Powder-rich runs, invigorating air, breathtaking scenery, beautiful people in chic outfits, warm comradeship in “apres”–ski boites. That’s the dream, and with the start of the ski season just weeks away, it’s all just around the corner.
Snow has already fallen in the mountains, and resorts are beckoning with ski treats–expanded terrains, new facilities, better equipment, faster lifts, fashion-savvy outfits, and perhaps the most tempting of all, luscious bargains.
There’s even a totally new resort to visit this year. Tamarack Resort in Donnelly, Idaho, will greet its first skiers Dec. 15 with a mix of terrain suitable for all snow pursuits. Billed as North America’s first new all-season resort in more than 20 years, Tamarack is opening with 25 downhill runs, a 500-foot superpipe and 10-acre terrain park, as well as a full-service Nordic ski park with 18 miles of trails. Information: 208-325-1000 or www.tamarackidaho.com.
Meanwhile, as the U.S. economy strengthens, the established resorts have been sprucing up in anticipation of a busy season.
Club Med Crested Butte has undergone a resortwide face-lift that includes 15 new acres of skiing and three new runs. Stowe, Vt., is sinking $250 million into a 10-year redevelopment. Canada’s Whistler resort has added 1,000 more skiable acres. Snowbird has created a 340-foot superpipe and introduced a ZipRider that lets skiers leap off a 50-foot tower and drop 150 feet to a landing zone. And that’s just a sampling of what’s new.
Early-season skiers can get terrific deals. Most resorts open around Thanksgiving, and from that time to mid-December, good deals are available. Ski vacations over Christmas and New Year’s cost top dollar, but the bargains return for January before February’s high season.
It’s all downhill
Here are some of the goodies in skiing’s autumn candy store:
Breckenridge (left) charges just $425 per person for three nights of lodging, lift tickets for two days and a massage for two persons, double occupancy, valid Nov. 25-Dec. 16. 800-404-3535. Or team up with another couple Jan. 3-Feb. 17 and get four nights of lodging and four days of skiing for $358 per person, quad occupancy in a two-bedroom condo. 877-234-3981, www.breckvacation.com.
Club Med Crested Butte, which says it is the only all-inclusive ski destination in the U.S., charges $1,330 per person, double occupancy, land-only for seven-night vacations or $1,679 including round-trip flights from Miami. The resort, which opens Dec. 11, also offers a special seven-night spring break package on a charter flight March 19 out of Ft. Lauderdale for $2,425 per adult. 800-CLUB-MED, www.clubmed.com.
At Park City Mountain Resort, a ski/ride and sleep package provides three nights of lodging and three days of lift tickets for $99 per person per night, double occupancy. 800-222-7275 or www.parkcitymountain.com.
At New England’s Killington resort, an early/late season midweek package that includes lift tickets for two is priced at just $58 per person, per night, double. Book at www.killington.com/packages.html.
Ski three days and stay three nights in Vail, and you get a fourth day of skiing and fourth night of lodging free. Packages start at $303 per person, quad occupancy, in a two-bedroom condo. Offer good Nov. 24-Dec. 16 and Jan. 3-Feb. 9. www.vail.com.
In Wyoming, Teton Mountain Lodge offers a four-night Skier’s Dream package that includes three days of lift tickets at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and daily breakfast buffet. From $435 per person, double, plus taxes. 800-801-6615, www.tetonlodge.com.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Molly Marinik (mmarinik@tribune.com)
