West - Ski resort for new skiers & non-skiers

My husband, who is athletic and fit, has been asking me to plan a ski vacation for some time now. Neither of us has ever skiied. Personally, I don't have any desire to ski, for many reasons, including the fact that I get car sick, so the less driving on mountain roads, the better.

So, I'm trying to appease him, but I'm also trying to find a resort that will have plenty to do for a non-skier. I don't care for big crowds, so we plan on avoiding holidays. It would also be nice for the resort to be within an easy day's travel from Cincinnati. We'll need to rent skis.

My first thought was Park City, Utah. It's reportedly within an hour's drive from St. Lake City, which is great because CVG offers non-stop flights on Delta. It also appears that the town has shops and restaurants. However, I'm worried that these slopes may be too advanced for a new skier and that it'll be too crowded.

Any advice or direction you can give would be appreciated. I'm open to resorts in the Western US or Pennysylvania. My friends have already shot down Western Canada, citing extensive travel time.

To get to Park city from the airport it's almost all highway and no twisty mountain roads . Main st has tons of cute shops and good restaurants ( and spas)

I started off at Steamboat Springs. They have good classes and beginner runs from the top all the way down (but easy and slow with a great view). I stayed at the Sheraton which is next to the gondola so great at day and for night time too. This also allowed me to go back to the hotel room at lunch and rest before going back out to ski. Enjoy!

Vail or Beaver Creek. Excellent ski schools and plenty for you to do while hubby is on the slopes. You can fly into EGE (Eagle-Vail) and it's freeway to Vail, perhaps a mile of a "twisty" road up to Beaver Creek.

The catch, of course, is that it's expensive. You pays for your quality. :D :D :D But if hubby is truly athletic and wants to spend more time actually skiing than sitting on a lift, he needs to go to a real resort like Vail.

Serious question: Would a novice with too much confidence be able to seriously injure himself by starting at a "real" resort. Remember that this is our first time. I can see my husband thinking he can conquer a black diamond course on Day 2.

Serious question: Would a novice with too much confidence be able to seriously injure himself by starting at a "real" resort. Remember that this is our first time. I can see my husband thinking he can conquer a black diamond course on Day 2.Serious answer: A novice with too much confidence is able to seriously injure himself at any resort.

This isn't a function of the resort; it's a function of the gray matter between the ears. :D :D :D