Ski USA this 2011-12 Winter: Colorado
The USA is well known for all things ‘super-sized’, and when it comes to skiing and snowboarding, there is no exception. There are some absolutely massive snow resorts, the most famous are dotted around the states of Colorado, Utah, and California. Aspen and Vail, both in Colorado are almost household names. Deer Valley, in Utah, has been voted the top ski resort in North America for four years, and up north in Wyoming, Jackson Hole has consistently been described as the most challenging terrain.
Colorado Skiing
With 27 ski resorts, Colorado has plenty to offer everyone. Thanks to the Warren Miller films, many ski resorts in this state have now become known across the globe, and with 300+ days of sunshine and some of the major resorts boasting 8m of snowfall per year, you can understand why!
There are a wide variety of resorts to cater for any type of skier/boarder. Aspen and Vail are huge resorts with all the facilities and more. Lift tickets aren’t cheap at these resorts, but you definitely get what you pay for. Other larger resorts include Steamboat, Telluride and Breckenridge.
Personally, I have skied Vail, and would highly recommend it to anyone. It is absolutely massive – I found myself in new terrain everyday for almost 2 weeks, and the snow conditions were great. It has a fantastic village with heaps of restaurants, bars and shops. The transport is great, an efficient bus network connects all areas.
Access is usually through Denver International Airport, which is a quick, cheap connection from Los Angeles.
As is the case with most ski resorts, Colorado is hectically busy during the Xmas/New Year period, and also during the President’s Day holiday during February. January is a cheaper and less busy time to visit, whilst March and April are great value and generally some good spring skiing is still to be had.
I would highly recommend a USA snow trip this winter for a couple of reasons. One is that the skiing is high quality and you are as good as guaranteed to see some heavy snowfall which means some epic powder days (during my 3 week trip last year I had no less than 7 of the best powder days I have ever experienced). The second is to do with the strong Aussie dollar and just how cheap living is in the USA. Eating and drinking is very cheap, and everything is huge!
Stay tuned for more from the USA soon.
