Marriott's Timber Lodge or Marriott’s Marriott's MountainSide?

I am considering buying a 2 BD/2BA lockout at either Marriott's Timber Lodge or Marriott’s Marriott's MountainSide in the Platinum Ski season?

Where do you see the pros and cons?

Hi, I'm an avid skier and have skied at both Heavenly and PC Mt. Resort. I am a Marriott Vacation Club owner and Marriott Vacation Club sales executive based at Grande Vista. I took my family to the Timber Lodge in Jan. 2007 and also exchanged into the Mountainside resort in Jan 2006. With that backround info, let's look at the pros and cons.

A lot depends on what kind of skiing you like and which time of the ski season you are most likely to use your villa.

Snow: Park City has more reliable early season snow than Heavenly and Tahoe resorts. When both areas have comparable snow pack the choice depends on the kind of terrain you like to ski. The powder skiing at Park City is far superior to the heavy snow of Tahoe.

Terrain: Heavenly has shorter runs, great tree skiing, and incredible views of Lake Tahoe and the Nevada desert. Park City has plenty of great intermediate trails and some incredible powder bowls from the summitt that are truely advanced skills required.

Food! The on-mountain facilities at Heavenly are below normal Vail Resort owned facilities. PC Mt, and of course Deer Valley next door, are far better than anything at Heavenly.

Night-life: I'll take the buffets and casinos 2 blocks from the Timber Lodge over the usually apres-ski scene in Park City. When the kids fall asleep, you will find me and my wife enjoying the casinos (I won $600 that week!).

The Villas: Timber Lodge is much newer than Mountainside. Loved the fireplaces and jacuzi! Slope access: tough choice.... both are the ideal. Access to Heavenly is 50 yards from the lobby via a high speed 8-passenger gondola with the view of Lake Tahoe (wow!) and down-load back to end the day. Wind hold issues affect the gondola more than the chairlift to access PC Mt. from the Mountainside resort. You can ski down to your Villa for lunch at PCM. I'm not big on doing that even if it's possible. We go early and stay up on the mt. for lunch anyway.

Overall:

Airport access: PCM from SLC wins vs. SLT from Reno. Snow Reliablity: PCM Terrain: Both excellent, PCM for steep and deep, Heavenly for intermediates and my favorite tree skiing in the world. Apre-ski: Tahoe for the casinos. PCM for historic town charm. Villas: both very high quality.

If you would like to receive all the benefits of purchasing direct from Marriott you will receive:

*Marriott Reward Points and incentives. *Financing options *Vacation Owner Advisor services *Marriott's Owner Rent and/or Resale program *Discounted Marriott Exchange fees via Interval International *My expertise, advice, and service.

I hope this reply will help you make the best choice.