I’ve never been snow skiing. Give me the details on where to go, cost expectations, where to stay, travel, etc. family trip, 3 kids. I would love to go if my 3rd side hustle as the Asst. to the Lowe’s corporate manager of team building can stand it. My new boss is an ******* though
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- Thread starter HulksStache
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Most expensive family vacation that you will ever take within the continental United States.
Most definitely especially if you add in the cost of knee surgery and PT afterwards.
Everyone is different but I can’t imagine a worse enjoyment ROI than a ski’ing vacation. I’ve been twice and don’t care if I ever go again.
If youve never been and live in MS or East of MS, go to Snowshoe WV. Its less expensive than going out west, but gives you a good enough taste to see if you like it. If you do, then you can spend more and go out west.
If you’ve never skiied, don’t halfass it.
Do not plan to just spend a day to see if you like it. It is a Multi Day investment.
Give it several days. Maybe even a week.
(Yes, you’ll be spending even more money than you thought.)
If you still hate it after a week, then you’re not going to like it at all.
Oh. And if you’re an Average Six Packer, one thing to note: If you’re a heavy guy, you’ll be going down the mountain faster than others.
I just loved that piece of information at my first (and only) lesson. **
Yeah, I probably should have stuck around for more but the lesson was a Christmas gift.
"Where to go" The beach or mountains in summer, somewhere you won't have to be wet and cold on purpose and most likely hurt some part of your body
"Cost Expectations" As 'Willow Grove Dawg" says in another reply, its very expensive so just don't
"Where to stay" The Caymans are my favorite, followed closely by British Virgin Islands, except during hurricane season. Winter is awesome time to go down there and no hurricanes.
If you haven't noticed, I hate the snow and skiing so there......................
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-It is a lot of fun, but very expensive.
-With 3 kids, I highly recommend you stay somewhere very convenient to the base of the mountain. Either a ski in/ski out or somewhere within easy walking distance of the lifts.
-I'd recommend a full day of ski school for all the first timers. A half a day at the very least.
-Last place I went was Park City, UT, and it was awesome. Great skiing and a really cool town at the base of the mountain.
-If cost is no object, then I would recommend Whistler in Canada. The drive up from Vancouver is beautiful and it is an awesome mountain and resort.
If i were going to die tomorrow, i would ski today and in the morning. I love it.
it is expensive, but there are hidden gems that aren’t crazy. If you “must” have ski in/ski out, you’ll mortgage your house. If your willing to stay in a hotel, not bad
look at Wolf Creek, Co. some of the best skiing in Colorado and is the last privately owned mountain. Really cheap too.
it is expensive, but there are hidden gems that aren’t crazy. If you “must” have ski in/ski out, you’ll mortgage your house. If your willing to stay in a hotel, not bad
look at Wolf Creek, Co. some of the best skiing in Colorado and is the last privately owned mountain. Really cheap too.
Park City and Solitude, UT were two of my favorite ski trips. Super convenient to Salt Lake City too, so no long drive from the airport and you can go into town for dinner if you want to get out of the resort for the evening.
Ah the memories. I did a LOT of water skiing as a teenager and young adult, so I figured I would be a natural for snow skiing. WRONG! I got on the beginner slope and started down, applying my water skiing instincts to lean backwards. I would go a couple of feet and fall backwards. Repeat above all the way down. Couldn't change.
The Rockies are way better skiing than the east coast. You should have more snow and longer ski trails. The East caost is gonna be much cheaper but I found it less appealing. You go down a short run only to have to get on the lift and do it again. Also less snow on the trails the times I've been on the east coast. We were at Snowshoe and the temp was right at 0 but still very little snow on the slopes. Not sure if it was warmer before we got there or if snow making capabiltiy was low.
Edited for Wolf Creek prices since I suggested it in another reply.
Lift ticket $100 per day per person
Ski & Boot Rentals $55 - $60 per day per person
Airfare to Colorado/Utah
Condo Rental - ski season weekly rates similar to Destin summer prices
Food on the mountain - prices similar to eating inside the park at Disney World.
Rental SUV - $75 per day
You can avoid airfare & rental car by driving, but you spend 40 hours round trip in a car (best case) from Jackson to Wolf Creek, more if going to western Colorado or Utah.
