Requesting Advice: Best Resorts Seattle to Salt Lake City

[Slow Sarah]

We just got our Ikon passes for 24/25 which also cover spring skiing this season. Next week 4/7-4/14 we are planning to drive from Seattle to Salt Lake City to visit Alta, Deer Valley, Snowbird, Snowbasin and Brighton ( I may be missing one or two).

If anyone has experience or knowledge of conditions near Salt Lake as well as Mt. Bachelor and Sun Valley I would love to hear. We are on a budget and as best as I can I would like to maximize time at the resorts with the best conditions possible. We have lodging in SLC but will be paying accomodations for the other days.

My preliminary plan is to drive to Mt. Bachelor (OR) and do a day there, then to Sun Valley (ID) and do another day there, then the rest of the trip in Salt Lake City, driving back over a day or day and a half. Would there be anywhere worth stopping again on the way back, given we will then be in the middle of April? I saw that Sun Valley has an event on the 13th which might be worth stopping for.

One last thing to note: one of us can ski but prefers to snowboard. I know Deer Valley and Alta don’t allow snowboarding. Is it still worth doing these for the boarder or is time better spent elsewhere? I would at least like to do them for the experience but if there is any context to be aware of that might help plan more or less time there please chime in!



Thanks in advance and I hope everyone is having a good season.

 

[Christy]

Sun Valley isn't good late season--by mid-March things really start to decline. Today the mountain closed as they had heavy rain and thunder/lightening (I still have alerts on from my last trip) with a high of 53. So make sure you look at the forecast and keep your expectations very low (I personally would also think about injury risk with frozen slopes that had been rained on, or leg breaker snow). Honestly I'm very surprised they are still open--typically by now they would have closed, but they extended their season. There's snow predicted for the top but the base is 6000' and it will rain there and lower mountain. Ketchum is a great town though. It's always worth a stop. I bet Sun Valley Lodge has some good lodging deals in April.

 

[Slow Sarah]

Sun Valley isn't good late season--by mid-March things really start to decline. Today the mountain closed as they had heavy rain and thunder/lightening (I still have alerts on from my last trip) with a high of 53. So make sure you look at the forecast and keep your expectations very low (I personally would also think about injury risk with frozen slopes that had been rained on, or leg breaker snow). Honestly I'm very surprised they are still open--typically by now they would have closed, but they extended their season. There's snow predicted for the top but the base is 6000' and it will rain there and lower mountain. Ketchum is a great town though. It's always worth a stop. I bet Sun Valley Lodge has some good lodging deals in April.

Thanks so much! This is very helpful. I may reroute us then to get more time in Utah and see if Bachelor makes the best sense instead. I have already been trying to reroute myself at Crystal to go down on the gondola rather than ski all the way to the bottom due to slushy conditions. Thinking through the icy piece is very helpful as well. Maybe an overnight for the festival still could make sense. If we end up pooped from skiing in Utah it may be easier to justify downtime in Ketchum. Maybe write a story or two!

 

[Jilly]

I have a friend that does a Mt. Bachelor report on Facebook.

 

[Jenny]

We just got our Ikon passes for 24/25 which also cover spring skiing this season. Next week 4/7-4/14 we are planning to drive from Seattle to Salt Lake City to visit Alta, Deer Valley, Snowbird, Snowbasin and Brighton ( I may be missing one or two).

If anyone has experience or knowledge of conditions near Salt Lake as well as Mt. Bachelor and Sun Valley I would love to hear. We are on a budget and as best as I can I would like to maximize time at the resorts with the best conditions possible. We have lodging in SLC but will be paying accomodations for the other days.

My preliminary plan is to drive to Mt. Bachelor (OR) and do a day there, then to Sun Valley (ID) and do another day there, then the rest of the trip in Salt Lake City, driving back over a day or day and a half. Would there be anywhere worth stopping again on the way back, given we will then be in the middle of April? I saw that Sun Valley has an event on the 13th which might be worth stopping for.

One last thing to note: one of us can ski but prefers to snowboard. I know Deer Valley and Alta don’t allow snowboarding. Is it still worth doing these for the boarder or is time better spent elsewhere? I would at least like to do them for the experience but if there is any context to be aware of that might help plan more or less time there please chime in!



