 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello, I'm going to Park City for 5 skiing days next month (March 2020). We're a group of skiers from Europe, we're used to (and enjoy) the typical European bashed pistes, blues/reds/easy blacks are our standard but we're up for trying to improve and maybe try some off piste!
We figured that we should concentrate on PCMR and Deer Valley as they are really close to our hotel (the Park City Peaks). But if anyone thinks it is worth us making the trip to Alta/Snowbird/Brighton/Solitude, bearing in mind we won't have a car, it would be great to know.
So assuming we stick with PCMR and Deer Valley the annoying thing is that they are owned by different companies so you have to get two lift passes. And it's cheaper to buy in advance. For our dates, the rates for PCMR and DV are roughly the same.
Basically, I was wondering - would folks on this forum recommend we do 3 days PCMR and 2 days DV? Or 4 PCMR / 1 DV?
Thank you so much in advance!
Karl
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Alta and Snowbird were my favourite resorts.....but it's hard to say whether the extra trouble to get there will be worth it.
BTW. Welcome to the Forum....and hope you get a more useful response.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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Make what you want to out of this...............
DV is substantially more upscale and it shows. Better groomed, less people.
PC is owned by the leviathan juggernaut behemoth Vail Resorts.
You're staying in PC sans car. Cottonwood Canyon's offerings (Alta and Snowbird) are great to say the least, but you're looking at a MINIMUM 1.5+ hours one way trek just to get to the parking lot.......... Stay where you are and come back to Utah another time working out of SLC with a car.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hire a car and drive every day to the Cottonwoods. Surely the best combination of lift served skiing on the planet right there when considering quality and quantity of snowfall mixed with varied terrain from beginner to expert.
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Rent a car.
Alta.
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| arcsinice wrote: |
Make what you want to out of this...............
DV is substantially more upscale and it shows. Better groomed, less people.
PC is owned by the leviathan juggernaut behemoth Vail Resorts.
You're staying in PC sans car. Cottonwood Canyon's offerings (Alta and Snowbird) are great to say the least, but you're looking at a MINIMUM 1.5+ hours one way trek just to get to the parking lot.......... Stay where you are and come back to Utah another time working out of SLC with a car. |
Bets are off re relative weights of people post Ikon. A lot of SLC locals have Ikon passes it seems as it just makes sense given the resorts accessible on it. It's probably pretty much a toss up between the resorts re pistes and terrain generally. DV people may be a bit more up themselves and reactionary against snowboarders if that helps. Snowbasin worth an awayday trip if you do have a car and want to try somewhere else BUT make it a weekday non powder day. DV IME had a few too many piste zoomers who were not as good skiers as their speed/ego implied (saw 2 wreck literally right in front of SLOW DOWN patroller). Possibly lulled into false sense of skills by flattering grooming?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I would recommend spending the full 5 days in Park City since that is most convenient and the area offers enough variety for a week of skiing. Avoid Alta/Snowbird. It is not European style skiing and not recommended without accompanying a knowledgeable local.
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Rent a car, it’s probably cheap. My favorites in Utah are Alta, Brighton, solitude, canyons, snowbird, Dv and pc in that order. Also if u can swing the $$ park city cat ski was awesome. It’s not Europe, so do what the locals do.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| skierg wrote: |
Basically, I was wondering - would folks on this forum recommend we do 3 days PCMR and 2 days DV? Or 4 PCMR / 1 DV?
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Of your 2 choices, 3-2 will be better.
You won't see all of either mountains. But at least you get to do a bit more than scratching the surface.
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we're used to (and enjoy) the typical European bashed pistes, blues/reds/easy blacks are our standard but we're up for trying to improve and maybe try some off piste!
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Park City has a bit of everything, open bowls, glades (trees), and just plain old un-groomed (moguls) in addition to your bog regular euro look-a-like groomers.
DV is mostly groomed runs plus glades. Low angle wide open spaced trees.
Whether it's worth going over to Alta/Snowbird depends on your group's mentality. If the group wants typical ski like Europe, no. But if the group is keen on doing something radically different after flying 8 hrs across the pond, yes.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@skierg, It's quite a bit of work to drive from Park City to either of the Cottonwood Canyons, and there is no reliable convenient public transportation to assist.
I would do 2 days DV and 3 day PC/Canyons. And come back some year and stay over in or near the entrance to the Cottonwood Canyons and ski some or all of those resorts then.
The Utah Interconnect mentioned above is a good idea if you have the skills and the spare change. Google and read up on that option.
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Gee, with all the rent the car suggestions, just ditch the hotel in PC all together and book a room in Alta... 
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You know it makes sense.
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@skierg, we stayed at the peaks. Its perfect for PC/ canyons so no need to go elsewhere if you don't have a car. Do a day in DV and if you really like do 2. You can book day trips where you could go to snowbird and brighton if I remember rightly but it was expensive even back then (2015) and probably moreso now. We hired a car a couple of times but we were there for 2 weeks and it was lovely to explore the area. For 5 days you'll be fine with those 3 resorts.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I can't see how you'd get anywhere else without a hire car, but then, we have always had a car so didn't really look.
I liked DV because its off piste didn't seem to get skied out as quickly and it had better bumps. We also had a spectacular lunch, somewhere (last day).
PC totally fine.
We loved Solitude, as it was, well, empty (and we had a powder day).
Alta/Snowbird, very accessible in bounds off piste, easy to navigate if you know what you are doing.
But pretty sure you need a car.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Well the bus service is how you get around without a car, really. It's easy.
However if you're staying in the one destination place then that's not a great option.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Toadman wrote: |
| Gee, with all the rent the car suggestions, just ditch the hotel in PC all together and book a room in Alta... |
Winner.
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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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Park city.
The other resorts near SLC are steep and good but lack the resort base vibe, which i like as part of my holiday.
PC has lovely long groomed runs of European blue and red standards. Black will be moguls or powder. No particularly long or insane blacks, but enough to tickle expert/advanced.
Then again I really, really like Park city and the other SHs don't agree with me
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@philwig, yeah, well, yeah, no, but, yeah, but ... no.
It’s not a great option.
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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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I'd stick to Park City & Canyons for a 5 day trip - you might then come back and go to Alta/Snowbird next time....
We did one day at Deer Valley - was ok, but for a 5 day trip you may as well get better acquainted with Park City (and maybe there's 5 day pass deals).
We were staying at the Doubletree - close to the Squatters roadhouse Grill which is a brew pub/restaurant place - decent beer.
There's only one restaurant on the whole mountain(s) that serves wine (it's a Mormon thing....) trying to work out which one it was...it's the Lookout Cabin it seems from the piste map, worth a visit for lunch.
Jan's on Park Av is good for ski gear shopping... and if your boots needa new upgrade liner they do Zipfits there (and rent Kastle, Stockli and the rest...). 
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FAQ
But it all depends on conditions!
