I know Southwest usually has a fall sale, does anyone know when that is, typically? I'm looking forward to getting out to SLC in Feb this winter.

The past couple years it was in Oct

Fairfax school spring break is last week of March.  Do you think that its too late to ski at ParkCity or Alta.  Don't especially like skiing on mushy snow.

too late?  park city:yes.  alta: no.

spirou wrote:

Fairfax school spring break is last week of March.  Do you think that its too late to ski at ParkCity or Alta.  Don't especially like skiing on mushy snow.

Definitely not too late for Alta/Snowbird in late March.  Of course, can never tell.  The worst spring skiing I've experienced at Alta in the last 10 years was last March.  Not late March, but the the second full week of March that happened to be in the middle of the heat wave.  It was in the high 50s at the base by lunch time.  Great powder two weeks before and good skiing two weeks later when I was back at Alta (without daughter).  10+ inches of powder the weekend of April 8-9.

FYI, I'll be at Alta Lodge with my daughter and other friends the last week of March.  The friends live in Arlington.  All the kids (high school) have spring break that week before Easter.

If anyone is considering a European ski trip this winter, there are amazing sales on flights to Zurich right now ($4xxish).  Just do a google flights search.

SW Airline sale: It is in progress right now, I think

The Colonel wrote:

SW Airline sale: It is in progress right now, I think

I've been getting emails from SW about "sales" a lot more often this summer.  Almost every week.  But only for specific destinations from specific departure cities.  The big general sale in the last few years was a 3-day sale in early Oct.  There was a 2-day sale in late August 2017.

Right now the lowest price from RDU to SLC round-trip during late season in April is about $400.  Last Sept the price for a March 2017 spring break trip was $404 in early Sept and $330 a couple weeks later.  Of course, impossible to predict what will happen this fall.  Much like the long term weather forecast for snow. ;-)

The fall sale (for travel before Christmas and after New Year til about March 1) was August 22-24. Depending on distance one way fares were $49, $79, $99 and $129. The weekly "fare sales" you continually see are not really sales.

The next real sale will be next June or early July   for travel befoe Christmas 2018. I started a thread about SW's earlier fare sale three months ago:  

http://www.dcski.com/forum/90497#new

So I was looking at some of the southwest flights today to try to go out west for the first time. Hoping to ski for at least 4 days, Keystone/A-Basin was my top choice,but winter park and Steamboat seem to be signifigantly cheaper.... because of current sales.

Any thoughts on those options, or is it one of those things for a first trip out west all of the options are decent?

rbrtlav wrote:

So I was looking at some of the southwest flights today to try to go out west for the first time. Hoping to ski for at least 4 days, Keystone/A-Basin was my top choice,but winter park and Steamboat seem to be signifigantly cheaper.... because of current sales.

Any thoughts on those options, or is it one of those things for a first trip out west all of the options are decent?

What timeframe are you thinking about?  What type of terrain are you looking for?  Lodging preference?

marzNC wrote:

rbrtlav wrote:

So I was looking at some of the southwest flights today to try to go out west for the first time. Hoping to ski for at least 4 days, Keystone/A-Basin was my top choice,but winter park and Steamboat seem to be signifigantly cheaper.... because of current sales.

Any thoughts on those options, or is it one of those things for a first trip out west all of the options are decent?

What timeframe are you thinking about?  What type of terrain are you looking for?  Lodging preference?

I agree with those questions. Lift ticket costs will produce sticker shock with any area tied to Vail having lift ticket costs exceet $160/day. Smaller areas (Loveland, A-Basin, etc ) will offer 4-packs which will cost less than $50/day if bought far enough in advance. If you insist on a Vail property, look at buiying one of the season passes. It'll still be pricey (summit pass) for a 4 day trip (probably $125/day for 4 days at Keystone), but that beats $160/day. That cost lets you skii 100 or 1 days.

We are looking at early Febuary most likely (pricing for Jan 31-Feb 6). As far as terrain, none of us have ever been out west, but are all very comfortable on the terrain in the mid-atlantic. None of us are crazy about skiing the woods or moguls.

As far as lodging, we are looking to be within walking or convienent shuttle service to the slopes and pretty much just need a place to stash our belongings and sleep. Being within walking or shuttle distance of resturaunts and apres' options would be desired.

If we go the Vail route I suspect we would do the 4 Day Keystone/A-Basin ticket, but I'd be up for other options. It looked as if Winter Park/Steamboat are doing some pretty good bundles for lodging/lift right now and at this point I would also say the max pass is an option for tickets as well. (All of our group has Snowshoe passes, so we would do the up-charge + add on)

rbrtlav wrote:

 If we go the Vail route I suspect we would do the 4 Day Keystone/A-Basin ticket, but I'd be up for other options. It looked as if Winter Park/Steamboat are doing some pretty good bundles for lodging/lift right now and at this point I would also say the max pass is an option for tickets as well. (All of our group has Snowshoe passes, so we would do the up-charge + add on)

A-Basin has no lodging, altough it has hourly bus service from Dillon and Silverthorne. Keyston has lodging as well as shutles and the same bus as Dillon. Don't forget that Copper is owned by the same people as Winter Park and Steamboat. Copper and Steamboat have an abundance of lodging option. I'm not as familiar with the Winter Park options. If the Max Pass is a reasonable upgrade for you, one or more of those three might be good for you.

The big differences between Mid Atlantic and Wester skiing are (normally) better snow conditions and much longer trail length. Depending on where you are skiing, trails with the same designation (ie, blue to blue) across regins may be steeper. For example, A-Basin has a few blues that would be blacks (maybe double blacks) in the mid Atlantic.

Check ski and stay packages at Steamboat and Copper.

rbrtlav wrote:

We are looking at early Febuary most likely (pricing for Jan 31-Feb 6). As far as terrain, none of us have ever been out west, but are all very comfortable on the terrain in the mid-atlantic. None of us are crazy about skiing the woods or moguls.

As far as lodging, we are looking to be within walking or convienent shuttle service to the slopes and pretty much just need a place to stash our belongings and sleep. Being within walking or shuttle distance of resturaunts and apres' options would be desired.

If we go the Vail route I suspect we would do the 4 Day Keystone/A-Basin ticket, but I'd be up for other options. It looked as if Winter Park/Steamboat are doing some pretty good bundles for lodging/lift right now and at this point I would also say the max pass is an option for tickets as well. (All of our group has Snowshoe passes, so we would do the up-charge + add on)

What!?! I missed the Fall sale? That's terrible news. 

We loved Winter Park last year, one section of the mountain (Mary Jane) is well known for moguls and trees, but there is a lot of other fun terrain in that area as well- the Parsenn Bowl. The rest of the mountain is fun, too. We went to Steamboat, too last year, it was nice, but the conditions weren't as good, we were there in the beginning of Feb, but they had a warm snap, it was raining at the base of the mountain. I'm sure you'll have a great time at any of those places, I'd check Copper out, too, they have some good deals and a lot of fun cruisers if you're not that into moguls or trees.

rbrtlav wrote:

We are looking at early Febuary most likely (pricing for Jan 31-Feb 6). As far as terrain, none of us have ever been out west, but are all very comfortable on the terrain in the mid-atlantic. None of us are crazy about skiing the woods or moguls.

As far as lodging, we are looking to be within walking or convienent shuttle service to the slopes and pretty much just need a place to stash our belongings and sleep. Being within walking or shuttle distance of resturaunts and apres' options would be desired.

If we go the Vail route I suspect we would do the 4 Day Keystone/A-Basin ticket, but I'd be up for other options. It looked as if Winter Park/Steamboat are doing some pretty good bundles for lodging/lift right now and at this point I would also say the max pass is an option for tickets as well. (All of our group has Snowshoe passes, so we would do the up-charge + add on)

Between Steamboat and Copper, I would go for Steamboat.  There is a real town there.  The bus system is pretty good so don't need to drive once you get there.  Can fly into Hayden and be close to Steamboat so no long shuttle ride or rental car drive.  The drive from Denver can be a pain if it's snowing.

At Copper, the greens, blues, and advanced terrain are separate areas.  That can be good for a group who is about the same ability level.  Not so good for a multi-ability group who wants to start at the top of a lift together and meet up at the bottom.

Has your group had the chance to ski in fresh snow at Snowshoe or Timberline?  How deep?

