Winter Planning (Choosing a Resort)

For this page I will discuss all aspects of planning a trip to a downhill resort for winter sports.

Below is sort of a brain dump on the types of things you might think about when deciding on a winter resort destination.

No resort will have everything, but the point is to consider your needs, wants and limitations and try to match a resort.

Price point.
Distance to resort.
Conditions and reliability of snow.
Predictability of weather (warm snaps, rain, blizzards).
Amenities and quality (and availability) of instruction and/or daycare.
Altitude and altitude sickness.
Terrain considering experience and skill level.
Reliability of lifts and lift line wait times.
Ease of reservation and rental pick up.
Resort lodging vs. vrbo vs. Day trip.
Mode of travel (flights vs drive).
Traveling with gear.
Access to snack shacks, groceries and restaurants and medical services, especially breakfast choices so that you can start a full day right.
Cell, cable and wifi service.
Reliability of road condition service.
Ease and cost of parking.
Access to slopes and reliability of shuttle buses.
General culture of resort staff and patrons.
Meeting the needs of your group (toddlers – teens, young adults – advance aged adults).
Slope side activities (tubing, ice skating, snowshoe/hike, cross country ski, shopping, spa, restaurants, music, bars).
Access to public lodge, bathrooms and rental lockers
Access to washer and especially a dryer in your rental unit so that you can dry all clothing and socks and gloves at night.
Pet policy
Drone policy