Utah divas...advice requested - Park City

[White tara]

DH and I are thinking of going on our first trip out West. He's a snowboarder, I ski only greens and blues but working to improve...We were interested in going to Park City. DH even said he is willing to put on skis for at least one day and check out DV with me. We were planning on checking out the three resorts in town. The questions I have are the following:

1. When is the best time to go?Are we planning too late in the season?
We are planning on being there for 8-9days(fri to sun ) -
Especially in terms of crowds...avoiding the worst of them that is...
2. Any suggestions on lodging? deals on lift tickets???
3. Can anyone recommend any good ski shops to rent/demo from?
4. Any comments regarding the 3 resorts in town? Anything to avoid or not too miss???
5. Any other info will be greatly appreciated...

Million thanks for your assistance....

 

[Slidergirl]

I'll start out with some off-the-top-of-my-head advice.

1. When is the best time to go?Are we planning too late in the season?
This year, you are not planning too late. Business has been way off so far this year. You will be able to find places to stay fairly easily. I would only avoid the President's Day Weekend. Here in Utah, Spring Break goes on for awhile, but most kids head south to warm up. March can be a great time here - warm and sunny.
2. Any suggestions on lodging? deals on lift tickets???
I don't have any insides on lodging, but with business as slow as it is, you'll do OK. Do you want hotel or condo? We have both. As for lift tickets, all 3 areas in Park City participate in a "Quick Start" for your first day. If you fly to SLC in the morning and bring your boarding pass to the ticket office, you'll receive a FREE 1/2 day pass so you can ski that afternoon. There is a voucher you have to fill out - see https://www.parkcityinfo.com/quickstart/ for the details. The 3 resorts also have a 3 area pass program, the Silver Passport. It must be purchased prior to getting here, in conjunction with a lodging package. If you want info on it, contact 800-222-PARK. Other than that, some discount tickets can be found at REI in Salt Lake City and, apparently, Costo. I say Costo because I've been seeing a lot of tickets that say "Costo" on them when I'm out scanning on the liftline. But, I can't see them online.
3. Can anyone recommend any good ski shops to rent/demo from?
My favorite ski shop in town is Cole Sports. That's where I've bought my last 3 pair of skis and my mountain bike. They have rentals and demos. Also, at PCMR, they have an on-mountain demo center at the top of the Bonanza lift.
4. Any comments regarding the 3 resorts in town? Anything to avoid or not too miss???
First, a disclaimer: I work at PCMR, so I might be a little biased :D I used to ski at Deer Valley exclusively. I liked the boutique feel to it, and I had a friend in the ticket office I love to go sit on McHenry's Beach in one of the chairs on a warm Spring day and soak up some sun while watching folks come down Birdseye. I will say that it has quite a few greens. I skied there last Saturday and, honestly, I didn't like it as much as I used to. I think PCMR has won me over. Park City Mountain Resort doesn't have a lot of greenies, but you'll enjoy those and some of the easy blues. If your DH wants to try a terrain park, he can try out Pick n' Shovel. We get a lot of "mixed" families at PCMR - both skis and boards. PCMR just seems to have a more fun and friendly vibe. For The Canyons, I can't offer anything. I haven't skied over there in probably 6 years. They do have a lot of terrain and was known for a long time as the place that locals went to. Hopefully, someone else will be able to fill you in on The Canyons.
5. Any other info will be greatly appreciated...
For this one, I'll have to think about it some more. If you want any more info, just keep asking - all of us UT Divas will be sure to help you out.

 

[White tara]

Thank you Slidergirl

Thank you for the info! Can't wait to be there!

 

[Ski Spirit]

PCMR/Deer Valley/The Canyons

We went on vacation to Park City several years ago and I also really liked PCMR. Great transportation system, so easy to get to all 3 resorts. Out of 6 days, we spent 1 at DV, 0 at the Canyons and the rest at PCMR. So I guess that tells you our likes. I might feel differently about DV if I went back now but it seemed a little surreal to me......but that's me.

Can't help much with lodging, etc. We had the Silver passport -- good for all 3 resorts and I would recommend that. Lots of stuff to see and many restaurants...much more affordable than a lot of other places.

 

[Slidergirl]

ski spirit,

I'm glad you enjoyed your vacation here in Park City. I think your word for Deer Valley, "surreal", is pretty accurate. It definitely isn't like any other place. It was built on delivering an upscale customer experience. It's fun to go there at least one day to see what it's about. I will say that it doesn't feel as upscale as it used to. I don't think it is so much that they have deteriorated so much as others have updated to get close to them. They still have the claim to fame as the best food anywhere at a ski area. But, they have to do something to bring the on-mountain experience to a new upper level. I guess as long as those multi-million dollar houses get built along the runs and the new (opening in July 09) St. Regis hotel brings in the high rollers, DV will always have it's clientele. I still say they will have to allow riders in the next 2 years, or they will lose the family vacationers who have mom & pop skiers and kids riding.