Has your group slept at high altitude?  As in over 7000 ft?

bob wrote:

The fall sale (for travel before Christmas and after New Year til about March 1) was August 22-24. Depending on distance one way fares were $49, $79, $99 and $129. The weekly "fare sales" you continually see are not really sales.

 

The next real sale will be next June or early July   for travel befoe Christmas 2018. I started a thread about SW's earlier fare sale three months ago:  

http://www.dcski.com/forum/90497#new

 

How do you know for sure that SW won't have a 2-3 day sale in early Oct?

Prices dropped in the last week or so for ABQ.  Going with a few friends and we all bought our plane tickets now to lock in specific dates/times.  We spent the summer working out the dates in Feb that would work for everyone.

marzNC wrote:

bob wrote:

The fall sale (for travel before Christmas and after New Year til about March 1) was August 22-24. Depending on distance one way fares were $49, $79, $99 and $129. The weekly "fare sales" you continually see are not really sales.

 

The next real sale will be next June or early July   for travel befoe Christmas 2018. I started a thread about SW's earlier fare sale three months ago:  

http://www.dcski.com/forum/90497#new

 

How do you know for sure that SW won't have a 2-3 day sale in early Oct?

Prices dropped in the last week or so for ABQ.  Going with a few friends and we all bought our plane tickets now to lock in specific dates/times.  We spent the summer working out the dates in Feb that would work for everyone.

Well, I've flown Southwest since 1978 - 5 years after they were founded. I've been A List since the program started and would have been A List a decae earlier if the program had existed. I do know the airline. For at least the last 10 years Southwest has had 2 REAL sales a year. One in June for travel after Labor Day til just before Christmas, and a second one in August for the same period as the June sale pus the time after New Years Day til late February. The pattern hasn't changed in a decade. 

Do a web search for Southwest fare sale. You'll find thse two for this year.

bob wrote:

Well, I've flown Southwest since 1978 - 5 years after they were founded. I've been A List since the program started and would have been A List a decae earlier if the program had existed. I do know the airline. For at least the last 10 years Southwest has had 2 REAL sales a year. One in June for travel after Labor Day til just before Christmas, and a second one in August for the same period as the June sale pus the time after New Years Day til late February. The pattern hasn't changed in a decade. 

 Good to know, thanks.  When I started flying out west to ski, I made use of the early Oct sale for late season trips in April.  That's what folks on SkiSE talked about.  Few of them were ready to buy plane tickets in August even if they were planning a mid-season trip.  My trips to Alta are usually March or April so the August sale doesn't help.

I learned about the June sale when booking flights for my daughter for winter break when she was in school in upstate NY.

Steamboat had a great deal last year they offered at the DC REI that was something like $225 for a 3-day ticket (so $75/day).  Similar to the Snowshoe deal, and they may have even offered it alongside the Snowshoe 3-pack.  I was able to buy it online, amazingly, and took a group of 10 out there.  Other than tearing my meniscus at the end of the first day, it was a great trip.

We're strongly thinking about going back.  Terrain is definitely a bit more mellow than other places I've been, but if this is your first trip out west, that's probably a good thing.  Unless you spend a lot of time in Vermont/NH, or routinely do backflips off boulders under the Ballhooter lift line, I think the step up to difficult west-coast terrain (think something like Corbets at JH) is often a bit of an adjustment for DC/VA/WV/PA/NC skiers.  

Interesting, one travel website mentioned Southwest having good fares before Sept. 21 for selected cities:

"There are low fares from Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco. You’ll need to book by September 21 and travel from September 26, 2017 - March 7, 2018. These Southwest flight deals won’t last long, so check out the sample routes below and book soon!"

https://www.skyscanner.com/tips-and-inspiration/southwest-airlines-sale-flights-skyscanner

I decided to go ahead and book two tickets for me and my daughter from RDU to SLC in late March.  It's a big spring break week since Easter is April 1.  Got the last two $219 tickets for the early morning flight that makes it possible to ski in the afternoon after arrival in SLC.  Price went to $299 when I was done with the purchase.

 I probqbly wasn't clear. SW has only two SYSTEMWIDE fare sales a year. Like all airlines, it may discount fares between any city pair at any time.

marzNC wrote:

 

Interesting, one travel website mentioned Southwest having good fares before Sept. 21 for selected cities:

  

 

Just got an email from Southwest . . . 3-day sale Sept. 26-28.  Seems like the early Oct sale that I used to wait for when getting plane tickets out of RDU for April.

