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TR April 2019 in Utah: Alta, Snowbird, Deer Valley, Solitude
- Thread starter marzNC
- Start date
marzNC
Angel Diva
Indeed great views on a blue sky day!
The pic with the man in a red jacket is taken at the top of Collins, looking over at Baldy Shoulder. The cliff shot has Castle Apron on the left and the far end of Devil's Castle (farthest away from the traverse entrance at the top of Sugarloaf) to the right.
marzNC
Angel Diva
April 13 was the first clear day after a storm left 50 inches of powder. I skied with friends from North Country School in the morning, had lunch at Alta Lodge, and skied with my NC friend's son in the afternoon. The terrain off the Supreme lift is where we usually spend a lot of time for spring skiing. It's a mid-mountain lift and has a variety of terrain for intermediates, advanced, and expert skiers.
When we went up Supreme for a last run, there was a crowd gathered at the rope line where the trail map is located. Turned out that a jump had been built and there was a photographer. Not for skiers though. We got to watch the last jump.
Deep powder turns in the trees, accessed from a gate off the Challenger run (1st pic looking down, 2nd pic looking up)
Fresh tracks on Devil's Playground, from Rock 'N Roll gate
View from Supreme lift, just before lunch time
Unusual activity in the late afternoon, just before Supreme closed at 3:30
When we went up Supreme for a last run, there was a crowd gathered at the rope line where the trail map is located. Turned out that a jump had been built and there was a photographer. Not for skiers though. We got to watch the last jump.
Deep powder turns in the trees, accessed from a gate off the Challenger run (1st pic looking down, 2nd pic looking up)
Fresh tracks on Devil's Playground, from Rock 'N Roll gate
View from Supreme lift, just before lunch time
Unusual activity in the late afternoon, just before Supreme closed at 3:30
marzNC
Angel Diva
One reason Alta is a good place to learn to ski powder is that on powder days, there are blue groomers that are groomed in the late evening but left natural afterwards. That means folks get to ski in a few inches of fresh powder with a smooth surface underneath. Getting over to Supreme first thing in the morning can be very rewarding. From the Wildcat side, can either take the transfer tow to Sunnyside or ride up Collins and ski down a Sugarloaf blue to the Supreme lift. I took my NC friend up to Supreme for her first powder turns on Big Dipper. We had a chance to get fresh tracks for two runs. Since it kept snowing all morning, could still get refills at noon when when took a couple runs with her kids, Bill, and our Massanutten ski buddy.
The new trail from Sunnyside to Supreme goes straight instead of turning right
Fresh tracks in the morning on Big Dipper
The new trail from Sunnyside to Supreme goes straight instead of turning right
Fresh tracks in the morning on Big Dipper
marzNC
Angel Diva
One of the advantages of using an Ikon pass is that it works as a Alta/Snowbird combo pass. That makes it easier to decide to head over to the Snowbird Mineral Basin for a couple hours in the morning. MB gets sun first thing, so the snow softens relatively early. It pays to note whether or not anyone else is off the groomers. If everyone is staying on a groomer, then best to wait a while before going off-piste.
I went over with my friend's son one morning. As it turned out, we didn't go off-piste until after 11:00. Sometimes the line for the MB lift to the Snowbird summit can get long, but it wasn't more than 10 minutes that morning. They are making a note of the waiting time on a whiteboard at the entrance to the Peruvian Tunnel these days.
With very few trees, when there is low visibility or high winds then Mineral Basin is closed. Can be closed for several days in a row during storm cycles.
Snowpack so deep that the trail map is almost buried, near the top of Baldy lift for skiing back to Alta
New front to the Peruvian Tunnel (goes from Snowbird frontside to Mineral Basin, conveyor belt)
Look closely, can you see the dots that are actually people? Mineral Basin is huge. The blue roof is the base of the Baldy chairlift. The Summit lodge at the top of the MB lift is at the far right.
