Mt. bachelor, sunshine, mt. hood meadows, or whistler

i will be out west april 12-20 and have the liberty to hit any of the above areas for skiing or all. where would i find the best winter-type conditions for most of the day and not mashed potatoes starting at 10 in the morning? went to snowbird last year at this time and skied hidden peak most of the day to stay out of the potatoes. can i find winter in april anywhere?

That week is the Whistler Ski and Snowboard Festival, highly recommended by word-of-mouth. Whistler has recently had massive dumps in the alpine and torrential rain at the base. I would expect good snow and possibly winter conditions in the steep areas off the Peak chair and Harmony Bowl at Whistler and on the upper Blackcomb Glacier and Spanky's Ladder areas. Below the alpine area, stick to the groomed and download the bottom 2,000 vertical, which may not even have coverage by then but represents only about 10-15% of total terrain. <BR> <BR>Bachelor is a premier spring area with 360 degree skiing from the Summit and corn snow almost guaranteed on any sunny day. Both the groomers and the off-trail Summit areas retain the corn snow consistency and don't get chewed up quickly due to low skier density. Winter snow conditions are likely only in the steep Cirque and Pinnacles areas. <BR> <BR>Hood Meadows faces east and southeast and has a more humid climate than Bachelor. It would be least recommended of the 4 areas you mention. <BR> <BR>Sunshine's upper mountain is cold and preserves snow well. Goat's Eye faces SW and often has good corn but may be losing coverage this year by the time of your trip. <BR> <BR>Snowbird is one of the better April areas and can have as much winter snow conditions as anybody. But you need some luck for widespread winter snow that late, so there is something to be said for going for the more reliable corn at Bachelor or the lively events at Whistler. <BR> <BR>I might as well round out the spring recommendations. Mammoth is a reliable choice with high altitude north-facing steep and excellent grooming on the lower runs. <BR> <BR>Given the trend of this season's snow Colorado areas, particularly those along the Continental Divide, will likely have the best snow conditions this April. A-Basin normally has winter conditions to late April. Loveland has similar altitude but more variable exposures. Copper will be good this year, as will Winter Park if still open. Your week is probably Winter Park's last, but you should check. <BR> <BR>I have written a few articles on late season skiing at <A HREF="http://bestsnow.net/insdtrak.htm" TARGET="_top">http://bestsnow.net/insdtrak.htm</A>.

I just skied Meadows on Fri 4/4, and the snow was incredible in the morning (~6 in fresh in Heather Canyon) but was getting pretty heavy by late afternoon. <BR> <BR>Talked to a buddy who went down to Bachelor, and he said they had a foot of fresh and it was amazing all day. <BR> <BR>Meadows is also due to get some rain this coming Fri/Sat. If you are going to ski in OR, I'd agree with Tony that Bachelor is the better pick.