Steep and Deep: The Snow Skiing/Boarding Thread

[old_gregg]

We'll be in utah next week. My kids have all skied 6-8 times in the last three years. None of them are particularly good (but my 13 yo has no fear...which could easily lead to his demise). 1/2 their skiing was done on a very small mountain on the east coast. When they go to Utah, they are definitely intimidated.

Do you have any recommendation for a ski resort with manageable slopes along the wasatch front? Any to definitely avoid?

brighton

[Shaka]

All of them have good green and blue runs. Your kids will be fine wherever you go. If you're all skiing I'd just hit Alta and call it good.

[RC Vikings]

Spent last Wednesday up at Snow Basin, eight inches overnight made it a challenge but I liked the hill as about as much as any other Utah resort. I still think Sun Valley is the best mountain in the west, 3000 feet of perfectly sloped runs with out the plateaus like every Utah resort has.

[Commando]

Spent last Wednesday up at Snow Basin, eight inches overnight made it a challenge but I liked the hill as about as much as any other Utah resort. I still think Sun Valley is the best mountain in the west, 3000 feet of perfectly sloped runs with out the plateaus like every Utah resort has.

You ever been to Jackson Hole?

[RC Vikings]

You ever been to Jackson Hole?

I've skied Jackson Hole and if I was 25 again I might pick that but if I had to pick one hill to ski the rest of my life it would be Sun Valley. If you love to carve out GS turns all day then no where I've ever skied tops the Warm Springs run, 21 to 28 degree pitch the whole way, 2 1/2 mile run, you never cross a cat track or another run, you won't find that anywhere else around here. I'd actually rather ski Big Sky than Jackson anymore also.

[Commando]

I've skied Jackson Hole and if I was 25 again I might pick that but if I had to pick one hill to ski the rest of my life it would be Sun Valley. If you love to carve out GS turns all day then no where I've ever skied tops the Warm Springs run, 21 to 28 degree pitch the whole way, 2 1/2 mile run, you never cross a cat track or another run, you won't find that anywhere else around here. I'd actually rather ski Big Sky than Jackson anymore also.

I've never skied Sun Valley tbh. I did just ski Brundage and Tamarack, which are criminally underrated; I think the reason they don't get more run is bc they are so hard to get to. I would never make that drive from Boise if it wasn't a family reunion thing. Jackson used to be my gold standard until I started going to Whistler-Blackcomb, though. Those mountains are unbelievable.

[RC Vikings]

I've never skied Sun Valley tbh. I did just ski Brundage and Tamarack, which are criminally underrated; I think the reason they don't get more run is bc they are so hard to get to. I would never make that drive from Boise if it wasn't a family reunion thing. Jackson used to be my gold standard until I started going to Whistler-Blackcomb, though. Those mountains are unbelievable.

I'd like to try Whistler someday.

[Commando]

I'd like to try Whistler someday.

It makes sense for me b/c Southwest flights are cheap and plentiful between Phoenix and Seattle. Plus they don't charge for luggage and a ski bag. From Seattle it's a beautiful 4-hour drive up the coast of B.C. to Whistler. So I only have to take Wednesday, Thursday, Friday off of work and I get three solid days of skiing for basically the same lift prices as the garbage resorts in AZ. Whistler's base is like a mini ski-town/ mall with all kinds of restaurants, a movie theatre, an outdoor ice rink, ski shops, etc. There's a lot for non-skiers to do.

I saw a map of Jackson- which is a LOT of mountain- superimposed over Whistler-Blackcomb and I was shocked; Jackson had like-- only 1/5 of the terrain that W-B has. One year I got to the base at Whistler and I was bummed out b/c it was basically dry ground. Then the gondola took me up past the clouds and the top three levels were powder. On top of that, I've done Whistler's heli-skiing a few times on untouched terrain in the canadian rockies. I can't get enough of Whistler- I've generally only gone skiing once a year, but a Whistler trip is enough to scratch the itch; I always come away wishing I had gone in better shape.

[Green Monstah]

They went to Brighton and my 7-year old and 13-year old both had a blast and can't wait to go again.

[All-American]

They went to Brighton and my 7-year old and 13-year old both had a blast and can't wait to go again.

Brighton is an awesome place to take kids and learners. I basically grew up skiing that resort.

[Joe Public]

My family and I just went skiing for the first time. We drove up to Brian Head for spring break. We took a family private lesson the first morning and then did our own thing the rest of the week. We had a blast (except for my wife, who had a good bit of altitude sickness that didn't subside until we left). I haven't been to any other place to compare, but Brian Head was beautiful, fun and not crowded. Our maximum wait time at the lift was about 30 seconds.

The kids all want to go again. Now I'm looking around at what is available close to us and am realizing we'll likely need to wait until next season. It's currently 61F degrees at Big Bear.

I will be up in SLC in a couple of weeks and may be able to carve out an extra Monday in town. I might try to find a place that would let me rent some gear and hit some beginner/green runs before an evening flight. I know it's spring now, but I imagine some places will still be open up there.

[BigPiney]

Mammoth is great skiing.

June mtn is great for kids.

[Northwestcoug]

Two and done for this season. We'd been planning to do a Lake Louise trip to visit our son while he's working up there, so a couple of weeks ago we got our practice run at Mt. Bachelor. It was the last weekend of spring break, and the lift ticket was....160. Highway robbery. Glad we tuned up before we went to Louise. If you haven't been there, it's a great resort. Lots of long runs, one with a gondola. Beautiful views. Cheaper than Bachelor.

I'm finding that boarding is getting harder as I get older. I get tired quicker, and later in the day I'm falling when I shouldn't be. The skiing part of my family mocks me while they wait for me to get my boot in. After these last two times my wife suggested that I go back to skiing. I was never good at that, but I suppose it could be easier. Still, I have a mortal fear of one ski going this way and the other going that. I think I'm locked into boarding. But If I'm going to doing this much longer, I really need to train a bit each year.

[Joe Public]

My children enjoyed skiing in the spring and are looking to do more this upcoming season. We're grabbing season passes from Ikon and are thinking about skis. We rented for the few days we were there over spring break, but I'm seeing that some places in our area have season-long rentals for $175-$200 per skier. At first glance, that seems better than renting every time we go, and I don't think we have enough of an experience base to consider buying. Any thoughts from you cognoscenti? Are season-long rentals a good way to go? Anything to watch out for? TIA.

[All-American]

My children enjoyed skiing in the spring and are looking to do more this upcoming season. We're grabbing season passes from Ikon and are thinking about skis. We rented for the few days we were there over spring break, but I'm seeing that some places in our area have season-long rentals for $175-$200 per skier. At first glance, that seems better than renting every time we go, and I don't think we have enough of an experience base to consider buying. Any thoughts from you cognoscenti? Are season-long rentals a good way to go? Anything to watch out for? TIA.

I approve. What resorts did you ski last season/would you ski next season?