Japan, USA or Canada

I'm a big fan of Whistler/Blackcomb.  There is tons of terrain, nice park setups, and some great bowls up top on both mountains.  I've also found the prices to be cheaper than a lot of bigger resorts in the US.

the resorts in colorodo u.s. are very nice and decently priced with powder runs and fun parks have fun riding :)

Wilz I''ve been to Whistler and Japan (Niseko) and although Japan would be cheaper (not by much) I can't speak highly enough of Whistler.  The mountains are big, the runs are long and challenging, the parks are excellent, the village is fantastic. 

For 10 days it at that time of the year, peak season, it is going to cost.  Have a look at www.alluradirect.com for accommodation and cheap lift passes.

Whistler has plenty to do if you are not riding.  There are the ecotour ziptreks, snowmobile tours, bars etc.  The whistler website is your friend here.

Haven't been to the USA to ride so can't really speak about that.

If you have any specific questions pm me.  I've spent more days riding at Whistler than I have in Australia.

thanks for the response guys. i think i'm leaning towards Whistler, is there other places in canada anyone recommend visiting? like over the east or central?

Originally posted by Aus_Boarder Revelstoke, Big White, Lake Louise, Fernie, Red Mountain, Kicking Horse.  They are all awesome mostly with better snow quality than Whistler.  What type of riding do you want to do?  It doesn't really matter which resort you go to, they will all smoke anything in Australia or N.Z.

I have some pics from my trip to Revelstoke. All the mountains Aus_Boarder mentions has pretty awesome terrain, esp revelstoke, big white, and kicking horse will have tons of different terrain. all except for lake louise have minimal crowds, at revelstoke and kicking horse its rare to see a queue at all. have you looked into banff? in the winter, it's actually a australian colony. cheaper than whistler and there are tons of places to go around there that are great like lake louise, sunshine, and kicking horse.if you have the time you can get a unlimited greyhound bus card and go from whistler to banff and hit up a ton of mountains. also, there are lots of hostels everywhere. i've stayed at a bunch of samesun hostels and they're super fun places. also whistler has a new hostel which is really well done. btw revelstoke averages around 1.5x more snow than whistler and it's the finest champagne pow and has the most vert in north america.

@aus_boarder lots of the club fields in NZ def stack up in terms of awesome factor esp craigieburn!

Originally posted by killclimbz Canada is going to have bigger and badder mountains than anywhere in the US, except Alaska.  Fact.  The vertical alone at a spot like Whistler is huge.  Snowfall is also plentiful and terrain is varied as is it gets.  Alaskan style spines, cliffs, pillows, trees, all can be had at several resorts in Canada.  Those who are advising US spots over Canada are doing so because they've been to those spots and had a good time.  Which is great, but they are not really looking at the choices.  Aus_Boarder's recommendations at other resorts to look at besides Whistler are spot on.

show me one resort in western canada with AK style spines. and bigger and badder? have you heard of jackson hole or mt baker? and nice work captain obvious for telling us about whistler's vert drop.

30 to 60 minutes of hiking at Whistler can be very rewarding.  It gives you access to some fantastic out of bounds terrain.  30 minutes in a helicopter and things get ridiculous.

just came back from niseko trip

GO to the USA in the summit county area of colorado you will not be disappointed 

l like blackcomb but keep in mind they close at like 5 last time l went. so if your a late waker, l dont think ti would work 4 u

in toronto, theres night boarding also that runs from 4-10 or 9 depending on where you go 

I was looking at airfares to Vancouver/Calgary, Sapporo, and London/Geneva/Zurich for the next xmas/new years period (flying from Perth).

Because it's peak period, flights to Europe are $1,000 more expensive than Japan, and Canada is $2,000 more expensive. I didn't even bother looking at American airfares after that result. I'm sure airfares will be cheaper in the shoulder season (Feb/Mar).

Don't forget you lose a few days both ways in travel time/stop overs/jet lag.

Yeah he us has so many great resorts out west. Just make sure you pick a good one like kirkwood.

Should have added, if you decide cost is the top factor, you will not find any place cheaper than Reno.  I got free rooms most Sun-Thurs at the Grand Sierra and not from gambling.  Just promos open to everyone.  Even weekends are usually under $100 for 4-star hotels.  Only 30 min to Mt. Rose.

Originally posted by Wilz that is pretty sweet. free rooms!! hehe   well, it looks like i'm going korea instead which wasn't even on the list.   japan is too radioactive for me, US & canada too expensive to get there...  so it seems like i'll have to postpone those trips for when i have more money.

Actually Zakk is right.  The ambient radiation inside the cabin will probably be more than at Niseko.  There is always radiation in the atmosphere.  Put yourself inside of a cabin with electrical wires running all around and such, there is going to be more radiation.

I wouldn't cross Japan off the list at all.  The North Island gets tons of snow.  Add that since tourism is down because of the disaster and you can probably find some screaming deals.  I know of a few people who went on their snow trips right after the disaster and made out like bandits.  They also helped Japan by be willing to spend their dollars there instead of canceling their trip.

look for skifreedeals to come out and you can ski whistler for 50% off on certain days. I'd love to board Japan one day, but whistler was so good, I'm making it an annual trip. There's something for everyone at whistler.

Originally posted by Wilz oh right ur talking about  background raditation in cabin.. i tot u were talking about radiation getting into the plane.   makes sense...   but wat about when u land in tokyo, there's plenty of radiation happening there.. and then on the way to niseko...

^ And you can always use a glow-in-the-dark Japanese person as a nightlight.

Originally posted by Wilz japan is too radioactive for me,

If I had to pick one, then I'd say USA because of the great mix of mountains, pricing, and sightseeing.

on the topic of japan.. wat about sashimi? weren't they cycling sea water throught the reactors.. i'm sure the surrounding fish are close to glowing.. and japan cultrure.. no fish is like... wtf...

hey, i only go by what i'm fed in the media & government.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Glowing Japanese people!! I would recommend Jackson Hole. CRAZZYYY amounts of snow.