"Book by 9/28. Nonrefundable. Seats, travel days, and markets limited. 21-day advance purchase required. Blackout dates apply. Continental US travel valid 10/17/2017 ”“ 05/23/2018, international travel valid 10/17/2017 ”“ 12/13/2017 and 1/9/2018 ”“ 3/1/2018"

Haven't checked yet if there are good deals left for RDU.  I have one more flight to book for my late season trip to Alta.

marzNC wrote:

Just got an email from Southwest . . . 3-day sale Sept. 26-28.  Seems like the early Oct sale that I used to wait for when getting plane tickets out of RDU for April.

"Book by 9/28. Nonrefundable. Seats, travel days, and markets limited. 21-day advance purchase required. Blackout dates apply. Continental US travel valid 10/17/2017 ”“ 05/23/2018, international travel valid 10/17/2017 ”“ 12/13/2017 and 1/9/2018 ”“ 3/1/2018"

Haven't checked yet if there are good deals left for RDU.  I have one more flight to book for my late season trip to Alta.

I went ahead and booked a trip to SLC in Feb. Tix were a direct flight, $450. I was disappointed with the lack of Southwest direct flights to SLC, we live 20 mins from Dulles, but we couldn't find anything direct from either that or National. I guess I'll go all the way to Baltimore to reduce the chances of having our skis lost in transit. 

eggraid wrote:

I went ahead and booked a trip to SLC in Feb. Tix were a direct flight, $450. I was disappointed with the lack of Southwest direct flights to SLC, we live 20 mins from Dulles, but we couldn't find anything direct from either that or National. I guess I'll go all the way to Baltimore to reduce the chances of having our skis lost in transit. 

Well, being able to drive to BWI beats having to fly an hour to BWI, or go thru MDW or DEN, to get to SLC. ;-)  I've looked into the Delta non-stop from RDU to SLC, but it's an evening flight so that means Delta is more expensive, especially because of baggage fees.  Also means an extra night of lodging expense or one less ski day.  So far, I've stuck with Southwest.

My flight back on April 14 from SLC to RDU, via MDW, was $195.  Save $10 compared to a couple weeks ago.  I booked going to SLC earlier because it was during a school break week when I'm flying with my daughter so not much date flexibility about the travel date.  Our one way tickets were $219, then the price went up to $299.  I got the last two at the lower price that day. :-)

Is $450 about as low as it gets mid-season from BWI these days?  I paid a bit under $400 from RDU a couple of years ago for flights the last week of January.  Prices stayed the same from mid-August to early October.  There was a relevant sale in late August, but the same price was available in late September.

As for Southwest and baggage transfers . . .

My ski buddies live in Ohio, near Albany NY, and Philly.  They all fly Southwest.  In the last 5-6 years, the only baggage snafu was from Ohio.  The ski bag made it but the small suitcase didn't.  That trip we drove to Jackson the same day our flights arrived.  Southwest used Fedex to get the suitcase to Jackson the next day.  I remember a flight via MDW when the take off was delayed because there was a group of skiers coming into MDW a little late because of weather in the northeast.  Not only did we wait for the passengers, we also waited for their luggage.  In short, I don't worry too much about baggage transfers.

That said, I have the basics I need to ski comfortably with me on the plane (boots, helmet, goggles, ski pants, ski jacket, socks, gloves).  Can always rent skis and poles.  So far, so good (knock on wood).  I've traveled enough internationally that anything I put in a checked bag is replaceable.

I also live in Ohio.  I used to fly Southwest for work weekly, and used the points for pleasure.  Southwest has never lost my board bag. US Airways did lose it once.  I was on the way home thank god.  And they found it a few hours later.  They put it in a seperate bagage compartment because it was so long, and no one in Columbus knew there was anything in that compartment.  Somebody dropped it off to my house 5 hours later, presumably when the plane came back.

OK, so it looks like NOW the fall sale is going on, only a day or two left, so get on it! 

Flights from Dulles to Denver are $200 round-trip, other than that, not a lot of ski-destination options. Baltimore, of course, has more, including several upstate NY airports, and Sacramento for $300 round-trip. 

