 Poster: A snowHead
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Looking for some advice for a quick 4 day trip to Utah, first week in April.
Is it better to stay in SLC and travel to the various resorts or stay closer in one of the resorts?
Ski mostly on piste but venture off now and again. Any recommendations for suitable hotels or resorts would be appreciated.
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Visited last year. SLC doesn't have much going for it in terms of cuisine and nightlife, although the church HQ is good day away from the hills if the snow's poor. Park City is more of a resort town with some variety and life at night, but it's then a long drive to the Cottonwood resorts.
Not much to pick between the resorts, we avoided Deer Park as the lift pass was even more outrageous than the others. Possible at your level I'd favour Park City, the Canyons resorts have the more extreme terrain.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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In Park City, you'd have plenty of near to the slope options, and plenty of terrain to explore for 4 days. Park City itself is the cowboy version of quaint and authentic French Alps village.
Bear in mind, they are having an epic snow season, that said, first week in April, conditions everywhere should be outstanding. Based on what you said you like to ski, the Alta-Snowbird option would quite enjoyable.
Normally, the 1st week in April, the Alta lodge will be running an end of season special, which will be a half board option. In Snowbird, the Iron Blossom condo's are in a great location, and the upscale version is the Cliff Club - posh, yet comfortable.
If you want good value for money, then head North a bit, and ski snow basin, lift passes, accommodations and food will be cheaper.
In summary -
best all around 'experience' with miles of pistes = Park City
Best skiing - snow - 'ski adventure' Alta-Snowbird
Best value option - Snowbasin
For 4 days, Brighton and Solitude also offer good value, but lacks the 'umpf' for 4 days.
I've skied them all - lived in SLC for years - have a timeshare week at Cliff Club - my week this year is 25 March - 1 April.
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Personally, I love Alta and would simply ski there and deal with the lack of anything to do in little cottonwood canyon. Snowbird has an OK village (i am hesitant to even call it a village), but it is better than Alta. The skiing in Little Cottonwood will be tremendous, however, and if skiing is the primary reason to be there, stay in LCC, and hope for pow days that close the road, thereby keeping everyone out till mid-day and preserving the powder for yourself. Remember that Alta is a skieer only resort, so if u have boarders in your group, it wont work (snowbird allows all sliders). I stay at the peruvian when at alta, but most are "rustic lodges" except for the rustler. Snowbird is different, they have more hotels, and the cliff is great and wont be too expensive in april.
Staying someplace in Sandy and having a car will allow you to get to both big and little cottonwood for day trips. Thats not a bad idea if u want to see all the resorts. Brighton, Solitude, Alta and Snowbird all feel different so its a decent way to see how different they can be, and they are all good.
As others have said, Park City is the destination place. Nothing bad with those resorts, I have just favored Alta since discovering it in the 90s, and pretty much only ski there when in UT. I will say that I really want to get to snowbasin, which is further than all the above mentioned resorts, but have heard really good things about it. It would be a day trip.
Have Fun. I am jealous.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| rdwags wrote: |
Ski mostly on piste but venture off now and again. Any recommendations for suitable hotels or resorts would be appreciated.
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| Quote: |
Is it better to stay in SLC and travel to the various resorts or stay closer in one of the resorts? |
Given your preference in skiing, and the short duration of your stay, I'd say Park City.
Alta/Snowbird maybe a powderhound's paradise, there're not all that many pistes for cruising about.
Park City not only have more pisteed runs, more things to do after skiing, it also have quite a bit of off-piste terrain for when you feel like venturing off the piste.
Snowbasin is nice but difficult to get to without a hired car.
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I would disagree that Alta does not have piste to cruise around (spoken like a true altaholic, I am sorry, but its probably the only thing I am religious about). I would say that Alta is one of the most nicely laid out mountains by skier type that I have been to. Plenty of blues off all of the chairs and the snow quality is usually terrific, so one can really just let the ski's run. You can also get into some blue bowls very easily, which are almost unheard of at most resorts. I know that my very piste oriented wife loves Alta for those reasons.
But yes, nothing much else to do but ski, but I guess that's the price of powder paradise. At least do yourself the favor of going to Alta at least once, and see if you like it enough to go back again. i discovered it on my last day of skiing (when we stayed at PC) and was really upset that I did not have additional days there. God, I have become an Alta zealot.
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It is best to stay in Midvale, the suburb of SLC where the ski buses to Cottonwood Canyons start.
You have access to "downtown" on TRAX light rail but Midvale itself has plenty of eating places etc.
Park City snow is not as good as Cottonwood Canyons.
Brighton is a nice smaller resort preferable to Solitude in my opinion.
If there is a big dump of snow the roads to canyons may get blocked but there is a massive premium to pay for accommodation at Alta itself.
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Thank you all for the suggestions and advice.
Looked into Park City and Alta and decided that given the time of the year, Alta looked like the better bet. Also the accommodation at Park City was quite expensive for that time of the year.
I'll hire a car so I can explore the area. Ended up with a good hotel deal in Cottonwood Heights 
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FAQ
April will be warm with spring conditions.
Slopes will be empty as folks here by then go hiking and mountain biking - they are usually all skied out.
