 Poster: A snowHead
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I am planning a ski trip for this winter and I am wondering where to go! I have heard lots of good things about Park City and am just wondering about the pros and cons of this resort.
Thanks,
Jacob
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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krafty, welcome to  !
Yup. PCMR is a good place to ski, and there are several good areas around it too.
To be honest, you won't get too many responses on here as this forum has a more European focus - try on www.EpicSki.com , which is US based.
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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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going there 2 weeks. end feb beggining of march
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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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krafty, we based ourselves in Salt Lake City last year for the first half of our UT trip and PC for the latter. Next time we'll just stay in PC. More fun, better food and as easy for transport to other resorts.
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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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Yes, it's good. Certainly worth a trip. Get over to Powder Mountain too - very hick, very relaxed, good fun.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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krafty, It is probably the best base to be in if you do not plan on driving very much;
Pro:
- Easy access to both the Canyons and Deer Valley.
- Easy back/sidecountry access from both the above resorts
- More gear shops and restaurants than near any other resorts, as well as brew pubs, and a Utah state liquor store.
- There is even night-skiing, if you absolutely must brave the cold (last time I did it it was mostly skiers from Atlanta who only had 1-2 days to get any skiing in)
Cons:
- Lower altitude than the Cottonwood Canyon resorts, so less snow that doesn't keep as long. Particularly noticeable at the Canyons.
- Crowded, particularly in mid-resort transfer areas. McConkey's Bowl and Jupiter Bowl are your destinations for powder and steeps, be aware that boarders may have to traverse a fair bit. Thaynes lift is reasonable for bumps addicts, though ski team lift is better.
- Driving to other canyons is a bit of a hassle, as you need to drive out of one canyon and up another and so are likely to get stuck behind everyone else on high-traffic, snowplow or avalanche days.
- Access to discount lift tickets is somewhat limited as sales of those are geared to locals
- On-mountain food is so-so with the specific exception of Deer Valley and Lookout Cabin at the Canyons.
- Steep GROOMED terrain is likely to be reserved for ski team use; go to DV for that.
PS Mods: this thread should prolly be moved to Resorts?
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comprex, When we were there in March we found that the door-to-ski drive time was the same as our downtown SLC hotels (or as near as made no difference). We did not have any great powder days it must be said.
krafty, has not described his/groups ability so difficult to comment further. We found DV didn't suit us at all, except for lunch and for me for the best shaped bumps I have seen in a long time. Could spend a long time there in bad-for-knees-land. I am quite convinced the good pisteurs of Deer Valley have secretly perfected the ultimate bump creation machine.
On-mountain food in UT seemed somewhat so-so everywhere we looked. Decent lunches only had at the base station in Solitude and the (?) River Cafe (which was fabulous) in Deer Valley. DV also lacked (or seemed to lack) broad range of skis to hire. Any ski you like as long as they're Rossi B2s...
Just for the avoidance of doubt, our normal group ski anything and, I would submit, ski it competently well. ...But we lunch very well too!
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I'd pretty much echo what Comprex said. PC is a very nice village with lots of dining and drinking options. It has much more of a ski resort atmosphere than Salt Lake City. It also has a good bus system which goes to all three of the PC resorts (Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, and The Canyons). When we visited we were staying near The Canyons and drove to Alta two days. Took about 45 minutes but we didn't hit bad roads or traffic either day. The Cottonwoods Canyons areas (Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, and Brighton) have a higher base elevation and get more snow. In my opinion, anyone who goes to Utah to ski owes it to themselves to spend at least some time in the Cottonwoods Canyons. We were awed by Alta. On mountain food in the U.S. is generally mediocre at best, however we had a fantastic lunch at the Silver Lake Lodge on the day we skied at Deer Valley.
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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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David Murdoch, did you get into Empire Canyon much? Daley Chutes can be nice and there's some tree skiing.
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comprex, that's the bit over on the far right? I agree, there's not much to it but it's fun hopping off the ridge there. David Murdoch, were the bumps off on the left side of the map towards the Mayflower lift? When we were there that was the only area that didn't seem to get regularly groomed - so it was great after a dump (and quiet) and then nice and bumpy after a couple of days. Deer Valley gets some stick but I think there's some nice skiing to be had.
krafty, I've only skied for 2 weeks in Utah but if I went again I'd probably stay in Park City and that's despite it being my least favourite of the 3 local resorts for skiing. I liked the town and we found an excellent bar - full of locals and free beer 
It's definitely worth the trip to Alta and Snowbird and I'd recommend Solitude as well if the snow's good.
