Archive for the 'Ski & Winter' Category
Outside magazine lists North America’s 16 best ski resorts
November 7, 2009 12:02pm
Get out your calendar — it’s time to start carving out vacation time for a ski trip. El Niño is bringing an early 2009-10 snow season to California, and since airlines keep offering cheap fares, there’s no reason why an avid skier or boarder can’t think about sampling ski resorts across the country. Outside magazine’s November issue highlights its “Winter Hot List” including North America’s 16 Best Ski Resorts.
What I love about this list is that it adds a hot travel tip at the bottom of the review like this great weather advice for Alta: “If there’s a big storm coming, spend the night in Little Cottonwood Canyon, not Salt Lake. They’ll close Highway 210 to do avalanche work, and by the time they open it you’ll have had both resorts to yourself for three hours.”
Here are the resorts that made the cut:
- Alta/Snowbird, Utah
- Jackson Hole, Wyo.
- Alyeska Resort, Ala.
- Silverton Mountain, Col.
- Breckenridge, Col.
- Whistler-Blackcomb, British Columbia
- Park City, Utah
San Diego Omni Hotel’s $99 ‘Stuff Your Stocking’ deal
November 5, 2009 5:56am
You don’t need to prove that you’ve been good all year to get this gift from Santa. The Omni San Diego, connected to San Diego’s Petco Park, has a “Stuff Your Stocking” special worth taking advantage of well before Christmas. Guestrooms are on sale starting at $99 per night starting Thanksgiving week and lasting through the New Year’s holiday. Baseball season may be over, but there’s plenty of holiday shopping to be had in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.
Deal: Use the promo code “STOCKING” to get a guestroom for $99 per night, pre-tax, based on availability. But the best part of the deal is that guests will receive a letter upon their departure that enables them to purchase another night at the hotel for $99 in 2010.
Tested: I searched for available dates on the Omni San Diego website and found several, including Nov. 28 (the Saturday after Thanksgiving), Dec. 18-21 and Dec. 24 - 27. The deal was not, however, available for the New Year’s holiday, Dec. 30 - Jan. 1. When I looked for rates outside of the deal, I found a low of $84 on a current 72-hour sale and a rate of $118 for a 21-day advance purchase for rooms Dec. 24 -27. However, the best available rate was listed as $139, pre-tax. I think all these rates are worth jumping on because I’ve been watching this hotel and often see prices of more than $200 and sometimes $300 per night. Granted, that might have been during baseball season.
Big Bear and Mountain High ski resorts opening Friday in Southern California
October 29, 2009 4:26pm
Two of Southern California’s most popular and convenient ski resorts are opening Friday after a surprise cold snap allowed snow-making for several days. Early-season rates apply, in one of the earliest debuts in decades.
Mountain High in Wrightwood, which opened a top-to-bottom run (Chair 4) today to season-ticket holders, will be offering early-season rates of $35 for four-hour passes and $40 for eight-hour passes. The resort has been making snow almost full time since Tuesday and boasts an 8- to 12-inch base. Six to 10 terrain features were open today, and up to 20 were expected to be open on Friday. Dress warm. Though sunny, the mountain this afternoon was breezy, with temperatures hovering in the high 30s.
At Yellowstone, wolves and winter deals
October 24, 2009 9:00am
While it can’t compete with the 25-cent hotel rooms recently offered in the U.S. Virgin Islands, or $20 rooms at Hooters Casino in Las Vegas, Yellowstone National Park is offering up some interesting snow packages that include wildlife tours, snowmobiling and ice skating.
The “Winter Getaway” packages are available just after the holidays, Jan. 3 to March 6, a period often ripe with snow-play specials.
Particularly appealing: “Trail of the Wolf,” a guided snowmobile trip to the interior of the park, which is known for its wolves, and wildlife watching by special van in the park’s northern range. The package includes three nights of lodging at Old Faithful Snow Lodge or Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, two breakfasts per person, a one-hour hot tub rental, unlimited skating and skates. Prices begin at $411 per person pretax, double occupancy, for two nights at Mammoth Hot Springs and one night at Old Faithful. Two nights at Old Faithful and one night at Mammoth Hot Springs runs $546 per person.
Ski Sundance? The town is not just for film festivals
October 23, 2009 3:33pm
If you thought about Sundance, Utah, only when the famed Sundance Film Festival took over the mountain town, think again. It’s a ski destination too. Sundance Resort is offering “Early Bird Gets the Powder” ski deals before its winter ski season kicks off on Dec. 11. Never been? The resort boasts about its great snow. It was also ranked second by Conde Nast Traveler’s 2007 readers’ poll for the top 50 U.S. mainland resorts.
Deal or no deal? Get three nights’ accommodations, daily breakfast, two all-day lift tickets per day and an upgraded amenity bag with snacks upon arrival. Rates start at $375 per night pretax, based on double occupancy. I found the promotion available Jan. 12-15 for $379 per night. The 15.75% tax added nearly $200 to the price, bringing the total for the trip to $1,316 for two people.
I do think this package is of value to skiers.. Without the early-bird promotion, the best available rate was $399 per night for the room and breakfast. And in the past, day lift tickets have cost $45 per person.
