Ski Area: Solitude, Utah
Dates: November 10, 2013
Conditions: PP/MG
Weather: Sunny, temps in the 30-40's.
Report No: 1
On Tuesday I got a notice on Facebook saying that Solitude was opening for the weekend with four trails and three lifts for $39. I could not resist. Now that I'm married with a kid, skiing takes some planning. My wife could see I was really jonesin, so she smiled and said to go for it.
I decided to go on Sunday instead of Saturday thinking that most Utahns would be in church. That is always a nice treat for me. And unlike the spring when you are slow to get ready to go, because you're kind of burned out, I was ready. I got the skis waxed and sharpened one evening, made final adjustments to the ski rack on the car, got the boots and gear ready to go and out front, and went to bed early content on getting up as soon as I could.
It's funny how you can't get out of bed to go to work, but getting up at the same time, if not earlier, to go skiing is never a problem.
Got on the road and was set for a bit longer drive than for Snowbird. It ended up only being 3 miles further one way, but those who have driven Big Cottonwood Canyon know that it is not always a fast or easy drive. I got behind 8 cars with skis and boards heading up. All but two went to Brighton. I got there at about 8:30 and had rockstar parking:
My first impressions of Solitude was that it was a nice, clean place. The lodge was very new and the two HSQ's that were open delivered many great runs with literally a 3-4 minute ride (Brighton only had one run off of a fixed grip quad for $2 less, so I figured that $2 gave me a bit more terrain and faster lifts).
Got on the snow, stepped in, and had that feeling that we all have on the first day--that fleeting second when you wonder, "do I remember how to do this?" I kicked off, glided to the lift, and grabbed the second chair of the day. Everyone--the lifties, skiers, and riders were all very excited to be there.
The terrain that was available was limited to a "triangle" in the middle of the resort: Apex, Moonbeam, and Link lifts served Diamond Lane (a tiny bit), Same Street, Little Dollie, and Easy Street. Here's the map.
I spent the next four hours yo-yoing between the lifts....rotating between Apex and Moonbeam Express lifts. Solitude offered probably just shy of 1,000 vertical of skiing and it was typical machine groomed "eastern packed powder" with no thin spots. The first 90 minutes was not too crowded. Most of the day I skied right onto the lifts.
It was a bluebird day. I heard that Solitude opened, in part, because of some new snowmaking work and I think they wanted to show it off. Nearly everyone I talked with were passholders at other places--mainly Alta and Snowbird. I've got no idea how many runs I got in, but I went pretty much non-stop and was able to ski each run without stopping which really shocked me. In the past I'd have to stop at least once on runs during the first day. But the Monsters were ready to run the snow....and so were my legs.
All in all, a nice place. They have guns ready to go on other terrain and they only need a few cold nights or a good storm to open up some more terrain. Very friendly, very clean, and nice vibe. I will be back!
Some pictures:
Waiting for first run:
Looking down from Apex:
Little Dollie:
Waiting....
Apex Base:
Apex:
All smiles:
Same Street:
Welcome Back!
Groomers taking a break:
Easy Street:
Tailgating:
Dates: November 10, 2013
Conditions: PP/MG
Weather: Sunny, temps in the 30-40's.
Report No: 1
On Tuesday I got a notice on Facebook saying that Solitude was opening for the weekend with four trails and three lifts for $39. I could not resist. Now that I'm married with a kid, skiing takes some planning. My wife could see I was really jonesin, so she smiled and said to go for it.
I decided to go on Sunday instead of Saturday thinking that most Utahns would be in church. That is always a nice treat for me. And unlike the spring when you are slow to get ready to go, because you're kind of burned out, I was ready. I got the skis waxed and sharpened one evening, made final adjustments to the ski rack on the car, got the boots and gear ready to go and out front, and went to bed early content on getting up as soon as I could.
It's funny how you can't get out of bed to go to work, but getting up at the same time, if not earlier, to go skiing is never a problem.
Got on the road and was set for a bit longer drive than for Snowbird. It ended up only being 3 miles further one way, but those who have driven Big Cottonwood Canyon know that it is not always a fast or easy drive. I got behind 8 cars with skis and boards heading up. All but two went to Brighton. I got there at about 8:30 and had rockstar parking:
My first impressions of Solitude was that it was a nice, clean place. The lodge was very new and the two HSQ's that were open delivered many great runs with literally a 3-4 minute ride (Brighton only had one run off of a fixed grip quad for $2 less, so I figured that $2 gave me a bit more terrain and faster lifts).
Got on the snow, stepped in, and had that feeling that we all have on the first day--that fleeting second when you wonder, "do I remember how to do this?" I kicked off, glided to the lift, and grabbed the second chair of the day. Everyone--the lifties, skiers, and riders were all very excited to be there.
The terrain that was available was limited to a "triangle" in the middle of the resort: Apex, Moonbeam, and Link lifts served Diamond Lane (a tiny bit), Same Street, Little Dollie, and Easy Street. Here's the map.
I spent the next four hours yo-yoing between the lifts....rotating between Apex and Moonbeam Express lifts. Solitude offered probably just shy of 1,000 vertical of skiing and it was typical machine groomed "eastern packed powder" with no thin spots. The first 90 minutes was not too crowded. Most of the day I skied right onto the lifts.
It was a bluebird day. I heard that Solitude opened, in part, because of some new snowmaking work and I think they wanted to show it off. Nearly everyone I talked with were passholders at other places--mainly Alta and Snowbird. I've got no idea how many runs I got in, but I went pretty much non-stop and was able to ski each run without stopping which really shocked me. In the past I'd have to stop at least once on runs during the first day. But the Monsters were ready to run the snow....and so were my legs.
All in all, a nice place. They have guns ready to go on other terrain and they only need a few cold nights or a good storm to open up some more terrain. Very friendly, very clean, and nice vibe. I will be back!
Some pictures:
Waiting for first run:
Looking down from Apex:
Little Dollie:
Waiting....
Apex Base:
Apex:
All smiles:
Same Street:
Welcome Back!
Groomers taking a break:
Easy Street:
Tailgating:
