Getting the most from a short Utah trip

[dloveski]

There also used to be a Solitude/Brighton ticket but I'm not sure if that still exists.

I would guess it still exists this upcoming season---it was alive and well last year, but I don't think it's a big seller. As a Host, I don't recommend it, unless the snow conditions are rotten. It's just too much terrain for one day, with perhaps one run on each lift across each resort, if you really move, and then back again (or take the bus at the end of the day).

If the conditions are great, I always like to find the best runs and work those, not move on every run. If the conditions are poor, it might be worth it from a touring point of view, to see the sights and test drive the lifts.

 

[Christy]

2 more questions:

I see today at Alta, snow tires or chains in the vehicle are required. We've rented a 4WD--should we avoid the road with these requirements, or is 4WD fine?

And, we'll be skiing on a Sat, Sun and Mon. Should we leave Alta, Deer Valley or Snowbasin for Monday (so, which would have the most weekend crowds and is best skied on a weekday)? This will be weather dependent of course--I know the Alta road closes sometimes and so plans to go there a certain day could change. If anyone wants to convince me that I should sub Solitude for one of the above, go ahead, though I know I can't do everything this trip and will just have to come back!

 

[abc]

Alta for Monday.

Check the weather in addition to chain requirements. There must be a reason for the requirements. The real forecast might tell you more on whether to drive or not.

 

[pinto]

Just saw this thread: we are going to be there the same exact weekend as you, and using those Southwest fares also. Great minds, etc etc.

The first time we went to Utah, we did it similarly: stayed in Cottonwood Heights, skied Solitude on Thursday, Alta Friday, and Snowbird Saturday. We left the order open to weather; Thursday morning saw a road closure to Alta/SB, so that's why we went to Solitude. Otherwise I think we would have saved it for Saturday. Snowbird was pretty crowded, compared to the other two days. So I would agree with going to Alta on the Monday, if possible.

This time we are actually staying at Alta (and praying for road closures :D ) and not worrying about driving. I would love to go to SnowBasin and/or Powder Mountain some time, too, but I've decided that as easy as it is to get to Utah, I'm going to try to get there once a year and target an area (depending on snow, of course) instead of drive. But that's easier done after checking out the lay of the land, of course.

I would definitely throw a Solitude day in there; that was really nice, easy to get to, all that. (One of the reasons I enjoyed our first trip was the sheer simplicity of getting to the hills and the parking and all that ... so much different than many of the CO resorts, where it takes forever to get from your car to a lift even after you've parked)

 

[Christy]

You'll have give us a trip report about staying at Alta. I looked into getting a condo there but unlike Whistler where studio/1 bdr condos are a dime a dozen, they were all too big (lol, only in Utah I guess. I remember how hard it was to find a 3-4 bedroom place at Copper for a family trip--next time we'll have to go to Utah where that's practically all there is). And the hotel choices just seemed odd and expensive like I said earlier (plus I'm scared of the full board policy). But I can see where staying slopeside would be a good thing to do after you've skied around and picked your favorite area. It's finally been snowing there so I was happy to see that!

 

[pinto]

You'll have give us a trip report about staying at Alta. I looked into getting a condo there but unlike Whistler where studio/1 bdr condos are a dime a dozen, they were all too big (lol, only in Utah I guess. I remember how hard it was to find a 3-4 bedroom place at Copper for a family trip--next time we'll have to go to Utah where that's practically all there is). And the hotel choices just seemed odd and expensive like I said earlier (plus I'm scared of the full board policy). But I can see where staying slopeside would be a good thing to do after you've skied around and picked your favorite area. It's finally been snowing there so I was happy to see that!

Yes, looks like conditions should be good. It's supposed to snow throughout the next week, too. Hooray!

I agree, when we looked at places to stay in Utah a couple of years ago, it was quite different from what I'm used to. We will be at Alta Lodge this time. It's spendy for sure, but we decided not to take our Europe trip this year and do something cool with the kids instead. When those airfares came up, we pounced.

