caleyjag

Mt Baker whatever. The big boys know that Alpantal is where it's at.

Seattle is my favourite city ever, BUT it's not especially touristy. Go up the Space Needle and then watch some guys chuck some fish around. That's about it. Vancouver is better for tourists, in my opinion (Seattle comes into its own once the drinking starts).

If you go to Vancouver, you could learn to ski on Grouse Mountain or Cyprus, which are pretty much part of the city, and cheap. Then, if that goes well and everyone is having a good time, you could do a daytrip or two to Whistler to get a bit of the Disneyland-for-skiers experience.

Whistler is truly ridiculous.

It's about 1.5 hours drive from downtown Vancouver, so definitely day-trippable.

sime303

I have World Class cross country trails 5 minutes from my apartment.

http://www.skiblackmountain.org/cross_country.html

Poppy girl

YAY South Lake Tahoe here I come .............well we need the snow 1st lol.

N1cky

Mmm, I'm not sure cross country is the way to go for a 7 year old

sime303

You would be very surprised at how young they start, I sure was.

N1cky

Yeah but I know its bloody hard work, my kid would give it 5 minutes. She will need the downhill adreniline

sime303

Aha you have a little daredevil

N1cky

Very much so. Haven't decided if thats a good thing or not yet but no broken bones so far

benblaney

Why on earth not?

Burn1911

Ok - but its "Alpental" and I agree it is good but its also SMALL! obviously not if you take in the backcountry, but then if you are talking backcountry then Baker has it too!! anyway we digress

But if you think all Seattle has to offer tourists is the Space Needle and Pike Place Market, then you really are very much mistaken - there is so many great things to do in Seattle, I have shown many many many visitors around, and can definately fill a weeks vacation just in Seattle alone without venturing out to the boonies!!

HannahGreen

If you really want a 'resort' area that is cheaper than some of the big US places, check out either SunPeaks or Big White in British Columbia.

Big White is a big mountain and they have a great program for kids. They also have skating and a great tubing hill. My kids started skiing there at about 5 and loved going there. There is a mix of condos and hotels and rooms in all price ranges. Most of the places are ski in-ski out.

AdobePinon

Ugh. They do say that there is no bad snow, only bad skiers. But the mountain biking is still so good that I can't imagine why I'd want to visit the white ribbon of death this early.

scrubbedexpat099

Performance Bikes have a 20% sale today, I fancy a 29r, can ride it through the snow. Gorgeous morning, but chilly.

Burn1911

I have heard that Big White is excellent for families and have spoken to people who rave about the place and the ski school!!! so that would definately be a good place to check out too!

oldskool

For Utah, there are several cheaper end ski resorts in the SLC area. I used to find Alta cheap myself, half the price of Deer Valley for example. Brighton was similarly cheap too. These would be reasonable places and SLC is not too costly to stay. There are the other snow activities around, even if you go out towards Park City for tubes.

Tahoe would be good too. I've found that Tahoe doesn't have to be expensive if you are prepared to stay in the motels. The Casino's are not all bad either. Squaw and Heavenly are expensive though, but there are much smaller/cheaper mountains in that area though, many of which are suitable for kids learning. Personally I would consider Northstar, not the cheapest by any means but no the most expensive either...great for kids and a much better ski resort experience than the smaller mountains would offer. Truckee would be a reasonable place to stay. I've had very reasonable lodging prices at Donner Lake, just outside Truckee and about 10 mins from Northstar.