Suggestions for family trip next March on a TIGHT budget? - Page 3

Did you consider Snow King in Jackson hole or Targhee? 

I agree that most people at the level of those in your party pay for more mountain than they need, but it's nice for them/you to be in a "ski town" when they are limited in the amount of skiing than can do in a day and possibly needing days off in between. Having a lot of non-skiing options of things to do right there is great.

But hey, it's vacation, I'm sure you all will enjoy it regardless of where you go! Have fun!

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Giles 

I did look at several "Season Pass" options, and they all seemed to be far more expensive than three days' worth of ski tickets, so that didn't seem to make sense (knowing that we wouldn't return to that same resort in the same season after our late-March trip). 

Sorry if I wasn't totally clear.  At many resorts, when you buy next season's pass in the spring, you get to ski the rest of the current season for free.  That gives you the opportunity to go back to the same resort the following season with your tickets already covered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Giles 

 

 we plan to cook most meals in the condo (my wife is a gourmet cook).  

 

David

That changes everything.  Plan a trip to Stevens Pass and Mt Baker.  You can stay at my house. 

I'm late to this discussion, but I dispute this statement.

Late season reliability is not rocket science.  It's mostly about altitude and exposure.  There is regional context, so sure altitude has to be higher in the Southwest than in Canada or the interior Northwest.  Nonetheless Brian Head's base is at 9,700 feet, which is as high as anywhere in North America.  High enough that altitude sensitive people will have a problem there for 2-3 days.  If that's you, consider a Diamox prescription, which solved that problem for my ex-wife who was fine at 8,000 foot resorts like Mammoth and Vail but not at 9,000+ in Crested Butte or Taos.  BH exposure is mostly east and west I think (my day there was in 1986), should be OK at that altitude.  It is a small mountain, agree you shouldn't be there a whole week.  Bryce and Zion are quite close, I've been in that area after my spring ski trips the last 2 seasons.  If your family has had enough skiing after 2-3 days, that's an attractive option to have. 

I have mentioned in numerous threads that staying in SLC and skiing the Cottonwoods is the best quality for value skiing we have in North America.  I will tell you to avoid Snowbird unlike our Florida beginner poster a couple of years back.  Alta and Brighton you should enjoy especially if you get in some mileage at Brian Head first.  Solitude is OK, but like one of the posters mentioned you may be confined to the lower mountain.  All of Cottonwood resorts are pretty solid bets for late March.  Park City is not.  The lower mountain, which has a lot of the easy terrain, is very sloppy on warm days in spring.

Other places mentioned?   Big Sky/Moonlight is very good for beginners/low intermediates IMHO.  My reservations about late season are more directed at advanced skiers on the upper mountain south facing terrain.  I will once again remind people that Yellowstone is always closed in late March though.  I'm not sure that Bridger is that great a beginner recommendation. It's also considerably lower than Big Sky/Moonlight.  

The front side of Whitefish faces south, which to me is always a big red flag for late March.  Read sibhusky's notes, snow conditions are all over the map.  Go there in Jan/Feb, learn to deal with the fog and enjoy much more reliable snow.   Schweitzer has a somewhat similar profile to Whitefish.  It's backside better exposed terrain is a bigger part of the mountain than at Whitefish but it's not for beginners.  I had my first day at Silver last February.  It's predominantly north facing, likely one of the better late season places in that part of the country.

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Giles 

Made a slight alteration to our reservations.  Instead of Sunday thru Thursday nights, I changed the reservation to Saturday thru Wednesday night.  Still five nights at Brian Head but that leaves us more time at the end of the week.  I'm being optimistic and hoping that we can afford to spend Thu, Fri, and Sat in SLC for some Cottonwoods action.   

 

David

Hope it works out for you!

The La Quinta in Midvale is a good deal.  Free hot breakfast plus a pool with a hot tub.  Can get a fridge/microwave for an extra $10/night.

I know I'm late to the party, but you might want to see what states offer free skiing for kids. Some states offer free lift tickets to kids in 4th grade or 5th grade. You have to pay a nominal fee for the processing and you get vouchers or something. They usually ask for a report card to verify grade enrollment. This may help you contain your costs. YMMV.

Also, if you consider flying into SLC, you could think about making last minute reservations. That way, you could somewhat see who has the better snow and might be able to get a deal.

I'm not sure that doing things like snowmobiling and the like are going to be any money savers. You'll obviously check on that.

The more ski school the better, especially since they've not really skied much before.