The resorts within an hour of PC are great - well worth travelling across the Atlantic for, so a short hop from Indiana is a must. Have fun!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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comprex, no we were quite crap - last day, hungover, one of the girls was coming down with the lurgey and the snow conditions weren't particularly enticing. I'm sure DV offers lots of fun things when you know where to go (I was happy yoyoing the blacks off Bald Mountain) the bumps were a joy and delight to behold.
alan empty, yes, those were great as were the ones under Square Deal (not very obvious on the on line map...)
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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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Park City is a lot of fun, but the runs are not overly long. It can get jammed up at some points since a lot of runs funnel into certain lifts. One nice thing though about the place is that you can also visit Deer Valley and the Canyons while there. Personally I don't think the Canyons is that much fun (it takes a long time to get around there, weird layout) but I'm sure others will disagree.
Drinking in PC is easier to do than in Utah/SLC in general. PC is an easy drive from SLC and not likely to have snow problems unlike the Cottonwood canyon resorts, whose access roads ocassionally get shut down due to avalanche risks.
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Park City and Deer Valley are great if you have a fat wallet to pay the over priced lift tickets and accomondations with. The sking there is great if you do like to cruise down groomers.
I might sound negative but neither PC or DV are my cup of coffee and my wallet is too thin.
You can ski 2 days in solitude for the price of 1 day in PC or DV.
I would much more recommend staying in SLC and driving up to Snowbird, Solitude, Alta and Brighton (about 30 min drive). This will give you better dining ans SLC actually has a good range of restaurants and cheaper accomondation. Disadvantage of this is that you dont get to stay at a skiing resort which one might want out of a skiing trip.
Ive done the SLC option 3 times for a total of 36 days and loved every single day.
Tex
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You know it makes sense.
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TexMurphy,
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| The sking there is great if you do like to cruise down groomers |
...and rip bumps.
But I will agree, we loved Solitude. Awesome, lovely and empty.
I disagree with your SLC option though. It's just not as fun. And if you've spent money on a transatlantic flight... 
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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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Actually belive it or not Ive had awsome nights out drinkin and partying in SLC. But thing is I dont party that much when I go sking as thats something I can do at home as well.
And Im from Sweden so I fly transatlantic as well.. 
Tex
Edit: Ohh stay far away from The Cannyons it sucks big time. Its low has shitty snow. It rains there when it snows in other places. The trail map looks like its long groomers but its all fake length as every single groomer goes diagonally over the mountain to strech the lenght. This creates horrible runs. Tree sking is bad there as well due to bad snow. Amazing how bad the snow can be there and how good it can be at the place we arnt to speak about.
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Poster: A snowHead
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TexMurphy, yeah I have never been there but I believe it sucks big time.
Nearly as good a sucking pressure as Solitude. In fact avoiding Utah is a good plan.
Avoid Wyoming and Montana too.
Idaho is OK only cos my Mum ( kisses xxx ) worked in a bar there and managed to avoid me being the son of a Hollywood producer by a small margin. Does anyone know how to mix a "pink squirrel"? Cos She's forgotten
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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David Murdoch, totally agree. Avoid Utah. It may have snow, but it's no La Rosiere...
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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 is great. I went last year and it was great. Park City has a wide variety of trails. There are also several other great resorts nearby, such as The Canyons, Deer Valley, Snowbird, and Alta. On my trip, we stayed off mountain in Park City. We skied at Park City, The Canyons (great on a powder day), and Snowbird (great a few days after a storm), all of which were within an hours drive of the house. We were also blessed with 3 feet of snow within the week we were there.
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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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Just to give you an idea of the price of a trip to Park City, my local ski club here in the US is going there for 6 nights over New Year's and the cost of the entire trip is $1,585. That includes airfare from NY (Newark) to Salt Lake, all transportation, 4 days of lift tickets (1 day at Park City, 1 day at Canyons, 2 days at Snowbird/Alta/Solitude/Brighton), accomodation in condos in town (on a shuttle route but walkable to the town center) and two group dinners. All other meals are on your own (the condos have kitchens). The week between Christmas & New Year's is high season here so anyone getting a package deal from the UK should look to pay about the same any other time of the year (plus the cost of flights from the UK).
Generally, I find Park City to be a very good value (yes, Deer Valley is expensive but you don't have to ski there). You can ski the Cottonwood Canyon resorts from Park City but it adds quite a bit of driving time to your ski day. In my opinion, it's worth the extra driving so that you get the best of both worlds - the great ambiance and restaurants and night life of Park City and the great skiing of Cottonwood Canyon. Otherwise, you should just stay up in Cottonwood Canyon and walk onto the slopes every morning - there isn't much to do or see in Salt Lake City.
Have fun in Utah (and if anyone wants to come on our club's trip, let me know. It's only $30 to join the club and with the weakness of the dollar against sterling, it might be a good value for you).
Helen
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