tseeb, Tony, egieszl and Sbooker, thank you for the long and detailed responses. They are very helpful and we are now leaning toward Whistler if we can make the logistics and the math work.
tseeb wrote: Whistler [is] a more 'cosmopolitan' experience.
Mammoth may not have enough to keep you going, both on and off the mountain for a week, although that time of year June Mountain should also be open.
You could consider flying into Reno and skiing a couple of days at Tahoe, depending on how season progresses.
None of us really care about having any kind of resort experience. If anything, my wife, who has fewer ski days per season than I do, is even more adamant about getting the most out of every ski day. We prefer to have lodging with a kitchen and cook most of our own meals, get to bed early and get back out on the hill early. On days that we don't ski, we like to hike, snowshoe, etc. We won't be looking for fine dining or nightlife.
I've been concerned that Mammoth might not have enough skiing to keep us happy for a week, but a little internet research suggests it wouldn't be difficult to find decent hiking or snowshoeing. We'd probably spend our non-skiing days on a trip to Whistler kicking around Vancouver on the front end of the trip. (Now that's cosmopolitan!)
I've wondered about June. Not many FTO TRs. How's the skiing there in April?
Unfortunately MSP to RNO is pricey, not direct and, worst of all, most likely to be on United. No thanks.
Tony Crocker wrote:Mammoth's lower half of vertical will preserve snow better than lower terrain at Whistler.
As for upper terrain, Whistler and Blackcomb are like having two Mammoths. Snow quality on the upper 2,000 of Whistler preserves at least as well as Mammoth, but the vast majority of that terrain is advanced/expert. Your wife will be able to experience some of that: the Blackcomb Glacier, Seventh Heaven, Harmony/Symphony. So given what you say about her tolerance/independence, I vote for Whistler while the Canadian $ is still somewhat of a deal. And it sounds like your daughter might be ready for an Extremely Canadian clinic.
This is very helpful.
I'll look into the Extremely Canadian clinic, but am not sure I can make it fit into the budget this year.
It's the likely snow conditions and risk of rain on the lower half of Whistler in April (with its low elevation and proximity to the Pacific) that got me thinking about Mammoth and other late-season resorts. Colorado should probably be on our list as well, but we were just there last winter.
egieszl wrote:If your trip requires air travel then you should go elsewhere.... [A]ccess is a huge issue and the drive a major inconvenience. The exception to the above is if you want to ski late season like May or June.
Anyone considering Mammoth should be aware of the fact that it can be very crowded on weekends.
Where Mammoth really shines is in late season. The mountain historically gets a lot of snow and holds the snow very well. If your spring break were to fall in late-April Mammoth is an excellent choice because of the amount of terrain that will be open and the quality of the snow for that late in the season.
The town however leaves a lot to be desired.
Whistler-Blackcomb ... gets a bit crowded, but not Mammoth weekend crowded. The mountain offers signficantly more terrain versus Mammoth with great variety, exceptional vertical, and long runs. The lift network makes Mammoth's outstanding network look mediocre.
The only downside to Whistler-Blackcomb is the snow conditions. It's not uncommon at that time of year to have rain on the lower slopes and snow on the upper slopes.
We would drive up from Vegas, which is a long drive, but sounds like it is pretty desolate and low stress.
It's funny how the definition of "late season" is so variable from resort to resort. At what point in the spring do the weekend crowds start to thin at Mammoth?
I can tell by looking at the stats and maps and TRs that Whistler offers much more terrain and variety, but it is helpful to hear your perspective on the lift network. We would be arriving at Whistler immediately AFTER the Vancouver schools' spring break, so we are hoping this might keep the weekend crowds down.
I'm not so worried about Mammoth Lakes boring us. Like I said above, we tend not to dine out very often or do much in town on ski trips. We would be happy to find some hiking, hot springs, etc.
Tony Crocker wrote:egieszl wrote:It's not uncommon at that time of year to have rain on the lower slopes and snow on the upper slopes.
West Coast rain incidence is not what many people think. Lowest rain incidence is February/March. Highest is November, then December. January and April are in between. I have 30 years of daily data from the Central Sierra Snow Lab on this, and Larry Schick says it's the same in the PNW. Nearly all of the destructive Pineapple Express events in the PNW with very high rain/snow line have occurred in the first half of the season.
That is reassuring, although even without rain, I'm assuming we would spend almost all of our time on an April trip to Whistler skiing the upper half of the vertical.
Sbooker wrote:Interesting comments above.
I agree that Whistler is a bit more 'resorty' than Mammoth - but then again I see that as somewhat of a negative. I like the 'real' feel of Mammoth.
We've also had a great time at Alta/Snowbird at the end of March. Both times we've scored powder days and the snow was largely winter snow (not melt/freeze). I would think it would have to be a consideration too.
I also tend to gravitate toward not-"resorty." Whistler made my list because its hugeness seems like it would keep us busy for a week without too much repetition.
Love Altabird, and have been there many times, but have lost some interest since the advent of the multipass. Although I have not researched it this year, when I have looked in recent years it seems like lodging in LCC has become brutally expensive, and it sounds like the traffic up and down the canyon has gotten a lot worse since my last visit in 2012.
