After growing up skiing every weekend for 10 years, I have yet to ski since I moved to Washington. I don't know why, but I have the urge, in a big, big way.

What's the best mountain to take the family for a couple days? Lodging recommendations will also be helpful, although I have noticed that availability seems to be relatively little when I want to go (sometime between 12/26 and 1/2.

Thanks in advance....

Go stay in Leavenworth, the family will enjoy it and Stevens works just fine for some good skiiing.

Crystal Mt and White Pass are other options.

If you went out of state, there is Whistler in BC, and in Oregon, Mt Hood, and Mt Bachelor. Just throwing them out, even though you didn't ask.

I haven't been skiing in 15 plus years. Funny, I was getting the urge to go too. I'd probably break a leg.

For family accomodations plus skiing, I agree with Summerrun on the Leavenworth area skiing at Stevens. Only negative in my mind is Leavenworth is a decent drive from Stevens.
Crystal a close second with a fair amount of local cabins, find places near each on Craigslist/vacation rentals. Mission Ridge has a lot of rental properties around too.

Crystal has new high speed Gondola this year that "Totally Kicks Ass" According to my Brother. I'm headed up there over the holidays with my girls.

Crystal is good but it's a complete f*ckin' zoo. The entire population of The Greater Puget Sound Area is crammed into that place every weekend. I would never, ever ski there on a holiday or a weekend....unless you like having to stand in line to ski down the mountain. Gondola, Schmondola. Those c*cksuckers actually make you pay extra to ride their stupid cable car, which is something I've never heard a ski area doing. As it is they want $75 per ticket, WITHOUT the stupid gondola pass. There is lodging available there, but I've never met anyone that's stayed there. In my younger days I was banging a resort employee but that was when they lived in singlewides. I don't think that's an option for you.

White Pass. Yes, White Pass is prolly the most pathetic excuse for a Ski Resort on the West Coast, but they did just double their acreage with a huge expansion. Yes, they're all Blue Square runs, but If you haven't skied in a long time, you need to brush up, right? Forget about lodging. Best you'll do is down in Yakima or at that dump down in Packwood.

Mount Hood Meadows is another great place with lots of terrain, but it has the same problem Crystal has. On weekends and holidays, the entire City of Portland is there and every last one of them is a 19 year old wearing some clown suit on a snowboard he had no control over whatsoever.

Mission Ridge has nice terrain but their lifts date from the 1790's. That and they can get the schitty end of the stick when it comes to total snowfall. Staying in Wenatchee makes for a short drive up the next day.

Whistler is World Class. Debatably the best resort in North America. No shortage of hotels after the Olympics.

Stevens- Lots of Terrain. The Stay in Leavenworth/Ski Stevens plan I was going to attempt this winter. It's too far from Oly for a day trip. Check out their website for their trail map. There's a Super 8 or something like it in Leavenworth.

Mt Baker gets tons of good reviews but its way up by Bellingham. Why not drive another hour up to Whistler? Oh yeah your DUI...I forgot, sorry.

Place to make a big trip out of:

Sun Valley. The Original. Awesome. Insanely expensive. If you have never been there stay at the lodge once for the experience. Hang out with washed-up gold medalists and celebs by the pool. Eat Sunday brunch in the ballroom. After that, save a few grand and stay at the Motel 6 right across from the ski area.

Alta in Utah. No Snowboarders Allowed. What could be better?

Banff, Alberta--More skiing than you can shake a stick at: Lake Louise, Sunshine & Mt. Norquay are a trifecta of ski orgasm within 20 minutes or so of Banff. Stay in Banff or save a few bucks and stay down the road in Canmore.
If you get a clear sunny day, head to Sunshine and ski along the Continental Divide in powder so light it feels like you're flying, or got to Lake Louise and literally get lost on the miles of runs. Either one you could ski for days and days and not hit every run. One thing--It gets cold up there. Not Cascades cold, that's for pussies. I mean middle of Canadian Rockies cold. Last time I was there it was MINUS 30...Fahrenheit! I wore wool longjohns and every shred of ski gear I had and still froze my ass off. After a long day of skiing you can soak in the many hot springs around the area.

