New skier-Looking for resort

Hi. I`ve skied twice in my life and that was this past March, in the mid-west. Needless to say I hardly know a thing about skiing, except that I want to ski again; and again, and again... So anyway, I`m looking for a nice resort to ski for a week this winter. Would like a place (either East or West) for beginners and intermediates with ski in/ski out lodging. Any suggestions on what to look for when choosing a resort/mountain? ANY advice that a new skier could use would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks, Kim

-mid-west. Needless to say I hardly know a thing about skiing, except that I -want to ski again; and again, and again... -So anyway, I`m looking for a nice resort to ski for a week this winter. -Would like a place (either East or West) for beginners and intermediates -with ski in/ski out lodging. Any suggestions on what to look for when -choosing a resort/mountain? ANY advice that a new skier could use would be -greatly appreciated!!! -Thanks, -Kim - -
A few years ago, when I was in pretty much the same position you are now, I went to Keystone with my local club, and absolutely loved it. I don`t know about ski-in/ski-out (never done it), but the mountain is very nice for beginners.

How about Mount Tremblant in Quebec, Canada?
I was impressed with the week long ski instructions, ski-in ski-out accomodations and the best French food you can find on the slope for one price. And because the strong dollar, you can hardly find comparisons for such a treat in the USA.

not a bad run for a newbe on the lift area! thanks for the season pass & drink mix.

Having skied both Tremblant and Crystal Mt. (Michigan) , I can say with confidence that anyone who`s shaky on the blues at Crystal will be equally shaky on the greens at Tremblant. (But maybe a couple of days at Gray Rocks in the ski school can address this problem.)
The more I think about it, the more I think Kimmy should go to Boyne for a week. It`s not that far of a drive, and she (he?) should take advantage of the long gentle sub-green terrain while she can really enjoy it. I wish I had gone there my first season - I would have loved the easy runs that early in my career. I still go there once or twice a season, but I find about half of the terrain too flat at this point. For beginners, though, it`s just about perfect.

out. I`ve stayed placed where a rank beginner would find it difficult or impossible to access the ski area directly from the condo, cabin, or whatever. Not a problem for an intermediate but sometimes the trail can have tricky turns or icy conditions that would stump someone still learning.
Also, make sure you confirm ski inski out status for the time you are actually heading to the slopes. Depending on conditions, you might find that the trail to and from the slopes is now a grass and mud rut instead of snow covered access. You are paying top dollar for the location but at most places, the slopeside lodging is really no better than other spots down the hill. If you wind up having to hike just to get to the hill, you`re wasting money. I`ve negotiated a much cheaper rate at a ski inski out condo when I knew there was not enough snow to actually ski back right to my door. You have to ask though....
Keep in mind that ski-inski-out raises the cost of lodging by leaps and bounds. You might want to look at "walk to lifts" sorts of places that offer locations just a short stroll to the ski area. You can still avoid driving to the parking lots at these spots and perhaps return for lunch without having to pay the extra premium for being right on the slopes.

that has a fair amount of trails that are within your ability. This is not as simple as just looking at a trail may because of the way trails are designated; green squares designate the easiest trails *at that resort*. Black diamonds designate the most challenging trails *at that resort*. What this means in practice is that a green trail at one resort may in fact be more difficult than a black trail at another.
Midwestern ski resorts are not known for their challenging terrain. What rates as a black "expert" trail here (I live in Michigan, BTW) might be rated a green "beginner" trail if it were somewhere else. In general I`d say that midwestern trails are off by one in terms of difficulty relative to the rest of the US. In some cases they`re off by two, depending on which resorts you`re comparing.
Can you ski the blacks at your local hill? (And here I mean ski it well, under control with decent form, not merely hanging on for dear life `til you get to the bottom. Doing a "Texas Tuck" for 300 vertical feet is one thing, for 3000` its quite another...) If so, you can probably handle the blue slopes most anywhere else. OTOH, if you`re struggling on the blues in the midwest, you might find the green slopes too much at a "real" mountain.
Which isn`t to say "don`t go". Just be very clear that you`re a novice and pick a resort accordingly. Think about getting lessons as part of the package.
Grey Rocks (the smaller hill in the shadow of Tremblant, near Montreal) is supposed to have a world class ski school that will prep you for the real deal. Most other large destination resorts have active ski schools.
Another option is to go somewhere like the Boynes (two resorts about 25 miles apart in Michigan) lots of beginner-friendly terrain, perhaps within driving distance depending on where you are in the midwest.

Funny Bunny chair at Kirkwood has a relatively long trail for a sustained low angle slope that is relatively wide. This is the best low level chair I know of in all of the Lake Tahoe area ( probably more than 15 resorts). They were ranked #1 last year by a widely distributed magazine for best place to learn. This run is one of the biggest reasons I feel.