OT: Annual Ski Trip

What a great thread, and love reading all the suggestions and hearing about experiences. I skied quite a bit thru the 90's, college and pre marriage/kids days, mostly in Summit County, CO. Took at 20 year break (stuff happens), started back up 5 years ago and cannot get enough. I'm a first guy on the lift, long lunch, last off the mountain kind of guy. Mostly blues, I've got a lot to live for so I stay off blacks.

I'll throw in a vote for Winter Park, CO. Our experience is that it is 2.5-3 hours from landing at DIA to checking in to condo in WP (obviously if the weather is a mess you can forget that)

Denver is also the easiest and cheapest ski airport to get to from my home in Nashville, so that factors into where we ski -- and man I want to get to the places listed in this thread.

Anyway, the combined Winter Park/Mary Jane ski area is massive, whatever your ski level there is plenty of terrain. Great Tree Skiing too, and tree skiing on green/blue runs so you can go at a reasonable speed (the older I get the slower I go). We VRBO a condo at the base (Founders Pointe or Zephyr Mtn Lodge).

My days in the mountains look exactly like @Sea2Ski so I don't mind that the apres ski scene in WP is lame. We usually get take out and watch a movie in the condo at night these days.

We have repeated this trip the last several winters, which is unusual because we rarely do the same thing twice.  

Y'all keep safe out there

YukonRon said:

Love this post, and FWIW, My Beautiful Wife and I, along with my SIL, put together our top 10 for us:

1 ) Taos
2 ) Crested Butte
3 ) Beaver Creek
4 ) SLC
5 ) Big Sky
6) Snowmass
7) Tahoe
8) Whistler
9) Telluride
10) Steamboat
 
...

That's a solid list!   I've been to all of those except Taos and Snowmass.  I'm not sure why Snowmass keeps getting dropped off my visit list.  Taos always makes the cut but it's a little harder to get to for us.

We did an NCAA style bracket one time of all the places we'd been and Jackson came out on top (10 years ago).  But that was before I'd been to Telluride.  That place is beautiful.  Crested Butte was my first trip out west.  Loved it.  Need to get back there.

I'm in a sharing mood this morning, so if you want to watch a couple applicable ski flicks with your morning coffee or bloody, here are two from a steamboat trip a couple years ago;  Resort and Snowcat.

stonewh said:

I would love to do Canada but I feel like travel time would take up a lot of our trip, especially since we are only looking at 5 days, 3 to ski.

Would you be driving to Montana or Utah? Western Canada or Quebec have some great runs.

@KiterTodd those are some awesome vids. I snowboard too, but I haven't seen enough powder to negotiate it like that.  

After skiing the usual places, Copper Mtn., Crested Butte, Deer Valley, Vail, etc., etc., we decided to purchase a vacation home in Big Sky.  That was 10 years ago and we have not regretted it.  It is beautiful, the skiing is great, huge mountain, and best of all, no lift lines.  Not as easy to get to as some ski areas, but that's exactly why you don't have crazy lift lines.  If you'd like to discuss, let me know and I'll PM my phone # to you.

@BBQBuddy that is a beautiful mountain home!  I love when they build them to be able to take several feet of snow on the roof with no maintenance required.  Just there waiting for you with a few dry logs to throw on the fire and warm the place up.  Solid.

If you know what runs to go on... Doesn't matter what mountain you choose or what time of day/year, the runs are empty.  Here are a few pics from copper and breck on a saturday during spring break.  What ever place you choose, ask advice from someone on good runs.  

Some people are are exaggerating lift lines I think.  The new lifts in all of the colorado places are so fast and big, I have never waited more that 2 minutes on BUSY days.  

KiterTodd said:

@BBQBuddy that is a beautiful mountain home!  I love when they build them to be able to take several feet of snow on the roof with no maintenance required.  Just there waiting for you with a few dry logs to throw on the fire and warm the place up.  Solid.

Thanks.  It is quite the getaway for us.  That picture was taken from the ski run behind the house.  

Eggdicted_Dawgfan said:

@BBQBuddy do you rent that place out? 

Sorry, we do not.
But others with similar Mountain Homes do.  Check out Big Sky Luxury Rentals.  This is the entrance to the development, which is called Moonlight Basin.  

It is equally, if not more beautiful in the summertime in Big Sky.  This is the view 2 1/2 weeks ago from my perch at the Moonlight Basin golf clubhouse.  I just thought it was cool how the beer taps lined up w/ the peak.  

Son in law enjoying the view.

Eggdicted_Dawgfan said:

I don't blame you at all. I wouldn't rent it out either. I'll check Big Sky rentals. Are they all ski in/ski out in your community? 

Check out the Moonlight Mountain Homes throughout this link:  https://vacationbigsky.com/accommodation.php?locid=133

They all say they are ski in/out, but some are better than others.
The Mountain Home that the address is "1 Hidden Trail" is across the street from mine.
Yellowstone is just over an hr drive south of Big Sky if that interests you for snowmobiling there.
Btw, I seed you're in GA - Delta runs a nonstop from Atlanta during high seasons.
Geez, I should be working for the Chamber of Commerce.  LOL

Got plenty of dependents, thx.  

da87 said:

Love to see the Egg on the deck!  Son just called to tell me he's heli-skiing in Canada this winter and to invite me along!  Pretty cool when they start planning awesome ski trips and including the parents.

That's really great..ski fast, take chances.  

I just realized, like @fishlessman said, you need to hit a place like Mad River Glen if you want to grow hair on your chest. I'm a snowboarder so I'll have to hike it. Ski it if you can!

BBQBuddy said:

Eggdicted_Dawgfan said:

I don't blame you at all. I wouldn't rent it out either. I'll check Big Sky rentals. Are they all ski in/ski out in your community? 

Check out the Moonlight Mountain Homes throughout this link:  https://vacationbigsky.com/accommodation.php?locid=133

They all say they are ski in/out, but some are better than others.
The Mountain Home that the address is "1 Hidden Trail" is across the street from mine.
Yellowstone is just over an hr drive south of Big Sky if that interests you for snowmobiling there.
Btw, I seed you're in GA - Delta runs a nonstop from Atlanta during high seasons.
Geez, I should be working for the Chamber of Commerce.  LOL

Got plenty of dependents, thx.  

Thanks for the great info @BBQBuddy . Bookmarked. 

Eggcelsior said:

I just realized, like @fishlessman said, you need to hit a place like Mad River Glen if you want to grow hair on your chest. I'm a snowboarder so I'll have to hike it. Ski it if you can!

Do I recall that you're around me in MD somewhere?  If so, we'll have to hit a local slope together this winter!