Everything associated with a family ski trip is crazy expensive.
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I have been skiing in 8-10 different locations in Colorado/Utah/New Mexico & Wolf Creek is way the best location that I have visited. Stay in Pagoosa Springs which is a really cool town & do to dinner in Durango a couple of evenings.
My only experience with skiing was when I was going through cold weather training in Northern Japan. It wasn't fun. Heavy cold weather clothing, white camouflage over it, M16A2, 782 gear, Mikey mouse boots with strap on skis. It sucked.
I have snow skied one time in my life and that was on the slopes of Mt. Erebus just outside of McMurdo, Antarctica. The opportunity just hasn't presented itself anywhere else. I probably would do it again if the opportunity presents itself.
This. Since the questioner posts here on 6P, there is a greater than 90 % chance that he is an obese, completely out of shape slob having no business whatsoever engaging in any recreational activity more intense than casual sex. The questioner should go ahead now, before booking any travel, and have an orthopedic open a file and pre-schedule the procedure.
My parents got lucky, when at 17 I broke my clavicle on the slopes. I only had an ER visit, an x-ray, some hydrocodone, and this harness for a few weeks. The bone never quite healed back like it was supposed to, but no issues as I often forget that it happened.
This was January, and the ski patrol doc wanted to cut my MSU starter jacket, that I'd just received for Christmas. He seemed taken aback when I told him where he could shove those scissors. I dealt with the pain to get that jacket off intact.
When I went to have my skiing lesson at Squaw Valley, so many little kids were zooming around on skis.
I would not be surprised that those family ski trips would pay off for your classmate.
You might consider snowmobiles and snow tubing instead of skiing, they're both a ton of fun and the kids will have a blast. Added bonus you're not stressed out each day concerned about injuries to your family. A third option would be dog sledding. We have been to Winter Park, CO a number of times and found it to be relatively less expensive with good lodging.
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Just don't get fooled into trying cross country skiing. That sh*t is work. Dad made that mistake on our first ski trip. We didn't make that mistake again.
I've only been a few times but will say that Winter Park is easily my favorite so far. It has a lot of greens and easier blue slopes that you can get some speed on without having to be a great skier. I was able to ski down from both peaks without having to use a black slope and did it 2 days after ski school. Better skiers probably wouldn't like it as much but great for beginners.
Here's my take:
Waiting until I was 45 yrs old to start snow skiing is one regret I have in life. I absolutely love it and would go every winter if I could, but it is a tough hobby to have living in MS. I had only water skied once before, so did not have the issue of that impacting my learning. It took me a good day and a half to get off the beginner area. I'm not a great skier, never get on blacks, but get lots of enjoyment from the green and blue slopes. To me, it is a nice family trip. I haven't been in several years, and the next time will prob be when my grand kids are old enough to try it. I always enjoyed Keystone and Breckenridge, and you can ski both from one lodging. Think I would give the nod to Keystone for a first time. I have heard good things about Wolf Creek but have never been. Angel Fire in NM is not a bad drive and is decent, don't know much about staying in that area, as we drove over from Taos (I suggest do not go to Taos as beginners). I have never skied in eastern US, so have no knowledge of that.
Waiting until I was 45 yrs old to start snow skiing is one regret I have in life. I absolutely love it and would go every winter if I could, but it is a tough hobby to have living in MS. I had only water skied once before, so did not have the issue of that impacting my learning. It took me a good day and a half to get off the beginner area. I'm not a great skier, never get on blacks, but get lots of enjoyment from the green and blue slopes. To me, it is a nice family trip. I haven't been in several years, and the next time will prob be when my grand kids are old enough to try it. I always enjoyed Keystone and Breckenridge, and you can ski both from one lodging. Think I would give the nod to Keystone for a first time. I have heard good things about Wolf Creek but have never been. Angel Fire in NM is not a bad drive and is decent, don't know much about staying in that area, as we drove over from Taos (I suggest do not go to Taos as beginners). I have never skied in eastern US, so have no knowledge of that.
used to ski a whole hell of lot mostly in the northeast and Canada, only a few times out west. Never injured.
