im from north georgia and id say its alot cheaper to get out and stay in colorado. if your concerned about price and air fair than id stay away from montana. i went out to jackson hole last march and we had to take a connecting flight from denver to jacksons airport. colorado is by far the cheapest option. check out snow.com for colorado package deals and airtran.com for cheap air fairs. im going out to breck in early and late december and a 4day/4night/4lift tickets package deal cost me around $275. air fair was around $300. plus, lift tickets are good for breck, vail, keystone and a-basin. do you usaully ride at uber gatlinberg?

I'd also check out Lake Tahoe. There are usually cheap, direct flights to Reno/Sacramento and really good lift/lodging packages.

Jackson Hole is one of my top three favorite places to ride, but it's rather inaccessible and pretty expensive.

and i prefer wyoming and utah for sure over montana. Big Sky is more crowded than jackson at times and nobody rides grand targhee which is where i usually go. Montana would be ideal if you're looking for more of a resorty, groomed runs sort of place (big sky is kinda like that) while jackson and targhee dont have as many groomers and have more terrain. Bridger Bowl in Montana would be good too for more experienced riders.

myspace.com/codylee_199

drummerboy, here is the good news: wherever you end up, the snow, the terrain and the aprés will be better and most importantly, you will be with your son. that's the good news...

now, you are coming out on knoxville, which is not the cheapest place to fly out of (secondary market), so you will need a low-cost carrier to get you to your final sestination, like your local air tran.

look at air tran's site (www.airtran.com) and see what areas they fly to that you would be interested in going to.

before booking, save money (duh), wait and see how and where the winter is going-is the season that of el niño or la niña which is becoming a VERY important part of where you want to get the most bang for your buck.

speaking of which, generally your bigger point-to-point locations, like atlanta to salt lake city (which is hub to hub for delta) and atlanta to denver are going to help curb the costs of ticket prices while getting you both to your final destination (the 'shred-a-torium' of your choice).

the bigger the resort, the more hotels, the more hotels/motels the more these entities compete for your money; a la packages. don't balk at them, a lot of these packages are pretty good (breckenridge seems to have it down to a science, as do a few others).

look for packages that include, hotels/condos/motels in good locations (close to, if not shred in/shred out locations, near the hill, as well as where your place of stay in reference to the town-your aprés capital diners, drinks and hookers. be sure to read the fine print of these packages, then call a reservation agent and go over it with any questions that you may have, have them email you a list of exactly what is promised to you for the money you are paying them (print that list out and include it in your itinerary).

now, locations...again be patient and see where the snow is firing. last season was terrible for us in utah and tahoe. however, resorts in southern colorado, like purgatory (which now goes by the lame name of 'durango ski & snowboard mountain), crested butte and wolf creek got clubbed with good snow levels. look at where the snow is and what type of mountain(s) relate to your skill levels-jackson hole is a no fuck around hill; it is steep, the weather can be brutal, it can be dangerously icey or it can be a place of EPIC four thousand verticle drop powder fields (and it ain't cheap to fly in there, as mentioned).

be honest with yourself about your abilities, what you both would like to do/and learn (for example, some resorts now offer terrain park and 'dude tube' lessons), ask yourself if crowds will impact your decision on where you want to ride (breck can get crowded on the weekends), buy tickets off costco or sam's club, stay mellow and cherish the good times together.

and buy something from the local snowboard shop in town-gotta support.

Craig Kelly (and fat girls) Forever.