is not very far if you wanted to check it out).  also, you do not need to pressure yourselves to ski every day.  Take some breaks to do other things.  I think that you will want good conditions as it will ease your learning.  january and february are typically better months.  march is crazy with all of the spring breaks. 

happy to go into more detail or answer questions

 
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DA RAIDERS said:
Skiing is hella expensive, so plan on dropping some serious loot.

where do you want to go?

older kids can do all day lessons on their own. 

There are ski/lesson/rental packages.  Liftopia.com and getskitickets.com are your friend for tickets If you can lock in dates early. 

Miss school. Spring break, etc are too busy and the most expensive time to go. 

Make sure everyone is warm. Nothing ruins skiing faster, than being cold and miserable. 

Headed up next week,  for our 4th trip this year.  Happy to answer any questions. 
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Open to anything. Looked up Holiday Valley mentioned above in NY and it's 11 1/2 hours. Colorado is about 14 hours. So in the end, whatever is a better option I'm good with. 

When I went years ago, it was to Snowbird and loved it.

 
gianmarco said:
Open to anything. Looked up Holiday Valley mentioned above in NY and it's 11 1/2 hours. Colorado is about 14 hours. So in the end, whatever is a better option I'm good with. 

When I went years ago, it was to Snowbird and loved it.
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Snowbird is awesome.  My favorite is Steamboat.

 
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I'd go somewhere in Colorado.

Breckenridge and Steamboat are both great for beginners. I am an "older" beginner and found them to have plenty of runs for me to both learn and challenge myself when I was ready.

 
Whistler is my favorite ski resort.  I think it ticks all of the boxes you outlined, plus it's got great ski conditions even though that's not important to you.  The only concern is that it may be more oriented towards experts than beginners but they still have a good ski school, beginner trails, etc...

 
RC94 said:
Whistler is my favorite ski resort.  I think it ticks all of the boxes you outlined, plus it's got great ski conditions even though that's not important to you.  The only concern is that it may be more oriented towards experts than beginners but they still have a good ski school, beginner trails, etc...
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If it's the one in Canada, that's not possible as we are driving.

 
Smugglers Notch, VT

Will be a trek for you, but is great for the kids. Lessons are awesome for the entire family  

No nightlife, so no riffraff.

Get a condo close to the slopes. Lots to do for the entire family. 

 
Profile says you're from St Louis. I'd go to Colorado. If flying is an option I'd go any major resort in Canada. 

 
gianmarco said:
Open to anything. Looked up Holiday Valley mentioned above in NY and it's 11 1/2 hours. Colorado is about 14 hours. So in the end, whatever is a better option I'm good with. 

When I went years ago, it was to Snowbird and loved it.
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I checked out that place in NY. it won't be as majestic, visually, as a big mountain resort.  But, it's significantly cheaper. Especially the lessons

 
DA RAIDERS said:
I checked out that place in NY. it won't be as majestic, visually, as a big mountain resort.  But, it's significantly cheaper. Especially the lessons
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Definitely not as majestic...but it is family oriented and definitely suited for non-expert skiers.

 
Galileo said:
Definitely not as majestic...but it is family oriented and definitely suited for non-expert skiers.
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I'm in complete agreement. It will simply be a far cry from snowbird. But, as the saying goes, my favorite mountain is the one I'm skiing on that day  

If money isn't a big deal, I do Colorado in a heartbeat. Breckenridge is freaking awesome and has a TON of awesome beginner terrain. The town is great too.  

 
If you go to any major CO resort (Breck, Steamboat, Vail), here's some estimated breakdown of costs:

Nightly lodging (On-Slope) = $300-$500/night, Off-Slope about $250-$350.  Weekends and major holidays could be more expensive

Lift Tickets:  $170/day (adult) & $100/day (kids)

Rental Equipment:  $30/day/person

Lessons: $150/person for group 1/2 day lesson, $200 for full day, $400/person for private lessons

Food:  $20/person/meal (adult beverages not included - but you will want them).

You can try to shop around and get some discounts here and there, but these numbers are probably good to start a budget.

Maybe @chet will let you stay at his place in Utah, so you'll save on lodging, but all the other costs listed above go up by 50% (Deer Valley is uber expensive).