I posted this in the other thread, but take a look at other airlines right now for fares to Denver.  I found cheaper options on Frontier, United, and American.  Some of the fares were basic economy, but that may be an option for people with status or a cobranded airline credit card.  Even the regular economy fares on United were often the exact same as the SouthWest sale fare.

The big advantage on SouthWest of course is the free two checked bags, and lack of change fees if you need to adjust your schedule.  On the flip side, whenever I fly them I feel the need to pay $15 each per segment for the early bird checkin, as I'm not willing to fly that far in a middle seat, and overhead space is important when I'm carrying my boot bag on.

eggraid wrote:

OK, so it looks like NOW the fall sale is going on, only a day or two left, so get on it! 

Flights from Dulles to Denver are $200 round-trip, other than that, not a lot of ski-destination options. Baltimore, of course, has more, including several upstate NY airports, and Sacramento for $300 round-trip. 

Been a little different this fall.  But in general Tuesday is the day to check to see if there is a lower fare of interest.

The so called sale found higher prices for the times and destinations I need and I checked 3 possible airports to fly from. Southwests sale remind me of th signs I use to see in all the surf shops at Myrtle Beach: Going out FOR business. The sale is very limited. Great for Denver but worse for Salt Lake City.

Laurel Hill Crazie wrote:

The so called sale found higher prices for the times and destinations I need and I checked 3 possible airports to fly from. Southwests sale remind me of th signs I use to see in all the surf shops at Myrtle Beach: Going out FOR business. The sale is very limited. Great for Denver but worse for Salt Lake City.

Yep.  For RDU I found a $3 decrease in flights in March for a trip with my husband that isn't related to skiing, and the same price for my ski trips in Feb and Mar/April that I booked in Sept.  At the same time, apparently there are some really good prices from the west coast into the Rockies for ski destinations.

Prices to SLC have sucked so far. Some good deals to DIA and other points west.

JohnL wrote:

Prices to SLC have sucked so far. Some good deals to DIA and other points west.

As weak as recent 3 day SWA sale was for Utah, I could at least find roundtrip flights from WAS to SLC for low 300s, now most choices are back to mid to high 300s:-(

I found Dulles to Denver RT under $200 after tax and fees. I was pretty happy, although looking again today it wasn't that much of a discount off the current price.

Last time I checked, there were some good fares midweek during late season for SLC from RDU.  I booked my flights a while back but don't have much flexibility because I'm matching my daughter's spring break and the schedule of other friends.

I was able to reschedule flights to take advantage of lower fares to connecting cities. We watched fare since late summer. This is the best we could do to fit our criteria. 

Southwest is running a 3-day sale, I see they have one-way tickets from Dulles to Denver for $70 until Mar 7.

https://www.southwest.com/flight/search-flight.html?originAirport=IAD&destinationAirport=DEN

Not sure booking a western trip right now is a good idea. Utah has never had such low snow numbers by this time of the year. I am actually considering going for an extended trip to Vermont this year. Stowe has received 29 inches in the past 72 hours and it is still snowing. They have 75% of their trails open.

Europe is looking good as well but it’s too much travel for a one week trip. 

johnfmh wrote:

Not sure booking a western trip right now is a good idea. Utah has never had such low snow numbers by this time of the year. I am actually considering going for an extended trip to Vermont this year. Stowe has received 29 inches in the past 72 hours and it is still snowing. They have 75% of their trails open.

Europe is looking good as well but it’s too much travel for a one week trip. 

It'll turn around...right?

johnfmh wrote:

Not sure booking a western trip right now is a good idea. Utah has never had such low snow numbers by this time of the year. I am actually considering going for an extended trip to Vermont this year. Stowe has received 29 inches in the past 72 hours and it is still snowing. They have 75% of their trails open.

Europe is looking good as well but it’s too much travel for a one week trip. 

How about flying to Spokane?  The PacNW is off to a roaring start.  From what I hear Grand Targhee and JH are in pretty nice shape too.  But of course hard to do for a long weekend.

Looking for destinations within a 5 hour or shorter direct flight. Burlington is just 1.5 hours. 

johnfmh wrote:

Looking for destinations within a 5 hour or shorter direct flight. Burlington is just 1.5 hours. 

