Where to go for first-time powder skiing??

[skiso]

I have never skied in deep, dry powder – mostly just NE ice and NW concrete – and would like to plan a trip to a good, low-key and user-friendly ski area in Utah or Colorado or similar for next year. We might be partial to places that don't have lots of snowboarders or families (no offense to either) but we are most interested in good skiing without a big commercial scene. (I have a soft spot for smaller places caught in a time warp, as well as blues and blacks without the black & blues!) Any divadvice would be most appreciated!

 

[altagirl]

Obviously the key is that you have to have some good luck or flexibility in travel dates to catch the weather. But Alta, Solitude and Powder Mountain all come to mind as fitting your desciption in Utah. You might have better luck at Powder Mountain as far as crowds go, but be warned that any of the resorts on the Wasatch Front/Park City will be a madhouse on a powder day - even midweek. Solitude is probably your next safest bet. Alta is crowded on powder days (weekdays aren't any better - it's like the whole valley must call in sick when it snows...) but there's a reason for it. And if you're going to stay on the Albion side, it'll be less crowded than if you're at Collins.

If you're looking outside of UT/CO - places like Brundage Mtn in Idaho come to mind (near McCall). I was there on a weekday this year. It was probably a couple days after it had snowed but we went to ski down a perfectly groomed corduroy run at about noon and there wasn't a single track on it yet. And even the old powder off the groomers was still in pretty good shape. I think that place is a gem as far as off the beaten path/mom and pop style ski areas go. I'd love to be there on a powder day - it just seems like it would be such a nice laid back atmosphere.

 

[Sheena]

Beaver Mountain, up near Logan, UT is also a very low-key, very uncrowded, very mom-and-pop resort. Sunday's tend to be family days, but it never gets crowded. The terrain is not as extreme as the SLC and Park City are resorts, but it is a fun place.

Plus, on days of big dumps, there were powder stashes still found at the end of the day. Plus, as a bonus for me, they keep some of their mellow blue runs un groomed often, which is good powder practice!

 

[Consuela]

Any body have thoughts on Whistler? I've not skied there, but it should be pretty close for her being in Seattle and all.

 

[altagirl]

Beaver Mountain, up near Logan, UT is also a very low-key, very uncrowded, very mom-and-pop resort. Sunday's tend to be family days, but it never gets crowded. The terrain is not as extreme as the SLC and Park City are resorts, but it is a fun place.

Plus, on days of big dumps, there were powder stashes still found at the end of the day. Plus, as a bonus for me, they keep some of their mellow blue runs un groomed often, which is good powder practice!

Good call - I forgot about that one.

 

[skiso]

Thanks for the great suggestions in Utah. It would be nice to explore the western states that we've not been to – it's just hard to know where to start. And even without deep powder the famously dry snow would be a real treat.

(We've skied at Whistler only once and we hope to go back, especially before it gets totally consumed by the Olympics.)

 

[SkiNurse]

Of course, it all depend on the weather!

Steamboat is my favorite for deep , champagne powder.

Copper, Vail & Beaver Creek also are all fabulous on a powder day.

What you want to look for is long runs with a bit of a pitch, where you can get a little bit of speed (yes, you have to have some speed in powder to keep a float!)

 

[skiso]

Of those in Colorado, which (if any) are the more relaxed? I've heard great things about Steamboat, especially.

 

[SkiNurse]

Vail & Beaver Creek are defintely more upscale.

Steamboat is not just a fantastic ski area, it is a "true" cowboy town. Most of the surrounding area are ranches.

 

[skiso]

That sounds even better!

 

[Jilly]

Whistler would be really weather dependant. And you would need to go Jan or early Feb. March you might even have to download from mid station. I'd vote for Utah or Colorado. Seen more there than in Whistler.

 

[Jilly]

What about Whitefish? Not crowded, lots of snow. Sibhusky??

 

[dloveski]

Lost Trail, MT.

Pow Mow, UT.

Deer Valley---believe it or not, the tree shots and bowls are great, as most of the ski tourists stay on the groomers, leaving some pretty awesome terrain untracked for the more adventurous.

Targhee-------------awesome.

 

[abc]

Actually, Whistler is probably your best bet. It being close enough to drop everything and head up there when the forecast is right.

Still, a trip to CO or UT is perfectly enjoyable in its own right. But there's no guarantee of powder though. Of most of my trips out west, I got a lot of "dusking" of a few inches. But only once did I luck out on a couple of FEET of snow. And needless to say, I struggle miserably... :(

 

[LilaBear]

Whistler is an unbelievable ski resort for a vacation, they know how to have a good time, the Village is excellent, the learning in motion ski programs provide challenging, explorative and interesting skiing, and the terrain is extensive with something for everyone. One treat is the Glacier run down the back of Blackcombe - I can't remember the length but it's something like 13 miles of run out - i.e. in the silence on the backside of the mountain, no lifts, no cars, just beautiful nature - so it's like backcountry and perfectly achievable by even low level intermediates.

BUT, Whistler is so close to the coast that they do not get the "champagne" powder of the rockies. It tends to be wetter and heavy, hard work when it's pristine and even harder work when it's chopped up. It still makes for tremendous fun and whooping it up. In my eight years of going to Whistler we probably had "powder" in any quantity on two occasions, and yes I did miss the season just passed when they had the best snow conditions in memory.

So if you are going to travel a fair distance with the sole objective of true powder skiing then Utah and Colorado would provide the best experience of powder. Nowhere is going to have any guarantee of dumping it while you're there ....

 

[EGose]

Bridger or Big Sky in Montana...both have great trail options and the off-piste can be AMAZING. We poached up last week when Bridger got like 2 feet of fresh pow and it was one of the best ski days all season. We hit the top and it was like a blizzard, but it soon cleared and left nothing but powder and sun behind.

 

[ski diva]

New here and already rubbing in your late season skiing????

I'm jealous!

Sounds like a great day.

Welcome!

 

[SnowHot]

A couple places I have on my short list for future ski destinations are SnowBasin and Aspen/Snowmass/Highlands. I've heard great things about both, but don't see them discussed here, yet

Oh, and Welcome EGose!

 

[powderpaula]

Powder Skiing

The best powder skiing and low-key atmosphere within striking distance of Seattle is probably Red Mountain and Big Red Cats, which is right on the border, about 2.5 hours north of Spokane.
Big Red Cats is the only cat skiing operation that offers separate intermediate, advanced, and expert tours - so if you don't have a lot of powder experience, you can take the intermediate trip, go at your own pace, and get powder skiing tips from the guides (and a helpful hand if you fall in the deep snow and lose a ski or something).

Best of all, there's a LADIES HALF PRICE special if you book by 30 September, bring a partner at the regular rate, and come between 2-15 Jan. Your "partner" can even ski in the expert cat while you stay in the intermediate cat, (or vice versa), if you're one of those "just because I'll sleep with you doesn't mean I'll ski with you" couples.

So, I'd ski at Red Mountain, and get used to the open glades in the "mini-bowls" runs in the Paradise area for a couple of days, and then try a day of intermediate cat skiing.

Red is inland just far enough that it gets light snow, but not so far inland that it gets extremes in temperature. The best things though are that you can drive there in 6 hours and that they get 35-40 feet of fresh every season.

 

[powderpaula]

Oh yeah - if you have a "soft spot" for places that are stuck in the past, you'll love the town of Rossland as well, it was a turn of the century gold-rush town, and hasn't changed much, except that the old firehall is now a jazz and wine bar, but that's a good thing, I think.