In summary, even if you don't fly, plan on spending $4k-$6k for a 5-day ski vacation to any major CO resort.

If costs are a major issue, I would recommend checking out Granby Ranch Ski Area in Colorado.  It's a small mountain, but it's the most family-friendly place I've ever skied and about 1/2 the price of the major resorts.

Be warned though, many kids absolutely fall in love with skiing, and will be begging you to empty your wallet every winter, and they'll want bigger and better each time you go.  At the same time, ski vacations can make for some very memorable family vacations.

 
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One of the hidden gems is Gore Mountain in upstate New York. It's owned and operated by the New York Olympic Authority (as is Whiteface, home of the Lake Placid Olympics) so it's hugely subsidized by the state. As a result, despite being off the beaten path and not crowded at all, it has great facilities and amenities. For a place you can drive to, that's not hugely expensive and caters to families/beginners, it's a very good place to consider. 

 
Pro tip:  If you decide to go to Vail or any of the resorts they own, consider getting an Epic pass for a few or all of your family members.  Some of them come with Buddy Passes which are discounted day tickets.  Depending on the resort and the number of days you ski, you'll probably end up spending less than if you buy daily tickets.

 
chet said:
Pro tip:  If you decide to go to Vail or any of the resorts they own, consider getting an Epic pass for a few or all of your family members.  Some of them come with Buddy Passes which are discounted day tickets.  Depending on the resort and the number of days you ski, you'll probably end up spending less than if you buy daily tickets.
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yep... and i believe they offer discounts on lessons also.

a few resorts would give them out to guests as gifts when they stayed 5 or more days.

 
The_Man said:
One of the hidden gems is Gore Mountain in upstate New York. It's owned and operated by the New York Olympic Authority (as is Whiteface, home of the Lake Placid Olympics) so it's hugely subsidized by the state. As a result, despite being off the beaten path and not crowded at all, it has great facilities and amenities. For a place you can drive to, that's not hugely expensive and caters to families/beginners, it's a very good place to consider. 
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Everyone knows Whiteface. Its seems people skip Gore. I was there this past presidents day week. Sunday was off the hook, but even then the lines were decent. The rest of the week, it was ski to the chair. Lots of different facets to the mountain and you can ski multiple days there without getting bored. It is a nice place. Third time I've spent a week's vacation skiing there.

As far as other recommendations: Sunday River is a big place, fireworks and other stuff going on. All sorts of all ability skiing. Jay peak has an indoor water park. Its a bit smaller, but the best snow in the East can be found there. Both extend the drive, but both have slope side lodging available.

 
With no experience, no expectations, and 2 young kids, I'd stick with the shortest drive / best deal. Pick the 5 places closest to you and call and see what kind of beginner deals they offer.

For example, at my local slope, they have a "learn to ski package" for $90 that includes beginner lift ticket, rentals, and a 90-minute lesson. If you pay an additional $50 after the lesson, you get free lessons and half-off rentals and lift tickets for the rest of the season. So you'd be looking at $140 per person for the first day, and then like $60 per person for every day you wanted to ski after that, and that would include all pass/rentals and unlimited lessons (they have like 5x a day). 

 
Dot  

I’ve been training the 6 year old and wife at  a bunny hill in NJ about an hour from NYC. Next year we need a week where we all can ski and the 3 year old can get in in the action. Gore is a good choice but I can’t remember if there is anything else to do there. It’s been years since I’ve been and if I recall the “snow” was horrible. 

 
If you are driving from St. Louis, I see no benefit in driving east.  While the OP said that conditions don't necessarily matter, there is a huge difference generally between the skiing conditions on the east coast and the Rocky Mountains.  Head west my friend, and don't look back.

 
Buttonhook said:
If you go to any major CO resort (Breck, Steamboat, Vail), here's some estimated breakdown of costs:

Nightly lodging (On-Slope) = $300-$500/night, Off-Slope about $250-$350.  Weekends and major holidays could be more expensive

Lift Tickets:  $170/day (adult) & $100/day (kids)

Rental Equipment:  $30/day/person

Lessons: $150/person for group 1/2 day lesson, $200 for full day, $400/person for private lessons

Food:  $20/person/meal (adult beverages not included - but you will want them).