Thanks in advance and I hope everyone is having a good season.

Do all of those participate in the spring skiing? I had big plans for the same kind of thing, but the resorts we were looking at aren’t on the list. And thanks to @ilovepugs for clueing me in.

Multi-Resort Unlimited Ski/Snowboard Season Pass | Ikon Pass

The Ikon Pass is your ski & snowboard pass with access to the most iconic mountains in the world. Unique terrain with a real community feel. Learn more

www.ikonpass.com

 

[Chuyi]

@Slow Sarah I am not sure where you are based out from. Whatever days at ikon partner resort you use will be deducted & will not be available next season. Usually spring skiing with next year pass makes most sense at resorts where the ikon pass is also the season pass like solitude.
We are about to get a cold storm this coming weekend so it may be worth using your days.
Best corn skiing is DV since the moisture content is higher (from the large amount of snow making early season & lower altitude). Enjoy.

 

[Slow Sarah]

I have a friend that does a Mt. Bachelor report on Facebook.

Thanks for this! I have read through comments as well. I think we will be going but may stay away from certain lifts if possible.

 

[Slow Sarah]

@Slow Sarah I am not sure where you are based out from. Whatever days at ikon partner resort you use will be deducted & will not be available next season. Usually spring skiing with next year pass makes most sense at resorts where the ikon pass is also the season pass like solitude.
We are about to get a cold storm this coming weekend so it may be worth using your days.
Best corn skiing is DV since the moisture content is higher (from the large amount of snow making early season & lower altitude). Enjoy.

Much appreciated. I knew I forgot one. I see Solitude is pretty close too. I will talk up the DV corn to my boarder. I have been thinking about the 7 day limits too. Likely I will still have enough if I am lucky enough to be able to visit again next year. Enjoy as well. Hoping to finish the season strong.

 

[Slow Sarah]

Much appreciated. I knew I forgot one. I see Solitude is pretty close too. I will talk up the DV corn to my boarder. I have been thinking about the 7 day limits too. Likely I will still have enough if I am lucky enough to be able to visit again next year. Enjoy as well. Hoping to finish the season strong.

I should note that at DV my boarder will be on skis. We are both curious as to how that experience will be.

 

[Slow Sarah]

Do all of those participate in the spring skiing? I had big plans for the same kind of thing, but the resorts we were looking at aren’t on the list. And thanks to @ilovepugs for clueing me in.

Multi-Resort Unlimited Ski/Snowboard Season Pass | Ikon Pass

The Ikon Pass is your ski & snowboard pass with access to the most iconic mountains in the world. Unique terrain with a real community feel. Learn more

www.ikonpass.com

Great question. This is another angle I might have missed. Even if the resorts are a short drive, it would be a major bummer to lose a crisp morning to a mistake like that!
Thanks for the link to Ikon, it looks like DV is participating if they note no reservations but is there somewhere you saw a reference for resorts that don’t participate? I am also looking further on the Ikon site and will also check the individual resort websites.

 

[marzNC]

Based on the current OpenSnow forecast, it's going to be pretty warm by April 11. If you really want to check out DV, best to do that earlier in the week. It's much lower than Alta/Snowbird or Solitude/Brighton so could be too warm to be fun after lunch time.

If you decide to ski Alta, shoot me a PM. I'm at Alta for a couple weeks starting April 7.

 

[Jenny]

Great question. This is another angle I might have missed. Even if the resorts are a short drive, it would be a major bummer to lose a crisp morning to a mistake like that!
Thanks for the link to Ikon, it looks like DV is participating if they note no reservations but is there somewhere you saw a reference for resorts that don’t participate? I am also looking further on the Ikon site and will also check the individual resort websites.

No, this list is all I know. I'm in such a quandary about next year as it is, so once using Ikon in Banff this spring was out of the picture I quit thinking about it and we went to visit my mom in ABQ and skied a few days down there. My season is done and I’ll deal with next year later.

 

[Slow Sarah]

Based on the current OpenSnow forecast, it's going to be pretty warm by April 11. If you really want to check out DV, best to do that earlier in the week. It's much lower than Alta/Snowbird or Solitude/Brighton so could be too warm to be fun after lunch time.