I went over with my friend's son one morning. As it turned out, we didn't go off-piste until after 11:00. Sometimes the line for the MB lift to the Snowbird summit can get long, but it wasn't more than 10 minutes that morning. They are making a note of the waiting time on a whiteboard at the entrance to the Peruvian Tunnel these days.
With very few trees, when there is low visibility or high winds then Mineral Basin is closed. Can be closed for several days in a row during storm cycles.
Snowpack so deep that the trail map is almost buried, near the top of Baldy lift for skiing back to Alta
New front to the Peruvian Tunnel (goes from Snowbird frontside to Mineral Basin, conveyor belt)
Look closely, can you see the dots that are actually people? Mineral Basin is huge. The blue roof is the base of the Baldy chairlift. The Summit lodge at the top of the MB lift is at the far right.
marzNC
Angel Diva
A few more pics from Snowbird that were taken on April 5.
Snow so deep that this trail sign that is usually visible on the Path to Paradise cat track in Mineral Basin is well below the trail
For those who like steep bowl skiing with no trees, Mineral Basin has much to offer when visibility is good. See the people at the bottom?
The entrance to the Peruvian Tunnel is below the Summit Lodge, accessible by Chip's Run, a blue cat track. Or can ride up the Peruvian chairlift from the main base. With guidance, an adventurous advanced beginner or cautious intermediate can ski down Lupine Loop (green) in Mineral Basin from the other side of the tunnel. Then can ride up the MB chairlift and download on the tram. Or go thru the gate to Alta at the top of the Baldy lift if have a combo pass.
Can't really see into the tunnel but we had to wait a few minutes because Snowbird Ski Patrol was bringing thru an injured skier. Had to transfer from a wheeled dolly to the usual sled when they reached the end of the tunnel.
There is a new bridge from the base of the Peruvian chair to the tram. No need to cross the tram deck any more.
Snow so deep that this trail sign that is usually visible on the Path to Paradise cat track in Mineral Basin is well below the trail
For those who like steep bowl skiing with no trees, Mineral Basin has much to offer when visibility is good. See the people at the bottom?
The entrance to the Peruvian Tunnel is below the Summit Lodge, accessible by Chip's Run, a blue cat track. Or can ride up the Peruvian chairlift from the main base. With guidance, an adventurous advanced beginner or cautious intermediate can ski down Lupine Loop (green) in Mineral Basin from the other side of the tunnel. Then can ride up the MB chairlift and download on the tram. Or go thru the gate to Alta at the top of the Baldy lift if have a combo pass.
Can't really see into the tunnel but we had to wait a few minutes because Snowbird Ski Patrol was bringing thru an injured skier. Had to transfer from a wheeled dolly to the usual sled when they reached the end of the tunnel.
There is a new bridge from the base of the Peruvian chair to the tram. No need to cross the tram deck any more.
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marzNC
Angel Diva
Exploring Deer Valley, first season on Ikon as part of Alterra Mountain Company
Thursday, April 4, turned out to be a good day for a day trip to Deer Valley from Alta. We wanted to make use of our Ikon passes to check out DV for the first time. Bill drove me, @Olesya Chornoguz, and @nopoleskier in his Range Rover Sport (two ski boxes), which took an hour on dry roads. We had the benefit of meeting up with Olesya’s friend who retired to Park City several years ago. Bottom line is that we got a great overview of the terrain and vibe in spite of pretty warm temperatures, had a wonderful dinner in Park City, and would like to return to Deer Valley when there is better snow conditions. It’s clear that there is plenty of advanced terrain that doesn’t usually get many people because most DV skiers are more interested in cruising groomers than skiing bumps or between trees.
Riding up Silver Lake Express out of Snow Park, the main base near the day parking lots. Brought Phantom-treated BPs because we knew it would be a warm sunny day.
