recommendation: ski place for kid

[shaveice]

my daughter will be four next feb and i'd like her to experience her first white christmas but i also want to choose a place that's EASY to get to; i mean, i'd love a direct flight to X and then a short bus ride to the skiing area vs. multiple legs from A to B to C and to D. she's good on a plane but even she has her limits!

off hand, i'd guess the west coast but i'm open to all suggestions.

thanks!

[Bob P]

Re: recommendation: ski place for kid

For a shorter flight (from where you're at at least) Tahoe isn't a bad choice.

[sinjin]

Re: recommendation: ski place for kid

Lake Tahoe is an excellent suggestion.

[zztype]

Re: recommendation: ski place for kid

my daughter will be four next feb and i'd like her to experience her first white christmas but i also want to choose a place that's EASY to get to; i mean, i'd love a direct flight to X and then a short bus ride to the skiing area vs. multiple legs from A to B to C and to D. she's good on a plane but even she has her limits!

off hand, i'd guess the west coast but i'm open to all suggestions.

thanks!

We flew into Reno. There are direct flights, but the short stopover in SFO or OAK makes it much more affordable. We stayed at Circus Circus (cheap, and fun for the kid), rented a Jeep Liberty for really cheap and drove the half-hour to Mount Rose Ski Area.

Mt. Rose is more family-style skiing, less of a resort. Everybody was friendly. The lessons got us going in a hurry. We had a lot of fun there!

We went in March, spring break, and everything in the pro shop was on clearance, so we got all the necessaries for 50% off.

We're going to do it again next spring break!

[glossyp]

Re: recommendation: ski place for kid

My brother and family highly recommend Wolf Mountain which is about an hour from Salt Lake City. They have all kinds of programs for children and are family-oriented. Lots of specially priced packages as well. You can get to SLC non-stop from Honolulu. Wolf Mountain website

[shaveice]

Re: recommendation: ski place for kid

excellent suggestions. thanks! i'll check out those places.

it doesn't have to be a great skiing place cuz it's mainly for my daughter to take some beginning skiing lessons on some bunny slope so i think the places you mentioned will work out just fine. (i hadn't thought of the idea of going in march when skiing conditions aren't usually the best and when prices might be a little better--good tip!)

THANKS!

[shaveice]

Re: recommendation: ski place for kid

took a look at the circus circus website and for some reason, they're closed to new arrivals for every saturday of march. maybe everyone else has the same idea? might have to move the dates up to february instead.

since my wife doesn't wanna take off from work for long (she wants to save her vacation days for another trip), it'll be a short trip and just for my daughter. no skiing for me so it's just a matter of finding a place to stay and figuring out how to get to some place for my daughter to take beginning ski lessons. renting a jeep sounds like an interesting option. on the other hand, i'd guess there's probably some kind of shuttle bus between CC and Mt. Rose; maybe just once in the morning and once in the late afternoon? hmmmm. naturally, having your own wheels gives you a lot more flexibility...

thanks for the tip. i've got a lot of searching and maybe calling to do to figure this out.

We flew into Reno. There are direct flights, but the short stopover in SFO or OAK makes it much more affordable. We stayed at Circus Circus (cheap, and fun for the kid), rented a Jeep Liberty for really cheap and drove the half-hour to Mount Rose Ski Area.

Mt. Rose is more family-style skiing, less of a resort. Everybody was friendly. The lessons got us going in a hurry. We had a lot of fun there!

We went in March, spring break, and everything in the pro shop was on clearance, so we got all the necessaries for 50% off.

We're going to do it again next spring break!

[Miulang]

Re: recommendation: ski place for kid

My brother and family highly recommend Wolf Mountain which is about an hour from Salt Lake City. They have all kinds of programs for children and are family-oriented. Lots of specially priced packages as well. You can get to SLC non-stop from Honolulu. Wolf Mountain website

Yes, the powder at any of the ski resorts in Utah is particularly wonderful (about as good as Sun Valley). And they all are pretty easy to get to (within 45 minutes or so). I like Park City or Alta myself (and I don't even ski but do like to "bunny" in the lodge). Park City is really great because there are lots of other things to do in town besides ski (and you might see a movie star or two!)

Miulang

[NoCal Boy]

Re: recommendation: ski place for kid

I second (or third, what is it by now?) that Reno/Tahoe is a great choice for beginners. Many good ski options close to Reno (cheaper to stay generally than South Lake Tahoe area.) Specifically, Sierra At Tahoe and Sugar Bowl (no, not *that* Sugar Bowl!) are excellent resorts for kids.

Can't wait to take my own daughter in a couple more years - we're waiting 'til she's four also. I didn't learn to ski 'til college and always vowed that my kids would start early, when they're still fearless.

And BTW, if it's your first time there, please note: Even though they all have casinos, Reno and Tahoe bear no other resemblance to Vegas!

[shaveice]

Re: recommendation: ski place for kid

thanks. from the few comments here, it looks like reno/tahoe may be the place to go. i need to figure out if it's better to go to some travel agency and ask about package deals or if it'd be cheaper and fairly easy to make the various arrangements myself.

thanks!

I second (or third, what is it by now?) that Reno/Tahoe is a great choice for beginners. Many good ski options close to Reno (cheaper to stay generally than South Lake Tahoe area.) Specifically, Sierra At Tahoe and Sugar Bowl (no, not *that* Sugar Bowl!) are excellent resorts for kids.

Can't wait to take my own daughter in a couple more years - we're waiting 'til she's four also. I didn't learn to ski 'til college and always vowed that my kids would start early, when they're still fearless.

And BTW, if it's your first time there, please note: Even though they all have casinos, Reno and Tahoe bear no other resemblance to Vegas!

[Kalei99]

Re: recommendation: ski place for kid

If your gonna do it, do iright! No better place than Utah! Just so happens I LIVE in Utah... But really, SLC is easy to fly in/out of, the ski slopes are within 30 minutes of the airport, and the snow is best on earth.
Better yet, just come stay with me! I live 10 minutes from the slopes!

[shaveice]

Re: recommendation: ski place for kid

ha! ha! thanks for the info. i think the bottom line is that we'll go with whatever is easiest cuz it's for my daughter and she'll only just have made 4 at that time. so even tho great snow for adults is a plus, i probably will be spending all my time watching my daughter (and taking video/pictures) during her ski lessons.

ideally, we'd like a direct flight from hon to wherever and then a short free shuttle to some hotel and hope that the ski area is close to the hotel for another short shuttle ride.

that the ski slopes are within 30 minutes of the airport is a real plus. can you recommend a particular hotel and ski area or are they pretty much all the same? would you recommend that i try to make all of the reservations by myself or should i get it done thru some travel agency?

thanks for the help!

If your gonna do it, do iright! No better place than Utah! Just so happens I LIVE in Utah... But really, SLC is easy to fly in/out of, the ski slopes are within 30 minutes of the airport, and the snow is best on earth.
Better yet, just come stay with me! I live 10 minutes from the slopes!