You can try to shop around and get some discounts here and there, but these numbers are probably good to start a budget.

Maybe @chet will let you stay at his place in Utah, so you'll save on lodging, but all the other costs listed above go up by 50% (Deer Valley is uber expensive).

In summary, even if you don't fly, plan on spending $4k-$6k for a 5-day ski vacation to any major CO resort.

If costs are a major issue, I would recommend checking out Granby Ranch Ski Area in Colorado.  It's a small mountain, but it's the most family-friendly place I've ever skied and about 1/2 the price of the major resorts.

Be warned though, many kids absolutely fall in love with skiing, and will be begging you to empty your wallet every winter, and they'll want bigger and better each time you go.  At the same time, ski vacations can make for some very memorable family vacations.
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Thanks for all responses so far, especially this. Another recommendation I got from a friend here that skis a lot is Copper Mountain. Anyone familiar with it? He said lots of green and blue slopes and almost all the places to stay are right there to ski in and out.

At the point, leaning Colorado instead of going east. And now thinking of doing it in February (President's Day?) to avoid spring break crowds and prices.  If we do 5 days, then only need to miss 2-3 days of school and hopefully less busy during the week.

 
Buttonhook said:
If you go to any major CO resort (Breck, Steamboat, Vail), here's some estimated breakdown of costs:

Nightly lodging (On-Slope) = $300-$500/night, Off-Slope about $250-$350.  Weekends and major holidays could be more expensive

Lift Tickets:  $170/day (adult) & $100/day (kids)

Rental Equipment:  $30/day/person

Lessons: $150/person for group 1/2 day lesson, $200 for full day, $400/person for private lessons

Food:  $20/person/meal (adult beverages not included - but you will want them).

You can try to shop around and get some discounts here and there, but these numbers are probably good to start a budget.

Maybe @chet will let you stay at his place in Utah, so you'll save on lodging, but all the other costs listed above go up by 50% (Deer Valley is uber expensive).

In summary, even if you don't fly, plan on spending $4k-$6k for a 5-day ski vacation to any major CO resort.

If costs are a major issue, I would recommend checking out Granby Ranch Ski Area in Colorado.  It's a small mountain, but it's the most family-friendly place I've ever skied and about 1/2 the price of the major resorts.

Be warned though, many kids absolutely fall in love with skiing, and will be begging you to empty your wallet every winter, and they'll want bigger and better each time you go.  At the same time, ski vacations can make for some very memorable family vacations.
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:lmao:   fairly accurate post. Bar tab can easily be $100/day. Thank god I know the bartender at mammoth.  

Liftopia.com and getskitiskets.com  are your friend. 20-40% off at whiteface. They had gore deals too. Nothing for holiday though. Doing a bit of digging can help with costs a bit. 

Another pro tip:  get a full size locker for your gear at the mountain, so that you don't have to lug all your #### , and your kids ####, to and from the mountain. Unless you are truly ski in ski out.   It makes a world of difference.  

 
gianmarco said:
Thanks for all responses so far, especially this. Another recommendation I got from a friend here that skis a lot is Copper Mountain. Anyone familiar with it? He said lots of green and blue slopes and almost all the places to stay are right there to ski in and out.

At the point, leaning Colorado instead of going east. And now thinking of doing it in February (President's Day?) to avoid spring break crowds and prices.  If we do 5 days, then only need to miss 2-3 days of school and hopefully less busy during the week.
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i would avoid presidents day weekend at all costs.  copper is awesome.  i haven't been in a long time, it used to be a skiers hill.  meaning it had more serious skiers and less of the resort crowd that was at breck and vail.  same thing with keystone/a basin.  both offer deals through the websites i mentioned.  breck does not.

and keep that locker in mind.  even if your place is a 1000 yards from the lifts, that's 10 football fields in ski boots.  with 3 kids and a wife.

 
DA RAIDERS said:
i would avoid presidents day weekend at all costs.  copper is awesome.  i haven't been in a long time, it used to be a skiers hill.  meaning it had more serious skiers and less of the resort crowd that was at breck and vail.  same thing with keystone/a basin.  both offer deals through the websites i mentioned.  breck does not.

and keep that locker in mind.  even if your place is a 1000 yards from the lifts, that's 10 football fields in ski boots.  with 3 kids and a wife.
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Totally agree on the bolded.  It's usually the busiest weekend of the year - you will be standing in long lines no matter where you go in CO.