If you decide to ski Alta, shoot me a PM. I'm at Alta for a couple weeks starting April 7.

Very good to know. I am sure I will be at Alta at least once. Most definitely will reach out, thank you!

No, this list is all I know. I'm in such a quandary about next year as it is, so once using Ikon in Banff this spring was out of the picture I quit thinking about it and we went to visit my mom in ABQ and skied a few days down there. My season is done and I’ll deal with next year later.

Glad you chimed in! Good luck for next year. Ikon just took my home mountain from 7 days to unlimited and I heard one big resort was going to be privatizing access. More things to consider for sure. Lucky there seem to be lots of other options, at least in Utah.

 

[Pequenita]

I could be totally wrong, but I think among the Utah Ikon resorts, only Solitude does the "Buy Now, Ski Now" thing for new passholders, and I don't think Bachelor or Sun Valley offer it, either.

 

[contesstant]

Have some warm weather wax in your pocket and be prepared to apply frequently. April at the lower-altitude resorts in Utah, like Deer Valley and Snowbasin, is "ski for two hours, then go biking" time. Also, Snowbasin will start closing terrain very soon.

 

[marzNC]

Interesting . . . Deer Valley plans to stay open an extra week this April. That means in theory Ikon holders have about two weeks to check out DV. As is common after mid-April for destination resorts in the Rockies, only a few lifts will be open.

Extended Ski Season | Deer Valley Resort | Park City, Utah

Be sure to check the Mountain Report for the latest updates on trail conditions and chairlift status and check for any operational updates that may effect your visit to Deer Valley.

www.deervalley.com

 

[Slow Sarah]

No, this list is all I know. I'm in such a quandary about next year as it is, so once using Ikon in Banff this spring was out of the picture I quit thinking about it and we went to visit my mom in ABQ and skied a few days down there. My season is done and I’ll deal with next year later.

Ha, I just looked at the link again. Now that my brain has had time to process, I see what you mean. I will double check with the resorts that I don’t see listed but now expect them NOT to be participating.

I could be totally wrong, but I think among the Utah Ikon resorts, only Solitude does the "Buy Now, Ski Now" thing for new passholders, and I don't think Bachelor or Sun Valley offer it, either.

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You are totally correct. I am SO glad I posted here! Solitude and DV will be enough to keep us busy in any case but this definitely saved lots of wasted stops (Bachelor) and FOMO if we weren’t able to spend more time at say Alta for example. Now it will be easier to prioritize and make the most of what we do have which is still pretty incredible!

 

[contesstant]

Snowbasin will be closing the tram and Strawberry gondola for the season after this weekend. I knew it was coming, but they just announced it officially this morning.

 

[Slow Sarah]

Interesting . . . Deer Valley plans to stay open an extra week this April. That means in theory Ikon holders have about two weeks to check out DV. As is common after mid-April for destination resorts in the Rockies, only a few lifts will be open.

Extended Ski Season | Deer Valley Resort | Park City, Utah

Be sure to check the Mountain Report for the latest updates on trail conditions and chairlift status and check for any operational updates that may effect your visit to Deer Valley.

www.deervalley.com

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We will be there after the 8th and before the 14th so we should actually be right in the sweet spot if I am reading this right. The hitch is that my daughter is happier on a board than skis due to multiple attempts to get boots that don’t torture her flat feet. I am going to post separately asking for boot fitters while we are there. We are bringing her skis as well so we can see how it goes there. Brighton (access separate from Ikon) and Solitude may be where we spend most of our time if skiing doesn’t work out. I am excited for that one in any case. There is a chance of getting a day at Sundance but we can’t count on that.
I have Park City access due to being an Epic holder but my daughter doesn’t so I was hoping PC might offer something like the $99 ticket DV offers but no luck. Still looks like more than enough terrain to keep us busy.
No Alta this year though. I will try and get out there again next year.
Now that I know where I am going I can post asking for gear recommendations!

 

[Slow Sarah]

Snowbasin will be closing the tram and Strawberry gondola for the season after this weekend. I knew it was coming, but they just announced it officially this morning.

Good to know if we end up going!