[yad]

raptor,
I recently got a place in north tahoe (near truckee) and it's fantastic. I am a serious skier so proximity to Squaw is key. And it's generally a great location with nice stuff to do year round. Small cabin up in the hills (not too far from others though) for slightly north of 500k. If you are going to do tahoe then north side is way better I think.

You could also consider the Stowe, Vermont area which has been one of my longtime favorites. The skiing is very different there but is often very good as well if you are serious. And as far as quaint nice mountain towns it's hard to beat -- it's actually the real thing, rather than these manufactured pre-designed "towns" that seem to develop around ski areas.

Colorado and Utah have great skiing (especially Utah) but just aren't as nice places to have a cabin IMO.