Utah?

[BenedictGomez]

Day 1 for me is tomorrow. Report was 21", so I'm pretty psyched given the outlook for this week wasn't the greatest just a handful of days ago. Changes quickly.

 

[jimk]

Lots of snow waiting for you from Friday's storm. Folks hiking up Mt. Baldy 3/30/19, Snowbird, UT:

 

[thetrailboss]

https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2019/03/31/ikon-epic-ski-passes-may/


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

 

[jimk]

https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2019/03/31/ikon-epic-ski-passes-may/


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

Thanks for posting. Good article, but there is an elephant in the room not mentioned. As long as the vast majority of parking in both canyons is free - the cars will come. As much as I hate $20 parking fees at Vail, there is a method to that madness.
I love, we all love, the fact that you can drive up to LCC on a quiet day, park free and close, and get in 2-4 hrs of skiing and go on with your day. But for those crazy powder days things are broken right now and the fix is going to cost us all. If they charge big bucks for parking up at the resorts and the buses stay cheap or free, then they'll have to build some big parking garages at the bases of both canyons.

 

[thetrailboss]

Thanks for posting. Good article, but there is an elephant in the room not mentioned. As long as the vast majority of parking in both canyons is free - the cars will come. As much as I hate $20 parking fees at Vail, there is a method to that madness.
I love, we all love, the fact that you can drive up to LCC on a quiet day, park free and close, and get in 2-4 hrs of skiing and go on with your day. But for those crazy powder days things are broken right now and the fix is going to cost us all. If they charge big bucks for parking up at the resorts and the buses stay cheap or free, then they'll have to build some big parking garages at the bases of both canyons.

Yes. That is my fear as well.

Carl Fisher's comments were pretty ridiculous IMHO. I'm not sure what planet he is on.

 

[crazy]

Yes. That is my fear as well.

Carl Fisher's comments were pretty ridiculous IMHO. I'm not sure what planet he is on.

I can't take him or Save Our Canyons seriously anymore. I agree with a lot of their mission, but they've jumped the shark and gone way too extreme.

 

[skiur]

Good write up and helpful, thanks for sharing.

I wasn’t able to share my tips before you left (actually avoided it so as to not draw more Utah fire), but sounds like you did PC right and called it right:

• Casual burger and beer
• Don’t be shocked by skiing between all the “1%” mansions (no one mentioned to me)
• Don’t expect world class pizza despite over-inflated local proclamations
• Don’t expect ‘the world’s best burger’ despite over-inflated local proclamations
• [Me] Don’t expect Aspen/Austria/Vermont/elsewhere food or wine or beer scene
• [Me] Don’t expect full-sized drinks or adult-strength beer despite Utah TV commercials
• Do expect fun bluebird powder (except on the years they don’t have it)

From the Utah-lovers here (they’re allowed) who promoted Utah here so much, that I gave it a try based on their advice last year… they had me expecting:

• “best in the world” food scene
• “best in the world” wine scene
• “best in the world” brewery scene
• “best in the world” public transport
• "best in the world" wide-open terrain uncrowded western powder skiing (etc)

…. so it inflated my expectations much higher than anything that PC could ever be capable of delivering. It was no Aspen.

It was also their worst snow year last year; windy, grey, crusted-over hard pack - which didn’t help my first (and never again) Utah experience that had me realize (like never before) that I need full-sized and adult-strength beer at après-ski for my own personal ski vacations. Other's mileage may vary.

Proper expectations are everything… sounds like you had them set right, and thus had a good time.

Glad you had a fun and bluebird trip, and sounds like you got some amazing customer service to boot.

HAHAHAHA......If you thought Utah would have the best anything alcohol related then you are just a moron!

 

[Teleskier]

Timely article on Utah skiing public transit... Third World not 'best in world'

While some here promoted Utah as having 'best in world' and 'better than NYC' public transit last year before my trip, this local Utah article describes it as:

"Getting from where you are staying to where you are skiing can be Third World. It feels like Mumbai sometimes.”

Also...

"According to a Ski Utah survey, about 7 percent of ski area visitors use public transit, while 78 percent ride personal or rental vehicles. The rest are overnight guests or arrive in shuttle vans."

