Park City without Park City?

buellski · Jul 21, 2014

My family is planning a trip out west for this coming season. It will be our first trip, for any of us, out west to ski. We had been thinking of going to Park City for a few reasons. First, three resorts that my son and I could sample while we’re there. Second, a nice resort town with lots of non-skiing options for my wife and daughter to sample when they’re not skiing. Third, Utah’s reputation for reliable snow. All of this with easy access from Manchester (Southwest) pretty much sold us. However, now with the whole Talisker vs. PCMR mess, we’re starting to wonder whether we should be looking into a different destination.

So, my question is this:

Is Park City still worth the trip if armageddon occurs and there is no PCMR?

thetrailboss · Jul 21, 2014

We have lots of options out here. Deer Valley and Canyons are in Park City. And, for what it's worth, Park City will operate in some form this season...be it PCMR or Vail.

Depending on your budget and likes, Deer Valley may be a good option.

You could also base yourself in Salt Lake, which has good shopping and lodging, and do easy day trips to places like Brighton, Solitude, and Alta if you need good intermediate options. Snowbasin is also overlooked.

Feel free to PM me for more information. Happy to help.

jimk · Jul 21, 2014

The odds that PCMR won't operate as normal or very close to normal seem really long to me. Just too much to lose for all concerned if they don't get a satisfactory agreement ironed out. BUT, if the unthinkable happened maybe there would be a silver lining like low crowds, discounts on rentals, restaurants, etc. And it's not like you'd be stiffed on all skiing with DV and Canyons nearby, and other great areas within day trip range.
When do you plan on booking your trip arrangements? I think the educated guess is they will come to agreement by around Labor Day.

marcski · Jul 21, 2014

I am a huge fan of Utah, but if you were looking into Park City as a base for your trip due to the town and the town's proximity to PCMR's lifts, I would start to look elsewhere. Like Jim said, things are bound to be somewhat different. Given it is your first trip out west, why bother with perhaps having to deal with th unknown? I think you should at least look into Colorado. Breckenridge and Vail will both give you in town options plus proximity to skiing. At Breck, you are pretty close to Abasin, Copper and Keystone. Vail you have Beaver Creek about 20 or so mins away. Just my 2 cents given the uncertainty.

thetrailboss · Jul 21, 2014

Re: Colorado vs. Utah

FWIW we visited BOTH Denver and SLC before moving out here. The comparison between the two regarding accessibility to skiing is really night and day. It is 23 miles from my house in SLC to Snowbird. I can do it in 30 minutes. For Denver to, say, Loveland, it is 55 miles or so from Denver and not an easy drive in terms of weather, traffic, and road. More likely than not you'd want to do something other than Loveland, so it is further in from Denver.

Flights from MHT to SLC are relatively easy to get and reasonably priced. Southwest has the free bag deal. When I go back to VT we use this route. It is pretty good.

I'd say don't give up on Utah. Again, you've got Deer Valley (a damn good resort) and Canyons in PC proper. If you drive 45 minutes you get Snowbasin and Sundance. One hour would be the four major Cottonwoods Resorts.

Highway Star · Jul 21, 2014

buellski said:
My family is planning a trip out west for this coming season. It will be our first trip, for any of us, out west to ski. We had been thinking of going to Park City for a few reasons. First, three resorts that my son and I could sample while we’re there. Second, a nice resort town with lots of non-skiing options for my wife and daughter to sample when they’re not skiing. Third, Utah’s reputation for reliable snow. All of this with easy access from Manchester (Southwest) pretty much sold us. However, now with the whole Talisker vs. PCMR mess, we’re starting to wonder whether we should be looking into a different destination.

So, my question is this:

Is Park City still worth the trip if armageddon occurs and there is no PCMR?

trackbiker · Jul 21, 2014

thetrailboss said:
Re: Colorado vs. Utah

For Denver to, say, Loveland, it is 55 miles or so from Denver and not an easy drive in terms of weather, traffic, and road. More likely than not you'd want to do something other than Loveland, so it is further in from Denver.

I'd say don't give up on Utah. Again, you've got Deer Valley (a damn good resort) and Canyons in PC proper. If you drive 45 minutes you get Snowbasin and Sundance. One hour would be the four major Cottonwoods Resorts.

I like SLC for the proximity to the ski areas and also the skiing is generally better. The Denver airport is even farther from the mountains than the city itself. Even without PCMR there is plenty of skiing close by. You cannot ski the Canyons in one day. I know because I tried. Never been to Deer Valley. You may want to hit Powder Mountain before it changes too much as well.

mbedle · Jul 21, 2014

marcski said:
I am a huge fan of Utah, but if you were looking into Park City as a base for your trip due to the town and the town's proximity to PCMR's lifts, I would start to look elsewhere. Like Jim said, things are bound to be somewhat different. Given it is your first trip out west, why bother with perhaps having to deal with th unknown? I think you should at least look into Colorado. Breckenridge and Vail will both give you in town options plus proximity to skiing. At Breck, you are pretty close to Abasin, Copper and Keystone. Vail you have Beaver Creek about 20 or so mins away. Just my 2 cents given the uncertainty.

