Utah Ski Areas - Compare and Contrast???

[mikec142]

Thinking of planning a trip to Utah for mid-March. I'd love to hear the pluses and minuses of the various ski resorts off of SLC...Park City, Alta, Snowbird, Deer Valley, Canyons, etc.

As an aside, my family and I are mostly east coast skiers, VT and NY with an occasional trip to Tremblant. We'd love to try something out west that has it all from cruisers to bumps to bowls to trees. A big plus would be if there were some lower angle stuff too. Not into the idea of having to launch into a bowl.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Mike

 

[skiberg]

Park City is the place to go. Three ski areas all either connected by bus or lift. Plenty of everything. I am going in March myself and staying in PC. With that being said PC is my least favorite place to ski in Utah. However, with the new interconnect with the Canyons its just Huge. 300+ ski runs! Unless you are a hard core basher you cant go wrong. I am a big Little Cottonwood fan and will spend a lot of time there. However, the town is great and its easy to ski 10 different areas with a rental car from PC.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

Brighton - locals vibe, decent intermediate terrain, kind of short vertical
Solitude - locals vibe with steeper skiing than Brighton
Alta - is for skiers. not really much there if you aren't into the gnar
Snowbird - totally world class. but also not so much there if you aren't into the gnar
Deer Valley - good if you're made of money and enjoy groomers
Park City - less gnar than Alta/bird/solitude, variety for a family, great town. less snow than cottonwoods
Canyons - now part of park city. better terrain than park city. relatively low elevation. less snow than cottonwoods
Sundanese/snowbasin/pow mow - haven't been

 

[KustyTheKlown]

Good old Sudanese. Autocorrect on phone. "Sundance"

 

[DoublePlanker]

I would suggest to stay in Park City to get that ski town feel and tons of restaurants. The skiing around there is going to offer the most variety for your need.

Snowbird and Alta are my 2 favorites but are more geared to experts. Perhaps a day trip to Alta for you would be fun.

Snowbasin is cool too. Solitude and Brighton are smaller but nice areas as well.

I have stayed in Park City about 5 times, Alta once and SLC 2x. Alta/Snowbird is boring to stay there. Park City or SLC has more to do off the hill. But Park city will be convenient to the large ski areas offering low angle skiing and the variety you seek.

 

[rtjcbrown]

I agree with staying in park City. Great ski town with lots to do.

That being said, Park City Mountain Ski resort was a big disappointment. Skis like Killington. Lots of mid size trail pods connected together.

I loved Deer Valley. Best run ski resort I have ever been to. (most expensive too)

Alta is fantastic. One of a kind ,and better overall than Snowbird IMHO.

Solitude was very good, and not too crowded

 

[abc]

As an aside, my family and I are mostly east coast skiers, VT and NY with an occasional trip to Tremblant. We'd love to try something out west that has it all from cruisers to bumps to bowls to trees. A big plus would be if there were some lower angle stuff too. Not into the idea of having to launch into a bowl.

Is this your (and your family) first time out west? Or is it just 1st time to Utah?

If it's the 1st time out west, keep in mind what you THINK YOU LIKE back east may do a 180 once you're out there. I did.

Snow condition is different. Terrain is entirely different. So what you like and dislike in the east, you may find you prefer the opposite.

My 1st trip was to Colorado. I was only an intermediate. But with soft snow and wide open landing... I launched into a bowl on day 2! The grin didn't leave my face till I was at the bottom of the bowl! Finally understood why skiing is an addictive activity! I even bought a t-shirt with "To Air is human". No, I wasn't a teenager. I was in my 30's when I did that.

For convenience, Park City would be a good base. You can jump on the short local shuttle to Park City or Canyan or Deer Valley. I disagree on Deer Valley being "moneied". It's got good groomer and trees. Not as much open skiing as say, Snowbird.

Salt Lake City lodging is a lot cheaper though, if you can stomach the daily drive into the mountains.

You'll have fun on most of any one of them. The exception, as mentioned above, is Snowbird. It really doesn't have much easy terrain AT ALL. Alta is better in that regard, with the balance being a lot of flat area you occasionally got trapped in.

Also, besides the obvious already mentioned, there're also Powder Mountain and Snowbasin. The latter is often consider the best sleeper of Utah. A nice mix of variety in terrain, low crowd. Both are an hour away from SLC.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

Come on now, deer valley is very specifically designed for, and actively markets to the wealthy

 

[thetrailboss]

Thinking of planning a trip to Utah for mid-March. I'd love to hear the pluses and minuses of the various ski resorts off of SLC...Park City, Alta, Snowbird, Deer Valley, Canyons, etc.