 

[Christy]

And spendy is fine if it's worth it--great food, great room, beating everyone to the lifts. Looking forward to your report!

 

[alta_gal83]

2 more questions:

I see today at Alta, snow tires or chains in the vehicle are required. We've rented a 4WD--should we avoid the road with these requirements, or is 4WD fine?

Hey Christy, a 4WD is just fine when the road is restricted to snow tires or chains. This is just the dept. of transportations way of telling people in front wheel drive sedans that they need snow tires or chains to navigate the road conditions -- 4WD is always allowed. Have a great ski weekend .... Alta got dumped on this week and there's more coming tomorrow!

 

[Christy]

Thanks.

I see Snowbasin only has a 38" base. There is some snow likely in the next couple days but if they don't get much accumulation, is it still worth going to? I would only stay on groomers...The alternative would be Solitude.

 

[Slidergirl]

Why not Park City?

Christy - not to brag, but:

Lately, when I see a guest with a ticket from another Utah resort on their jacket, I ask them how our snow/runs are compared to the other places. More times than not, they say our runs are better prepped right now. Now, they might be saying that to make me happy, but... I will say that our cat groomers are working their butts off to keep what snow we have in good conditions.
To further peak your interest, we are very uncrowded this week. We had plenty of chairs going up empty from the base area.

If you want to try Park City, send me a PM. I may be able to get you a free day.

 

[Skisailor]

Christy: If you love groomers, don't let Snowbasin's base depth deter you.

Really . . . it's worth the trip for those loving blue cruising terrain (and because it's such a beautiful resort to boot).

One tip is to ski the Strawberry gondola side (far left when looking at the trail map) in the morning as it will be less crowded and also it can get very windy sometimes in the afternoon, and this part of the mountain is more wide open.

Then you can move to the middle and right areas of the mountain as the day progresses.

Make sure you have lunch in one of the top lodges!

And have fun!

 

[dloveski]

Thanks.

I see Snowbasin only has a 38" base. There is some snow likely in the next couple days but if they don't get much accumulation, is it still worth going to? I would only stay on groomers...The alternative would be Solitude.

Check the base and open runs. Unless we get some snow--all resorts will be hurting and groomers will be your best bet. It's a good time to practice carving and work on skills that I have sorely neglected in past powder-packed recent years (sigh).

At Brighton, this weekend (just up the road from Soli) our base was 55 inches. With the exception of Milly Bowl, most runs were open. The groomers were pretty good, some of the mid-elevation ungroomed were surprisingly good. Because it's been cold, the snow we do have has held up very nicely. So higher elevation, the better.

On some of the bowls, even with good snow, some rock-dodging was the name of the game and trees were way skied out with obstacles both visible and not visible.

 

[Christy]

Thanks guys. Okay I will still definitely hit Snowbasin. Slidergirl, that's really nice of you to offer, thanks. I was thinking I'd save PCMR for another trip, when we'd be based in Park City, but I'm going to keep an eye on the weather and will reconsider my current plans if it stays dry.

 

[marzNC]

Yes, looks like conditions should be good. It's supposed to snow throughout the next week, too. Hooray!

I agree, when we looked at places to stay in Utah a couple of years ago, it was quite different from what I'm used to. We will be at Alta Lodge this time. It's spendy for sure, but we decided not to take our Europe trip this year and do something cool with the kids instead. When those airfares came up, we pounced.

Alta Lodge is a fabulous place to ski and relax. The gourmet dinners are, as they say, "to die for." I especially appreciate the free kid program that means Marz Jr. is happy elsewhere from 4:45 until 8:30. She doesn't even care that there isn't a TV in the room. We're headed that way again in April.

 

[Slidergirl]

Thanks guys. Okay I will still definitely hit Snowbasin. Slidergirl, that's really nice of you to offer, thanks. I was thinking I'd save PCMR for another trip, when we'd be based in Park City, but I'm going to keep an eye on the weather and will reconsider my current plans if it stays dry.