Keystone is another good mountain.  Fact is, if you haven't skied much, any major resort in CO is going to seem awesome to your family (Copper, Keystone, Breck, Vail, Aspen, Snowmass, Winter Park, Steamboat, Telluride, Crested Butte...)

 
Just did a week in Vail.  It's definitely more expensive but is my favorite Colorado mountain by far.  It's the biggest in Colorado wth tons of beginner areas.  They have a great ski school (my kid has been going for 4 years now) with many different options (family lessons together, everyone in their own classes, personal 1 on 1, half day, fill day, etc...).

Keystone also has a great school that is slightly cheaper and has the longest green (newbie) run in the country. 

Both of those maintains are included on the Epic Pass which if you're going to be here for 6 or more days would be worth it.  The earlier you buy your tickets the cheaper it is. 

 
I did Keystone with a bunch of friends this year and it was pretty good.  I am a beginner and enjoyed the green and blue runs there.  

I highly recommend ski in ski out lodging.  You will pay more for it but if you don't mind prepping your own meals, you will save so much on food and beverage that it pays for its self and you get the added convenience. 

I have been renting my ski's off resort at Christy's or the like and it seems to be a little cheaper.

If you can find another family to go with you can probably save a little money on lodging and the more adults the easier it is with the kids I think.

If you are looking for low key then Keystone is nice.  if you like the resort feel more then Breckenridge might be something you would like.  My friends that live in Denver all like Winter Mountain but they are all avid skiers.  

Anyway, I am sure you will have fun regardless.

oh yea, look into the epic pass.  Especially if you are going to be there more than 4 days.

 
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Crested Butte. If youre driving anyway, take advantage of the remoteness of it. They always have fantastic deals because they have to get people there. Was at CB a few weeks ago and got lift tickets at Costco 2 for 1. Vail is like $180/day. CB ends up being like $60/day (I forget exactly). Very cool town and mountain. Way cheaper than anything on I-70. Wolf Creek is also phenomenal and cheap, but there is no lodging on site and it sits at the top of a pass, so the closest place to stay is a good haul down in either direction.

 
Vail and Beaver Creek are my favorites, but think for a beginner family ( and want to keep lodging costs lower) keystone and breck fit the bill.  Now, if they do the Epic pass, they can do breck, keystone, a-basin, vail, and beaver creek (not sure if any others have been added in summit and eagle).

i do not see copper or a-basin as beginner hills

 
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as for the towns (my preferecnces):

Vail

Beaver Creek

Telluride

Aspen

Breckenridge

keystone

Copper

Steamboat

Winter park (too spread out)

A-basin (no real town)

 
Drunken knight said:
Vail and Beaver Creek are my favorites, but think for a beginner family ( and want to keep lodging costs lower) keystone and breck fit the bill.  Now, if they do the Epic pass, they can do breck, keystone, a-basin, vail, and beaver creek (not sure if any others have been added in summit and eagle).

i do not see copper or a-basin as beginner hills
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I heard from some of the instructors this week that both Crested Butte and Telluride are going to partner with the Epic Pass for next year.  You'll be able to use them there as well.

 
I’ve always held a grudge against Keystone for not allowing snowboarding for a long time back in the day.  

 
Osaurus said:
I’ve always held a grudge against Keystone for not allowing snowboarding for a long time back in the day.  
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They now have the best terrain park of any of the Epic Pass places imo.  They have like 4 different areas all split up by ability level. 

 
Kanil said:
They now have the best terrain park of any of the Epic Pass places imo.  They have like 4 different areas all split up by ability level. 
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I know, but still.  

 
Kanil said:
They now have the best terrain park of any of the Epic Pass places imo.  They have like 4 different areas all split up by ability level. 
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~80% of the broken bones that occur at ski resorts happen in the terrain park.  Just sayin'.

 
chet said:
~80% of the broken bones that occur at ski resorts happen in the terrain park.  Just sayin'.
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I'm far too old to be in there... followed my 6 year old through the beginner one in January and couldn't hang.

 
Kanil said:
I'm far too old to be in there... followed my 6 year old through the beginner one in January and couldn't hang.
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:lmao:   my daughter has met a local at mammoth and the two of them LIVE in the terrain park.  the first day, i followed them everywhere.  i was icing my knees that night!  i let them go off on their own much more after that. :lmao:   

 
If you want to save a few bucks without having to drive that much further, I highly suggest New Mexico for beginners.  Taos is awesome, Red River and Angel Fire are also good, especially if you're looking for lessons and staying near the slopes.  Colorado is terrific, but it sounds like you're looking to shave a few dollars off this expense.  Look into it, GB.  I grew up skiing New Mexico as my family couldn't afford Colorado trips.  We drove there from Dallas.  Enjoyed them greatly.  My 2 cents.

 
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For beginners it's very different.  Vail, Alta, Snowbird, A Basin, Jackson Hole, Whistler - these are some of my favorites.  But you are wasting money to do those.  They are all about the harder terrain and snow conditions.

You want somewhere with 1) plenty of green trails, 2) easy access to airport, 3) cheaper, and 4) a cool city for non-ski activities.

So I'd suggest Canyons in Park City.  It's less expensive than staying in Park City (at PCMR or Deer Valley).  It's an easy 30-45 minute drive from Salt Lake City, which is a Delta hub.  It has beginner slopes, but also a ton of acres of skiing if you want to step it up.  It has ski in/ski out accommodations, which with younger kids will make your life easier.  If you want some diversity it's an easy trip from your hotel/condo to PCMR or Alta/Snowbird.  Alta is like the neatest place to ski ever and isn't that expensive and does have some easier trails (Snowbird that is connected to Alta is more for experts).  You can go to Park City at night to have fun.  It's also on the Epic Pass, so if you do it right you might save a few bucks.

Kids pick up skiing very fast.  Adults, not so much.  But if your kids have never been I do suggest sucking up the cost and getting a "Family Plan" instruction pack for half a day.  It's not cheap.  But it will get them going faster than you can.  Sometimes you can get this thrown in with the ticket, but it depends on location.

ETA:  If your kids want to snowboard know that Alta and Deer Valley doesn't allow it.  We found snowboarding ridiculously easy, so it never caught on with my family.  And it's a pain to take the board on and off at lifts.  But I get that many kids like it, so if you snowboard do it at Canyons or PCMR.

 
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Brunell4MVP said:
For beginners it's very different.  Vail, Alta, Snowbird, A Basin, Jackson Hole, Whistler - these are some of my favorites.  But you are wasting money to do those.  They are all about the harder terrain and snow conditions.

You want somewhere with 1) plenty of green trails, 2) easy access to airport, 3) cheaper, and 4) a cool city for non-ski activities.

So I'd suggest Canyons in Park City.  It's less expensive than staying in Park City (at PCMR or Deer Valley).  It's an easy 30-45 minute drive from Salt Lake City, which is a Delta hub.  It has beginner slopes, but also a ton of acres of skiing if you want to step it up.  It has ski in/ski out accommodations, which with younger kids will make your life easier.  If you want some diversity it's an easy trip from your hotel/condo to PCMR or Alta/Snowbird.  Alta is like the neatest place to ski ever and isn't that expensive and does have some easier trails (Snowbird that is connected to Alta is more for experts).  You can go to Park City at night to have fun.  It's also on the Epic Pass, so if you do it right you might save a few bucks.

Kids pick up skiing very fast.  Adults, not so much.  But if your kids have never been I do suggest sucking up the cost and getting a "Family Plan" instruction pack for half a day.  It's not cheap.  But it will get them going faster than you can.  Sometimes you can get this thrown in with the ticket, but it depends on location.

ETA:  If your kids want to snowboard know that Alta and Deer Valley doesn't allow it.  We found snowboarding ridiculously easy, so it never caught on with my family.  And it's a pain to take the board on and off at lifts.  But I get that many kids like it, so if you snowboard do it at Canyons or PCMR.
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Thanks for this.  Unfortunately Park City is a bit too far to drive. 

Right now, leaning Keystone, Breckenridge, or Copper Mountain but need to sit down now and look into these closer.  So far some excellent advice in here and it's been really helpful.

 
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