“The latest from the Western slopes”

Posted: 20 Nov 2010 09:10 AM PST

The West is the best. Really, for those of us who grew up skiing on frigid, windy, icy slopes of the East Coast or Midwest, skiing out West is pure heaven. You're likely to find incredible views (Snowbird), skiing history (Squaw Valley), uncrowded slopes (Solitude), high terrain (Telluride), sunny skies (Sun Peaks, British Columbia), Wild West spirit (Sun Valley) and friendly people (Northstar-at-Tahoe).

This year most changes involve air transport and new dining options. Here is a roundup of news at some fine Western ski resorts.

Mammoth Mountain (mammothmountain.com) — First of all, the enormous Mammoth Mountain ski resort, about 140 miles south of Lake Tahoe in California, is more accessible than ever. This season United Airlines (united.com) begins service from San Francisco to Mammoth, joining Alaska/Horizon Air (alaskaair.com) flying directly to Mammoth from Los Angeles; Portland, Ore.; and San Jose, Calif.

Jumping on the "food truck" craze, Mammoth is debuting new Roving Mammoth snowcat food trucks. The snowcats will travel the mountain, serving savory and sweet calzones, churros, breakfast items and beverages. If you want something that doesn't come from a truck, Mammoth's Lakefront Restaurant (tamaracklodge.com), near the Tamarack Lodge cross-country/snowshoe area, is the best dining spot for miles. The dog-friendly Westin Monache Resort at Mammoth (westin.com/mammoth), the only four-star resort in town, also has a popular new raw menu, introduced by new chef Justin Rado.

Squaw Valley USA (squaw.com) &#8212; This big resort, home to the 1960 Winter Olympics, sometimes is referred to as: "Squallywood" for its extreme, death-defying chutes, cornices and drops. Yet one of the great things about Squaw, in California on the northwest side of Lake Tahoe, is that beginners also have big-mountain fun because many of the beginner runs are gentle slopes, yet are high on the mountain. Squaw Valley (along with Mammoth) also offers the best spring skiing in America. The season sometimes lasts until Memorial Day, with typical sunny, warm days, a mountaintop swimming lagoon, pool parties and serious springtime fun. Visitors can fly into nearby Reno Tahoe International Airport for the closest connection to most Tahoe resorts.

Northstar-at-Tahoe (northstarattahoe.com) &#8212; Recently purchased by Vail Resorts Inc., Northstar is a Lake Tahoe area resort that has hit the big time. Still moderately sized, Northstar seems to improve every month. The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, now a year old, offers guests a superlative ski-in, ski-out experience at Northstar. By the way, this mountain is an intermediate skier's dream.

Travelers bound for Lake Tahoe ski resorts can fly into Reno, Nev., and rent a car or shuttle to various resorts.

Utah, known as "The Greatest Snow on Earth" — It's a perfect place to visit to experience an amazing ski vacation. Many airlines (particularly Delta, delta.com) fly to Salt Lake City, with 11 world-class ski resorts less than an hour and a half from the airport. Plus, the area finally has altered its curious liquor laws to allow more liberal sales. (Try a fine Utah microbrew, Polygamy Porter).

The Park City Chamber of Commerce once again is offering visitors the excellent Quick START program. During non-holiday periods, visitors flying into the Salt Lake City International Airport can ski for free the day they arrive at Park City's resorts, including the wonderful Deer Valley Resort (deervalley.com), The Canyons (thecanyons.com) and Park City Mountain Resort (pcmr.com). The date of redemption must be the same as the date that appears on the visitor's airline boarding pass. Users must register at parkcityinfo.com/quickstart before arriving. Some restrictions apply.

Less than an hour from the Salt Lake City airport, Utah's Big Cottonwood Canyon is home to Snowbird (snowbird.com), one of the coolest resorts anywhere. Snowbird's huge snow, massive steeps and wide bowls are enjoyed by many, and it is touted as the only resort in North America with a long ski-through tunnel. Connecting the front-side Peruvian Gulch to the large, bowl-laden Mineral Basin, the ski tunnel is cold but fun.

Also in Utah, Alta (alta.com) long has been known as a fabulous old-school resort. Celebrating its 72nd anniversary, Alta is still known for its annual snowfall (typically more than 540 inches) and legendary powder. Alta also is just for skiers; no boarders allowed.

Solitude (skisolitude.com) is another friendly Big Cottonwood Canyon ski resort. It's a place where you really can feel as if you're the only one on the mountain. Don't miss Solitude's yurt dinners on the mountain.

Telluride (tellurideskiresort.com) &#8212; With a base elevation of 8,725 feet and soaring to more than 13,000, Telluride offers plenty of fantastic Colorado skiing for all levels, plus miles of hike-only terrain far off the beaten track. It's a big mountain, combined with a small, historic town. ( Butch Cassidy's first bank robbery June 24, 1889, occurred in Telluride). Getting to Telluride has gotten even easier, with a greater number of flights into Telluride and nearby Montrose. US Airways (usairways.com) and Great Lakes Aviation (greatlakesav.com) fly into Telluride. A new enclosed snowcat "people hauler" will accommodate 12 to Alpino Vino, which at 11,966 feet is billed as the highest wine bar in any North American ski resort.

Vail (vail.com) &#8212; This world-class resort offers a tremendous array of combination ski passes; just think about where you want to ski and for how long. There are some serious deals to be had. Check epicpass.com. Vail-bound passengers should consider flying into nearby Vail/Eagle County Airport instead of Denver. Passengers arriving at Eagle can take advantage of a free same-day fly-and-ski package by calling 970-754-8245. Or see flyvail.com for details.

Vail's hospitality scene also gets a boost soon when the new Four Seasons Vail opens. This is the first Four Seasons property in Colorado. fourseasons.com/vail

Sun Valley (sunvalley.com) &#8212; The original American Ski Resort is heading into its landmark 75th winter season, dotted with special events attracting skiers and riders with everything from a 75th Season Rail Exhibition to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The Idaho resort attracts the Hollywood set plus many people who return to ski Bald and Dollar, two excellent mountains.

Although Sun Valley's traditional ski season opens around Thanksgiving, commemorative events will kick off before the holiday season. Sun Valley, as well as other Idaho resorts (like Brundage Mountain, brundage.com, just north of McCall), has become more popular as skiers and boarders seek out laid-back areas with fresh powder. Nearby Ketchum, Idaho, is an interesting, historic town with Wild West ties.

Whistler/Blackcomb (whistlerblackcomb.com) certainly is a worthwhile resort player, befitting its Olympic Alpine hosting duties last season. But visitors might want to check out Sun Peaks (sunpeaksresort.com) in inland British Columbia. Sometimes described as the "Anti-Whistler," Sun Peaks is moderate in size, comfortable, contains a cute village but still offers superb, sunny skiing. Air Canada (aircanada.com) has increased flights into Kamloops, a 45-minute drive from Sun Peaks. The 13th annual Winter Festival of Wine at Sun Peaks, Jan. 15-23, offers a showcase of British Columbia wines (sunpeaksresort.com/activities/events/winter-wine-festival.aspx).

Despite the distance, many Brits and Aussies bypass Whistler and return to Sun Peaks year after year to enjoy its terrain and low-key ambiance.

When Horace Greeley famously advised, "Go west," maybe he really was talking about skiing.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Falluja's Cancer Catastrophe.