Winter Park is the most reasonably priced, unpretentious mainstream ski resort in Colorado. If you want top quality skiing, great value and experience "real" small town America, you can't beat it. The terrain is exceptional and snow quality is as good as it gets. Advanced skiers have fearsome moguls and plenty of glades, chutes and bowls to play in. Every level of intermediate is catered for, from the perfectly groomed cruiser to bowls just right for a first attempt at off-piste. Beginners have the superb Discovery Park - a 25-acre roped off mid-mountain area with its own lifts, nursery area, improvers runs etc.

There is no true slopeside village yet, but it's in the pipeline, and even now you can stay at the superb ski-in/ski-out Zephyr Mountain Lodge. Most other accommodation is in town, 2 miles from the slopes. Winter Park isn't perhaps for those used to Aspen, Vail or Whistler, but as many resorts go more and more upmarket, it offers an important option for those on a budget. It can actually work out cheaper for a family at half-term than anywhere in Europe!