First view, probably top of Tycoon (double blue) off Sterling Express on Bald Mountain
Thursday, April 4, turned out to be a good day for a day trip to Deer Valley from Alta. We wanted to make use of our Ikon passes to check out DV for the first time. Bill drove me, @Olesya Chornoguz, and @nopoleskier in his Range Rover Sport (two ski boxes), which took an hour on dry roads. We had the benefit of meeting up with Olesya’s friend who retired to Park City several years ago. Bottom line is that we got a great overview of the terrain and vibe in spite of pretty warm temperatures, had a wonderful dinner in Park City, and would like to return to Deer Valley when there is better snow conditions. It’s clear that there is plenty of advanced terrain that doesn’t usually get many people because most DV skiers are more interested in cruising groomers than skiing bumps or between trees.
Riding up Silver Lake Express out of Snow Park, the main base near the day parking lots. Brought Phantom-treated BPs because we knew it would be a warm sunny day.
First view, probably top of Tycoon (double blue) off Sterling Express on Bald Mountain
marzNC
Angel Diva
Although this April there was plenty of snow coverage, it’s easy to see why Closing Day for Deer Valley was April 7 instead of a week or two later. There is a lot of sun exposure. Elevation is 7200 at Snow Park, which is almost 1300 ft lower than the base at Alta and 300 ft lower than the main base at Snowbird. We skied from 10:00 to 2:30, and that included stopping for lunch at Empire Canyon Grill and spending a little time looking inside the lobby of the Stein Eriksen Lodge. It was pretty slow going after lunch on the lower mountain because it was in the 50s.
Only skiing a few hours was fine using Ikon. There was a special webpage for reserving a ticket in advance but that wasn't necessary during late season. DV limits the number of day tickets, although the limit has increased somewhat from a decade ago. A day ticket cost $165. We skied on four of the five peaks and got a sense of the mid-mountain lodges. We wanted time to walk around the town of Park City before dinner so leaving the slopes early worked out well.
Initial impressions of Deer Valley:
* Customer service is very good. Staff are all friendly and knowledgeable. Easy to spot hosts in green jackets/vests.
* Free ski check, even overnight, at the Snow Park base.
* The back of the trail map emphasizes all the food service options. Food is tasty and expensive. A big bowl of soup with flatbread was $12 and a small salad bar plate was $16 at the Empire Canyon Grill.
* Lots of high speed lifts, often with more than one lift serving busy areas. Only rode one slow lift, the Mayflower triple that serves black terrain only.
* Can see why the free mountain tour takes 3 hours. A little complicated to move from one peak to another.
* Each area off a single lift isn’t that big.
* Double-blue groomers are significantly steeper than blue groomers.
* Daly Bowl and Daly Chutes are steep and short.
* Very nice views in all directions. Worth riding up Empire for the view towards LCC/BCC.
* Lots of slopeside lodging scattered around more than one base.
* The back of the trail map (stone paper) is mostly a summary of food options from snacks to fancy sit-down dinners.
* Free demos from Rossignol, next to free ski check at Empire Canyon
* Need to pay for boot bag storage at Snow Park: $5 for in/out basket or shelf for boot bag, $2 for a 1-time open locker
Pink highlights the lifts and trails we covered. By the afternoon, not too much point to ski to Little Baldy Peak to ride the Jordanelle Gondola and see the Deer Crest/Mayflower base, which is at 6500 ft.
Only skiing a few hours was fine using Ikon. There was a special webpage for reserving a ticket in advance but that wasn't necessary during late season. DV limits the number of day tickets, although the limit has increased somewhat from a decade ago. A day ticket cost $165. We skied on four of the five peaks and got a sense of the mid-mountain lodges. We wanted time to walk around the town of Park City before dinner so leaving the slopes early worked out well.
Initial impressions of Deer Valley:
* Customer service is very good. Staff are all friendly and knowledgeable. Easy to spot hosts in green jackets/vests.
* Free ski check, even overnight, at the Snow Park base.
* The back of the trail map emphasizes all the food service options. Food is tasty and expensive. A big bowl of soup with flatbread was $12 and a small salad bar plate was $16 at the Empire Canyon Grill.