Sorry to be so late to this thread.  I own a three bedroom condo at Aspens--not quite ski in ski out, but a 150 yard walk across the parking lot to Giant steps.  I could've hooked you up. To get to the beginner terrain on the Navajo side, you have to ride a shuttle or traverse over from the top of Wildflower anyway.  Late season conditions are usually quite good, with March often bringing the most snow of the season.  I've seen good conditions in June, though the lifts were closed.  It's a great place for a family (we have four kids) and the ski school is pretty good, staffed mostly with fresh faced kids from Southern Utah University in Cedar.  We liked the SkiWee program for little guys.  There's not much there gnarly enough to get your kids in trouble and the area's not so big that they're easy to lose.  Dining options are sparse; best calories per dollar is at Pizzano's in the mall, skier's right from the Blackfoot chair at the Giant Steps base.  Rent your stuff at Georg's, the shop at the base of the Wildfower lift.  Their gear is better maintained and cheaper.  If you're lucky enough to get a powder day, have George or Robbie or Danny hook you up with some demo powder skiis and give it  a try.  At that altitude, the snow is pretty fluffy and there are  lots of reasonably sloped places to plunge off into the soft stuff.    BH is not thrillsville and definitely lacks any sustained steeps, but it's a great place for the family.  I don't know if anyone up on the mountain is doing snowmobile tours this year, but it's worth going if they're running.  The terrain around Cedar Breaks is spectacular.  For a change up, rent some snowshoes or xc gear and  hike into the Park Service's yurt at Cedar Breaks.    Zions would be deserted this time of year and well worth a trip if you've never been there.  It's about 90 minutes from BH.  If it's dumping, you will need 4wd or chains to get up the canyon.  The last 3-4 miles of the climb are pretty steep with a big switchback at the top and lots of clueless Vegas Drivers clogging the road.  We love BH--you should have a great time.

We have four kids, so I feel your pain. I've so far managed to keep them off drugs and snowboards! What condo are you staying at?  I'm not aware of any true SI/SO properties on the Navajo side, unless you're up to some bushwhacking.  Cedar Breaks is closed to vehicles in Winter, but you can get there with a snowmobile or on snowshoes or XC.  You can even see a piece of it from the Giant Steps lift.  

I'm not aware of any pass deals this year; the resort just got a new owner who has upped season pass prices; not sure about the Terrible Herbst deal, but I'll try to let you know it they do it again this year.  brianhead.com usually contains info on discounts and events as well.

Have a wonderful time and contact me with any more questions as your trip gets closer.

Dan Curriden

No problem--you definitely get a "good Dad" award.  Those are pretty nice condos, but the ski out is easier than the ski in!

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Giles we plan to cook most meals in the condo (my wife is a gourmet cook). 

Very late response but we have 4 kids and prefer the 2BR/2BA condo for all our vacations, not just ski.  You may already know this but keep in mind that these "fully equipped" kitchens are not really fully equipped for people like your wife and me who gourmet cook.  There are enough plates, bowls, silverware and stuff to eat with, but your "fully equipped" kitchen will most likely have one saucepan, one 8-10 in. frying pan, one larger pot, maybe 2 flimsy kitchen spoons to cook/saute with, one can opener, and maybe a whisk.  Knives are usually of the steak or paring type--no chef's knife to appropriately cut up meat or veggies.  All grocery store--not All-Clad/Caphalon--quality, meaning cooking spoons that bend when you are turning potatoes and rice so there is uneven cooking.  It makes for very frustrating cooking unless you are planning on bringing or buying better kitchen utensils at the store (I never thought it was worth it).  We end up "cooking" pasta with jarred sauces with precooked frozen meatballs, grilling pre-marinated meats, buying veggies already prepped and cut up or frozen, or just getting a roasted chicken, tortillas, salad in a bag and making chicken wraps, etc.  One condo had salt and pepper but I've otherwise never had anything else in the condos, so the spice rack that your wife is used to in her pantry is not going to be there, unless again, you go through the expense of buying it all when you get there.  Have rarely even seen sugar for coffee (good thing I don't take sugar in my coffee).  All electric stoves so far that we have had.  One baking sheet usually and one grilling sheet for the oven.  You'd have to buy stuff like foil and oil and it just gets really expensive.  

Don't get me wrong--I am fully grateful for these kitchens but your meals may not be exactly gourmet.    Just fyi for your wife from a fellow cook.

If you 12 year old is in 6th grade this year, you can use the Utah ski passport program - it's great for 6th graders  (and remember the amazing 5th grade program for your 8 year old for the future):

http://www.skiutah.com/winter/deals/deals/passports

Brighton - definitely for your family level.  Nothing like being able to ski down from the top of the mountain to build confidence and great views.  We've been to Solitude 9 years in a row and ski at Brighton every year.  So obviously we love Solitude but it's very restricted for green/lower blue skiers because most of the blues above the lower mountain offer inexperienced skiers quite a challenge, and even the lower mountain into the village is more pitch than elsewhere.  Brighton has great long gentle greens and a wide wide range of very manageable blues.