Since everyone is going to suggest mountains to go to I'm going to do the opposite. If the family member plans to ski on the weekend then I'd avoid purchasing them a pass to a Vail mountain (Crotched, Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat). As great as they are when there's fresh snow, they're usually the most crowded on the weekends and seem to have the most issues. I attribute it to the cheap ticket prices and under-staffed issues.