C's Bimmer

I'm a die-hard skiier (been skiing before I could walk). I would skip Colorado and go to Utah. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Colorado. I actually went to college in Boulder Colorado (what seems like ages ago ). I had a Vail Pass for 2 seasons and have skiied over 100 days at Vail/Beaver Creek. I also had a Summit Pass my last 2 years which was a season pass for Copper, Keystone, A-Basin and Breck. I've pretty much skiied every mountain in every state in the US. Here's why I would go to Utah over Colorado, based on what you've stated above:

1. Snow - Utah has much better snow than Colorado. Aside from it being much more consistent, in terms of snowfall, the moisture content of the snow is much less in Utah, hence the reason they call it "Champagne Powder". Utah is actually the second driest state in the country. The storms that start from the North Pacific dump much of their moisture rich snow over the Cascades and Sierra's (Tahoe). When these storms eventually reach Utah, the moisture content is little to nothing. Furthermore, based on how the Northwest Winds come across the Wasatch Mountains, they dump snow directly on the Mountain Peaks of Utah. Many of these storms will actually just sit atop these mountains and continuously dump snow. It's an amazing sight. You might say to yourself, that you don't really care about this, but I will tell you this... No matter how novice of a skiier you are, once you ski pure Utah powder, you will never want to go anywhere else. It's that good. It's that "fluffy".

2. Location - Salt Lake City International Airport (A Delta Airlines Hub) is 30 minutes from the Wasatch Mountains. There are 2 basins or valleys in the Wasatch Mountains that are famous. There's Snyderville Basin which contains Park City, The Canyons and Deer Valley. Then, there's Cottonwood Basin which is home to Snowbird, Alta, Brighton and Solitude. Based on your experience, I would stay in Park City where Park City Ski Resort, The Canyons and Deer Valley are. This is one of the best towns in Ski USA and does not cost an arm and a leg, like Vail. It's great for the entire family and all ski levels. There is no better place to learn how to ski than Utah. There is also a ton to do and the town is great! As for Colorado, unless you plan on flying into Eagle(which is doubtful that you are), you're flying into DIA(Denver) which is 90-120 minutes from the mountains. You can't beat the location of Park City to Salt Lake International Airport.

3. Cost - There are hundreds of options of places to stay in Park City. Whether you're looking for a resort or are interested in renting your own home for the time you are there. No matter what your budget level is, you can find great accomodations in Park City. Keep in mind that although Park City is a ski resort town, it's much, much bigger than most ski resort towns. Some may not like this, but if you are looking for a place with many, many choices of places to stay, eat and ski, this is it. There's also many deals to be had on Lift Tickets for the mountains in the area and public transportation is great, should you not want to rent a car or drive to dinner one night. The town has countless buses and shuttles that run all across town and to all the local ski resports. The best part is, you can ski Park City one day, The Canyons the next and Deer Valley another. Or, if you want to take the family out for a day of snowmobiling, you can do that too. There are many outlets for these recreational activities, in the event you don't want to ski one day. Lastly, Park City has a great night life. Although Utah is mormon country, there is leniency with the town of Park City. It drives a lot of revenue for the state. You can have a great time at night, so that's something to consider as well.

Getting back to Colorado. Personally, I think Keystone is not that great. The only thing I like about Keystone is The Outback, which has some of the best tree skiing in the country. However, based on what you've told us, I doubt you'll be venturing into that area. The rest of the mountain is nothing special. I'm also not a huge fan of Breck, based on how it resides in the valley, how the winds hit the mountain and how the mountain is laid out. :thumbsdown: Sure, Breck has a great town (This is where Dumb and Dumber was filmed, although they said it was Aspen), but the skiing is not in my top ten.

Vail and Aspen are great, but both are VERY costly for skiing, lodging and food. There are plenty of other great mountains in the state. If you only want to ski in Summit County, I would suggest Copper Moutain. Copper is a great mountain for all levels and gets great snow. The nice part about Copper too, is that it sits between Vail and Breck. If you feel like jumping in your car and driving 20 minutes, east or west on I-70, you can hit either mountain. If you want to venture outside of Summit County and go somewhere else in Colorado, I'm a huge fan of Steamboat. It's a great town and the skiing is top notch. I would not go to Telluride, as it's become very fancy, just like Vail and Aspen.

Good luck and your decision and have a great trip!

PS - To confuse you a little more, two of my favorite mountains are Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee, Wyoming.

houbmw

WOW! You really know your stuff. Im going to do some research and I will let you guys know where I head towards!

houbmw

Thanks C!

kscarrol

C makes a great suggestion with Copper Mountain! Never been to Utah but have heard great things about it. Proximity to the airport is a nice plus. When Denver built the new airport out in the middle of nowhere, it has made the drive up to Summit County that much longer.