re: 2023-2024 Ski Thread

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Any advice for a mid December trip? I’m a total rookie. Was considering Jackson Hole, Big Sky, CO locations.

Spent the last two summers in Bozeman/Big Sky and Jackson hole was next on the list, figured winter might be a good time to knock it out, but not sure how conditions would be in December

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If you're new to skiing and want reliable December snow, Wolf Creek in Colorado is a great choice.

It's a family-owned ski resort, so not one of the big corporate/Vail Resorts-type places. If you want fancy, WC ain't it. If you want badass snow and a mountain that you can learn to ski on, it's tough to beat.

WC gets the most snow (base elevation is over 10,000ft, storms get trapped and have to dump to get up/over) in Colorado and people drive in from all over the place (out of state plates, sleep in the parking lot...) to catch powder days.

It won't cost you an arm and a leg either. Lift tickets were $82 last year at the window. Probably a few bucks more this year, but less than $100. Not on any of the ski passes (a good thing).

It's not a huge mountain, but big enough to have plenty of varied terrain. And if you wait 10min at a lift, you're bitching about it being too crowded. Lots of days, you'll ski straight to an open chair.

Pagosa Springs is an awesome little town. The locals fought and killed off a major development years back to keep it a normal place. The lack of a major resort development is about the only thing keeping it a "sleeper" and not the next Aspen/Vail. It's that pretty and the snow is that good. I don't think they'll be able to fight it off forever, so you'll probably see it explode within the next 10-15 years (assuming cost of capital drops).

Don't get me wrong, they still get folks in from out of town (a LOT of Texas money), so they have some very good restaurants and other things to do. But you're going to eat your $100 ribeye and drink your $100 wine in jeans/boots, not in your Gucci "apres ski" outfit. The older couple at the table next to you might have a 9-figure net worth, but you'll have to know what you're looking at to notice.