Seems people vote with their feet to communicate their view of Utah public transit.

Likewise, others here offered in their "Utah tips" that they use Uber as their pro tip, and these would appear to be in the 78% majority.

While I do encourage others to try to make public transit work (as I did), I'm thinking my one experience seems to line up with this article, sadly.

Given the large NYC/NJ to Utah "preferred ski holiday connection" in this forum, perhaps it'd be helpful to others here (and to Utah itself) to share tips on how you made their public transit work for you on your ski trip (people in general, not to anyone in specific).

Article:

Ikon, Epic ski passes may be working too well. They make already-bad traffic in Utah’s Cottonwood Canyons even worse.

 

[kingslug]

Dropping into Main Chute...head up there if you can..its pretty scary fun

 

[BenedictGomez]

Carl Fisher's comments were pretty ridiculous IMHO. I'm not sure what planet he is on.

Save Our Canyons is an eco-extremist group, which, like many other extremist groups lies about what their true intent is in order to effect the change they desire, because they know full-well the general public would be against said change they desire.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Snowbasin out Deer Valley's Deer Valley. That place is posh and empty, a pretty solid combo. Sadly the 21" of snow got crusted over by sun followed by sub 32 temps, so the off-piste stuff wasnt good, but it was about the best groomer conditions you can find.

 

[jaytrem]

Snowbasin out Deer Valley's Deer Valley.

Voted best bathrooms 20 years running!

 

[jimk]

Given the large NYC/NJ to Utah "preferred ski holiday connection" in this forum, perhaps it'd be helpful to others here (and to Utah itself) to share tips on how you made their public transit work for you on your ski trip (people in general, not to anyone in specific).

.[/URL]

I've been primarily using my car or riding with my son to ski Snowbird about 20 days in the last month, but I have used UTA bus three days and it worked fine. One time I was the last to get on very crowded bus, but glad not to have to wait for another. I get to ride it free with my Bird season pass.

 

[thetrailboss]

Snowbasin out Deer Valley's Deer Valley. That place is posh and empty, a pretty solid combo. Sadly the 21" of snow got crusted over by sun followed by sub 32 temps, so the off-piste stuff wasnt good, but it was about the best groomer conditions you can find.

Was Strawberry open or was it on money, err, I mean wind hold?

 

[abc]

The solution is pretty obvious. But I as a visitor would love to see it NOT implemented.

Charge for parking, at least on weekends. Use the money to run frequent buses. Need huge parking down canyon though.

As a visitor, I don’t mind getting up at crack of dawn on powder days. I’m there to maximize my skiing pleasure after all. I have no chores to run before heading up canyon. the current traffic problem actually help keep the mountain relatively quiet. Imagine the crowd if all the people who wish to get up the canyon actually do get there?

But the locals have the most to gain. It would make the weekend skiing a lot more predictable. On the other hand, they’re the ones who decide they’re fine with the status quote.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Voted best bathrooms 20 years running!

Yeah, marble bathrooms are a wee-bit over-the-top.

Was Strawberry open or was it on money, err, I mean wind hold?

It was open, I took 2 or 3 runs on it. Sister's Bowl was closed for avy fears though.

 

[Zand]

At Snowbird today for a half day...got back to SLC around 11 last night from Jackson (including a stop for dinner) and I just didn't even want to walk this morning nevermind ski. It's in the 40s but for some reason the snow isn't corning up very much even in Mineral. Theres still powder from over the weekend in spots and crud everywhere else...unfortunately it moistened up and it's tough to ski. Groomers are glorious today and that's about all I can handle right now anyway.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Theres still powder from over the weekend in spots and crud everywhere else...unfortunately it moistened up and it's tough to ski. Groomers are glorious today and that's about all I can handle right now anyway.

I was just having lunch at Davanza's and locals skiing Park City today reported the same, said it's variable, groomers are nice, but icy elsewhere. Supposedly 4" to 10" coming tomorrow into Wednesday morning, so hopefully that happens.

 

[kingslug]

Which skis you on?

 

[BenedictGomez]

Which skis you on?

I only brought the Soul 7s as I knew they can pretty much handle anything I'd find out here this time of year unless it all went to **** in a hurry.