* Lots of high speed lifts, often with more than one lift serving busy areas. Only rode one slow lift, the Mayflower triple that serves black terrain only.
* Can see why the free mountain tour takes 3 hours. A little complicated to move from one peak to another.
* Each area off a single lift isn’t that big.
* Double-blue groomers are significantly steeper than blue groomers.
* Daly Bowl and Daly Chutes are steep and short.
* Very nice views in all directions. Worth riding up Empire for the view towards LCC/BCC.
* Lots of slopeside lodging scattered around more than one base.
* The back of the trail map (stone paper) is mostly a summary of food options from snacks to fancy sit-down dinners.
* Free demos from Rossignol, next to free ski check at Empire Canyon
* Need to pay for boot bag storage at Snow Park: $5 for in/out basket or shelf for boot bag, $2 for a 1-time open locker
Pink highlights the lifts and trails we covered. By the afternoon, not too much point to ski to Little Baldy Peak to ride the Jordanelle Gondola and see the Deer Crest/Mayflower base, which is at 6500 ft.
marzNC
Angel Diva
Misc pics of unique features for Deer Valley
Short walk from drop off to entrance to Snow Park Lodge, locker room one floor down. Hosts available to help move skis and boot bags from a car to the ski racks.
Free ski check at Snow Park, daytime or overnight
Free boot/glove dryers at Empire Canyon Grill
Free ski check at Empire Canyon, next to Rossignol demo tent (free demo if have a credit card)
Snow Park parking is a series of small lots, with free shuttle bus but not that long a walk without gear. The drop-off/pickup lane changed directions between morning and afternoon, which was a little confusing.
Short walk from drop off to entrance to Snow Park Lodge, locker room one floor down. Hosts available to help move skis and boot bags from a car to the ski racks.
Free ski check at Snow Park, daytime or overnight
Free boot/glove dryers at Empire Canyon Grill
Free ski check at Empire Canyon, next to Rossignol demo tent (free demo if have a credit card)
Snow Park parking is a series of small lots, with free shuttle bus but not that long a walk without gear. The drop-off/pickup lane changed directions between morning and afternoon, which was a little confusing.
marzNC
Angel Diva
A look in Honeycomb Canyon at Solitude on a warm day
Bill and I decided to spend a day at Solitude just before the mid-April major snowstorm. We knew it would be on the warm side, but hoped to take a look at Honeycomb Canyon. I skied one powder run in Honeycomb a while ago. Bill hadn’t seen it because the last time we went, there was too little snow. We used Ikon, which is unlimited at Solitude because Alterra bought it in late 2018 (after buying Deer Valley, owner of Solitude). Based on our experience looking around again, be nice to go back for some powder turns in Honeycomb Canyon in the future.
Solitude is a 1-day ski resort when in “tourist mode.” Meaning it’s fairly easy to ride all the lifts in the morning and it’s quite possible to get a good sense of the entire place by the end of the day. Mainly based on skiing blue groomers, with a few short blacks. Essentially equivalent to a free mountain tour, just without a mountain host. We even took time to walk around the resort village to find the Thirsty Squirrel, although it wasn’t open yet (bar that opens at 2:00 Mon-Thu).
I gained a better sense of why Solitude can be a fun place for a family ski vacation. Can stay in reasonably priced slopeside lodging, have enough to keep younger kids happy on and off the slopes, has enough terrain for a mixed-ability group from beginner to expert. It’s better to have a car. The Solitude ski school prices are not bad and there are some unique options such as Half-day Guiding, which looks like a good deal for 2-3 people who want to explore Honeycomb Canyon for the first time on a powder day or in low visibility. Children’s lessons start at age 3.
Solitude was one of the first ski resorts to install RFID, even before Alta. An Ikon pass is direct-to-lift.
The drive to Solitude from Alta was easy and took about 40 min. We got to the parking lot about 9:00 and were directed to the second row near the ski school building. It was about 50 degrees at the base when we started skiing. By the time we left around 3:00, the temperature had dropped to 45 and it was snowing on the upper mountain but raining at the base. We booted up in the little locker room on the ground floor of the building with the ski school, which has restrooms on the same floor.
