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  After skiing NZ for 25 consecutive winters I decided it was time to fufill a life time passion to have a northern hemisphere ski holiday.We are a family of five with two 15 yr olds and one 17 yr old.We belong to a Ruapahue ski club and I had seen some info kicking around the club about ski holidays but everytime I multiplied the cost by five I just about fell over.Last winter I saw a ski holiday featured in the herald travel section.This was run by Lianne Stott at Ski Traveller in Auckland.I began to email Lianne and with the benefit of her advise and experience we decided that our destination would be Copper Mountian in Colorado.  Copper mountian is an area called Summit County that includes the towns of Silverthorne, Dillon, Breckinridge and Frisco.The adjoining ski fields are Breckinridge, Keystone, Araprahoe Basin and Copper Mountian.These are all within a 15-40 minute drive from Frisco.From Frisco is a free bus service that runs between all these towns and ski fields that runs for about 19 hours a day.Brilliant.We never felt the need for a hire car at all and still managed to see a lot of the local area.Vail, reputed to be Americas largest ski field is only 20 minutes down the road from copper mountian but is not included in the Summit County area but easily accessible.  We booked 12 nights at Copper in a two bedroom, two bathroom, pull out sofa bed, fully equiped kitchen condo that was about 2-3 minutes walk to the chair lift.Copper village was very quaint, spotlessly clean, zero litter,comes with all the restaurants, shops, hot tubs, lap pool, skating rink, medical center and hire shops.For a family ski holiday this was fantastic.The ski field was supurb with great variety of beutifully groomed to challenging moguled steeps.The facilities on field were excellent.Copper had a deal Mt Ruapehue where we were able to ski on our 2009 seasons pass.This made to holiday way more affordable than I thought possible.  Liannes booking and airport advise was right on the button.Also her advise on comprehensive travel insurace was invaluble.Dont skimp on insurance.We had a great time, really loved it, and I cant wait to plan the next one.  Go Ski TravellerMark.

Want great end of season snow?  Check out Utah.  Snowbird (only 29 miles from Salt Lake City Airport) had 19 inches of snow in the past 24 hours.  Talk to Lianne she skied at Snowbird in April 2009.

2+ FEET OF FRESH POWDER!!!Another storm moved into Mammoth yesterday and left us with 27 inches of fresh powder on the mountain today. More storms are expected to move in next week, but the sky is clear today so don’t miss this chance to experience the amazing conditions at Mammoth Mountain.

TELLURIDE, CO (Feb. 24, 2010) – Reflecting a European skiing experience found in Chamonix, France, the Telluride Ski Resort airlifted a new bridge and staircase to the left shoulder of Palmyra Peak this morning at approximately 8 am. Heliqwest, a helicopter company based out of Canada, airlifted two steel staircases and bridge over the ski resort to its final resting place – the span between Gold Hill Chutes 8 and 9.

“This addition is a continuation of our efforts to provide ski experience which is ‘Unmatched in North America,’” said Dave Riley, CEO of the resort. “This project was extremely technical, and our in house staff has done a phenomenal job in both planning and execution. The Telluride Ski Resort is thrilled to once again expand easy access into epic inbounds terrain.”

Happy snow day!

We’re excited to announce the opening of Crested Butte’s famed black and double black diamond terrain, accessed by the High Lift and North Face Lift.  Waist deep powder awaits…. Eye candy is attached. 

As always, we’re here to answer questions and tell you all about our snow “product testing.”

Kind regards,

Tim, Geoff, and Lindsay

Crested Butte

Park City hosts the annual Sundance Film Festival…this year it runs 21-31 January.  If you are a movie buff and love skiing this is the perfect time to visit Park City.  Your Park City International Lift Pass (must be purchased from Ski Traveller before you arrive in the USA) allows you to ski at: Park City, Deer Valley and The Canyons (all linked by free buses and located within 10-15 minutes of each other).

This year a New Zealand short film has won a top prize at the prestigious Sundance International Film Festival.  The Six Dollar Fifty Man won the International Jury Prize for short-film-making.

Hi Lianne,
 
This was my first trip to Copper Mountain.  I have previously skied Keystone (3x) and Breckenridge(1x) when I lived in the US.  I must say that I was a bit hestant as my general perception of Copper developed over the years was that it represented a smaller mountain with less challenging trails (I’m an expert skier) and less exciting nightlife. 
 
Boy was I completely wrong.  I found the mountain fabulous. Staff were very friendly, the sking great and the range of expert trails super.  As an added bonus the mountain was extensive enough to hide a crowd of skiers. …but that wouldn’t have mattered as the lodge/ski pass combination provided a “fast pass” electronic ski pass that vertually put you in the front of any lift line.  Add two days of fresh powder …what more can you ask for.
 
The lodge (single bedroom with murphy bed) was also super.  Easy check-in, 5 minute walk to the lift with views from our room of the slopes.  The village bars and restaurants were also great.  My wife and I also took day trips to Aspen and Breckenridge to view the shops and the slopes and concluded that Copper was definitely our choice.  
So an emphatic 10. 
Cheers,
Terry P

Greetings from a snowy Aspen/Snowmass,   All four mountains (Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass and Buttermilk) are now open for the season! We have had a very steady flow of storms that have made conditions in Aspen/Snowmass fantastic! We have had over 30 inches (75 cm) in the last couple days and our streak of powder days has been great! Buttermilk opened with almost 100% of the terrain open and Aspen Highlands had the Highlands Bowl open for opening day.  The conditions are incredible all over so make sure that everyone knows Aspen/Snowmass is the place for good snow!  Below are some pictures from opening day at Aspen Highlands:

Check out the amazing powder conditions in early December at Crested Butte in Colorado…..they received over 18 inches in 24 hours!

Aspen’s Sky Hotel is rated by Playboy Magazine as the sexiest ski hotel in North America.

Ski Traveller has return flights in premium economy class, 7 nights with 6 days skiing at Aspen’s Sky Hotel:
http://www.skitraveller.co.nz/best_deals