Advice on a mid-March solo trip out west?

[dmc]

I'm thinking of a mid-March trip out west for some "real" mountains. 3 or 4 days of wide-open groomer carving, mixing it up with pow and trees on a pow board.

Since my plans are pretty spur-of-the-moment spontaneous, it'll likely be just me.

Here's what I'm considering:

(1) Tahoe. Fly into Reno, rent a car, and explore South and North Lake. Heavenly, Alpine Meadows, Northstar, etc. I anticipate accommodations to be on the expensive side since I will likely have to stay near resorts. Flights are also on the expensive side.

(2) Banff. Fly into Calgary, rent a car, explore Lake Louise and Sunshine. Like Tahoe, I anticipate accommodations to be on the expensive side since I figure I will have to stay near/at the resorts, but the flight to YYC is cheap.

(3) Colorado. Fly into Denver, rent a car, drive to Breckenridge et al. Is it feasible to stay in Denver instead of paying the high price to stay in Breck? I've driven those I-70 passes in the summer, but never in March.

(4) Salt Lake City. Flights are cheap ($600 from YYZ). Stay in a cheap hotel downtown SLC, rent a car, and spend a few days driving to Park City, Powder Mountain, Snowbasin, Snowbird, etc. Probably the most economical option because I can stay anywhere in SLC.

I guess what I'm asking is, from a bang-for-the-buck (and snow!) standpoint... Any suggestions where I'm better off going?

[ecshredder]

Colorado is great in March. That would be my vote. I'll be in Vail on the 16th. SLC is great too but usually better for carving in Jan/Feb.

[Seraph]

(3) Colorado. Fly into Denver, rent a car, drive to Breckenridge et al. Is it feasible to stay in Denver instead of paying the high price to stay in Breck? I've driven those I-70 passes in the summer, but never in March.

Breckenridge...No

Abasin or Loveland (especially on a Sunday with the LCI)....Yes!

As far as staying in Breck, talk to ShredderJen, I think she has a condo she rents, and there are some pretty reasonable motels too.

[Neil Gendzwill]

(2) Banff. Fly into Calgary, rent a car, explore Lake Louise and Sunshine. Like Tahoe, I anticipate accommodations to be on the expensive side since I figure I will have to stay near/at the resorts, but the flight to YYC is cheap.

I can't speak to the other options, but if you haven't been to Banff before you owe it to yourself as a comrade of North Canuckistan to go. It needn't be horribly expensive. If you're on a budget the Voyageur Hotel is fairly cheap and decent rooms. You don't necessarily have to rent a car - many/most of the hotels have shuttles to the hills. You won't run out of hill in 3 or 4 days at either Louise or Sunshine, never mind hitting them both up.

The only downside is that staying at the resorts is not that much of an option. You can do it at Sunshine, but it's a bit pricey and you are pretty limited at night. At Louise the best you can do is stay at the town of Lake Louise in one of several hotels, which is just a short drive down the hill. Again, not much at night if that's your thing. Most people stay in Banff and slug out the ride to the hill. However if you want to do Louise up right you can always spring for the Chateau, gorgeous place.

[davekempmeister]

I 2nd Seraph's contribution. Abasin or Loveland 4sure, high elevation/low prices, great vibe. Denver is not normally expensive to fly into. Car rentals are inexpensive and you can stay west of Denver right off of I-70 at a Motel6 or whatever ($40-$45). 1hr 15 mins to Loveland from there or stay in Dillon or Silverthorne for a little more and be better positioned. I think it is your best chance of having good snow and as a result, a good time.

[newcarver]

Monarch, CO is another good ski area. Stay in Salida which is about 30 mins for $30 with good choice of restraunts. Cheap lift tickets and nice terrain. A little of the beaten path, but this is good.

[inkaholic]

to CO post on the ride board your dates. If you want to ride Lovey then Shell gas is the answer to cheap tickets...

Buy 10 gallons of fuel at participating Shell stations and get a SKI FREE® voucher redeemable for 1 free lift ticket with purchase of full price adult lift ticket at participating resorts. Voucher available inside store.