View of Solitude village, with restaurants and resort lodging. Can ski between the village and the main base or take a free shuttle bus.
Locker room in the ski school building. Can leave boot bags on top of the locker.
Bill and I decided to spend a day at Solitude just before the mid-April major snowstorm. We knew it would be on the warm side, but hoped to take a look at Honeycomb Canyon. I skied one powder run in Honeycomb a while ago. Bill hadn’t seen it because the last time we went, there was too little snow. We used Ikon, which is unlimited at Solitude because Alterra bought it in late 2018 (after buying Deer Valley, owner of Solitude). Based on our experience looking around again, be nice to go back for some powder turns in Honeycomb Canyon in the future.
Solitude is a 1-day ski resort when in “tourist mode.” Meaning it’s fairly easy to ride all the lifts in the morning and it’s quite possible to get a good sense of the entire place by the end of the day. Mainly based on skiing blue groomers, with a few short blacks. Essentially equivalent to a free mountain tour, just without a mountain host. We even took time to walk around the resort village to find the Thirsty Squirrel, although it wasn’t open yet (bar that opens at 2:00 Mon-Thu).
I gained a better sense of why Solitude can be a fun place for a family ski vacation. Can stay in reasonably priced slopeside lodging, have enough to keep younger kids happy on and off the slopes, has enough terrain for a mixed-ability group from beginner to expert. It’s better to have a car. The Solitude ski school prices are not bad and there are some unique options such as Half-day Guiding, which looks like a good deal for 2-3 people who want to explore Honeycomb Canyon for the first time on a powder day or in low visibility. Children’s lessons start at age 3.
Solitude was one of the first ski resorts to install RFID, even before Alta. An Ikon pass is direct-to-lift.
The drive to Solitude from Alta was easy and took about 40 min. We got to the parking lot about 9:00 and were directed to the second row near the ski school building. It was about 50 degrees at the base when we started skiing. By the time we left around 3:00, the temperature had dropped to 45 and it was snowing on the upper mountain but raining at the base. We booted up in the little locker room on the ground floor of the building with the ski school, which has restrooms on the same floor.
View of Solitude village, with restaurants and resort lodging. Can ski between the village and the main base or take a free shuttle bus.
Locker room in the ski school building. Can leave boot bags on top of the locker.
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marzNC
Angel Diva
We went up to the Solitude summit to get into Honeycomb Canyon first thing in the morning while visibility was still decent. A snowstorm was due to start later that day. From the main base, we took three chairlifts: Link to Apex to Summit. When I was at Solitude in 2011, you had to take Sunrise (slow quad) in order to get to the old Summit lift (slow double). The Summit Express is much better because it’s faster and can be reached from Apex (fast quad).
There was a man asking a patroller at the top of Summit about the snow in Honeycomb. Answer was that it was still frozen. I asked about Sol-Bright and found out it was closed due to avalanche danger. We went into Honeycomb any way for a look. After a quick test, it was clear that skiing off-piste was not worth the effort, so we headed down the collector trail, Woodlawn (black). It is pretty steep at the start and was frozen bumps, but is mostly groomed. I opted to traverse out to skier’s right and took pictures from there.
There are marker letters on that trail that go up to O on the way to the Honeycomb Return lift. It’s a way for people to specify a place to meet up if they traverse and drop in at different locations. The lifty seemed happy to see someone. Given the weather, he was going to have a very boring day.
My memories of skiing in Honeycomb from 2011 are pretty fuzzy since I wasn’t that experienced at longer traverses or skiing deep powder back then. Having taken another look, definitely would like to go back after a powder storm some day.
Just passed the entrance, Bill below on Woodlawn (black)
Start of Woodlawn was frozen bumps, fairly steep
Example of off-piste terrain reached by a long traverse
Honeycomb Return lift, near Trail Marker O
2019 trail map showing where we went on April 9 in pink
2010 trail map, note that the base of the old Summit double is in a different place than the current quad. Summit Access West didn't exist.