BANFF:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_n8NbElDXg4k/SfSH0toXLNI/AAAAAAAAA1c/A7Cs6fJp9F4/Banff+Springs0007.JPG




Hope that helps.

After living in Wenatchee for ten+ years I'm going to be a little partial to the conveniance of Mission Ridge. I haven't skied in a few years but from my memory it does have some advantages over the other, overcrowded, Washington ski resorts. Zero lift lines (especially chair 3 which has the best runs), decent terrain (when there is good snow), and relatively inexpensive lift tickets. I do believe they also replaced their ancient chair 2 with a high speed quad a few years back.

If you're looking to get out of town I would recommend Silverstar in Penticton, BC. Has affordable accomodations right on the mountain. Step outside your condo, click on your sticks, and ski right down to the lift. When your done, ski right up to your door, click off your sticks, and soak away your pain in the hot tub. It has two mountains to explore and a cool little village for the kids and wife.

Thanks, Dudes! There's a lot of great advice in here; maybe too much, as now, I can't decide what the hell I should do.

I was ruling out Baker and Whistler, only because they are so far away, but I do appreciate quality skiing, and I am told they are head and shoulders above anything else in Washington. Who knows?

So what makes White Pass a joke? Certainly, their website is the least flashy, but I doubt that's much of an indication. That is the closest to where I live, and it looks like there are actually one or two places to stay that still have room, so I am hoping someone can tell me it's actually decent. As for the terrain, lots of blue runs is right up my alley, as an easy-paced, cruising style is what I enjoy most. I suppose I still have the skills to take on the hard stuff, but I don't enjoy that as much, so no worries if the advanced terrain is lacking.

I have heard that Crystal is the local standard, and it looks pretty good, but as Irie mentioned, it has all the markings of a bonafide tourist trap (see lift ticket prices 50% higher than any other mountain in the state and additional fees to ride the gondola). Its relative proximity to Tacoma and Seattle also points to crowded conditions, which are definitely something I like to avoid.

I'm starting to look at BC more and more.... Ugh.

Baker. Get a cabin in Glacier. It's old school and nice. Chrystal is a bummer these days. My kiddo loves it so we still go there a few times but I'd rather not. They have a heck of a mtn but it's crowded.
For a day trip go to whatever is closest and deal. For a 2-3 day weekend I'd do Baker or Mission if it has snow.

Well, I'm convinced that I should suck it up and head north. Whistler looks unbelievable, but so do the costs. Silverstar looks great, too, but also pretty spendy. Baker is looking like the front-runner at the moment. They have about an 80" base right now, which should be awesome. Now I just have to find a place to stay.

Thanks for the help, all.

Not to take you off focus but check out Silver and can't remember the name....border of ID and Mt on 90. Both are cool and pretty empty.
Look out Pass?
Me and the kiddo did three days of skiing and one day of fishing there last spring break.
Long drive. Cool place.

Silverwood maybe?

Well before the expansion, after three runs, you've skied the entire mountain. The expansion added some runs but they aren't very steep. The Green Circles at Sun Valley would be Double Black Diamonds at White Pass. No joking. Not only that, but the kiddies area is pretty steep for a kiddies area, and they have to walk uphill from the ticket booth to get there. Its a big PITA. And a schitty place to learn to ski. I know because that's where I learned.

There is no parking lot. You have to park on the side of the highway and hump all your gear along the road while logging trucks & WADOT ploughs roar by spraying you with the de-icer mist they kick up. If you have small kids you really need to keep a close eye on them while you're loading & unloading. There are no shuttles. That's for yuppies apparently.

The lodge was built in 1976 and has never been improved or expanded. It looks and smells like it, too. If you're a weekend skier, get a table early or you're SOL. The only other place to have a beer and grab a bite is The Yurt on the backside, and it's pretty much just a small tent.

One more thing: White Pass lies about it's conditions on a daily basis. You cannot trust their reports whatsoever. They will report sunshine & powder when it's really rain, slush, and ice chunks. My wife was severely injured last year as a result. They also overstate their base depth by about double. Alot of the reports sent into internet report sites are sent in 'anonymously.'