If you're pushing 40 or over 40 and never done it before, DON'T. Send your kids out to learn and have fun and you and your wife enjoy watching them and chilling at the lodge.
Cost three or four times as much now at most places than it did 30 years ago. Expect to drop about 1200-1500 a day for a family of 5 if you're all skiing. Most places in the U.S. do a poor job of crowd management, they're just getting 'em in.
Skiing has a real rush factor when you're younger, but truth is you go up a hill, you go down a hill, up a hill, down a hill. You get wet snow in your crack, numb fingers and feet. It's a goof.
It's been a long time, but my favorite place is still Mont Saint-Anne, about an hour north of Quebec City. Mostly for the gorgeous views.
Hell I fell off the back of a golf cart once a broke a wrist. No snow skiing for me. I’m done with dangerous sports.
Can't really help you with specifics, but in general:
How old are the kids? If they are teenagers, you'll have a lot more flexibility on where to stay and you can drastically cut down on your costs. If they are younger, probably worth it to pony up to do more or less ski-in, ski-out. Having to get three kids gear into a shuttle in the morning and at the end of the day, and it being a major hassle if you forget something necessary is tough.
Haven't been to a ton of places, but I would say if everybody is beginners, Winter Park is one of my favorites. Big area of beginner green slopes. Also, not sure how much of it was lucky timing, but the few times I've been there it seemed to be much more comfortable for Mississippi rednecks. Just didn't feel cold at all despite temperatures in the 20s. But I don't think you can go wrong with most of the major Colorado or Utah resorts. Park City is probably the easiest to fly in and out of without having to drop a ton flying into a small airport.
I would suggest doing 5 days. Ski 2 days, take a break, and ski two more days. Expensive to go that long but once you pay to get out there, you want to enjoy it and especially if everybody is a beginner, if you only ski three days you may only really have the hang of it for one day of skiing.
Athletic teenagers can probably get by with the beginner, half-day course but a full day is better. Younger kids you probably want to keep them in there for two days just because you probably aren't going to be ready to take responsibility for them after just one day so you probably need two days to be comfortable taking them.
For a tip, we always like to take our lunches onto the mountain. The restaurants on the mountain can be painfully crowded. And it's easy to get overheated when you go inside and then be cold when you go back out. Also if you're out of shape anyway, taking an hour lunch is just going to let you get stiff. Much easier to just sit somewhere nice and have a sandwich. And not that the lifts/slopes are ever not crowded, but prime lunch time is less crowded. Will also save you from spending a good bit of money on mediocre food.
I will second the poster who said it's one of his favorite things in the world but not easy to do from Mississippi. That would be my biggest recommendation against it. If you're not ready to drop $10-12k for a ski vacation every year or every other year, you may not want anybody in your family to catch the bug.
Out with it, tell the story.
For what y'all flatlanders pay for daily lift tickets at the mega resorts, you should really look at season passes at smaller ski areas.
A season pass for my 5th grader and a season lease on skis and boots is about $300. I bought used skis and boots for my first grader for $50 and his season pass is $19.
Not counting boots and skis my wife and I bought a few years ago, we spend about $1900 a year on season passes and the kids ski rentals/purchases for a family of 4... To 3 different ski areas. We got family season passes for $599 to Bogus Basin in Boise a few years ago that included 4 free lessons for each of us.
Skiing is very expensive if you go to meg a resorts and the lift lines suck balls... Real skiing with no lines and tons of fresh powder/first tracks doesn't have to be.
Now if you want to do the Jackson Hole, Deer Valley, or Keystone it for the Instagram like, I can't help you... If you want a killer ski trip that doesn't break the bank and includes other amazing activities I can give you some recommendations.
A season pass for my 5th grader and a season lease on skis and boots is about $300. I bought used skis and boots for my first grader for $50 and his season pass is $19.
Not counting boots and skis my wife and I bought a few years ago, we spend about $1900 a year on season passes and the kids ski rentals/purchases for a family of 4... To 3 different ski areas. We got family season passes for $599 to Bogus Basin in Boise a few years ago that included 4 free lessons for each of us.
Skiing is very expensive if you go to meg a resorts and the lift lines suck balls... Real skiing with no lines and tons of fresh powder/first tracks doesn't have to be.
