Originally Posted by
NFeldberg
Tahoe, in my opinion is the best value and a 10 on the awesome scale.
Tahoe is not a good value. It's extraordinarily expensive, very crowded, and the snow is not very good (Sierra Cement). The views can be beautiful, though.
The snow on Oregon's mountains can also be icy (less so on Bachelor), but Mt. Hood can be much less expensive and is easily accessible from Portland. Twenty years ago I would take off from work at 3:30 to go night skiing at Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, which at the time was the nation's largest night ski area. I would get to the resort at about 4:30 and ski until 8 or 9. It was around $25 all in (including ski rentals and lift ticket) and I often had full runs without seeing another person on the mountain. Aside from the often icy conditions, these still rank highly as some of my best skiing experiences (second only to Snowmass, which is not in any way a "value").
Of course, rain is a big problem in March, and it's possible that places like Ski Bowl will be unacceptably warm. If you can book last minute, check the conditions and get yourself on a plane.