They know that once you're up there, it's not like you can just turn around and drive down to Meadows or up to Crystal. Which is fuct because from the US12/I-5 JCT, it takes just about as long to get to Meadows and Crystal as it does White. The differences are only about an hour or so making a huge difference in the quality of day you'll have.

ALL THAT SAID--

What White Pass is good for, is a chill day of skiing for an inexperienced or out of practice skier and the dude or family on a budget.

Another hour's drive in any direction and a few bucks more on the other hand, makes for a far better experience, summing up Lewis County to a 'T.'

Stevens or Baker.

http://www.schweitzer.com/
mini Whistler


http://www.silvermt.com/

Way better Snow than even the Spokane area 90% of the time if you have 2 or 3 days to Ski + drive time. This time of year you can still find lodging and even packages for the dates your after. 49 degrees north aint bad either for few notches down list.

http://www.ski49n.com//index.php

I haven't been to Silverstar yet but have heard great things. Much of the Whistler ski bum crowd has moved that way. Much better and more consistant snow with basically all new facilities. If I was to take a week or so that is where I would head...........

Silverstar

Unless of course I had time and money to go to Alta. Best skiing on the planet with the best snow in the world. And of course no snowboarders ruining all the good runs as they continually scrap all the good snow off the top of the mountian to the bottom!

In state, there really isn't a great resort type operation going on at any mountain. Stevens/Baker/Crystal are probably the top 3 options for in state (snoqualmie/alpental suck), but none of them really have much of a resort/lodging or a village... I had a great time at Mission Ridge the one time I was there. Stay in Wenatchee and its only a short drive to the mountain, no crowds, new high speed quad, great eastern Cascade snow, lots of sun.

Out of state: Definitely take a look at Mt. Bachelor in Oregon. I thought the mountain was great and there's some great lodging opportunities in the nearby towns = Bend, Sun River, Three Sisters, Redmond are all good spots to stay. Mt Hood is overrated and way crowded.

If you go up North to Canada, Whistler is great in terms of its village and lodging opportunities, never been much of a fan of the skiing there, but then again 2 of the 3 times I've been there it was raining (in January, WTF??) so that skews my perception.

A bit further of a drive into Canada, take a peek at Sun River, Big White or Red Mountain. I've had a blast at all three and there are some good resort/lodging options.

Other options : Schweitzer, Sun Valley...

FleaFlicker, if you get back into skiing and aren't with the kids/family, spend time at Baker and Crystal. As others said, crowds on Saturdays/Sundays/holidays (where aren't they bad on weekends?) but both mountains are the top two in the state hands down. Midweek the places are empty, and have great terrain. Both have great backcountry and lots of places to explore. Crystal is my favorite mountain in the state, spend lots of days there every winter, the backcountry Southback hikes on a powder days are unbelievable, especially on a sunny day with Rainier in the background. Crowds aren't bad if you know the mountain.

Tahoe is the most overrated place to ski I've ever been to.

Californians always talk their stuff up, but its never as good as they say it is....

Typicaly true. But about once a decade the Sierra's get dumped on with spectacular snow conditions making them epic. They're not there yet but a nice cold front with another 10 or so inches of powder on top of their HUGE base and this could very well be one of those epic winters/spring.

Or it could rain and melt

As for Wa. Baker is consistantly the best.

If it's snowing in town then Chrystal is the best.

Stevens pass is solid.

Wa. is all about the snow conditions. In my latter years of skiing I sort of became a snob and would thus chase snow conditions around the state/region. Basically the colder it was at sea level the closer to home I could ski. 45-50* highs in town makes for some very wet and sloppy conditions. 27* and snowing in town your approaching (not meeting) Utah conditions.

Then there is Mt Bachelor in June. Long days, shorts, sunburns and excellent fishing oppertunities once the corn snow starts to turn to slop around 10:00 am. Some of my best days skiing and fishing are from there! Big snow years like this one that too may be an excellent choice.