Ski trip options

Whistler is my pick out of that list

Breckenridge is good but not in the same league


Telluride more small town feel

Also look at vail

You’re going to pay a lot more in CO. Check out Powder Mountain outside of Ogden, UT.

Telluride is great. Few if any lift lines, and challenging terrain. It's more difficult to get to, small airport, it's not near a major interstate, but that's also what preserves it.

Big Sky is massive, it's huge mountain, and it's historically very undervisited. That's changing though, with the Ikon pass, and the billions that Boyne and Cross Harbor Capital are investing in the area. If Big Sky has a weakness, it's things like the restaurant scene. Telluride and Whistler have better restaurants, and more of them.

Silver Star, Big White or Apex are incredible places for families.

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Copper Mountain

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If you're on a budget.

Whistler/Blackcomb is great. However, believe it or not, even January can at times be dodgy in terms of conditions. Late January, sure. Early January, I would look elsewhere. Don't forget, you will need to fly into Vancouver and drive/bus to Whistler. If it is a week-long trip in late January, you cannot do much better than Whistler.

Telluride is fantastic but the best terrain is challenging. The town is really, really cool. Telluride is often one of my first choices because of the challenging terrain, cool town, and small(er) crowds.

I'd skip Breck and Copper - not my favorites.

I hate to recommend it, but Beaver Creek could be a great choice if you are looking for a short(er) trip. You may have missed your window to book for anything near a reasonable price. Before, I've stayed at the Osprey, and the ski-in/ski-out option is truly unbelievable (closest hotel to a lift in North America). Beaver Creek, as a mountain, has great intermediate terrain, and really nice grooming. Also, great restaurant experiences. I typically try to avoid Beaver Creek (first, because of the terrain; second, the price). But for an intermediate skier, there are not many options that are better.

Unfortunately, I haven't been to Big Sky so cannot comment.

We had an early winter in Bozeman last year. Record cold, and record snowfalls through December. The snow tapered off in January though and didn’t pick up until February.

The year before, I think it snowed everyday for three months.

Normally January is a great time to visit, but there are aberrations.