Agree, get a summit mountain pass ($469) and stay in Breckenridge, ski Breck, A-basin and Keystone on the same pass, which should cost less than Park City skiing at $100+ per day. It will be a great trip for a first time out west and no driving required (free bus service to each resort and in town). Watch out for restriction on the Breckenridge skiing. If your daughter and wife don't ski a lot, you can use the Ski-With-A-Friend passes for a pretty good discount at each resort.

darent · Jul 21, 2014

plenty of skiing in Park City even if problems aren't solved. If you don't want to chance it fly direct into Steamboat {Hayden Airport] Steamboat is colorados easiest access, great town the wife will love it

Hawkshot99 · Jul 21, 2014

PCMR is personally my least favorite place I Park City.

snoseek · Jul 21, 2014

Hawkshot99 said:
PCMR is personally my least favorite place I Park City.

I feel the same way although I really like the stuff up high and its cool to ski right into town for lunch/beer.

Just go, you have two other huge area right in town and a endless supply of even better skiing within 90 minutes. Basing out of SLC is not a bad idea also....stay right downtown at the Marriot and explore at night....good restaurants at better value/Jazz game/movies/bars and shopping. Tons of stuff to do in SLC

drjeff · Jul 21, 2014

Over the last 15yrs, I've logged 9 week long trips to Utah, staying in Park City each time. I've got about 20 days each at Deer Valley and The Canyons, and literally just 3 at Park City Mountain Resort.

I'm not saying its a bad place, because it certainly isn't, BUT to me it feels the most "East Coast" like due to its crowds, especially if its not a powder day!

Book your Utah trip, and if Park City Mountain Resort isn't operating at full size, you won't miss it with all the other GREAT options both within the general Park City region and also within an hours drive of Park City

jaytrem · Jul 21, 2014

It is an interesting gamble. Might be a good year to go, if it does open it might have less people than normal. It looks like the issues are going to drag on for at least a bit longer, and the longer it drags on the more people will have booked elsewhere. However if it isn't open, which at this point wouldn't totally shock me, I imagine the other two places will be more crowded than normal.

Of course there are a ton of other options that would be good for you'll whole family. Maybe Tahoe???

snoseek · Jul 21, 2014

jaytrem said:
It is an interesting gamble. Might be a good year to go, if it does open it might have less people than normal. It looks like the issues are going to drag on for at least a bit longer, and the longer it drags on the more people will have booked elsewhere. However if it isn't open, which at this point wouldn't totally shock me, I imagine the other two places will be more crowded than normal.

Of course there are a ton of other options that would be good for you'll whole family. Maybe Tahoe???

I see no advantages to booking very far in advance for Tahoe...especially all the way from the northeast. Place is amazing once the base is there but man the dry spells can get VERY real. Better off booking semi last minute via sites like hotwire, even if it's a bit more in the end. Two of the last three January's have literally been WROD.

buellski · Jul 22, 2014

Thanks for all the input folks. I think we're going to stick with Park City. There are some pretty good discounts if we book early, and it sounds like there should be plenty of great skiing even if PCMR isn't operating normally.

jaytrem · Jul 22, 2014

snoseek said:
I see no advantages to booking very far in advance for Tahoe...especially all the way from the northeast. Place is amazing once the base is there but man the dry spells can get VERY real. Better off booking semi last minute via sites like hotwire, even if it's a bit more in the end. Two of the last three January's have literally been WROD.

Yeah, but booking many places early is gamble. I always book as soon as the flights are available with miles, typically right about a year in advance. Rental cars are ofter dirt cheap when you book them that early too, but of course those you can cancel. This year I booked Portland even though last year was pretty bad. 3 places we're planning to go to didn't even open at all. I figure odds are it's gotta be better, same with Tahoe.

Edd · Jul 22, 2014

snoseek said:
Better off booking semi last minute via sites like hotwire, even if it's a bit more in the end. Two of the last three January's have literally been WROD.

This. I need some minor certainty about conditions before committing. I might roll the dice on a cat skiing operation in interior BC but not much else.

jaytrem · Jul 22, 2014

Edd said:
This. I need some minor certainty about conditions before committing. I might roll the dice on a cat skiing operation in interior BC but not much else.

I kinda look at is a time vs. money thing. If I want 30 days and have a $2000 budget, I'll probably need to book a lot of stuff early. If I'm looking for 7 days on that $2000 budget I'd be more inclined to book later for the guaranteed base. I seem to have gotten hooked on the low budget trips even though I'm doing less of them, not sure if that's a good thing or not. So far I've been lucky, but who knows Oregon might have another terrible year. At least there are a lot of other options within reasonable driving distance. Tahoe would be a bit tougher unless Mammoth and the central Sierra are doing better.

hammer · Jul 22, 2014

Have done one trip to UT, would definitely go back, PCMR was fine but if it wasn't open (or open as much) I wouldn't take it as much of a loss. If my wife had her way we'd just go to Deer Valley...

4aprice · Jul 22, 2014

hammer said:
If my wife had her way we'd just go to Deer Valley...

Take your bank account with you:-D I'm a fan of the front 4 so PCMR operational or not would not stop me from going to Utah. Something about that mountain has never grabbed me, (Jupiter Bowl is cool though). Like mentioned before it is probably my least favorite Utah resort.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

Park City without Park City?

New member

Moderator

Well-known member

Active member

Moderator

Active member

Active member

Well-known member

Active member

Active member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

New member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Active member

Well-known member

Similar threads