We went years ago and my son goes with his Boy Scout Troop every year. We had a blast and he loves going. I thought it was worth the cost. It's definitely something different to do. None of us had skiied before either and we spent alot of time getting back up! Last time my son went he swithced to the snow boards. Good luck.

I try to go once a year or so - and have been to Breckenridge once (going back to Breck again this Febuary).

1) I've been there a few times - in addition to Colorado.

2) It's awesome - if you havent skied before.

2a) It's awesome if you've been before, but haven't been anywhere else. Once you go skiing on a real mountain, you realize what Snow Creek is lacking.

3) It's well run, though last winter I tried going up and they had a big group and had ran out of skis - call ahead.

4) Worth the cost if you've never been.

The kids will absolutely LOVE it! And it's fun to watch them. The "ski school" if you want to bother teaches just enough to be dangerous. What I mean is that they teach to snowplow - which is fine on most of the terrain there, but can get you in trouble if you don't know how to "shussh" back and forth correctly. Best bet is to go with someone who is a skier and they can give better instruction.

Another tip - if you don't get it the first day - go again and you'll pick up right where you left off and by day 2, you'll get it! I hear that snowboarding is easier to learn initially if you haven't skied before - I say that with regards to the 8yr olds in particular. Boarding seems to be more popular with the younger crowd anyway.

You mention going to Colorado, with this trip being the practice. IF you have fun here you will have a BLAST in Colorado. There is no comparison.

Where Snow Creek's trails are narrower, and sometimes "icy" due to the man-made snow and KC's temperature fluctuations - Colorado's trails are WIDE AND SMOOTH AND SOFT!

DO NOT BE AFRAID TO GO TO COLORADO IF YOU ENJOY SNOW CREEK! I cannot emphasize that enough. But give Snow Creek a try and let us know how your day turns out.

Thank you SO much for your tips! We are all looking forward to going.

OK. We're only a few days away from going, & now I have some trivial questions.

Is there a place to change once we get there? People don't wear their snow pants/bibs there, do they?

How's the food? Since they don't open until Noon (at least on the day we're going), should we eat lunch b/f we get there?

Any knowledge on how crowded it might be on a weekday during Christmas break? I was hoping by going on a weekday that it would be less busy, but I do realize that kids are out of school now.

How will the "snow" be when temps are in the 40's? Does it get all melty & slushy, or will it pack down & be more like ice?

Thanks for any comments.

I don't know if I'm replying in time for your trip up or not, but I can answer those questions.

Yes, there are restrooms you can change in if need be - otherwise there's a large locker room type area where you can but your boots on and get geared up. I'll often times just put on my heavier gear in the parking lot after the drive up. The rental/changing area can get pretty crowded. *There are lockers for you to rent to put your street shoes,purses,etc.. in.

The food there is "okay". There's not much to eat up that way once you leave KC other than a convenience store a few miles from Snow Creek. It's on the way up and a good place to stop for snacks/drink afterwards. The "lodge" area is kinda cool to hang out in and eat, drink hot chocolate, etc. The food is plentiful, but NOT gourmet.

Crowded? Very hard to say. You can get on their website (www.skisnowcreek.com) and look at their 2 webcams to see what it looks like - or call. But if your window of opportunity is narrow, then it won't matter whether they're crowded or not.

Snow - they make their own snow for the most part. That can mean ice pellets. It does get kinda melty and slushy when temps are above 40ish - then when it freezes again it becomes icy and hard. Unless you happen to be going up after a couple of inches of real snow, expect melty and slushy OR icy and hard packed. But don't let that scare you - it can still be fun regardless. And if you ski in slush or ice, then you really get an appreciation for real snow once you get to ski in it!

Keep us posted...