Utah: How bad can it be?

[Jully]

I had to laugh when locals were saying that this was the worst winter in 13 years. I skied 4 days, Brighton, Solitude, Alta, Brighton. Skiing was fantastic, hit a 10" powder day at Solitude. They just opened Devils Castle at Alta. I don't know what you're hoping to ski if you can't find it and have fun on it at Alta right now.

It is one of the worst winters ever out west right now, that is indisputable. Conditions are marginal in any sort of chute and bushes are coming through some trails. However, it was very skiable. We ski similar coverage back east in glades all the time (I was there from the 20th to the 26th).

The snow is still incredible compared to the east and when it snows, it is still glorious powder. I agree with you that any skier coming out west from skiing the east will be blown away with how great the snow is. The snow and coverage are both vastly superior to what we have in the east right now (you can ski at least some trees at all the utah areas). This coming storm in NE MIGHT make it a little more comparable, but our snowpack will disappear in a week.

 

[DoublePlanker]

I seem to remember skiing Alta and Snowbird once in January long time ago with < 100 inches base and it was quite different than the other times. Lots of rocks to navigate. when > 100 inches, simply amazing. If expectations are low wrt powder, chutes, etc, then probably fine now.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Personally I would stick to Alta and Snowbird if you come out

If it's as bad as folks are saying, and I was going out there on vacation, I'd probably only ski those 2 places since they get considerably more snow than PC, DV, Canyons. I get email alerts for airfare deals for places out west, and I've noticed unusually cheap deals into SLC, I guess this is why.

 

[thetrailboss]

While I didn't start the thread I'd be interested in hearing what it is like.

We are staying in Park City but have the max pass and will do a few days for sure at Brighton and Solitude, but considering doing a day or two at PCMR or Snowbird / Alta as well.

I was just at Deer Valley today. The main runs are groomed snowmaking. As in icy base with loose gran on top. If you like skiing cruisers you'll be fine. I did not venture off the snowmaking and groomed runs because there was either no snow at all or very little.

Again, it all depends on your expectations.

 

[thetrailboss]

I had to laugh when locals were saying that this was the worst winter in 13 years. I skied 4 days, Brighton, Solitude, Alta, Brighton. Skiing was fantastic, hit a 10" powder day at Solitude. They just opened Devils Castle at Alta. I don't know what you're hoping to ski if you can't find it and have fun on it at Alta right now.

Actually, it is the worst winter since 1976-1977. And the fact that it snowed 10" now about ten days ago means nothing. The sun, wind, traffic, and warm temps have beaten that to all hell. The reason why people are saying it is bad is because of the low amount of snow. The amount, and frequency of snow storms, really plays a big role in determining what opens out here and how good it skis.

Compared to east, yes, of course it is better. But compared year over year out here--this is a real doozie.

 

[deadheadskier]

Sucks out west. Folks should just stay home and ski Wachusett amirite?!?!





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[jimk]

I know for the Utah locals it's a very subpar season by their standards, but I just returned to the East from a ten day visit to the Wasatch and had a ball: https://www.pugski.com/threads/utah-not-bad-jan-27-to-feb-5-2018.8538/
photo from Alta 2/5/18:

 

[boston_e]

Sucks out west. Folks should just stay home and ski Wachusett amirite?!?!





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maybe Vermont not Wachusett? We’ve had 37” in the past week.

i have a sinking feeling that I’m leaving better skiing for worse skiing. Ugh.

 

[kingslug]

It will still be good. Just hit Alta/Bird. then you will have 4000 acres to find...stuff.

 

[Edd]

maybe Vermont not Wachusett? We’ve had 37” in the past week.

i have a sinking feeling that I’m leaving better skiing for worse skiing. Ugh.

I was skiing trees at Brighton a month ago and they’re in better shape now. I bet you’ll find some great skiing.

 

[snoseek]

Right now the skiing is fine Im sure. Getting into march if the big storms don't come its gonna be a SHORT spring for many places Utah included.

 

[thetrailboss]

Right now the skiing is fine Im sure. Getting into march if the big storms don't come its gonna be a SHORT spring for many places Utah included.

Someone with knowledge told me that Snowbird is thinking May 1st closing. We will be lucky to make that at this rate.

 

[asnowmobiler]

Someone with knowledge told me that Snowbird is thinking May 1st closing. We will be lucky to make that at this rate.

I sure hope not!!
I'm going the 3rd through the 10th:-?

