jhcolman Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Hi All: Headed out west from Toronto, mid-February. My 14 year old son races alpine snowboard, my wife, 19 year old daughter and I ski. Trying to fit a week trip in between his races, during her university reading week. Looking for a big mountain experience (3,000 to preferably 5,000+ vertical), within afew hours drive of a major airport in a) western Canada or, b) north western US c) ???? We are all relatively "expert" riders (son and daughter race, wife and daughter are ski instructors; I try to keep up to all), so we tend to ride the blacks and some doubles, along with cruising runs on the blues. Much as we all started as novices, we prefer to avoid resorts that overly cater to novices/young families or are unduly crowded. We like to pick a line and ride it. We welcome your suggestions and reasons. Appreciately Julian Colman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 easiest question Ive ever had to answer: http://www.bomberonline.com/ses/index.cfm drive is a little out of your specs...and CO isnt NW US, but...hell... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Yup, I'll second D-Sub: Aspen/Snowmass has it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinecure Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Depending on the weighting of your specs, my suggestions would be: Park City (<1 hr from SLC Airport, lots of terrain and resort options, plus the hardbooter.com crew are there) Tahoe (45 mins from Reno Airport, lots of resort and lodging options, only crowded on Saturdays and a bit on school holiday week - Feb 17-25. There's a USASA GS race Feb 10 in North Tahoe and a BX in South Tahoe Feb 10 and 18) Whistler (Short drive from Vancouver, insane amounts of terrain, only ?? is weather) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyYT316 Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 If your kid wants to race USASA while he's on vacation, there's also a GS at Snowbasin in Utah on Feb. 19th. The Utah resorts are a fun place to visit. You wont be disapointed with the resorts around here. But then again, I'd probably go to the SES in Aspen/Snowmass too. Especially if the dates were good with your trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C5 Golfer Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Think about Whistler -- in Feb it is about the best anywhere. Go to http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/mountain/stats/index.htm I would have say that once in everyones lifetime you need to experience the Peak to Creek run. Which starts the top of Whistler mountain to the bottom @ Creekside thru some of the most awesome terain. You'll be tired at the bottom of the 5,200 feet of straight down vertical but you'll have one of the biggest smiles on your face and saying "Lets do that again!" Plus - once you are there you do not need a car or to travel anywhere - you are there at the base of two big a## mountains. one ticket serves both, 200 + runs and more terrain than you can possible see in 3-4 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackDan Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Reno will get you 45/1.5 hour access to the resorts in the Tahoe area. Which include, Squaw, Alpine, Sugar Bowl, Northstar, Mt Rose, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Sierra. All good places to ski, and snowboard. Alpine, Squaw, Northstar, Heavenly, Mt Rose are probably the best places to truely ride Alpine boards. You can stay cheaper in Reno, but then have to drive up to the resorts each day. Salt Lake City will get you 45min/1.5 hour access to about 6 or 8 great resorts, two of which do not allow snowboarders (I can't remember). You can stay in down town SLC pretty cheap, and there are some good restaurants in downtown. Denver gets you access to the various great resorts in the Rockies, Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Copper, etc.... All are a drive away from denver, but access to some is very easy via I-80 West. Seattle gets you access to Vancouver and Whistler, and there are also a few resorts in the seattle area. More driving. There is also Bozeman, Montana, which gets you to Bridger Bowl, Big Sky, and little farther away Grand Targhee, Jackson Hole. Which are all good/great resorts. There are also a pair of valleys in Canada, between the Banff area and Spokane Washington which have 3-5 resorts in each valley, all within about 100-200 miles of each other. Never been there but I keep planning on going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Yup, I'll second D-Sub: Aspen/Snowmass has it all.I think D-sub's point is that SES is happening mid-February, so it would make sense to try to go there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 I don't think SES is part of his plans. He skiis. So maybe he should be asking about vacations on a skiers' forum? Anyway, Whistler gets my vote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 He said he wants to avoid crowds, so Whistler would not be the best choice. If you want an uncrowded big mountain experience that doesn't cater much to families and novices, how about Kicking Horse? Huge vertical, virtually empty mid-week, sphincter-puckering terrain available all around. Only downside is it's about 3 1/2 hours from Calgary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C5 Golfer Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 He said he wants to avoid crowds, so Whistler would not be the best choice.If you want an uncrowded big mountain experience that doesn't cater much to families and novices, how about Kicking Horse? Huge vertical, virtually empty mid-week, sphincter-puckering terrain available all around. Only downside is it's about 3 1/2 hours from Calgary. Neil, we may difer in what 'crowded" means but even on a Prime time weekend Sat I find BlackComb at the top not very crowded. Sure the lift line may seem long at times, but the line moves fast and in my ever so HO , the mountain is so big that the runs are largely wide open. 7th Heaven for example is busy at the cat track on top of the chair but turn off of that and it is wide open throttle on most runs. Or go around the hut at the toip and run down the glacier to Ridge Runner, wide open throttle again. On Whistler -- Peak to Creek run is wide open on most of the day. Anyway -- not being disagreeable here, just stating what I see at Whislter so often and I go there once a month starting November. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Uncrowded to me means I glide through an empty lift line and get on a lift that dumps me into a run where I don't see anybody else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Uncrowded to me means I glide through an empty lift line and get on a lift that dumps me into a run where I don't see anybody else. Yes, I second that: uncrowded means no lift lines...like mid-week at Mt. Hood Meadows this past season. (Boy did I enjoy unemployment.) Because Whistler is such a destination resort, I've found that it's more crowded than I'd like all week long - the difference between weekends and weekdays is pretty minimal, which is a big difference from the local areas I usually ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Whistler could be fun midweek, I think I'd probably want to avoid the Canadian Family Day weekend though. But who says they have to stay in one resort? Accommodations in Whistler are expensive, and within a couple of hours drive from there you could also hit Big White, Silver Star, Apex, Red Mountain and Whitewater. Red and Whitewater are supposed to have some epic steep and deep, and sleeping in Kelowna and Rossland is going to be a whole lot cheaper. Or, as someone pointed out, they could head up Washington way toward Crystal. I think if I was on a trip like that, I'd want to see a bit of the scenery... And I third the lift line thing. If I can't come down and be back on the lift within a minute, I'm not having a good day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleaman Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 I second Neil's choice of Kicking Horse. No lift lines, even on weekends. There is a Gondola to ride to the top and Steep Steep open bowls guaranteed to challenge every skill Level. 4000' of vert will burn your Ontario conditioned legs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Uncrowded to me means I glide through an empty lift line and get on a lift that dumps me into a run where I don't see anybody else. I "Third" that! Time in lift line + Time on chair = non riding time / riding time = vertical feet = Talk on the chair or via radio Never wait at chair lift for more than 60 seconds. Move through lift-line quickly Get off chair and start turning asap :p Ride with others that understand these concepts = Maximum turnage!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted October 10, 2006 Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Hi All:Headed out west from Toronto, mid-February. My 14 year old son races alpine snowboard, my wife, 19 year old daughter and I ski. Trying to fit a week trip in between his races, during her university reading week. Looking for a big mountain experience (3,000 to preferably 5,000+ vertical), within afew hours drive of a major airport in a) western Canada or, b) north western US c) ???? We are all relatively "expert" riders (son and daughter race, wife and daughter are ski instructors; I try to keep up to all), so we tend to ride the blacks and some doubles, along with cruising runs on the blues. Much as we all started as novices, we prefer to avoid resorts that overly cater to novices/young families or are unduly crowded. We like to pick a line and ride it. We welcome your suggestions and reasons. Appreciately Julian Colman Julian Certainly not CO or UT snow quality , however , the PNW does offer allot of choices. Just head down the I-5 south picking up great areas along the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 Certainly not CO or UT snow quality , however , the PNW does offer allot of choices. Just head down the I-5 south picking up great areas along the way! Exactly why they should go to Aspen. It might not be a major airport, but it gets you 5 minutes from 4 hills of awesomeness. The SES isn't hed in Aspen because of the name, but because of the awesome terrain, insane snow, and lack of liftlines. Now obviously last season there were a few problem days at snowmass with lift lines at the base, but that's been fixed with the new gondola. Other than that though, can anyone who attended the SES say it was crowded or you waited in lift lines? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 Never wait at chair lift for more than 60 seconds. Move through lift-line quickly Get off chair and start turning asap :p Ride with others that understand these concepts = Maximum turnage!!! A snowboarding philosophy and concept that I strongly try to adhere to Midweek at Powder Mt. - you can skate up and startle the lift operators that are dozing off Snowbasin - similar situation. You'll be on a first name basis with the lift ops by the end of the morning :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gleb Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 im sure many people will provide you with info on big mountain and big sky in Montana. I've heard of lots of good things. I've never been there but hope to make it one of these years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 Check out Jackson Hole. For the past 5 years I've traveled out there during the last week of February and have always enjoyed the mountain, the town, and the spectacular scenery of the Tetons. The mountain offers 4000ft of vert and some of the gnarliest top to bottom, inbounds expert terrain in North America. Because of this, you won't bump into many families or novices at JH. Snow quality is almost always great in Feb. and the lift lines are usually quick or nonexistent. The airport is just 15-20 minutes from town and flights arrive daily from many US cities (SLC, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, Mnnpls etc). The town itself is fun...very western/cowboy. There are many options for hotels, restaurants, and nightlife in town or at the resort. Plus, they have a good bus system and the resort is just 20 minutes from town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhcolman Posted October 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 Hi All Thanks for the numerous suggestions. We'll definitely look south of the border. We would have loved to have headed to the Expression Session, but we'll be travelling a week later. Armed with your suggestions, we're headed to our local Ski and Snowboard Show, to find the best combination of great riding and $ value. Cheers Julian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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