There was a man asking a patroller at the top of Summit about the snow in Honeycomb. Answer was that it was still frozen. I asked about Sol-Bright and found out it was closed due to avalanche danger. We went into Honeycomb any way for a look. After a quick test, it was clear that skiing off-piste was not worth the effort, so we headed down the collector trail, Woodlawn (black). It is pretty steep at the start and was frozen bumps, but is mostly groomed. I opted to traverse out to skier’s right and took pictures from there.
There are marker letters on that trail that go up to O on the way to the Honeycomb Return lift. It’s a way for people to specify a place to meet up if they traverse and drop in at different locations. The lifty seemed happy to see someone. Given the weather, he was going to have a very boring day.
My memories of skiing in Honeycomb from 2011 are pretty fuzzy since I wasn’t that experienced at longer traverses or skiing deep powder back then. Having taken another look, definitely would like to go back after a powder storm some day.
Just passed the entrance, Bill below on Woodlawn (black)
Start of Woodlawn was frozen bumps, fairly steep
Example of off-piste terrain reached by a long traverse
Honeycomb Return lift, near Trail Marker O
2019 trail map showing where we went on April 9 in pink
2010 trail map, note that the base of the old Summit double is in a different place than the current quad. Summit Access West didn't exist.
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marzNC
Angel Diva
We ended up eating lunch at the Round House (mid-mountain) after checking out the other options at the two bases. By then we’d learned how to have enough speed from the top of Apex Express to reach the Round House without too much uphill.
The new Round House seems bigger than the building that burned down in late April 2016. Has an elevator to the second floor where there are more tables and a round “fireplace” in the middle. Bathrooms are very nice. Since Bill prefers to eat vegetarian, he liked the choices at the Himalayan Grill. I chose the “Vegetable Noodle Soup” for $9.50 that turned out to be a butternut squash puree soup with peas, other little veggie bits, and dry rice noodles that softened quickly once put in the soup, plus a piece of nann bread. The server made a point to explain the dish and let me taste it beforehand. Deer Valley bought Solitude in 2014, and that clearly made a difference in the food offerings. Got a discount for Ikon just by asking. Didn’t have to go get the pass out of my jacket.
Round House menu
Round House second floor has views, has an elevator
The new Round House seems bigger than the building that burned down in late April 2016. Has an elevator to the second floor where there are more tables and a round “fireplace” in the middle. Bathrooms are very nice. Since Bill prefers to eat vegetarian, he liked the choices at the Himalayan Grill. I chose the “Vegetable Noodle Soup” for $9.50 that turned out to be a butternut squash puree soup with peas, other little veggie bits, and dry rice noodles that softened quickly once put in the soup, plus a piece of nann bread. The server made a point to explain the dish and let me taste it beforehand. Deer Valley bought Solitude in 2014, and that clearly made a difference in the food offerings. Got a discount for Ikon just by asking. Didn’t have to go get the pass out of my jacket.
Round House menu
Round House second floor has views, has an elevator
marzNC
Angel Diva
Came across a video that shows the type of surface tow used for the Alta Lodge access slope. It replaced the old "rope tow" that was actually a rope with some rubber stops every so often. While it can still take a little practice, most people find the tow handle easier to use.
Now that there is a chairlift for the new Snowpine Lodge, only Alta Lodge is the only lodge accessed by a surface tow on a slope. The slope is also good for beginners to practice. The kids use if for sledding in the late afternoon or after they have dinner at 5:30. The transfer tow between the Wildcat and Albion base is quite different from other rope tows.
Now that there is a chairlift for the new Snowpine Lodge, only Alta Lodge is the only lodge accessed by a surface tow on a slope. The slope is also good for beginners to practice. The kids use if for sledding in the late afternoon or after they have dinner at 5:30. The transfer tow between the Wildcat and Albion base is quite different from other rope tows.
