Colorado Loveland or A-Basin for skiing w/ 8 yr old daughter (east coasters)?

[jspsj]

I'll be in Summit County for 3 days skiing March 14-16 with my 8-year-old daughter. We plan on skiing one or two of our days at Copper since I have work-related discount there, and then we'll probably spend one or two of our days at Loveland and/or Arapahoe Basin. (Selecting these based on the cheaper price compared to other area options.) The only place we've ever skied in Colorado was Copper 2 years ago (loved it!), so I'm not familiar with either Loveland or A-Basin. Any thoughts on how to choose between these? Or should we do 3 days, 3 different mountains?

For context: when we skied at Copper a bit more than two years ago (when my daughter was still 5), she was comfortable on all the blue squares there. She's a good deal better and more experienced now, so we'll also be skiing more advanced terrain. We both enjoy moguls, trees (as long as they aren't super tight and steep at the same time), groomers, choppy/cruddy snow, just about anything except as east coasters we don't have much experience in deep powder. We don't care about nice lodges or stuff like that. I know that Loveland doesn't have safety bars on their chairs. I think that will be somewhat uncomfortable for me, but my daughter doesn't seem deterred so I'm willing to overlook that. We will be staying in Silverthorne.

All opinions and information welcome!

 

[PinnacleJim]

Either LL or AB is a good choice. AB does have safety bars on all the lifts except the Palli chair. If the weather is not clear, skiing above the treeline can be scary as the light becomes flat and everything is just shades of gray. But in sunshine, A-Basin is one of my favorite places to ski in all of North America. Stunning scenery and great terrain.

 

[Jerez]

Both LL and AB are ski areas, not ski resorts. No lodging etc. at the base. Frisco, Dillon or Silverthorne will be best bet for skiing either of those and reasonable commute to Copper too.
Both AB and LL are fantastic places to ski and both have good, blue terrain. LL has more easy tree skiing. Both have a lot of exposed above tree-line terrain which can be difficult if the visibility is low or the wind is up. Keep that in mind when choosing which to go to. AB will be closer to Copper as it is on that side of Loveland Pass.

Given the snow year Colorado has been enjoying, be prepared to learn to ski powder!

 

[SkiNurse]

Loveland. You have a choice of the Valley or the Basin. The Valley is more for beginners and depending on what lift ticket you opt for, you can go to both the Valley and the Basin. The lift ticket prices are also the best in the area.
www.skiloveland.com

 

[Jim Kenney]

Yeah, IMHO Loveland has quite a bit more runs/terrain of interest to low-mid-high intermediates. A-B could be good for you for a day, but goes to high end expert level pretty quick. Or you could try a day at each at Loveland and A-B.

 

[BC.]

Just my .02 of what I’m thinking of doing over Easter with my wife and 2 daughters (18/16).

-VRBO in Silverthorne, Frisco or Dillon
-1 day at Loveland
-1 day at Abasin
-1 day at Copper (if still open)

 

[jspsj]

Thanks, all, for the great input. I'll decide slightly closer to our ski days, but I'm leaning to 1 day Copper, 1 day A-Basin, 1 day Loveland, just like the previous poster. We'll see, though.