Mammoth opening with Freebie Friday
October 14, 2009 5:43pm
Mammoth Mountain will open Friday with free skiing and snowboarding, after a powerful storm left up to 6 feet of snow in higher elevations of the Eastern Sierra resort. Areas lower on the mountain will offer 16-24 inches of machine groomed snow.
“We are so excited to start the season nearly four weeks ahead of schedule and to be able to reward our guests with a free day on the slopes,” said Howard Pickett, chief marketing officer of Mammoth Mountain.
This is the resort’s earliest opening in 15 years. In 1994, the resort opening Oct. 8.
Broadway Express will open at 8:30 a.m. Friday, servicing a base of up to 2 feet of machine groomed natural snow, with runs on Broadway, Forest Trail, Mambo, St. Moritz, and Main Park, and assorted rails and jibs. Mammoth officials said more runs will open as staffing and weather allow.
Contact: Mammoth Mountain, (800) MAMMOTH or (800) 626-6684
–Chris Erskine, Los Angeles Times deputy Travel editor
[Photo: Skiers and boarders on the slopes at Mammoth Mountain; Credit: Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times]
Last-minute: Squaw Valley, Kirkwood ski passes on sale for winter 2009-10
October 13, 2009 6:04pm
Last week we reported that Southern California ski resorts were gearing up for an early snow season. Well, the same goes for the ski resorts in Lake Tahoe. They got their second snowfall this week with more rain and snow expected tonight and possibly into Wednesday. A reminder crossed my desk today that skiers and boarders still have time to cash in on discounts for this winter’s ski passes. Squaw Valley’s 50/60 Squaw season pass deal is on sale through Thursday, Oct. 15, and has significant discounts to honor the 60th anniversary of their opening and the 50th anniversary of Squaw hosting the Winter Olympic Games.
Deal: There are four different season passes available at Squaw Valley starting with the “Bronze” pass that is $649 for adults, $499 for young adults and seniors ages 13-22 or 65-75, and $179 for children 12 and under. It is good for skiing seven days a week beginning Nov. 20 through the end of the season with the exception of select Saturdays and some listed blackout dates. After Thursday prices rise significantly. As an example, the adult Bronze pass will cost $999 per person. The $749 Silver pass jumps to $1,199, and the $1,299 Gold pass jumps to $1,799 after Oct. 15.
Note: If you enjoy skiing and boarding in South Lake Tahoe, you have a little bit more time to consider Kirkwood’s season pass, with prices starting at $559 for adults and on sale until Nov. 3. Heavenly’s season pass is priced at $369 and also great for skiers and boarders looking for a deal.
– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
[Photo: Squaw Valley USA; Photo credit: Thomas Kranzel/Venture Media]
California and Colorado ski resorts in a snow daze
October 8, 2009 4:11pm
Southern California skiers are gearing up for an early season, with snow-making going on a full month before usual at Mountain High, thanks to an unusual October cold spell. Big Bear and Mammoth are biding their time, waiting for the real stuff as cold weather lingers and new storms approach. Meanwhile, at least one Northern California resort, Boreal, is planning to open this weekend.
Mountain High in Wrightwood, where wildfires threatened just a week ago, was making snow all week, the earliest that has ever happened at the popular SoCal ski destination.
“We are making snow and will open as soon as possible,” says John McColly, the resort’s director of marketing. “Could be a day. Could be a week.”
Bear Mountain is being more cautious, saying it prefers to wait until winter conditions arrive for sure. “I can’t imagine a scenario without a substantial natural snowfall that we would begin snow-making in October,” reports marketing director Chris Riddle. “While this has been an unprecedented cold spell for early October, we don’t want to waste our time, energy and water resources knowing we’re not going to be able to sustain operations through the winter.”
The Big Bear season usually opens in mid-November.
In Northern California, meanwhile, at least one resort is preparing to open this weekend.
Winter deal: Lodge rooms at Grand Canyon National Park for $82
October 5, 2009 5:59am
If you think winter is a weird time to visit the Grand Canyon, think again. The snow-dusted scenery is stunning, the crowds thinner, the hiking can be great (absent a snowstorm) and some lodge prices are lower.
I know because I’ve been there in November. My hike down the Bright Angel Trail a few years back started out icy but soon turned comfortable. No scorching heat at the bottom, like in summer — or so they say. (OK, so I didn’t make it all the way down. But I had fun and bagged the perfect souvenir: a snowy snapshot for my holiday cards.)
This year, Xanterra South Rim, the concessionaire for Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, is discounting rooms at Maswik Lodge up to 38% for most of the winter. These rooms, starting at $82 per night plus tax, won’t put you right at the canyon rim, but they’re only about a quarter-mile away — a short walk.
Mammoth: Westin Monache offers 25% off a winter ski package if you book early
September 21, 2009 8:45am
If you want to grab a deal, don’t wait for the first snowstorm to start thinking about skiing and snow- boarding this winter. The Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth, is offering up to 25% off its three-, four- and five-night ski packages. Just book by Nov. 5 using the promo code “PKGSKE” to get rooms starting at $261 per night for a ski package that includes accommodations and lift tickets for two people per day, pretax.
The lowest rates ($220 per night, with lift tickets for one person) can be found for five-night stays during the early season, Nov. 12-24, for arrivals seven days a week, and during the late season, April 18 to May 31. Prices are higher during the rest of the season ($377 per night, also with lift tickets for one person), Nov. 29 to April 17. Below I test the package for two people over a five-day stay.
