I'm planning my annual solo ski trip, and over the years I've learned that picking Skitalk's brain is an invaluable part of the process. So, thanks in advance for your advice!
I'm looking at a quick 2-3 weekdays of skiing around March 1st. After checking my flight options from Minneapolis, I think I've narrowed it down to these possibilities, in no particular order.
Whitefish: I've been once, 3 years ago, and experienced a legendarily terrible whiteout. (Even by local standards.) But I still had a great time and vowed to return and hopefully see some of the scenery.
This option is always nice contender thanks to convenient, direct flights from Minneapolis. (3 hours of flight time) Last I checked, the Hampton Inn Whitefish still has the free airport shuttle, and the town of Whitefish runs buses to the big mountain, so I can probably skip the rental car entirely.
Speaking of which, I can use Hilton points on that hotel, so this trip will be the cheapest option.
Schweitzer: I went last year, lucked into a 10+ inch powder day, and fell in love with this place. That said, I did just go last year, so maybe variety is the spice of life? Or maybe when you find a good thing, you can stop looking?
This is also the value pick, with a total price tag that comes in about $200-500 cheaper than everything besides Whitefish.
Denver (Summit County): I lived there 8 years ago, but haven't been back in a long time. Mostly because I try to avoid Epic Crowds (Trademarked Term?) like the plague.
In any case, it looks like I could squeeze in the standard itinerary here. That means setting up base-camp in Dillon/Silverthorne and then deciding between Copper/Breck/Keystone/A-Basin/Loveland. Of note, I've only ever skied half a day at Copper, have never skied Loveland, and haven't visited A-Basin since they opened up The Beavers.
Tamarack/Brundage: I've been curious about these mountains, since they seem to fit into that overlooked-but-not-totally-dirtbag tier that I enjoy the most.
From what I can tell, this would involved a direct flight to Boise and driving 2.5 hours to McCall. From there, I'd be about 20-30 minutes from both Brundage and Tamarack, and could check out one each day.
Crystal Mountain: I've never skied the PNW, and going into the season, this was the option I was most excited about. I'd fly direct to Seattle, then drive 1 hour 45 minutes. Looks like I can stay slopeside at either the Village Inn or the Quicksilver Lodge. (Alpine Inn appears sold out.) Unsure what to expect of this region in March. This is also the most expensive option, although I would be willing splurge if it's worth it.
Update: Red Mountain and Whitewater have entered the chat. Leaning towards that trip and also curious about Big Red Cats.
Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions. I've attached a poll as well!
If it matters, my other booked trips this year are Big Sky in January and Park City in April. I prefer black and blue terrain, with the very occasional double blacks.
Thanks, everyone!
I'm looking at a quick 2-3 weekdays of skiing around March 1st. After checking my flight options from Minneapolis, I think I've narrowed it down to these possibilities, in no particular order.
Whitefish: I've been once, 3 years ago, and experienced a legendarily terrible whiteout. (Even by local standards.) But I still had a great time and vowed to return and hopefully see some of the scenery.
This option is always nice contender thanks to convenient, direct flights from Minneapolis. (3 hours of flight time) Last I checked, the Hampton Inn Whitefish still has the free airport shuttle, and the town of Whitefish runs buses to the big mountain, so I can probably skip the rental car entirely.
Speaking of which, I can use Hilton points on that hotel, so this trip will be the cheapest option.
Schweitzer: I went last year, lucked into a 10+ inch powder day, and fell in love with this place. That said, I did just go last year, so maybe variety is the spice of life? Or maybe when you find a good thing, you can stop looking?
This is also the value pick, with a total price tag that comes in about $200-500 cheaper than everything besides Whitefish.
Denver (Summit County): I lived there 8 years ago, but haven't been back in a long time. Mostly because I try to avoid Epic Crowds (Trademarked Term?) like the plague.
In any case, it looks like I could squeeze in the standard itinerary here. That means setting up base-camp in Dillon/Silverthorne and then deciding between Copper/Breck/Keystone/A-Basin/Loveland. Of note, I've only ever skied half a day at Copper, have never skied Loveland, and haven't visited A-Basin since they opened up The Beavers.
Tamarack/Brundage: I've been curious about these mountains, since they seem to fit into that overlooked-but-not-totally-dirtbag tier that I enjoy the most.
From what I can tell, this would involved a direct flight to Boise and driving 2.5 hours to McCall. From there, I'd be about 20-30 minutes from both Brundage and Tamarack, and could check out one each day.
Crystal Mountain: I've never skied the PNW, and going into the season, this was the option I was most excited about. I'd fly direct to Seattle, then drive 1 hour 45 minutes. Looks like I can stay slopeside at either the Village Inn or the Quicksilver Lodge. (Alpine Inn appears sold out.) Unsure what to expect of this region in March. This is also the most expensive option, although I would be willing splurge if it's worth it.
Update: Red Mountain and Whitewater have entered the chat. Leaning towards that trip and also curious about Big Red Cats.
Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions. I've attached a poll as well!
If it matters, my other booked trips this year are Big Sky in January and Park City in April. I prefer black and blue terrain, with the very occasional double blacks.
Thanks, everyone!
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But good point. In the past I've had a pretty strict "no tree skiing alone" rule, but that's a pretty good compromise.
