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Carving + Extreme Ski terrain + Luxury =Which resort ???


John Gilmour

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Looking for the best place to spend a week. USA has the economy advantage.... but Europe, Japan, are also possible. (feedback needed on Courchevel, Zinal, Japan, Les Arcs and Killy snow space)

Where is the best place you have gone?

Keep in mind if you only know Sawkill ski area in Kingston NY with its 70 ft. vertical drop... let others comment instead... I never carved Maple Valley.. but should have.

I'm trying to pick a place for March.

East Coast loses to Colorado despite the Easts Beastly snowfall.

Minimum vertical drop is 2200 but I'd like to see places 2500+

Aspen.... been there.. done that.. will go anyway this year... did Mammoth already. might revisit Mt. Bachelor.

Smoking is a neg. but tolerated if it is an amazing place.

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BTW... not to be a snob since some of my best memories are from Magic MT. the least expensive place you could ski... for those looking for deals... Magic Mountain in Southern VT (READ NOT COLD and lower elevation than Stratton so rarely is in the clouds)

MIDWEEK – Double occupancy

Stay 1 night, Ski 1 day

$55.00 per person, double occupancy, includes lodging, breakfast, and lift ticket.

Stay one midweek night Sunday thru Thursday and ski one day Mon. – Fr.

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WEEKEND – Double Occupancy

Stay Friday & Saturday - Ski Saturday & Sunday

$100.00 per person, per night, double occupancy, includes lodging, breakfast, and lift ticket.

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MIDWEEK – Single occupancy (small room)

Stay 1 night, Ski 1 day

$85.00 Includes lodging, breakfast and lift ticket for 1 person.

Stay one midweek night Sunday thru Thursday and ski one day Mon. – Fr.

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I've lived 6 years in France, I have very good memories of Val Thorens and Tignes. I was a snowboarder at Val Thorens and a skier at Tignes.

When at Val Thorens, you can also go to Meribel, Courchevel and Les Menuires.

When at Tignes you can also go to Val d'Isere.

Wide open space and a lot of snow.

But it was a long time ago.

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Go West Young Man!

Whistler Blackdomb... March is a great time... I am there this week and first part of March.. Anyway

You want vertical?

They have the highest vertical; ..5280 feet straight down...or an equivalent 7 mile run... yes 7 miles.. 2 mountains to ride.. both are great and are connected at the top by a world record 26 person Gondola - that spans over a 1.88 miles un-supported between towers and thru the glass bottom you see the valley floor 1430 feet below you.. WOWOWOWOW!

Bigger than Vail by quite a bit. Grreat food on mountain and in the village.

It doesn't get any better...leaving tomorrow...:biggthump

http://media.intrawest.com/whistler/flash/trailmap/compare.html

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Try Telluride. If you like hiking in bounds, there is a ton of world class extreme terrain. Lots of luxury hotels to choose from. We have a bunch of winched black runs that are very steep and great for carving. The World Cup event here was held on an easy blue for both the BX and PGS if that is any indication of the steepness. We just need a little more snow, but conditions are still pretty good overall right now.

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Try Telluride. If you like hiking in bounds, there is a ton of world class extreme terrain. Lots of luxury hotels to choose from. We have a bunch of winched black runs that are very steep and great for carving. The World Cup event here was held on an easy blue for both the BX and PGS if that is any indication of the steepness. We just need a little more snow, but conditions are still pretty good overall right now.

ahh, one of my favorites. if I had to live in CO I think I'd be there.

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Hit up Cervinia / Zermatt last year --- Most beautiful place I've ever seen.

Fantastic terrain if you are into groomers. The trails are long and wide, wide, wide! There is some awesome off piste too, but you'll need a guide to make sure you don't end up in a crevasse.

Want to keep the budget in check? Stay in Cervinia or Valtournenche. They are the ski towns on the Italian side of the Matterhorn. Same terrain, cheaper than Zermatt.

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Tough to fit all that into one place. I've heard good things about Zermatt.

La Grave and Les Deux Alpes combines a seperate extreme ski terrain area and an inbound ski area. I've personally been humbled by La Grave. Serre Chevalier was fun also, don't recall the grooming quality, but I'm sure you can research it.

http://www.2alpes.com/pages/en/20/la-grave.html

http://www.la-grave.com/winter/index.php

http://www.serrechevalier.com/

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stay at Chamonix (good people oriented), rent a car and ride around: Chamonix valley (extreme terrain oriented! some local guide + good snow cover can make it accessible on another level!), Verbier, Courmayor, Aosta (carve oriented). if 200+km car ride is not a problem - you can visit Val'd'Isere and all of espace killy - huge different terrain, night life & luxury oriented )

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I had a blast at Whistler. Went quite a few years back and at the time a dollar American was worth 1.50 Canadian. We lived like kings! If you hit it right it is fantastic. The trick is the weather can be sketchy and can get wet and foggy at times. If you are lucky enough to be there when it is good you will really enjoy it. It is massive for one, and there are some areas that they do not groom that will challenge most folks. Meandering pedestrian village, helicopter options and the people are fantastic. The ride to the resort is impressive as well. If you go spend a little time in Vancouver, beautiful city.

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Kicking Horse has awesome extreme terrain for sure, but I don't see it as a carving destination at all. As in, bring your all-mountain or freeride board along, leave the groomer-specialized equipment home. I don't think it can compete for scale, luxury or terrain with the big European resorts.

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l'll throw my votes in for Niseko Hokkaido and for Tignes/Val d'Isere. Both offer awesome terrain, luxury amenities and more of an adventure than you'd get by staying in N. America.

Tpalka and Mats.. both BOL'ers... just wrapped up a 10 day trip based in Niseko. There's a small thread below this one on Rusutsu which is about 45 mins away from Niseko. They had an absolute ball while they were here. Send them a PM if you want up to the minute details of their experience in Japan.

Tignes/Val d'Isere is a huge area and if the snow is in abundance it is truly a top, world class venue. There are over 300 kms of groomed runs and more off piste than you can discover in a full season, let alone a 2 week holiday.

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