Fair enough. Just give me a PM if you change your mind. If you want to keep your eye on Snowbasin weather, when you go to weather.com or another weather site, check "Huntsville, UT". It should be more accurate than Ogden or Salt Lake City.

There is something else interesting up in Huntsville. There is a Trappist monastery that sells really good flavored honeys. Basically, you go into downtown Huntsville (a joke - it's a tiny town) and follow the "Monastery" signs. I go up every so often and buy a few tubs of the Raspberry flavor - makes an excellent addition to salad dressings and, mixed with some butter and Dijon mustard, a great sauce to put on chicken before baking, broiling, or grilling.

 

[gardenmary]

Fair enough. Just give me a PM if you change your mind. If you want to keep your eye on Snowbasin weather, when you go to weather.com or another weather site, check "Huntsville, UT". It should be more accurate than Ogden or Salt Lake City.

There is something else interesting up in Huntsville. There is a Trappist monastery that sells really good flavored honeys. Basically, you go into downtown Huntsville (a joke - it's a tiny town) and follow the "Monastery" signs. I go up every so often and buy a few tubs of the Raspberry flavor - makes an excellent addition to salad dressings and, mixed with some butter and Dijon mustard, a great sauce to put on chicken before baking, broiling, or grilling.

Oooh, yum - I saw those signs last week, I'll have to follow them when we're back in February!

When I go to the National Weather Service website and put "Huntsville, UT" into the search field, it brings up a forecast on the left and a map on the right. If you click close to Mt. Ogden on the map you'll get a more accurate weather forecast for the mountain itself. Also on the "Mountain Report" on Snowbasin's site they have a link to the NOAA weather page, as well as a direct feed from it. A nice improvement.

Every day we were there, from 12-19 to 12-31, they made snow even when it was snowing. They are hosting the Mountain Dew Tour Jan. 15-17, so sufficient snow is an absolute must. I think they've been working on the superpipe since early December.

Our experience was really good - we'd run into little patches of boilerplate here and there (on Bear Hollow mainly) and it got a little thin on Snowshoe, but on most of the groomed runs coverage was fine. Bear Hollow and Snowshoe are the heaviest-traveled greens on the way down. My favorite run was a new one for me this year - off the Needles lift all the way over to where it intersects with Strawberry, then down Main Street to Trapper's Trail and Penny Lane. Locals call it "Out and In" because you go out to Strawberry then back in to Needles. If it gets windy or foggy visibility on most of the Strawberry area will be awful, but the run I described is generally ok.

Highly recommended: the mushroom thingy at the Needles Lodge, I think it's a turnover. Takes some time to bake, but it is SOOOOOO worth it. Major yumminess. The schnitzel's great too, as is the tomato basil bisque at Earl's Lodge.

Can't wait to go back!! Enjoy!!

 

[Slidergirl]

Good to know about the weather website.
Our snowmakers have been blowing major snow to get the superpipe and the Kings Crown terrain park up and running. PCMR has the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix here for Jan. 20-23. The Eagle Race arena just opened up this week, so the racers finally have their own runs to train on (they had to share Payday with the public - a real pain).
One of these days, I'll have to run up to Snowbasin for the day in the winter. I've never been there, only in the spring/summer. I'll have to check out the mushroom "thingie".

 

[Christy]

Highly recommended: the mushroom thingy at the Needles Lodge,

Hey, thanks! I love mushrooms. And the mr. likes schnitzel.

 

[Christy]

Needles Lodge has a potato-beer-cheese soup, too! Yum. Though maybe not the best energy-wise. The food is very institutional at my home mountain, so eating decent food at other ski resorts is a treat.

 

[snowgem]

I'm really appreciating this post and all the tips - headed to Utah the end of Jan. and all the info confirms going to Snowbasin (last time there 15 years ago it was so foggy couldn't see our hands or skis, whoooah!) and to Solitude - before the gang arrives and it's all Alta (have 2 tix I won for there)! And the food suggestions sound yummy. Am printing it all out. Thanks y'all!