Thanks for all the wonderful info. We are are a family with a range of skiing ability, advanced to beginner, traveling with two teens. Other activities will be important, but I am looking for to have a great family ski vacation before my twins go to college. It could be week 51 or 52 in 2020. Although it looks like renting week 51 may be a little cheaper. Seeing the 2019 weekly rates on Redweek, I figured I needed to get some input from the experts here. I was also hoping to find a location that had a ski valet. It may be a luxury that I am willing to pay for.
Whistler is almost ideal for what you are describing. Almost all of the lifts that access the top of the mountains include a variety of runs to get back down, including at least one well-groomed run. Occasionally that groomed run might an intermediate. It is very common to see groups of people of varying abilities riding the lifts together, each picking their own route down, and meeting up again at the bottom of the lift. Or families riding together, with the adults alternating as to who stays with the kids and who gets to shred the diamonds.
As Whistler and Blackcomb villages have developed, the condo agreements limit the amount of time an owner can occupy their unit during ski season, and require that the owner put the unit into a rental pool. In many ski villages, condos and residences close to the lifts are bought by wealthy people, who use them only a few weeks per year and then let them sit empty. The Whistler condo documents were written to prevent that. Consequently there is a large rental inventory close to the lift.
Another advantage is that with exchange rates Whistler is generally less expensive than US resorts.
For weeks 51 and 52 at Whistler your best option is to look for a rental. There are lots of sites that do rentals. In the past my favorite site was
alluradirect.com. Rental also let's you find a place that might be more suited to your needs.
As you noted Christmas week will generally be a bit less expensive than New Year's