 

[SIKSKIER]

I have friends at SB today and it looks pretty good to me.

 

[Teleskier]

Utah: How bad could it be?

From the title I got a different notion of what this thread was about.

I just got back last week from my first visit to Utah.

How bad could it be?

1. Lulled into joining a liberal ski event I wanted to support in a infamously red state, but that was a bust where it turned out to have no one actually skiing in it, so skied alone. Felt like I got bait and switch’ed and gave my money to a place I wouldn’t have otherwise supported. Fool me once…
2. You only find watered-down half-strength ‘kinder-bier’ for après ski - really?
   • Never could tell if you’re better off with bottled beer vs draft beer - since got half strength watered-down beer from both? Locals swore by one or the other - but the 'rule' never held. Always ended up with weak tasteless bad beer.
3. Martinis served in kid’s-sized glasses, as if taken from a doll house? Where are the REAL adult-sized martini glasses? Is this on Candid Camera?? Yet they charge same price as if it was a normal sized adult martini?
4. Cuisine as expensive as Aspen but nowhere near the quality of Aspen (charging Aspen prices for mediocre cowboy cuisine)
5. Not as friendly as other western ski areas, so didn’t hook up with other skiers on the chairs or in the bars - again, skied alone, which is first time this ever happened in skiing many places out west
6. Accosted by no less than 5 Mitt Romney supporters outside SLC convention center on my way to the airport to sign their “get him on ballot” petition. “Since you asked me - Let me tell you about him from my experience of him as Governor of Mass” - “Don’t bother, he’s a Mormon, and that’s enough to get my vote”.
7. Mediocre man-made machine-groomed snow, yet western “no way there’s any good skiing back east” attitude to which you had to say: “You know - right now Vermont has better snow than you here right now” - to their horrified stunned faces. Did I even mention skiing over rocks and roots on your double-blacks here?
8. Spent the week just traversing around the ravines, it seemed 85% of the time you were skate-skiing across flat cat-tracks trying to get around to various lifts, or worse "trails as snow sidewalks" through endless number of other people's trophy homes, to get from Park City to the sole ONE mountain lunch spot that actually had a bar which was in Canyons, etc.
9. If you skied one good section for 5 minutes, it was short and short lived, and always led to the end in the bottom of yet another endless ravine, flat skiing for another 15 minutes, green trails back to the everyone is funneled, way-too-crowded lift (Tombstone lift was aptly named)
10. Bad food, bad beer, bad martinins, bad snow, and filled with Mitt Romney supporting morons (said morons, not mormons)

Yeah - that kind of bad Life is too short to ski Utah.

 

[BenedictGomez]

This guys seems pleasant.

 

[chuckstah]

This guys seems pleasant.

He did it all wrong.

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[Jcb890]

This guys seems pleasant.

Honestly, I thought it was fantastic.

I knew about the beer, so one could assume mixed drinks/hard alcohol is probably under strange circumstances as well.

Cuisine is interesting and helpful as we all enjoy cuisine. I find cuisine to be very subjective though, many people might find SLC to have great food for instance.

The friendliness is quite interesting. I always notice that being from New England... almost everywhere you visit, the people are much nicer than back home.

The attitude I find tough to blame them on though. How many days in a season can you honestly say the skiing/riding is better in VT than UT? You can probably fit that number on 2 hands, maybe 1 for a "normal" UT season.

The Mitt Romney and Mormon stuff was pretty amusing as well.

I'll have to ask my friend who is in UT if he agrees about the traversing and ravines.

 

[BenedictGomez]

He did it all wrong.

That too.

 

[gregnye]

From the title I got a different notion of what this thread was about.

I just got back last week from my first visit to Utah.

How bad could it be?

Yeah - that kind of bad Life is too short to ski Utah.

I agree with most of this. Utah is overrated. Colorado is still much better. The only places in Utah worth going to are Alta, Snowbird and Snowbasin.
Sure, Utah might get more snow, but Salt Lake City sucks, it's literally just Mcdonalds, Burger King, and Wendy's repeated every 5 blocks.
There are also more chain regulations for cars making it harder to drive to the ski areas.
Flights from the east coast to Salt Lake are more expensive and often require a transfer at Denver anyway, so you might as well just get out and ski Colorado.

There's a reason Colorado has been doing very well economically the past few years. Utah will continue to be lightyears behind unless they change basically everything. And that's not even starting to talk about Utah's politics...