Park City First Class vs Europe (Avoriaz, Megève, Zermatt). Worth it or will the teens just care about Wi-Fi and space?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m planning a family Christmas ski trip and leaning heavily toward Park City. At first, I thought Europe would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, with places like Avoriaz, Megève, or Zermatt. But when I actually talked to my kids, I started wondering if it’s really worth it right now.

Family setup: Two teens, 14 and 17. They are all about modern, comfortable spaces with ample room. Everyone needs their own room. We like newer interiors, hot tubs, and good amenities. When I asked them what they thought about skiing in Europe, their first response was "Will the Wi-Fi and internet even be good?"

Park City
First class flights from DC: about $900 per person
Lodging: ski-in ski-out near Silver Star or Town Lift, $10K to $20K for a large, modern home or condo
Lift tickets: Epic Pass options with military discount, about $2K to $3K total
Transfer: 45 minutes from SLC, $200 to $600
Total trip: $18K to $26K

Avoriaz
Business class flights to Geneva: about $3K per person
Lodging: ski-in ski-out places like L’Amara, but fewer modern large-unit options, $5K to $8K
Lift tickets: Portes du Soleil passes, about $1.6K to $2K
Transfer: shuttle plus snowcat, $600 to $1K
Total trip: $19K to $22K

Megève and Zermatt
Harder to find large, modern ski-in ski-out options
Transfers take longer and are less straightforward
Lodging can be pricier and more traditional

Here’s the dilemma: Europe has incredible scenery, culture, and huge ski areas. But for my kids, it may not matter. They want modern comfort, their own space, a hot tub, strong Wi-Fi, and food they like. If that’s what makes the trip fun for them, is there any point in dragging everyone across the Atlantic right now?

Would love to hear from anyone who has done both with teenagers. Did Europe blow them away, or did it ultimately not matter because all they wanted was space, comfort, and internet?

Should we save the Europe trip for when they’re older, or even just for the two of us? The last time we took an international trip, the kids were more excited about the free all-you-can-eat room service at the resort than touring Bali. It was honestly ridiculous. I hope they gained something from it. I think they did, but still.

I think you should work out why your kids sound like such brats. Maybe leave them at home, or at least put them in economy.

Look, we have kids that grew up skiing all over the world too. Never have they insisted on "modern comfort", a hot tub, or any of the other things. If asked, sure they like a hot tub. Their own rooms. But come on.....

If my kids were acting this entitled they'd be sharing a room at a Holiday Inn on this next trip just to get some perspective. We can easily afford much nicer but with their attitudes it's clearly time to course correct.

[Anonymous]

On skiing, the experiences are quite different. Deep Valley outside Park City is a terrific, high-end resort that has a very strong ski school and individual instructors. Alta, about an hour or so away, is just beautiful, but without the bustle of a major resort. Zermatt, as with many European ski resorts, is different. Much wider, open slopes, and less grooming. A different kind of skiing and beauty, with a fabulous town, food and history.

Personally, as a parenting choice rather than a cost issue, I never fly first class with my children, or (absent extraordinary circumstances like illness we were trying to contain) have may kids stay in individual bedrooms at hotel or rented homes on ski vacations. As for access to electronics, I can't even reply as that's a much wider set of parenting/family issues.

[Anonymous]

Omg, is this a parent of the year competition? Are everyone’s kids just leaving their phones home and crochet and play scrabble while in Europe?

Lux bathroom is not the point of the trip, but these days I look for a kitchenette and nice bathroom (better two) when we travel. I want to make myself a cup of tea in the evening without going to a restaurant or boil an egg for myself in the morning. That’s not the point of the trip, but certain comforts make the trip for me. Same for Wi-Fi. Nobody is going to be on Wi-Fi 24x7, but people may want to play a video game or watch a movie, and that’s fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't like skiing in foreign countries. I've done it in Europe and Japan. But honestly, I don't anymore. Why? Several reasons, equipment, and the skiing experience never really exceeding what I can get here. But most importantly, because if I get seriously injured, I don't want to deal with being overseas. I'd rather be here in the United States without the complications.

