[CDE Driver]

Is there snow out West this year?

We have foot of the stuff here at our place....

[Kestrel]

Whistler Blackcomb, B.C.. It has plenty of beginner/intermediate terrain, great little town, and great places to eat. It's about a 1 3/4 hour drive from the Vancouver airport, but you don't need a car once you're there.

Here in the PNW we are about 150% of our normally generous snow pack, so no problems there.

I also like the Aspen/Snowmass/Buttermilk areas of Colorado. It's very pricey right at the base of Aspen mountain, but there are much more affordable places around. There is also a free bus system to get from area to area and into Aspen itself, and lift tickets are good on any of the mountains so you can try all of them, though at your level I would wait a year or two to try Aspen Highlands. Dining in Aspen ranges from burgers to very haute cuisine and there are many, many choices.

I was really looking forward to skiing this year, but my broken tibial plateau and torn meniscus could really delay the start to my season. And I have phenominal new skis and boots!

[Alternative1]

Thanks everyone!!! We will check out Steamboat and Crested Butte also! We do not have any kids, so aren't too keen on going to Breck, Keystone, or Copper Mtn. We have already been to Lake Tahoe and Taos (we like to go somewhere different every year) and don't really want to travel as far as Canada. I am a Beginner/Intermediate skier, I usually take a lesson the first day (to get me back in the groove of things) and end up skiing the intermediate runs by the 2nd day.

[4Martini]

I love Winter Park which is on your way to Steamboat if you want some variety. There are some nice hot springs (hot sulpher and starberry beds in Steamboat.). Definitely worth checking out. Crested Butte is my favorite Colorado town, but the mountain is a little smaller and has a lot of challenging terrain. Steamboat has a ton of moderate terrain. Have a blast!

[clint]

I used to do tons of skiing. Because of the weird liquor laws and how spread out it is, skiing Utah wouldn't be my choice. I absolutely love Sun Valley; although there are plenty of steep runs, it is a big mountain and the majority of runs are very user friendly. Both Ketchum and Sun Valley are beautiful towns with lots of shopping and night life. Aspen is also great; love the skiing and town. Vail, meh. I spent a week in Crested Butte and fell in love with cross country skiing. Steamboat was also lots of fun. California has lots of snow; the problem at this point could be getting in to ski. Squaw Valley has fun skiing but again, it is an area that is very spread out.

[Indy]

Steamboat.
But I'm biased because that's where I'm from originally. I love it there, it's my heaven. It's a great resort and fun little town.

[atr]

Park City. 3 great resorts in one town, and only 45 minutes to the airport.

We are up to our eyeballs in snow and the liquor laws aren't on the whole that much wierder than a lot of other places I've been to... Things have loosened up quite a bit since the '80's.

We do know how to charge for stuff, though.