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Which resort?

Sheena

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
2017 will be 10 years of marriage for my husband and I. A month after we got married my DH moved to Utah and i followed a month after that. We never had a honeymoon (i know first world problems). So we decided to celebrate 10 years by going on a ski vacation without kids. We are thinking of the following options:

Crested butte
Schweitzer
Bridger bowl
Sun valley

Wants: good skiing but also nice apres ski options.

We prefer to drive so airport access is not really a concern.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
Schweitzer doesn't say honeymoon to me and while Sand Point is a nice enough town and there are a few decent restaurants/bars, it's half hour or so down the mountain.

Sun Valley does, staying at the lodge (not the inn). It's really quite romantic and the hot pool is by far the best of any I've ever seen. The sleigh ride is beautiful, that would be fun on a honeymoon. I am very biased as it's my favorite ski town/area.

I think those are all really different ski mountains. If the skiing itself is the #1 thing, I bet you can come up with a choice that way. I bet some would say Bridger for the best skiing. Bozeman also doesn't say honeymoon to me, but maybe that part is secondary.
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
I was going to mention to talk to @Christy regarding Sun Valley. I was there many years ago and thought it was a great mountain with fun apres ski. Keep in mind that the runs are rated a bit off as many blues are blacks in other areas. I loved my week at Sun Valley as met a great group from the Bay Area and had a blast. Also was in my early 30's....
I have also spent time at Crested Butte... wonderful mountain and cool ice bar but sadly got the flu. Big time... But great great reliable snow and once again steeper runs than most areas. But when I wasn't sick with 102 fever had a blast !!!!
 

Sheena

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have been initially leaning toward sun valley. We get free lift tickets at all of those resorts with our Snow Basin passes so that helps.

I thought I had heard the opposite about Sun Valley - that the black runs were more like blues.??
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I have been initially leaning toward sun valley. We get free lift tickets at all of those resorts with our Snow Basin passes so that helps.

I thought I had heard the opposite about Sun Valley - that the black runs were more like blues.??
Sun Valley was also my first thought, but I haven't been to CB or Schweitzer. The town of Ketchum is full of good restaurants and bars. The SV Lodge would definitely qualify as a honeymoon destination.

SV is quite different from the other major resorts I've skied at. On the one hand, the green and blue groomers are pretty steep. Folks who are used to the greens at Snowbasin would consider SV greens more like blues. But at the same time, you won't find anything like the double-blacks at Snowbird or the hike-to terrain at Snowbasin. The reality is that SV depends a lot on snowmaking and good grooming, so the groomers will always be good in the morning. Can be icy down the center by the afternoon. As for the off-piste terrain, can be pretty crusty in between snowstorms.

If I was taking a trip to SV with a little extra time, would be interested in checking out the Soldier Mountain cat skiing. There is also a yurt that is $125/night for cat skiing folks.

https://www.soldiermountain.com/snow-cat--yurt.html

Here's a Sun Valley trip report from last season. When we were there, going off into the trees was not worth much. Pretty much skied off. The open bowl skiing wasn't that much fun either, pretty much frozen crud. That said, was a fun way to warm up before heading to Alta and Aspen.

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/sun-valley-jan-27-28-2016.20416/
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
For adventurous advanced skiers, Bridger beats Sun Valley hands down. Assuming interested in skiing off the ridge. Not as much of an effort as before since the Schlashman's lift was installed. Need a beacon although the area is actively patrolled.

If I were driving up to Bridger from SLC, would seriously consider stopping at Grand Targhee for a day or two.
 

sibhusky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Actually, if you're looking at Schweitzer, then why not Whitefish? Our town is cute, and convenient to the mountain. There's certainly a choice of upscale hotels.. Plenty of restaurants. For a honeymoon, I'd push the hotels closer to or in town, rather than the mountain, due to more nightlife, but I've seen trip reports from Kandahar that make it sound nice. You'd have a car, so everything would be available to you.

When you say "good skiing", what does that mean? Groomers? Steeps? Moguls? Trees? One person's paradise is another person's hell.
 

W8N2SKI

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I adore Sun Valley. I've skied there 5 times and would go back in a heartbeat. The last two trips I was with my mom and it was still romantic.:wink:

That said, conditions can be dicey. Snowfall is unreliable and while their snowmaking operation is good, it can't do everything. As others have said, the mountain is more challenging than others I've skied (greens are blues, etc.), and the off-piste options are limited.

If, on the other hand, you like good front side cruisers, beautiful lodges, old-world charm, and upscale dining/night life, you can't go wrong IMHO.
 
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marzNC

Angel Diva
Actually, if you're looking at Schweitzer, then why not Whitefish? Our town is cute, and convenient to the mountain. There's certainly a choice of upscale hotels.. Plenty of restaurants. For a honeymoon, I'd push the hotels closer to or in town, rather than the mountain, due to more nightlife, but I've seen trip reports from Kandahar that make it sound nice. You'd have a car, so everything would be available to you.

