Trying to convince the activity director to allow Junior Riding Partner and I to sneak in an out west trip on JSRs Spring Break.

Looking at a number of options served by Delta so I can use FF miles. Needs to be on the cheap.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Looks like Tahoe is getting the snow right now. Does Delta go to Reno? Some of the Reno casinos offer pretty cheap ski packages, some even include shuttle to slopes, or by that time there might be some good slopeside bargains too at Squaw, Northstar, etc.

Should add re good point made by Fish in his deleted post. Very volatile weather out there, esp in spring. His forecast says temps close to 60 degs later this week in South Lake T.
The conventional wisdom for a cheap April ski trip to the west is to the highest elevation resorts near Salt Lake City or Denver, but my impression is both are a little subpar this year. Might still be best bets by Apr though??

Tahoe got 16 inches of cement & now will see temps with 50's up till the 60's all this week.

Ski West Virginia!...Just wish they could offer the best Mtns available...

Snowbird (and Alta if still open) should be OK (they're rallying a bit.) Not sure about A-Basin. Southern Colorado (Wolf Creek, Telluride) should be OK if they're still open (not sure how late your trip is.)

Otherwise, I'm not sure I'd risk anywhere else in CO or UT.

Tahoe is normally a good April bet, plus they've been getting some snow this year.

I have skied Alta and Snowbird many times in the first couple of weeks in April and never been disappointed. You might not have powder (or you might), but you should get an amazing amount of terrain and trails covered with delightful snow. Snowbird usually has a great AMEX deal going in April. SLC is a Delta hub. Using Delta miles might prove a problem with heavy in/out traffic due to Easter.
The Colonel

As I recall, Alta had a pretty good April last year.


http://www.alta.com/pages/snowhistory_past.php?pastseason=20082009

Mammoth has great spring skiing into June every year. They also have a new airport 15 miles away with flights from Reno and LA. There is a free bus system in town/ski area.

I skied there on July 4th a few years ago.

I'll echo what Denis said. Plus, it seems Cali has been getting a fair amount of snow this year.

Be strongly advised that this El Nino winter has seriously wacked snowfall patterns for most of the country. Just because area X was fantastic the past four years, that doesn't mean sqadoosh this year. I'd do my own due diligence on the snowpack. (For instance, as of late Feb, Utah snowpack was 60% of normal. As I posted earlier, Alta and Snowbird have been rallying a bit.)

Alta snowpack at MID MOUNTAIN is now 114", nearly 10 feet.
I have been at Vail in late season and seen all dirty snow and mud from the base area (also seen lots of snow higher up). I have skied Whistler in May and only seen dirt at bottom base and next 2000 vertical feet, but still enjoyed over 3000 vertical drop with corn snow bliss. But, whenever I have been to Alta and Snowbird in early-mid April, I have always had an abundance of snow and skied on a base of 100+ inches.
The Colonel

For a relatively small area there is a huge difference between the Snowbelt.. Alta/Snowbird/Brighton (up to 370"'s) VS the Canyons/Park city/Deer valley (Barely over 200 inches)..Had to Ck the Stats after The Colonel posted the 114 base amount....Doesn't take a Ski Surgeon to figure out where to go!

Yeah Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon usually get at least 130" more snow than the Park City areas. While this has been a down snow year (Alta will probably end up with only 400+") it has been relatively cold most of the time to preserve much of what they received.

Check to see how long the ski bus runs. That way you can stay in SLC super-cheap and then catch the bus to the resorts every day.

Thanks for all the input guys!!!