We travel with our kids a ton, and sometimes the things they love are bizarre to me (European trains, anyone???) That doesn't make it less worth it for me.

I think going to Europe (or anywhere) is so beneficial- but go for the things that are uniquely European. Have them find some things they want to see and experience and go visit those things. I don't think the skiing is different enough to make all that travel worth it.

I heard that the country Georgia has good skiing and I bet you could find some great places that would be unique, cheaper and everyone would love it.

We ski annually in Park City, but stopped going over Christmas because the snow is not reliable. At Park City and Canyons, usually only 50% of the mountain is open, if that. We switched to Deer Valley over Christmas on the Ikon pass because they make sure more of the mountain is open using snow machines, and then we can go to Alta and Snowbird too where there's much more snow. Going after MLK is much better for snow in Park City and most of the resort will be open. Doesn't make sense to spend that much when you may not get good skiing that early in the season there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone else curious who has 26k for a single vacation but also qualifies for a military discount? Active duty married to hedge funder or big law partner?

I was actually more curious about what military family would tolerate/cater to such bratty sounding children

Definitely not army.

Any reviews on Laax/Flimm?

SLC is hard to beat because its just so easy to fly there. Weather has been iffy in both Europe and Park City over Xmas in recent years. You need to go somewhere with high altitude to guarantee snow. Park City had major labor issues last year over Xmas, so that would make me shy to devote a huge amount of money to that trip.

Love Europe much more than PC, but there's more transit time involved.

OP's kids sounds like spoiled brats. Definitely won't be doing military service with those attitudes and lack of hardship.

Ngl, it's weird that a military spouse is allowing kids to be raised and pampered in this manner.

I have skied in Europe twice with my teenager -- she loved it, but she loves international travel and new experiences. It's a different ski experience (we skied in Italy both times), with better food/atmosphere but iffier snow and slower lifts. We had a terrific time and on both trips we added on more days in Italy, so the trips were part skiing and part food/art/other culture, which I think is a major advantage to a European ski trip. That said, if you are going just for the skiing I wouldn't go at Christmas to either location, given crowds and likely snow conditions that early in the season, if you have some flexibility to go deeper into winter.

For the record, WiFi and cell service (using eSIMs) was just fine throughout our European trips. But that's a red herring -- sounds like the real issue is they may not be enthusiastic travelers, period. In that case, it might depend on your goals for this trip. Is it just to ski? Is it to get them out of their comfort zone and experience new places and cultures, ideally to spark a greater love of travel? Something else?

Anonymous wrote:Park City is a zoo. Lived and skied there when it was still fun, now its Disneyland where you spend your entire vacation in line. Avoid anywhere on the Epic Pass. If Utah, go to Alta, Snowbird or Solitude. You could also look at Sun Valley, Jackson, Big Ski, Tellurude, Crested Butte.

Crested Butte is on the Epic Pass, and Telluride too for several days.

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.

Park City conditions are pretty iffy over Christmas - you could get lucky but other mountains are more likely to have good conditions. I would suggest Steamboat if you are a non-expert. I think that town is nicer than Park City.

Actual skiing is better in park city than in Europe (unless there are strikes again). Views are significantly better in Europe than park city.

I don’t think you can go wrong. There’s also no reason why your teens can’t fly economy to Europe. They’ll be fine and you can save 4K that way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone else curious who has 26k for a single vacation but also qualifies for a military discount? Active duty married to hedge funder or big law partner?

Retired is same price as active duty

https://www.epicpass.com/pass-results/military.aspx

Retire at 42 after 20 years, go to contractor position doing the same work for twice as much money, plus pension.

You can be a veteran and get the discount.