As an aside, my family and I are mostly east coast skiers, VT and NY with an occasional trip to Tremblant. We'd love to try something out west that has it all from cruisers to bumps to bowls to trees. A big plus would be if there were some lower angle stuff too. Not into the idea of having to launch into a bowl.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Mike

I live here, so I'd invite you to PM me.

Based on what you've said you want, I'd say Alta/Snowbird.

Park City: huge, but low elevation, confusing trail layout, crowded, and not as much snow. Also limited expert (real expert) terrain.

Deer Valley: VERY nice. Limited expert off piste options. Amazing service.

Snowbasin: out of the way, but easy to get to. No real lodging options or apres ski options. Ogden is a hole. Posh facilities feel out of place. Great terrain and great cruising terrain. Good snow.

Pow Mow: really out of the way; more geared for experts and cat skiing. Very basic facilities.

Sundance: old school. Right now great snow. Slow lifts, but good for a day or two. Great expert terrain, laid back, great food, the anti-resort.

Brighton: agree on locals. Great trees and low angle stuff. Some steeper stuff, but limited.

Solitude: weird trail layout, relatively inexpensive, has Honeycomb Canyon.

Alta: old school vibe, skiers only, great lifts, great snow (best overall), not much traffic. Great expert terrain, but you have to hike for it. Great low angle stuff.

Snowbird: INSANE expert terrain, best bowl and "big mountain" skiing in Utah, Mineral Basin offers great terrain for intermediates and experts, great lifts, good lodging, amazing scenery, good snow. Downside is it is very challenging to ski for intermediates and under.

 

[abc]

Come on now, deer valley is very specifically designed for, and actively markets to the wealthy

That doesn't stop the not-so-wealthy to enjoy it without breaking the bank.

There're a lot of service on offer. Some cost extra money, others not.

Compare to northeast mountains, Deer Valley's lift ticket is perfectly good value. And the food? You don't have to eat there if you don't want to. But many others would round out their day by eating there. To each their own.

Each time I go to PC, I treat my hosts who have Canyon passes to lunch (at Canyons). When I went to DV by myself (they're boarders), I realized my lunch at DV was less than those at Canyons (per head).

The whole Park City trio had gone up market in the last decade, Deer Valley no longer stand out in that regard.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

I haven't skied DV/PC/canyons since I was 14 with my family. As a 30 year old who loves steep skiing, I haven't had occasion to go back to those places because Utah for me is now all about Alta/bird/Brighton/solitude. My recollection of deer valley is that my mother loved it and it felt "fancy." I don't know how day passes compare but I do know that pc/canyons is cheaper bc epic pass, Brighton is cheaper bc max pass, and Alta/bird cheaper bc Slc superpass. My assumption is that there's a much higher tourist/gaper/Jerry element at deer valley due to its reputation for luxury. Maybe when I'm 50 with a family and money, but right now, no need to ever ski there

 

[skiberg]

I have never skied Sundance, but it sounds like my kind of hill. I think this trip its on the list.

 

[thetrailboss]

I haven't skied DV/PC/canyons since I was 14 with my family. As a 30 year old who loves steep skiing, I haven't had occasion to go back to those places because Utah for me is now all about Alta/bird/Brighton/solitude. My recollection of deer valley is that my mother loved it and it felt "fancy." I don't know how day passes compare but I do know that pc/canyons is cheaper bc epic pass, Brighton is cheaper bc max pass, and Alta/bird cheaper bc Slc superpass. My assumption is that there's a much higher tourist/gaper/Jerry element at deer valley due to its reputation for luxury. Maybe when I'm 50 with a family and money, but right now, no need to ever ski there

Honestly, Canyons/PCMR has WAY more of a gaper factor than Deer Valley. Deer Valley is old money = laid back and doesn't have to prove anything to you. Canyons/PCMR is all "new money" and they want to be a$$holes to prove they are rich. Just my experience.

And Deer Valley has AMAZING food at a great price.

 

[The Sneak]

Brighton is fantastic IMO.
Really good tree skiing. Good vibe.

Powder mtn is interesting. Gotta hit it during or after a storm to take advantage of its strengths. Cat skiing is an option there.