*1 free lift ticket with purchase of

a full price adult lift ticket

One SKI FREE® voucher per fuel purchase. Limit one voucher per visit. Some restrictions may apply. Offer valid until April 17, 2011 or until ski areas close for season or otherwise noted. Not for resale. Not redeemable for cash.

As said by others, the LCI will typically have more riders out on Sundays. Helpful, fun and dang good riders to play with. Also there is All Boards Sports in Boulder, the carvers candy store, and Bomber in Silverthorn to visit/tour/demo. Cheap place to stay is Super 8 in Georgetown just east of Loveland or more variety in Silverthorn.

JP1 has been out a couple times and probably has some good info he may be able to share.

Ink

[SEJ]

March can be iffy.Tahoe has excellent snow right now, but all it takes is a short warming trend and it will be glare ice to mashed potatoes with a couple of decent hours in between. Unless, of course, it's the weekend. Then the zambonies (skidding straight liners) will scrape anything off that resembles snow as soon as it softens. Tahoe's my home hill and I love it, but I'd take CO over Tahoe any day. If you do Tahoe I would stay at a cheap motel in South Shore (They're not all gone yet) and ride Kirkwood, Heavenly, and if the weather sucks, Sierra. From South Shore it's about an hour to the North Shore resorts. (Squaw, Alpine, Northstar.)

[xolufus]

What others have said...Fly to Denver, rent car, stay cheap motel (Silverthorne/Frisco) and try a few areas + use discount coupons...but I agree not Breck...A-basin + Vail are my recommendations for mixing it up.

[newcarver]

Forgot to mention that Monarch has cat tours too! Check out Silverton Mtn if you are into extreme backcountry style stuff that is partially lift served.

[Daneille]

If you stay in Reno, Mt. Rose, Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Northstar are all fairly close by. Kirkwood and Heavenly are about two hours away. Some of the casino/hotels have deals for tickets available.

Daneille

[Allee]

Seconding what Neil said, I wouldn't bother renting a car if you fly into Calgary. Catch the shuttle, and then the day buses out of Banff. You have the option of Norquay too, if you stay in Banff.

If you don't mind hostelling, the hostel in Lake Louise is the nicest one I've ever been in, and it's about $35 a night. There's a diner-type restaurant a short walk away which serves cheap and reasonable food, so you won't starve. There's also the Banff Mountain Y in Banff, with similar rates, but I haven't stayed here. The Voyager is probably the cheapest hotel in town, and it's reasonable.

If you decide to come, post on the AB Ride Board. I'm sure that someone will come out and ride with you, and if you fly back on a weekend you might be able to join the crew at Nakiska for a day too. Snow's good this year, the riding has been great.

[Neil Gendzwill]

March can be iffy.

Probably the best time of year for Banff though. It generally doesn't start to get too spring-ish until April.

[BlueB]

Unortodox view, I know...

But, there is a lot more accomodation choices then in the ski resorts, huge variety of places to eat, from dirt cheap to very expensive, night life (solo, right ;) )... Stay on the North Shore, or Downtown, to keep it close to the hills. 3 local mountains are within 5-30min drive, depending on where you staid. Cypress is almost a "big mountain" (in Eastern terms) right at the suburbs. Then you get Whistler in 1.5 hr drive and Mt Baker in 2-2.5 hrs. Also, the hidden gem of Hemlock Valley, 2 hrs, not huge but with lots of terain and similar snow as Baker. Manning Park is about 3hrs, Okanagan's 4 resorts in about 4-5hrs.

Otherwise, you could go just to Whistler, and have all the things you wanted, ski in-ski out.

[dmc]

Wow, awesome advice. Thanks everyone.

No love for Tahoe huh? It seems Colorado is the overwhelming consensus for snow and variety! I'll do a bit more hunting for airline tickets and I think that will be the determining factor between Denver and Calgary. (SLC is so tempting with how close it is to everything though...)

I'm going to aim for mid-week to avoid the crowds and will definitely post on the ride board if I'm headed that way.

[Keenan]

Didn't you want to do a trip out West? Last time I checked, Colorado was in the middle of the country.