So Park City for me.

That's a great point.

[Anonymous]

One thing irritating with Zurich and laax is the cost for a round trip airport transfer was over $1000 . Apparently there is some weird cartel setting prices, that was enough for us to choose another location.

[Anonymous]

I would go to deer valley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is really hard to answer, because you haven't said what you are trying to accomplish.

Is this trip about incredible skiing, incredible scenery, novel culture, or luxury accommodations. None of these is wrong, per se, but you might not be able to afford all of them at once.

We have a vacation home in a premier US ski destination. So if we travel to ski, there has to be some other draw. But a lot of our friends and family pay expensive airfare to travel to stay in our vacation house. And we also travel to other places. Just depends what you are looking for.

I'm unsure of what to accomplish. What got me wondering about Europe is that the pricing for Park City is almost the same, as Airbnbs are at the 15k mark, which then makes travel to Europe more accessible. However, will the extra travel and hassle be worth it? I feel like if i am dropping 18-20k wouldnt' it be better to go to a foreign country than the US? But then I have my kids, and they are probably going to like being in the US the most, ughh. LOL, I can't wait not to have kids because, if it were up to my parents, it would be Europe.

We lived in Europe for a few years and I loved the relative affordability and ski experience there, but I wouldn't travel from the US for it. When we went to Austria to ski, that was the focus of the trip. We'd stay in a nice kinderhotel with full board and have relaxing evenings after skiing. Granted our kids were younger but it wouldn't have been practical to do a bunch of cultural activities too unless we planned to stop in a different location on the backend of the trip.

[Anonymous]

Park City was a nightmare this past Christmas. Google the articles…believe there was a worker strike.

Just make sure all those problems are resolved.

[Anonymous]

I want to know what you did in the military that led to a civilian career that provides you with $26k vacations, no problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want to know what you did in the military that led to a civilian career that provides you with $26k vacations, no problem.

It's wild how someone in this area doesn't understand military and federal contracting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Park City. We've decided to do most of our vacations in the US for the next few years. More value for your money, shorter flights with less jet lag, and our kids won't appreciate what we like about Europe just yet. There's so much to see in America, including national parks.

LOL. Have you looked at the price of skiing in the Rockies vs. Alps?

[Anonymous]

We have gone to PC the last few years during Christmas break and as a PP pointed out, last year was a disaster based on PCMR Ski Patrol strike. The issues from last year “should be” resolved this year. That said PC is a great town and I have great memories of taking the super slooooow Town Lift with DD in the mornings. PCMR as you know is massive but you might consider splitting ski time at DV and PCMR. The experience at DV is fantastic assuming nobody is snowboarding. Short drive from SLC airport and easy access to both PCMR and DV make staying in PC a win for us.

Lastly, apres and dining options in PC are great.

It’s good to have options in life. Have a great trip.

[Anonymous]

Kids would want clear wifi connection - no surprises there (whether bratty or not.)

Some kids love Europe some don’t.. theres no middle ground there.

I would stay in the US , there are enough places. .. they won’t care about Zermatt.

[Anonymous]

We went back and forth on this decision, in fact, booked all the hotels and were ready to go to Zurich; however, we found that there is a cartel for air transfers, which costs a minimum of $1,500 regardless of whether you use Uber or a private service. That was enough for us to stay in the US. I couldn't stomach paying that much, and there isn't much to see or do outside of skiing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Park City. We've decided to do most of our vacations in the US for the next few years. More value for your money, shorter flights with less jet lag, and our kids won't appreciate what we like about Europe just yet. There's so much to see in America, including national parks.

LOL. Have you looked at the price of skiing in the Rockies vs. Alps?

you can pickup the miltiary retiree or veteran epic pass for 200-600 for the entire season