Skiing Utah

We're trying to put something together... anyone have any tips or info? I think we're most interested in Snowbird, but open to any good/*relatively* inexpensive options. Is it better to book through the resorts, or piece something together on your own?

Powder Mountain is dope. Not as fancy as other places, but it's legit. Also with less frill comes less expense.

my sis lives in park city so I can help with any questions. my favorite place to ski there is Alta and I think you would really like it too. Park City is pretty freakin sweet

RubbinsRacin said:

my sis lives in park city so I can help with any questions. my favorite place to ski there is Alta and I think you would really like it too. Park City is pretty freakin sweet

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Alta is rad

The nice thing about Utah is that all of the major ski areas are a relatively short drive from one another.

I enjoyed Park City the most of any mountain I've skied there. Brighton is underrated, and Alta was cool. I haven't skied Snowbird, and I hate Deer Valley.

fo sho. LEEBS! I have no idea on accomodations cause we always stay with my sister but she know that town like a boss feel free to PM any questions ans I will ask her she's cool

thanks, rubbins - I'll poke around online more and let you know what questions I've got.

Alta is out for us because we're knuckledraggers and they only allow two-plankers. womp womp.

IMO - Alta and Snowbird are the best, I also like Canyons. Canyons is huge, fun to explore, and last time I skied there we barely saw any other skiers all day. Also, a bus runs from park city to Canyons so it is really easy to get to if you are staying in Park City. I enjoy Park City, might as well do a day there if you are staying in park city. Deer Valley is my least favorite.

I've been to Park City and Canyons; the former everyone knows a lot about, great mtn and town while the latter is usually really empty which is amazing. Had 18" of powder the day we were at Canyons so that certainly helps the bias.

TAG1615 said:

IMO - Alta and Snowbird are the best, I also like Canyons. Canyons is huge, fun to explore, and last time I skied there we barely saw any other skiers all day. Also, a bus runs from park city to Canyons so it is really easy to get to if you are staying in Park City. I enjoy Park City, might as well do a day there if you are staying in park city. Deer Valley is my least favorite.

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The Canyons is definitely my favorite of Utah resorts (at least of Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Deer Valley, Park City, Solitude, and Sundance). It simply does not have a Colorado equivalent. "Explore" is really the best term for this place (though not much in the way of unmarked, out-of-bounds stuff, if you are in to that).

Going with a group of guys in February and staying here: http://www.goldminersdaughterlodge.com/overview/ It is supposed to be a nice place and is reasonably priced for an all inclusive. Some of the guys in the group have been doing the same trip for 6 or 7 years. You might want to call the lodge and see how easy it would be to get to Snowbird.

I've been to Canyons, Park City, Deer Valley, Snowbird and Alta. A few food recommendations: Squatters is basically a Foothills with great food (Cutthroat is my favorite Utah beer but Squatters has a lot of great options including of course the Polygamy Porter), and Bruges is a good lunch spot on Canyons (delicious Belgian waffles).

Canyons - Ninety-Nine 90 is a nice double black chair lift and it was really neat weaving through the aspens. Apex Ridge is an amazing run. The blues on the left (Sanctuary) are unique with all of the bridges; it feels like you are skiing in a video game. It is huge and the only downfall is the difficulty of getting from peak to peak.

Park City - Nice groomed blues but it gets icy in the afternoon, especially on hot sunny days. This is true at all resorts but it seems especially true here. I'm not a big fan of the Jupiter double black chair lift; it's a slow chair lift that leads to steep moguls everywhere unless you want to hike. Georgeanna is a scenic run and a lot of those back runs are a blast. This is probably my least favorite resort and I'd probably skip it if it wasn't for the back runs.

Deer Valley - Amazing runs all over. Bald Mtn and Empire Canyon are a lot of fun. I just remember a lot of great rides as opposed to a few so-so runs and a few signature runs (Apex Ridge and Georgeanna). Expensive.

Snowbird and Alta are far away from these three resorts (maybe 45mins or so) but both of those are a blast. Alta is skiers only.

good grief this thread makes me so jealous. if I had to do life over i would have spent a lot more time in the pow out west.... But hey, at least I get to go skidding around on the ice at Snowshoe next month.

also, beer is 3.2 there and 1oz pours are exact - order a mixed drink with a shot to pour in

lbE08 said:

Alta is out for us because we're knuckledraggers and they only allow two-plankers. womp womp.

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Have been to Alta and Snowbird. Enjoyed Alta so much more. Snowbird was too damn crowded, even without all the dirty feet snowboarders.



Extra fond memories of Alta, because that is where I watched the Panthers-Rams OT playoff game. We stayed in SLC and the shuttles to Alta/Snowbird were great.

qcdeac said:

Have been to Alta and Snowbird. Enjoyed Alta so much more. Snowbird was too damn crowded, even without all the dirty feet snowboarders.

Extra fond memories of Alta, because that is where I watched the Panthers-Rams OT playoff game. We stayed in SLC and the shuttles to Alta/Snowbird were great.

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This is the kind of info I need. As lovely as it would be to just stay at a resort, I think it's more likely we'll stay in SLC and shuttle in. Do you remember where you stayed?

lbE08 said:

This is the kind of info I need. As lovely as it would be to just stay at a resort, I think it's more likely we'll stay in SLC and shuttle in. Do you remember where you stayed?

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It was about 10 years ago, so it's a little fuzzy but I think it was this Homewood Suites....friend had a deal where we could stay for $25/night.

http://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/e...lt-lake-city-midvale-sandy-SLCFUHW/index.html

From the above link: The UTA Ski Bus picks you up right at our front door.

I am an Utah fan. I am now a Professional Ski Instuctor of America, and passed my on-hill exam at Alta.

Here is the ticket for Utah. Stay in Salt Lake City and commute to the ski areas. Hotels, nice ones, are cheaper in Salt Lake than staying at the resort. Of course, you will have to rent a car. From the city, you're only 40 minutes from all the areas mentioned above except Sundance. Skip Sundance anyway! You are only an hour-drive from Snowbasin, where the Olympic downhill was held.

All of the SLC areas are sweet, but Alta is my favorite BY FAR! Solitude is second, Snowbird third, and then Brighton. Not a huge fan of Park City, but I like Deer Valley and The Canyons.

Are the roads kept clear enough that an economy car could get us from SLC to Snowbird?

Yes. Unless there is a major storm, and even in that event, they get the canyon road cleared pretty fast. I have stayed at a Doubletree (formerly Embassy Suites) at 600 South. At night there are tons of good places to eat within walking distance.