Now if you want to do the Jackson Hole, Deer Valley, or Keystone it for the Instagram like, I can't help you... If you want a killer ski trip that doesn't break the bank and includes other amazing activities I can give you some recommendations.
I was in the U.S. Coast Guard assigned to the Cutter Polar Star, a polar class icebreaker, and went on a lovely cruise know as Operation Deep Freeze '79. Our job was to open a channel into McMurdo so supply ships can get in to resupply McMurdo. Got to go ashore in McMurdo and the opportunity to ski Mt. Erebus came up so I went. The neat thing about Mt. Erebus is it's an active volcano and there are steam vents one can warm up next to along the ski slope. The next year we went on Arctic Winter West cruise. No skiing there.
Skiing sucks, save your money and just go to Gatlinbird. You'll quickly determine the adults hate it, but the kids will enjoy tubing. Let the kids wear themselves out and go back to the room and put them to bed. You and the Mrs. Hulk can walk to all the moonshine tours on the strip.
There, I just saved thousands of dollars, the kids won't care if it is mountain in Col or the side of a hill in East TN.
There, I just saved thousands of dollars, the kids won't care if it is mountain in Col or the side of a hill in East TN.
i've been to snowshoe and I do agree with everything you said, however timing is important for snow in WV. Skiing on man made snow isn't the same. If you're planning on going in mid to late jan you should be ok if you're going earlier maybe consider Big Mountain Montana. Not terribly expensive and snow shouldn't be an issue. The cost of getting there will be more but it will be the next cheapest as far as quality goes. Killington, Vt is ok but it gets icy and super cold.
Here's what awaits you. Struggling to learn to ski the first time. Hauling heavy ski gear around for you, the wife and the kids. Trouble getting on and off the ski lifts. Dealing with sunburn of the eye. Yes I said eye. Sweating and freezing at the same time. Spending tons of money for ski pants etc that you'll never wear again. And like everyone else mentioned, there's a significant risk of injury for those going.
I've been twice for free. I would not go again even if I was paid $5000/day.
I've been twice for free. I would not go again even if I was paid $5000/day.
I’ve been double digit times, and am a pretty solid skier. I learned when I was 16. I wouldn’t recommend learning now if you are over 35. ACL’s go pop much easier.
A family went with us 2 years ago. My buddy had never ski’d before and promptly tore his acl on the first run. It sucked. Take it easy.
However, if you figure it out, it is awesome. There is no other vacation that I would rather go on. Being first on the slopes in light snow with fresh powder on the ground is just about better than sex.
A family went with us 2 years ago. My buddy had never ski’d before and promptly tore his acl on the first run. It sucked. Take it easy.
However, if you figure it out, it is awesome. There is no other vacation that I would rather go on. Being first on the slopes in light snow with fresh powder on the ground is just about better than sex.
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Are you giving ski advice? How can you stand the brrrrr.***
Seriously, I think your $10-12k is about right for a family of 4 or 5 to go to a big ski resort in the West from Mississippi/Southern US...
If you want to save some $$, you can come to my little paradise (or the dozen or so other authentic mountain towns in the west) for about half the price and hit our 3 different (all world class in some aspect) ski areas and squeeze in some of the best snowmobiling in the US. Nothing like cruising 20 miles out to the olympic pool sized hot springs on a snowmobile to relax in the 103° water after a few days of skiing.
And for the ski apres... Well, you can do it on the budget with a good old fashioned tailgate like we do most weekends... Coolers full of beer and a tri-tip are mighty fine for a mid-day recharge.
Or you can go out one night and get all bougie at the number one ski resort restaurant in the US... It's only about $25-40 for a truly high quality entree... I like the scallops and smoked pork belly myself.
But no matter what, you'll end the night drinking your ski soreness away at my pub while watching the game..
Big ski resorts are for suckers... Find the little ski towns where there's less lines and a lot more fun... For way less money. Ski in and ski out is way overpriced. If the kids aren't big enough to carry their stuff, don't waste money on letting them ski.
If you do need the Instagram cred, we are a couple hours from Sun Valley, the number one ski resort in North America. It's loaded with overpriced shìt and uberwealthy dbags. You can swing by on the way outta town and get a selfie in front the sign and just tell everyone that's where you went.***
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