 

[dloveski]

DV has some good runs, but with all of the development in the last few years, I feel like I'm skiing through a suburban jungle. All that's missing are the semiphores and billboards. Maybe when the Regis hotel is done, you can ski by and window shop at the uber-pricey stores.

It'll be interesting to see what they do about their no boarder policy, as it's true, much of the DV clientele have kids that want to board and go to a terrain park, so it complicates things for these folks who want a no-hassle experience.........

IMHO, DV has gotten too big, too developed/overbuilt, but it's great for food and people watching----it's where you can still see women in skin tight stretchy ski pants, gold lame outfits, and fur ensembles, (which is pretty hilarious when it's 40 degrees). But fashion over function-------must look the part I guess.

 

[Slidergirl]

dloveski,

You do speak the truth. There actually are billboards of a sort, one for the St. Regis on the construction site, one for the Ski Dream House, now up for sale in Deer Crest for a mere $12 million, and one for the lots for sale in Deer Crest.
I'm a sociologist via my BA from UCLA. I always love to observe group behavior. Deer Valley is a GREAT place to do it That's why I'd go up there on my lunch when I worked from home and just people watch. Very interesting dynamics going on there. It seems very much like the initiator for those uber-expensive private resort places like the Yellowstone Club and Tamarack Resort in Idaho.

 

[runninteach]

Thanks for this post and the replies. I'm heading out to Park City for the first time over Easter, and our plan is to do Park City, the Canyons, and Snowbird. I was wondering, too, about terrain and conditions at that time. Appreciate the expert feedback!

 

[atlantiqueen]

I was in Park City last year at Easter for 9 days - had a great time too! I enjoyed all my skiing - especially loved Snowbird and Alta. Brighton was a surprise - I expected to really love it but didn't - of course that may be due to the fact that I was there on a school holiday, had a bad cold and my busted up knee was feeling the effects of 5 straight days of skiing.

The Canyons in town was pretty neat if only for watching the moose under the chair and seeing the signs warning of moose in the runs! We also got to ski free at the Canyons because we sat through an hour-long timeshare presentation (perhaps a little on the shady side to go just for lift tix but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!)

DH and his brothers skied DV - he liked it but thought it was a little too commercial for his taste.

Of all, I really think Alta and Snowbird were my favourites.

ENJOY!

 

[dloveski]

Brighton is a gem, but it can be hard to 'get', especially on school holidays. But like any resort, once you 'get it' by knowing which runs to take for certain conditions and which to avoid on certain days, it's a blast. And, unless you are a boarder and like the 'scene', avoid Candyland and My-O-My.

Though I've skied every resort in Utah over the past 40 years and have special memories of each, Brighton is high on my nice memories-meter. Maybe it's because I learned to ski there, my kids learned to ski there, I and many of my family has worked/works there, and I have many friends there.

And the fact that it is as anti-glitter as possible makes it even more cool (unless one likes the lodge and food amenties more than the skiing).

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Thanks for this post and the replies. I'm heading out to Park City for the first time over Easter, and our plan is to do Park City, the Canyons, and Snowbird. I was wondering, too, about terrain and conditions at that time. Appreciate the expert feedback!

I've done several Easter week trips to UT. Easter is somewhat late this year (4/12). Park City and Canyons are going to burn out at the base and possibly even require downloading to base via lift. When I was last at Canyons, it was late March, and the gondola took you up TO the snow - there was zilch at the base. (though plenty above) I'd stay in the BCC/LCC canyons. Snowbird is open way late in the season, usually til mid-late May.

 

[altagirl]

I'd probably choose Deer Valley for resort skiing in that area. It's surreal for sure - but the skiing is actually really good. Honestly, I think Snowbasin's lodges are even fancier than Deer Valley's, but Deer Valley takes the cake for having staff offering to carry your skis and such. They have excellent terrain and I think there are generally more people in the lodges than on the slopes. And the food is amazing and not really any more expensive than food at other resorts. Of course, I've never actually bought a lift ticket there - I only go when someone gives me a free one... But that is probably mostly a factor of having a pass elsewhere.

I've actually never skied PCMR, and don't have any plans to. And I've been to the Canyons twice, and while the layout seems weird to me it definitely has some excellent terrain (and backcountry access.)

You can get discount tickets at several stores in town, including REI and Canyon Sports.