top-10 best value ski resorts
Dec 03 '99
What are you getting for your hard earned dollar… long lines, frozen moguls fields that are so firm your teeth fall out, and a ten year bank loan just to buy lunch? Where can you find awesome skiing without having to sell a kidney or marry an Arab to pay for it?
It's possible to beat the system. There's powder out there and you needn't hire a helicopter to shred it. There's short affordable vacations, or complete lifestyle makeovers that even the poorest dishwasher can afford. You just have to know where to look:
1. ALTA- Always the king, Alta swept up the votes like a tornado. Could it be the sweetest, lightest powder on the planet (500 inches a year), the duct-tape culture (show up in a Bogner and you'll be run out of town), the nearby, inexpensive Salt Lake City amenities, or the adventurous, challenging terrain? All for a $27 lift ticket! If you get lucky and win the seasons-pass lottery, ski a whole winter for $675. Alta is soul, brother!
2. MAD RIVER- Famous ski movie star-Rob Deslauriers, calls Mad River "the most bitchin little ski spot ever". There's rocks, frozen waterfalls and narrow tree skiing to give you that groovy expert feeling. Not only do they have the best terrain in New England, they also have the lowest lift prices. A midweek ticket costs $26 a day, $30 on the weekend. Juniors get to rip for and even $20. Unlike most eastern areas, they offer both morning and afternoon half-day lift tickets.
3. BRIGHTON- Picture staying in a cheap Salt Lake hotel, traveling on public buses to Brighton, paying only $29 a day to ski, and your two under-age-10 kids get to ski free. You could be riding on the creamiest Utah powder for under ten bucks! If your legs aren't wobbly after a full day, check out night skiing for only $20- kids free again. What a great way to burn some of their incessant energy, AND keep them off the street.
4. SOLITUDE- Re-read the Brighton paragraph, eliminate the night skiing, take a few bucks off the price of a ticket (???), and you have Solitude. Here's another reason to worship both resorts: they don't suffer from long lift lines, even on a powder day! Both Solitude and Brighton have excellent out-of-bounds skiing if you possess snow sense and intrigue, but Solitude offers better in-bounds advanced skiing, and has the third longest vertical drop in Utah.
5. BANFF/LAKE LOUISE- Winter is actually the off-season for this resort. During the summer, massive tourist migration plagues Banff. In the winter, you can see this stunning National Park area with few crowds, good snow and $42 lift tickets. Sounds expensive- but that's Canadian dollars bozo!, which roughly translates back to (uhm… gee, carry the one…) ta da! 31 bucks! Kids ski for US$11. An adult unlimited seasons pass is just over US$400.
6. SNOW BASIN- Putting the word "snow" or "sun" in a resort name is risky- nature doesn't always cooperate. On a bad day, tourists might be confused: "Hey! This isn't the way it looked in the brochure!?" But Snow Basin doesn't have to worry- the light Utah powder is always there. And it stays! Unlike popular, crowded resorts, it doesn't get tracked in the first hour, sometimes it stays good for weeks after the last storm. (Note: not all resorts in the Salt Lake area get 500+ inches a year-it's dependent upon placement). Tickets are $27 a day (?).
7. GRAND TARGHEE-Want to ski snow from heaven, not hoses? Then check out Grand Targhee. The place offers the ultimate equation: extremely consistent and high quality snow + fun natural cornices, bumps and glades + cheap $36/day tickets = a spankin' good time. But wait! There's more! Throw in two new high speed quads to end crowded lift lines, or try a snowcat adventure ($195/day) for an unusual powdery time. All this just one hour from Jackson Hole.
8. BRIDGER BOWL- Happily stuck next to summer Meccas Yellowstone National Park and Bozeman, Montana- winter is the off season. Translation: winter is therefore cheap! And check this out, "We are operated as a non-profit corporation and our charter specifies that we provide a quality ski experience at an affordable price" says the marketing director… Non-profit? In the ski industry? Now that's something! We should erect a shrine and pray thanks to Allah for this miracle! Journey there for the $28 lift tickets or a $395 unlimited seasons pass.
9. FERNIE-Want to know what heli-skiing is like without the expense of the helicopter? Then check out Fernie. They regularly get pounded with snow, and have no crowds. Be creative and hike away from the lifts for that truly alone-and loving-it-in-the-mountains feeling. Ticket prices kick everyone's butt- $25 US a day. Plus they offer a unique US$211 one month pass. Season passes are ridiculously low at US$311 for an adult, teens $200, and $89 for a child.
10. RED MOUNTAIN-Canada comes through again with the butt-kicking exchange rate, cheap tickets, small crowds and an all-natural laid back, ski experience. Leave your fur hat and high heels at home. Red Mountain is skiing the way it used to be and the way it should be! Snub the glamour of the see-and-be-seen ski culture and instead search for excellent snow. At Red Mtn. the temperature is consistently between 15-27 degrees Fahrenheit, so the snow remains excellent between storms. An adult lift ticket costs US$28.
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Epinions.com ID:
kristenulmer
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Member: Kristen Ulmer
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 91 members
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