Breckenridge or Killington, from Europe, end Jan?

[Steve Pardoe]

Hi, all,

We're coming from (old) England, last week (only) of January '04, with a
three-generation party (two 50+ grandparents, 30+ vegetarian daughter, and
9yr grand-daughter who's a complete beginner) and we'd prefer self-catering
accommodation, but catalogue choice seems a bit limited.

Breckenridge & Killington both have what we're looking for, and apparently
reliable snow (it's a bit early for most European resorts). We've also read
that the kids' tuition is good in USA, so it seems worth crossing the pond
for. We'll be mainly skiing rather than boardriding, BTW.

Question is, does Breckenridge offer enough advantage over Killington to
offset the longer journey? What's the weather like, esp considering a 9yr
old? Or are there better alternatives anyway?

Thanks for any pros & cons,

Steve Pardoe
www.pardoes.com

[Dave]

"Steve Pardoe" > wrote:

>Hi, all,
>
>We're coming from (old) England, last week (only) of January '04, with a
>three-generation party (two 50+ grandparents, 30+ vegetarian daughter, and
>9yr grand-daughter who's a complete beginner) and we'd prefer self-catering
>accommodation, but catalogue choice seems a bit limited.
>
>Breckenridge & Killington both have what we're looking for, and apparently
>reliable snow (it's a bit early for most European resorts). We've also read
>that the kids' tuition is good in USA, so it seems worth crossing the pond
>for. We'll be mainly skiing rather than boardriding, BTW.
>
>Question is, does Breckenridge offer enough advantage over Killington to
>offset the longer journey? What's the weather like, esp considering a 9yr
>old? Or are there better alternatives anyway?
>
>Thanks for any pros & cons,
>

I'm a Killington person so I would recommend Killington.

It seems that January is a very popular time for the English to come
over. We have hundreds of Brits over at that time.
I have never skied out West because of the cost.

It is actually cheaper to go to Europe than to go out West. We have 2
houses in Killington but spend a few weeks a year at Val D'Isere.

By self catering I guess you mean having a kitchen. There are tons of
condos for rent in the Killington area. If you have a car all are
very close, the farthest being about 10 miles from the mountain.

I'm sure you will need a car as the closest international airport is
in Boston and it's about 2.5 hours to Killington. A very easy ride,
almost all superhighways nit like those mountain roads in France,

Some are right on the mountain, ski on/ski off. Some have a shuttle
bus that picks you up at your front door and then it is a 5 minute
ride to the lifts.

Killington has a huge ski school for all levels.

The conditions in late January are usually very, very good. Usually
all of the 250+ trails are open.

For lots more info on Killington and links to lodging go to
www.killington.com.

If you want more info on any of the condos let me know. Some are much
better than others.

[saxomal]

Steve, I'm also from the U.K. and visited Killington in dec 01 and
Breckenridge in dec 02 and I would far and away recommend Breckenridge over
Killington. Breckenridge is more of a town than Killington. Killington is
just a road really leading up to the ski area with a few hotels, condos,
shops and restaurants along the edge. Breck is a much nicer town, you can
actually walk to place smeaning you can have a few beers with your meal and
not have to drive or worry about catching the bus back.

As for the mountain I found breck a much easier prettier place to ski, as an
intermediate there are some lovely blue runs, no ice and the ski school was
excellent.

This is just my opinion, but I'm going back to Colorado this year I enjoyed
it so much last.

P.S. If you have Sky or cable look out for a programme on the travel channel
(http://www.travelchannel.co.uk/ )called Ski America


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[American Ski Club Association]

Dear Steve:

We would highly recommend Breckenridge over Killington. It have been our
experience these many years that conditions at Killington, especially that
early in the season, are "iffy" at best. This past season was good, but
seasons previous to it have been dismal - and January is perhaps the coldest
period. For roughly the same cost, if not less, you can have a package at
Breckenridge which would offer far more terrain for skiing, much more to do
other than skiing, and overall, just a more better experience.

In addition, the Breckenridge ski pass is also interchangable with Keystone
which is only 7 miles away on the free shuttle bus - so you have two
mountains you can sample.

Coincidentally, during the dates January 10 thru February 14 we are
sponsoring our annual Colorado WinterFestWest event. In addition to the
better skiing, you may also take advantage of group discounted lift tickets
and equipment rentals should you need them. There is also discounted
lodging too.

If you have any questions, please email me. We can compile a number of
options for comparison.

Best regards, Dave Ragozzino, Executive Director, ASCA

[JSACKS]

Looking for a Condo at Killington. http://vtcondo.jsacks.com

"Steve Pardoe" > wrote in message
.. .
> Hi, all,
>
> We're coming from (old) England, last week (only) of January '04, with a
> three-generation party (two 50+ grandparents, 30+ vegetarian daughter, and
> 9yr grand-daughter who's a complete beginner) and we'd prefer
self-catering
> accommodation, but catalogue choice seems a bit limited.
>
> Breckenridge & Killington both have what we're looking for, and apparently
> reliable snow (it's a bit early for most European resorts). We've also
read
> that the kids' tuition is good in USA, so it seems worth crossing the pond
> for. We'll be mainly skiing rather than boardriding, BTW.
>
> Question is, does Breckenridge offer enough advantage over Killington to
> offset the longer journey? What's the weather like, esp considering a 9yr
> old? Or are there better alternatives anyway?
>
> Thanks for any pros & cons,
>
> Steve Pardoe
> www.pardoes.com
>
>
>