That makes sense.  From RDU, can't get to anywhere on a direct flight that ends up in ski country.  What about Albany?

For weekend skiing in the northeast, I would be inclined to consider Gore/Whiteface, or Sugarbush/MRG over Mount Snow or Killington/Pico or Stowe/Smuggs.  That's based on what I've learned from reading two regional threads for NY and VT/NH/ME and my skiing experience in NY and VT in recent years.

Powder chasing in the northeast is even harder than when flying to SLC.  I got lucky for a driving trip to VT a few years ago.  But changed my plan essentially the day before I left NC.  Drove farther and skied in northern VT instead of southern VT as planned.  That ski safari was on the way to Lake Placid to pick up my daughter for spring break.

I skied N VT a lot.  I miss it, despite being in the west now with access to the Sierra.  IMHO N VT has the best trees and the best tree skiers in North America.  I am always meeting Californians who have never been there who say the east is nothing but ice.  I grin and tell them, ”˜well, you shouldn’t go there.’  What makes the trees so good?  Conifers mixed with several different species of hardwoods.  It’s less predictable and more challenging than a single dominant species.  The lines have been ”˜gardened ”˜ for 50 years or more by good skiers who trim the saplings and undergrowth with hand tools only.  There are unwritten rules that are generally respected so as to minimize the impact.  Nothing over 1 inch diameter is cut.  And never, never cut anything above ground level.  That leaves pungi traps in winter.  Mad River has a credentialed forester who leads and instructs summer trail workers, who are all volunteer skiers, not resort employees.  The the epicenter of this culture lies in N VT; MRG, Sugarbush, Stowe, Smuggs, Jay, Bolton.  

(More later)

Albany is a good thought. I have always wanted to ski White Face, but will probably gravitate to Stowe for the terrain, New England charm, lake effect snow, and access to the airport””44 miles versus 139 between Albany and Lake Placid. Don’t know much about Gore (other than the fact that he lost in Florida), but it doesn’t seem to be a destination resort to the extent Stowe and White Face are. Looks big on paper, so I could be wrong. As a former New Englander, I need to stay east of Lake George and Champlain.

Just spent 1hr. + on a contribution to this thread and it disappeared into the ether when I hit post.

Denis wrote:

Just spent 1hr. + on a contribution to this thread and it disappeared into the ether when I hit post.

What browser/platform do you use, Denis?  Did you try hitting the back button in your browser to see if the text was still there?  When you hit Post Comments, what did you see?

Unfortunately, web forms, browsers, the Internet, and the combination of all three aren't particularly robust, and I've learned the hard way (more than once) to select-all and copy any significant amount of text I've entered before posting on the web, just in case the network connection dies or the browser crashes before the data gets to the server.  Safari on the Mac is generally good and doesn't clear the buffer if the page fails to load on post, but even then I've been burned on occasion.

I didn't see any errors on the server side so I suspect something happened with your network connection at the time you posted -- or maybe your browser cleared its caches when you went to post since you had been on the same page so long.  Unfortunately, I don't see any data I can recover for you as it didn't make it to the server -- but I wanted to check since I know what a pain it is to lose a good chunk of text!  Sorry I can't help.

johnfmh wrote:

Albany is a good thought. I have always wanted to ski White Face, but will probably gravitate to Stowe for the terrain, New England charm, lake effect snow, and access to the airport””44 miles versus 139 between Albany and Lake Placid. Don’t know much about Gore (other than the fact that he lost in Florida), but it doesn’t seem to be a destination resort to the extent Stowe and White Face are. Looks big on paper, so I could be wrong. As a former New Englander, I need to stay east of Lake George and Champlain.

Why not do both Stowe and Whiteface?On several occasions we did a day at Stowe and then took the ferry ride across southern Champlain and on to Whiteface for a day. The ferry ride is a hoot - especially if the wind is out of the north and there are BIG waves on Champlain.  Fly into  Burlington and you can easily do the above.

“What browser/platform do you use, Denis?  Did you try hitting the back button in your browser to see if the text was still there?  When you hit Post Comments, what did you see?”

Thanks for checking Scott.  I’ve gotten over it.  Cheered on by LHC I tried again and probably better.  It’s moved to the tree skiing thread.  Remember the adage, “save early and save often”, from the dark ages of computers.  Probably still a good idea.