I'd appreciate any info you could provide on Brighton, Solitude and Snowbasin. We're heading there in February. I've seen the websites, but would be interested in opinions, particularly ski in/out lodging at Solitude and Brighton, and also lodging close to Snowbasin. Also where out there is the best tree skiing? We've been to Park City and Alta/Bird and are looking to expand out horizons. Thanks.
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Utah info?
- Thread starter Razor
- Start date
SkiDog
New member
You do know that Solitude/Brighton and Snowbasin are about 45-60min apart from each other right?
I will see what I can find out for you about the lodging choices at both, but im pretty sure there isn't any slopside at Snowbasin....
M
SkiDog
New member
For snowbasin access i'd obviously look for lodging in Odgen UT. Thats basically where it is located and since there is no slopeside, it's your best bet...
Sandy would be a good spot to stay for Soli/brighton. Maybe Cottonwood heights. All, if any, slopeside would be far away from entertainment/food as those resorts don't have like a "nightlife" per se.
M
RISkier
Active member
Can't comment on Solitude/Brighton. We spent a week staying in Eden last year. We stayed at the Red Moose Lodge. Rooms were fairly large and the price was very good ($179 / night which included lift tickets at either Snowbasin or Powder Mountain for two people). But the rooms were not well lit, the walls were thin, they didn't have any orange juice at the breakfast bar (only apple juice, does any adult drink apple juice?). Not a bad place but I wouldn't highly recommend. There is very little in Eden in the way of resturants and or bars, or anything else for that matter. There is the Wolf Creek resort which has a couple of restaurants, we ate at one and thought neither the food nor the service were very good. Maybe we hit it on a bad night. We did go down to Ogden a couple of times and main street has some promise. Snowbasin itself is pretty amazing. The lodges are unlike any ski lodge I've ever been in. There is oriental motif carpeting, leather padded chairs, heavy wooden beams, large fireplaces, bathrooms with brass fixtures and heavy wooden doors on every stall, etc., etc. The dining facilities are not as over the top as at Deer Valley but the food was fantastic. I had an Italian salad one day, the chef chopped and prepared the salad as I watched. I had a turkey dinnder one day which was outstanding. My wife had roast beef dinner one day and raved about how all of the sides were outstanding. The food is really really good and didn't seem at all over priced for what you got. Most of the terrain is served by three main lifts (two gondolas and a high speed quad). One of the folks we were with is a PSIA level III who skis anything with grace and elan. Even though the snow was not good, by UT standards, he was going all over the mountain and having a great time. In short, we thought Snowbasin itself was fantastic. You might want to check out Powder Mountain as well. Completely different than Snowbasin. Mostly old slow lifts and retro lodges but we really enjoyed skiing there as well. I think if there's good snow Powder Mountain would be a perfect place for intermediates to start going off piste. Most of the terrain is not real steep and you can play in powder, bumps, trees, etc. without getting in over your head. At Snowbasin I more often felt that you better know what you're doing before you venture too far from the marked trails.
SkiDog
New member
Yeah the dude who owns Snowbasin also owns Sun Valley, supposedly a VERY eccentric man. Hence the decorating motif. He did all that plus the expansion of the resort for the olympics. Crazy old coots even rumored to have wanted it the name changed to Sun Valley Utah....
Anyway...ill keep looking for lodging recommendations for you.
M
rachelv
New member
This is the only lodging at Brighton: http://www.brightonresort.com/1598.html
We've never stayed there, but it's basically a concrete bunker.
Not sure what the options are for food and bars if you stay there, probably not really anything.
We stayed here last year at Solitude and put maybe 8 people in one of the 3-bedroom condos: http://www.skisolitude.com/accommodations/eaglesprings.php The prices are less reasonable if you're a smaller group, but they're really nice. There are 3 or 4 restaurants in the base area, as well as a place down the canyon a bit that runs a free shuttle. There's also an Albertson's in SLC that delivers groceries up to Solitude as long as you order a few days in advance (you can order online).
Anyways, if you want to stay on the mountain in BCC Solitude's options are really all you've got.
We've never stayed there, but it's basically a concrete bunker.
Not sure what the options are for food and bars if you stay there, probably not really anything.We stayed here last year at Solitude and put maybe 8 people in one of the 3-bedroom condos: http://www.skisolitude.com/accommodations/eaglesprings.php The prices are less reasonable if you're a smaller group, but they're really nice. There are 3 or 4 restaurants in the base area, as well as a place down the canyon a bit that runs a free shuttle. There's also an Albertson's in SLC that delivers groceries up to Solitude as long as you order a few days in advance (you can order online).
Anyways, if you want to stay on the mountain in BCC Solitude's options are really all you've got.
thaller1
New member
As others noted, nothing on-slope at Snowbasin. I rented a condo here - http://www.lakesideresortproperties.com/ - that claims to be the closest lodging to Snowbasin. Very nice unit, well managed, clean, modern, convenient, etc. About 10 - 15 minutes to Snowbasin, 15 - 20 minutes to Ogden. I just checked their website to refresh my memory on this and they have some lift / lodging specials that you might want to consider.
Not much going on in the area, but we stocked up on groceries and the condo had a nice kitchen, living room with fireplace and TV for the kids, hot tub, etc. The focus was getting up early to ski, not going out at night, and it was real easy to hit the hill from here. Drove down to Ogden for dinner one night at a brew pub - nice break from the routine but not really necessary.
Every aspect of Snowbasin was outstanding. Terrain, snow, lifts, lodges, food, lack of crowds, you name it. And as far as I'm concerned the lack of lodging on the hill also is a real plus - the views are beautiful, and there's really no crowds to speak of. I was there a "crowded holiday weekend" and there were occasional 10 - 15 minute backups on the gondola at the main base area, but no more than 2 - 3 minutes at the nearby high-speed quad (John Paul), or at the Strawberry area gondola off to the other side of the mountain.