Snowbasin was okay. I had a nasty fall and slide in the bumps under the John Paul chair, was fine but it scared me. Really swank lodge.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[drjeff]

And most anyone from the East, who has never been West before, will find the quantity and quality of not just groomers, but also trees and bowl and advanced/expert skiing at Deer Valley to be more than adequate! And the service is second to none, and makes it very easy to have a GREAT day on the hill!

Next week will be my 10th ski week in Utah. I will say that I still find the quality and quantity of terrain available at all the Park City area resorts to provide plenty of enjoyment for me and my family, so if the roads aren't great for driving to either of the Cottonwoods or over to Snowbasin, we're not bemoaning by any means the fact that we are skiing at Park City Resort or Deer Valley that day!

Alta is an experience any skier NEEDS to have at some point, it's just a special place. Snowbird is also world class, but it can be intimidating for some skiers/riders who aren't advanced or higher, especially if you're an "East Coast" advanced skier vs. a "West Coast" advanced skier. If Brighton or Solitude weren't "sandwiched in between the Park Cty areas and Little Cottonwood Canyon, they'd get more accolades than they do. And Snowbasin is a great experience both terrain wise (if you're an intermediate/advanced skier the runs off the Strawberry Gondola is about as good a pod of terrain for that level of skier/rider that I think I've ever been on in terms of the combo of vertical, acreage and mid pitch enjoyment factor) and the lodges there are seriously picture worthy!

(I'll post some pictures next week from Park City Resort, Deer Valley and probably Alta )

 

[HowieT2]

to me, its all about the snow and for that you can't beat alta/snowbird. 'nothing to do there other than ski but that fine for me. I happen to like the 'bird over alta but its splitting hairs.
of course if you're going with the family, the wife and kids factor may make pcmr or deer valley a better spot for you.

 

[nelsapbm]

I did this trip 15 years ago now (yikes-seems just like yesterday as I had a blast). Stayed in Park City..skied Canyons, Park City, DV, Alta and Powder Mountain. I went into the trip thinking I'd love Alta (absolutely did-was my favorite of the trip) and disliking DV. I was wrong about Deer Valley. It was FANTASTIC. Uncrowded. Good terrain. Everyone was super nice. Food was amazing. DV was the biggest surprise of the trip for me. Loved it.
PC and Canyons was less impressed. I echo what the others have said. I had fun...but I'm not itching to go back there.
Powder Mtn. was great.
Have a great trip!

 

[thetrailboss]

And most anyone from the East, who has never been West before, will find the quantity and quality of not just groomers, but also trees and bowl and advanced/expert skiing at Deer Valley to be more than adequate! And the service is second to none, and makes it very easy to have a GREAT day on the hill!

Next week will be my 10th ski week in Utah. I will say that I still find the quality and quantity of terrain available at all the Park City area resorts to provide plenty of enjoyment for me and my family, so if the roads aren't great for driving to either of the Cottonwoods or over to Snowbasin, we're not bemoaning by any means the fact that we are skiing at Park City Resort or Deer Valley that day!

Alta is an experience any skier NEEDS to have at some point, it's just a special place. Snowbird is also world class, but it can be intimidating for some skiers/riders who aren't advanced or higher, especially if you're an "East Coast" advanced skier vs. a "West Coast" advanced skier. If Brighton or Solitude weren't "sandwiched in between the Park Cty areas and Little Cottonwood Canyon, they'd get more accolades than they do. And Snowbasin is a great experience both terrain wise (if you're an intermediate/advanced skier the runs off the Strawberry Gondola is about as good a pod of terrain for that level of skier/rider that I think I've ever been on in terms of the combo of vertical, acreage and mid pitch enjoyment factor) and the lodges there are seriously picture worthy!

(I'll post some pictures next week from Park City Resort, Deer Valley and probably Alta )

Agree with these observations. I must confess I am spoiled by having all these awesome choices, but I always come back to Alta, Snowbird, and DV personally.

 

[DoublePlanker]

Alta/Snowbird are special places. By far my favorite places in Utah. I must say it was quite challenging the 1st time there as an expert east coast skier. The powder was insane but I had no ability to ski it as a first timer out west. Now I own western powder skis so its different.

Coming from the East coast as a first timer in powder, it could be challenging to ski snowbird. For sure, something to experience. That's why I recommend staying Park City.

 

[abc]

Coming from the East coast as a first timer in powder, it could be challenging to ski snowbird. For sure, something to experience. That's why I recommend staying Park City.

There's no guarantee it will dump though. In less than a foot of snow, an east coast advance skier may have a better experience in AltaBird over the PC side mountains.