What's A Good Off The Beaten Path Ski Resort?
 

I went to Silver Creek Colorado back in the '80s it was O.K.


PhilFree:arrow:

There's a big hill somewhere in Indiana or someplace (there's a motel nearby with fresh pie you can have for breakfast) that they cover with fake snow when necessary and they rent skis and stuff. It's close to where Larry Byrd was born and there's an old hotel near there where the old mafia dons used to hang out and drink hootch.

FAX

French Lick? I was thinking out west.


PhilFree:arrow:

Monarch

Monarch.....Colorado?

PhilFree:arrow:

Well, that makes it tougher. All the old ski resorts I used to love have been completely overrun and no longer qualify as "off the beaten path". Jackson Hole, Big Horn, Pine Creek, Park City, Beaver Mountain ... they're all over-crowded and over-commercialized, it seems like ...

So, that makes this a great thread for me. I'd love to know an out-of-the-way, nice place.

FAX

Big Sky and Moonlight Basin. Different sides of a pretty great mountain in MT. Big Sky is moderately popular but much less so than Colorado resorts.

What kind of terrain are you looking for?

Wolf Creek?

you are correct. sir.

Unless it has changed since I was there a few seasons ago, Moonlight Basin could be what you are looking for.

Not to rough. I haven't been sking in many years I want to take my daughter who's never been skiing. She's been on skis but it was at Snow Bluff if you've ever heard of that.

PhilFree:arrow:

Crestted butte colorado
Mt. Bachelor oregon

Awesome = http://www.utah.com/ski/resorts/powder_mtn.htm

Should have also asked what time of year you were going and if weekend or weekday skiing.

They have lower areas for learning. Both have their lower areas to learn like every resort but are more know for their steeper stuff. Big Sky does have some great wide open cruisers.

Eldora ski resort near Boulder. Its a small, no frills place but the price is right and its easy to get to. You can usually park near the lifts so not much walking. Roads are decent and you can usually zip in and out pretty quickly. It really sucks spending hours at a time waiting on I-70 to get in and out of the big name resorts. I-70 west of the Eisenhower tunnel turns into a big parking lot on the weekends during ski season. Anymore though, wherever we go, we usually go out during the week to avoid the higher traffic.

Red Lodge just about 50 miles from Cody WY, and 90 miles from Billings MT.

I still dig A-basin. It's amidst all the others so traffic can be nasty going through the tunnel depending on if the pass is closed, but it's nice... has some killer runs... and is independently owned. I'm heading to Steamboat for the weekend. Never been. My friends that are there now are loving it, and they are major powder snobs. I'll let you know what I think.

Just leave fairly early on the weekends and ski though lunch to be done before the crowd to head back and it is no big deal.

Big fan of A-Basin as well. Much of the terrain there is stuff you ride a few lifts for at other ski areas. The lack of parking since the opening of the backside has been pretty annoying though but not a problem if you get there early enough.

Been awhile, but Beaver Creek - while it is on the same beaten path as all the other main colorado resorts, it had a very off the path feel to it.

I've never seen too many skiers in 29 Palms.

Beaver Creek is great. It is just far enough from Denver and expensive enough to stay in the area to keep crowds down but not much of a drive from Dillon/Silverthorn. More of a premium resort vibe than an off the path.

My friends have told me Montana is great because there's nobody there.

That depends where you go.

When I was into skiing, I really liked Bridger Bowl.

http://bridgerbowl.com/

I'm a big fan of the weekday trips on most any resorts(except for certain holidays of course) Crowds tend to be smallish and you can get as many runs as you want. On a fresh single day trip(because your legs are done after so much), I've cleared 25-30 runs and probably between 35-50K vertical feet. If you can swing the weekday don't worry about the crowd and pick a place you like. Personally I'd rather pick a great mountain on a weekday than a marginal one on a weekend.

In the 80's silver creek was a good place to bring a chick back to the hot tub.

http://www.bozemannet.com/ski_resorts/

All three have been mentioned.

Stay in Bozeman and hit all three.

Thank you all for your input.


PhilFree:arrow:

Mt. Rose in Tahoe is a great little place. In fact, I prefer it to the bigger, better known ski areas in Tahoe.

This. Monarch is a great place without the crowds.

Sunlight is nice and family oriented. Stay in Glenwood Springs and enjoy a dip in the hotsprings after skiing.

Always will be my favorite resort
http://www.killington.com/winter/index.html


Really want to get away?
Come to da rock B'y!!!

http://skimarble.com/

Angel Fire - New Mexico

Loveland is actually a fun place and is right on the highway. Not really anyplace to stay there though.
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Telluride Colorado. Awesome.

I learned to ski at Beaver Creek back when the base camp was an inflated building. My first wife's nephew worked there, so we got a good go around of the place. Of course the atmosphere is much different now, but I just loved the runs and the layout of the main mountain.

Got my "Beaver Liquors" t-shirt at the local liquor store. All that's gone now.

The Missus and I go to Georgetown, CO once a year. Nice little town, about 10 miles east of Loveland. Here's the spot:

http://www.hotelchateauchamonix.com/

When Bob Dole lived in Vegas, he'd head up to Brian Head, Utah most Saturday mornings during season. It's just a 3 hour drive.

Spokane.

Alta.

Utah powder

Very little Park City tourists.

Used to live 20 minutes from there. Wish I still did. :(

I hear summitting Everest and then skiing down is a killer.

Badgirls cooter. If you can dodge the brush and trash barrels.

If ya come up to Bozeman, shoot me a pm. We can get a beer!

Taos Ski Valley

http://www.skitaos.org/


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taos_ski_valley

When I first learned to Ski we went to Winter Park - it was great place to learn and not as crowded as Breck / Copper Mountain / A-Baisn. The lift tickets were really reasonable too - if you stopped in Denver and bought them at King Soopers.

I take the family to Vail now since we can stay at the Marriott for free (Reward points) - it's great and all but not near the value I thought Winter Park was

I lived in Crested Butte for a couple years out of HS. It used to be called the Great Unknown.

there are awesome places to eat as well as many different trail levels.

In Crested Butte Donita's Cantina is The best mexican fare ever. The Bakery Cafe is wonderful for sandwiches. The Wooden Nickel is a great burger joint and club scene.

In Mt. Crested Butte (actual ski area) there are awesome mountainside places.

The resort is very beautiful too

Heh well if you snowboard no alta for you. I'm sure it's a great mountain but I'm betting like snowbird it's for pretty advanced only fyi.

I've been to snowbird, very legit very challenging mountain. To some degree we didn't entirely respect the reputation we had heard. We went there on the fourth day in a row averaging 15+ runs a day prior. Tough mountain but fun. Just don't go to the mountain tired, it will eat you alive.

FYP