BTW we had a friend from SLC show us around the first day at Snowbasin -- I wouldn't have veered off trail to explore unmarked areas without his initial guidance. Since then when I go to new areas out west I'll either make friends on the lift and tag along, or hire a private instructor for a lesson that consists of showing me the shortcuts, safe routes, trees, etc. Strongly recommend doing same at Snowbasin if it's your first visit.
Just re-read your initial post - some good tree skiing at Snowbasin but also consider Deer Valley -- not many skiers there venture into the trees, and I found loads of untracked powder in glades the day after a storm. Have yet to ski Alta / Snowbird or PC so I can't compare it to options there.
Not much going on in the area, but we stocked up on groceries and the condo had a nice kitchen, living room with fireplace and TV for the kids, hot tub, etc. The focus was getting up early to ski, not going out at night, and it was real easy to hit the hill from here. Drove down to Ogden for dinner one night at a brew pub - nice break from the routine but not really necessary.
Every aspect of Snowbasin was outstanding. Terrain, snow, lifts, lodges, food, lack of crowds, you name it. And as far as I'm concerned the lack of lodging on the hill also is a real plus - the views are beautiful, and there's really no crowds to speak of. I was there a "crowded holiday weekend" and there were occasional 10 - 15 minute backups on the gondola at the main base area, but no more than 2 - 3 minutes at the nearby high-speed quad (John Paul), or at the Strawberry area gondola off to the other side of the mountain.
BTW we had a friend from SLC show us around the first day at Snowbasin -- I wouldn't have veered off trail to explore unmarked areas without his initial guidance. Since then when I go to new areas out west I'll either make friends on the lift and tag along, or hire a private instructor for a lesson that consists of showing me the shortcuts, safe routes, trees, etc. Strongly recommend doing same at Snowbasin if it's your first visit.
Just re-read your initial post - some good tree skiing at Snowbasin but also consider Deer Valley -- not many skiers there venture into the trees, and I found loads of untracked powder in glades the day after a storm. Have yet to ski Alta / Snowbird or PC so I can't compare it to options there.
Thanks for all the info thus far. I'm leaning toward Solitude village for the first part of the trip. I previously checked out the Lakeside Properties near Snowbasin. They look good and it's nice to read stuff from those who have stayed there. Checked out the trip reports mentioned and they were just what I was looking for. Reinforced my thoughts. My wife is trying to sway me towards Aspen. She wants to stay in one place. More expensive, but we wouldn't need to rent a car. We have this debate all the time. I like going to many different areas, while she likes to stay at one. After 36 years of marriage, it all kind of evens out. Bottom line: it's not a bad problem to have.
SkiDog
New member
You don't need to rent a car til you go up to Snowbasin, stay in Sandy and ride the skibus. Powder and Snowbasin rock, and Solitude has some of the steepest groomers around. All four are great fun although Snowbasin is my fave.
SkiDog
New member
andyzee
New member
Be forwarned about the bus, depending on where you stay, the schedule may be limited. First time I was there, I took the bus the first day and then rented a car as soon as possible. For my hotel the bus did not run that often, only early morning and late afternoon. The hotel did provide shuttle service on request, but that took about an hour of waiting at the bus stop.
(My first post from my new job. I must not develop bad habits!
)
thaller1
New member
I beg to differ.. if you don't have a powder day those steep groomers at Solitude will get your heart going...WOW are they steep and FAST.. you feel like Bode..........whooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh
tirolerpeter
New member
Groomed Steeps
Thaller1 has a point. On our first visit to UT back in 2000 my son and I did four days and it did not snow! So, powder stashes were slim pickings and we got to ski a lot of groomers. The steeps at Solitude can definitely pull your ears back if you let it run. Also, the first time we skied Snowbasin the first 500' of vert off the little tram (It was the start of the 2002 Men's Downhill) was also groomed. It too could pull your jowls back pretty good if you opened your mouth. Regardless, I liked all the areas so much that I moved out here this past March. I now live about 20 minutes from Alta and Snowbird. SkiDog is a bit biased since he too moved out here this past season. Can you blame him? Think Snow!!!!!!
Thaller1 has a point. On our first visit to UT back in 2000 my son and I did four days and it did not snow! So, powder stashes were slim pickings and we got to ski a lot of groomers. The steeps at Solitude can definitely pull your ears back if you let it run. Also, the first time we skied Snowbasin the first 500' of vert off the little tram (It was the start of the 2002 Men's Downhill) was also groomed. It too could pull your jowls back pretty good if you opened your mouth. Regardless, I liked all the areas so much that I moved out here this past March. I now live about 20 minutes from Alta and Snowbird. SkiDog is a bit biased since he too moved out here this past season. Can you blame him? Think Snow!!!!!!
andyzee
New member
This past season we had 10 days and 7.5 feet of snow while we were in Utah, we really lucked out. However, there was a day in Brighton where we were feeling a bit worn and tired from all the powder and were about to quit early until we hit a few groomers, and then a few more. In the end the groomers were just what we needed to get our second wind and kept us going all day. I'll take the pow any day, but in this case the groomers helped to extend our day.
millerm277
Active member
Actually, me...not the whole mountain, but a one or two nicely groomed trails with consistant pitch can make for some great runs....and spectacular wipe-outs when you're watching from the lift above. :lol:
yeah i agree that a mix is fun. those runs to the skiers left of that quad are pretty damn steep! i wish i was there right now soooo bad!
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