[SEJ]

Oh, I love Tahoe. I just think it's not as predictable. I drive, so if the conditions sucks I don't go and if they rock I do. Planning, buying plane tickets, etc, is different. It's not like I'm an expert on CO. I've been going to SES for four years now, and even with little snow (about 30" last year) the riding was good. I think you just have a better chance of good snow in CO. I believe their season is longer, hence better chance of good conditions in March.

[ti_knee]

If you're headed out to Banff, check out Canmore. It's 20 min closer to Calgary and personally my wife and I would rather spend time there than Banff these days. (better local stores, quieter scene, and just discovered amazing poutine)

We usually stay at the Blackstone, which has kitchen units for 149 and hotel rooms for 99. BBQ's and good hot tub (or pool if you're so inclined).

There's usually a bunch of carvers out at Nakiska and they are a great bunch... my riding has improved immensely (from zero) as a result of riding with them this season.

[Silver Bullet]

It's still February and we almost to 500" in the Cottonwoods. Over 5' of new snow this week. March is generally the snowiest month, but then again, there was the 100" May a few years ago...

You know why there are not too many people on here saying come to Utah, don't you? We like the lines short.

When you fly into SLC, you are 30 minutes from everywhere;-)

[Quigley]

Lodging is cheaper than summit county for sure...

only small town night life. great steakhouse...

25 minutes from copper mountain

10 minutes from ski cooper where i work

45 minutes to vail or breck

less than an hour to loveland, keystone or a-basin

hour and a half to monarch which is well worth it if you like deep powder and trees

might be able to hook up a free ticket to ski cooper if you gave me a little notice as an added bonus!

we are a little of the grid but almost dead center in the middle of the state. and the locals are friendly...

[SEJ]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I got busted out of NOES by work. So, Gretchen and I are thinking about a road trip east. We'd like to know more about the Salt Lake area. 12 hours to Salt Lake, another 4 to Vail. We've got well over a week of available time, like to do both. It would be cool to hit the Summit County area and see the home base of Bomber, plus we've got to ride Loveland with DT so we can see how bad it sucks. Any info on SL will be appreciated. When is spring break?

Scott

[Silver Bullet]

Spring break is later in April. When spring arrives, the locals start golfing and biking and the slopes open up.

I'd recommend staying in the valley. If you like Apres' Ski there are a number of hotels downtown such as the Peery Hotel, Crystal Inn, Hilton, Monaco, Marriot etc, that are right in the middle of the dining scene. From here you can get to Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton, Park City, Canyons, and Snowbasin in 30 - 45 minutes. If you want to stay in the mountains, there are plenty of options.

This time of the season, Snowbird and Solitude (perhaps Park City) also have hotel and pass deals such as room and ticket for $99 per person.

The snow is excellent now with bases averaging near 120". This week's forecast is snow every day. March does tend to be a snowy month. You'll find the most consistent groomers at Solitude and Park City, although the other resorts are splendid.

Pick up discount tickets at the ski rental spots in town such as Canyon Sports or go to Costco as well.

Enjoy.

[hoffmac11]

if you come to tahoe, go to kirkwood..its about 45 minutes away from heavenly, and there going to get snow all this coming week..so the week of the 21st would be best..but id get here like the 22nd and ski mid week..the mountain would be all yours.plus they typically wait a few days to groom the mountain after a heavy storm, but as i said before, by mid week it will be groomed, so better for carving, but you will still be able to find all the powder you want off trail..and i have quickly learned that if heavenly gets 2 feet of snow, kirkwood will get 4-5 feet of snow..kwood gets more snowfall than any other resort in CA or NV..

[Loc]

I'm biased but how about Mammoth Mountain, CA? You can actually hit Tahoe, June Mtn, then Mammoth Mtn and tour the best of CA

[Emdee406]

Just to let you know, both Park City and the Canyons are extending their seasons until 17th April. Coverage is amazing, the snow is plentiful, easy access, cheap ticket deals...what more could youwant?

Sundays in PC there are several multi-ability carving groups on the hill too!

MD