Weekend Ski!

[radiopayola]

My wife and I travel weekends very often in the winter to take advantage of our season passes for ski/snowboard. This year we will be visiting vail, beaver creek, a-basin, breckenridge, keystone, and heavenly (tahoe). Usually, we try to make a trip every other weekend or more if possible.

We stayed with friends last year, but the mountains we are visiting this year have me looking for new accommodations. I've scoped out a few hotels in the vicinity that will cost us around $50-$60 a night, but the timeshare idea sounds appealing. 99% of our time is spent either on the mountain, apres ski, or in bed; so I'm not too picky as far as the quality of accommodations. Is there a timeshare deal that might work out? With the right kind of flexibility of destinations, I might even make a week out of it some time in the summer. Who knows...

Thanks in advance!

 

[Steamboat Bill]

I've scoped out a few hotels in the vicinity that will cost us around $50-$60 a night, but the timeshare idea sounds appealing.

Wow...I usually spend around $500-600 per night for ski accomidations.

If you are happy with your properties, those prices are impossible to beat.

 

[DeniseM]

If you want to ski in lots of different areas, a points program may give you the most flexibility. However, timesharing requires advanced planning. and trying to find something for last minute ski weekends may be difficult and frustrating. I am not an expert on points programs, but hopefully some points owners will weigh in.

If there is a particular area where you would like to spend a week every ski season, you could do well by buying a fixed ski week at that destination. A high demand week - like New Years or Presidents Day week would also rent well if you couldn't use it some years.

Just for price comparison - our mid-level 1 bdm. Tahoe TS averages out to $69 a night to use. It's not one of the top dogs but it is clean, fresh, and comfortable for what I think is a bargain price. There are a lot of good deals in Tahoe on the resale market if you don't have to have the Marriott or Hyatt - gorgeous, but pricey!

 

[sernow]

"vail, beaver creek, a-basin, breckenridge, keystone, and heavenly (tahoe). Usually, we try to make a trip every other weekend or more if possible.

We stayed with friends last year, but the mountains we are visiting this year have me looking for new accommodations. I've scoped out a few hotels in the vicinity that will cost us around $50-$60 a night"

I don't believe those prices are realistic during ski season. You should jump at those prices and book the times you need.

 

[radiopayola]

I don't believe those prices are realistic during ski season. You should jump at those prices and book the times you need.

Yea, I get industry discounts so that makes it a little cheaper. Though, I'm still interested in possibly spending 50-75% more for better accommodations via timeshare. I'll probably check into a couple of the points systems. The problem, I think, may be the last-minute weekend issue DeniseM mentioned. Occasionally, I don't know if we're going until the Friday before a Saturday morning departure.

 

[radiopayola]

Wow...I usually spend around $500-600 per night for ski accomidations.

If you are happy with your properties, those prices are impossible to beat.

Once every few years, I might do a week at a place like the Banff Springs. Considering the 25-30 days I spent on the slopes last year, that's just not really feasible most of the time. I just don't have a spare $15-20k/year to drop on my winter travels. In my view, the snow is more important than the bed I'm sleeping in. Not to mention the importance of the tropical beaches I save for spring/summer/fall....

 

[Steamboat Bill]

I know several people that rented Marriott 2 bedroom timeshares during New Years week for about $900 per night in Park City directly from Marriott.

I am sure they could have gotten a better rate renting from an owner, but they felt more comfortable renting from Marriott and getting daily services, etc. and they paid on their credit card vs check to a stranger.

2 bedroom or more Ski-in/out properties are hard to find under $500 per night.

If it is just two travelers and you don;t mind staying off mountain, then you can save a ton of money, but I have two kids and most of our friends have kids and ski-in/out is a HUGE priority for us.

 

[sml2181]

HGVC

Purchase the best HGVC points package you can find and use the open season (last minute reservations for cash rates) at the Valdoro Mountain Lodge in Breck.

I sure wished I lived closer to that area, as I have seen MANY great open seasons rentals for short stays in prime winter season.

Open Season rates:
Studio: 60-80$ per night
1 bedroom 80-100$ per night
2 bedroom 100-120$ per night
3 bedroom 130-150$ per night
These are for the regular units - plus and premium units cost more.
Elite members get a discount: Elite Plus (24K points or more) get 15% off/ Premier Elite (34K points or more) get 30% off.

However, these rates still don't match the hotel rates you mentioned.

I am all for ski in/out and although the Valdoro isn't that (I was told you can ski in though - at the back of the resort), it is very convenient using the resort shuttle - they will bring you to any ski lift you want. Also, with our kids, the most important factor to us is getting to the ski classes in the morning. Shuttle works great for that too.

 

[Steamboat Bill]

Unfortunately, weeks 51, 52, and 7 and the entrire month of Feb-March are HARD to get any bargins as these are school holidays.

 

[radiopayola]

Thanks SML... That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for. That place looks nice. I'll definitely check into it.