When you say "good skiing", what does that mean? Groomers? Steeps? Moguls? Trees? One person's paradise is another person's hell.
The initial list is based on the perks that go with a Snowbasin season pass. That means 3 days (Sun-Fri, a few blackouts) at Crested Butte, Bridger, and Schweitzer because of the Powder Alliance, plus 5 days at Sun Valley because the same company owns SV and Snowbasin. There is also a discounted room rate at the Sun Valley Inn.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Didn't glom that. Three days here would be an extra $210 or less (Costco brings it down to roughly $150) per person. Not sure of lodging pricing vs the others.
For Bridger can find lodging ranging from really cheap motels to luxury hotels in Bozeman. I stayed in a motel on the road to Bridger for something like $50 a few years ago. Essentially no lodging at Bridger since it's mostly a non-profit for locals. But with 2000 acres, it's not a small place. The Best Western we stayed at Jan 2016 in Ketchum was about $120/night, including breakfast, right on free bus route only 1 stop from the main SV base.
 

sibhusky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Since this was a honeymoon, I was assuming that a $50 place wouldn't be in the cards. I haven't stayed for that little in Bozeman for a while, but then I haven't been there during winter for a while. Maybe it's still possible. But I think $70-80 would be more likely.
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
Think Sun Valley would be a great honeymoon spot. Aspen too.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
Everything said about SV snow conditions is true. Baldy is surrounded by higher mountains all around, so it's like the donut hole and just doesn't snag as much snow. There are backcountry ski guides that will take people to area locales that do get more snow, and you don't need backcountry experience. One of these years I'll do this...
https://sawtoothguides.com/trips/sun-valley-backcountry-skiing/
https://visitsunvalley.com/things-to-do/snowsports/backcountry-heli-skiing

You and I both live near good skiing, and that's probably why the chance of iffy snow doesn't bother me. I can ski anytime at home. But my local ski areas don't have the amenities and historic charm/character of SV, a great town like Ketchum, or the lack of crowds. Also my bathroom at home doesn't have 6 rooms like the bathrooms at the SV lodge, lol.
 

Gloria

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have been initially leaning toward sun valley. We get free lift tickets at all of those resorts with our Snow Basin passes so that helps.

I thought I had heard the opposite about Sun Valley - that the black runs were more like blues.??
I would agree with this on blacks vs blues. Sun Valley has alot of long falline groomers, some long bump runs for sure. IF they get enough snow, I can see where there is likely some good trees, powder, cliffs that could be fun. They havent gotten much snow in the past several years. I would say though, the skiing is good enough, not the best but still fun. I do think the town would be on the top of the list provided though. Crested Butte would be the best of both worlds. Bridger would be at the bottom of my list for what you want. Lodging is all pretty much hotels, nothing special and not the charm of the resorts. It would be a better place to take a trip than a special occasion.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
I thought I had heard the opposite about Sun Valley - that the black runs were more like blues.??

Mmm...people tend to talk about how steep the mountain is. The black runs at SV are very typical blacks IMO (at least where I ski--Crystal, Whistler). I can't think of any that are like blues. They groom one or two black runs. Most of the bowls are black though there are a couple blue routes. People looove those bowls. The green runs on Baldy are very steep for green runs--even experienced skiers routinely ski the Seattle Ridge area, which is all green. There is no shame in skiing the green at SV and everyone does it. It's kind of funny, I think there has to be less difference between the pitch of the green runs and the pitch of the black runs on Baldy than any other area. The blues are pretty steep for blues, but not crazy. Some of the blues would be black elsewhere.

Anyone who is a solid intermediate will have plenty to ski at SV. I think even low intermediates would have a fine time.
 

Skisailor

Angel Diva
I don't think Bozeman cries out "honeymoon" necessarily - but it does have luxury accommodations and lots of good restaurants of every variety. The way the downtown area is decorated for winter gives it a cozy welcoming feel.

Bridger Bowl is a wonderful ski area with great terrain. Just be forewarned that the lifts are slow and the weekend days are very crowded with locals - lots of families and kids and lesson groups. Weekdays are the way to go at Bridger.

FYI - Bohart Ranch X-country center is just a mile or so from Bridger Bowl if you wanted to add a day of X-country skiing.

And if you opt for Bozeman/Bridger, you really have to treat yourself to at least one day at Big Sky! It's a pretty amazing place and will be boasting 2 important new lifts this season. I can't imagine a Montana ski vacation without a visit to Big Sky! It's an hour from Bozeman by car.

I'd be happy to provide you with skiing advice and info if you decide to head up there. :smile:
 

Christy

Angel Diva
@Sheena let me know if you want food or lodging advice. If you are flexible on dates and want to stay at the Lodge, which is very honeymoon-ish, troll the website for the less expensive dates. And know that they don't put all their rooms up online--I have noticed that sometimes they only seem to have the more expensive suites available online, but if I call voila they do have the regular rooms (which are still very nice and large). You might get a discount there with your Snowbasin pass.
 

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