Dallas to Colorado to Go Ski! Can You Help with Ideas Where?

Most out of towners (I'm local) go to Breckenridge because there is a big town there with lots of restaurants and shopping. Keystone is another favorite. We have a condo in Copper Mountain where a lot of locals go.
The skiing is easier in Keystone.
Steamboat Spings is a longer drive from Denver, but they usually have more affordable lodging because there are more condos there and there is a big town.
Before we had our Condo in Copper Mountain, we would stay in Steamboat at the "Mountain Lodge" or the Comfort Inn because they were so affordable and they are on the free bus route to the ski area.
Have fun!

Skip CO - come and ski in Utah. If you prefer ski only ski areas, head to Alta. If you want cheaper, ski/snowboard, and family oriented, go to Brighton. Both of these are about 30 - 45 minutes out from Salt Lake City. Most of my skier friends here in town go to these or to Snowbird or Solitude. Rich folks and out-of-staters go to Park City.

TX Spring Break is worse than Christmas for ski trips in CO... Crowded, expensive. Especially for his first trip I'd try REALLY hard to go at a dif time, pull him out of school a week if he's young. Wolf Creek is a nice, inexpensive, small resort with absolutely phenomenal quality snow! But stay in South Fork NOT Pagosa Springs. The pass to Wolf Creek is on the PS side of the resort and often closes in bad weather... You'll be sitting in your PS hotel room while all the SF people are skiing. And that can be for days on end(your entire trip).

Well, I can tell you when I've traveled in Colorado we've seen their price lists.

When it's not snow season the rooms are normal price, $70-$100 per night. But the moment snow falls they go up to well over $350 per night and one that we'd paid $75 that night for was going to be over $400 the next night because snow was falling.

So if it's Colorado you want to visit and it's snow season you are going to have to budget for a bunch of money for nothing more than the hotel. I imagine all the other prices in town go up too.

We like the smaller, less expensive ski hills. I'd go to Pagosa Springs. It has amazing skiing and you can soak in the hot springs. Our family loves PS! I also like Monarch. It is a really good place for kids who are just learning. Our daughter learned at age 3 at Monarch. If you had tons of money to blow I'd go ski at Crested Butte...a small, charming and amazing place for rich people, ha! I wish we could afford a cabin there.

I did Vail many years ago and It was very expensive, stayed about 10 miles out of town and rented a car. Copper Mountain was more family friendly and easier skiing. Good time, but...
Went to Crested Butte, Co. the next year and stayed in town in a ski in/ski out resort. What a difference! Loved it! Went on a snowmobile tour to a lodge you can only reach by helicopter or snowmobile and had lunch there. It was phenomenal! Rented thru Bert's Rentals if that is still there. On a different night we Did a sleigh ride up to the top of the top of a mountain from the resort and had a 4 course meal up there. It was beautiful.

I've skied Breckenridge, and it was great. It's close to other resorts, so if you want options, you have them. But, you could also easily spend 3 days just skiing different parts of Breck. It's huge.
I'd suggest renting a house through VBRO or something similar, as resorts will be super expensive. It's peak season.