 Poster: A snowHead
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I am looking to book a family skiing holiday in the States next year (either end December or end March/early April) with the intention of spending some time before or after the skiing visiting the Grand Canyon, Bryce etc. Anybody got experiences to share on this, recommendations re what ski area to go to plus is late March too late to be sure of snow (i'm not familiar with the ski season California/Utah way or other places in the states) and would the GC be too cold/snowy in December? Any suggestions/advice welcome!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Grand Canyon will be cold, possibly snowy end of December. I think end of March is better. Early April should be ideal. Bryce is also quite high elevation (10,000') so will be cold before April. You'd better like x-c skiing if you go in December!  Mid-April in Bryce could start to feel comfortable in a warm year.
Skiing-wise, end of March is actually prime season, both in terms of snow and expense. End of December is holiday season, with price and crowd to match.
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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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Easy - you can even ski Brian Head which is on the edge of Cedar Breaks National Monument (like a mini Bryce) near Cedar City Utah. The timing of doing both is the difficult bit - I'd leave it as late in April as you are prepared to risk it & go to Mammoth or Tahoe then the drive across southern Nevada to St George/Zion Kanab/North Rim GC.
Alternatively you can go wherever you want then add on a flight to Phoenix or Flagstaff to South Rim.
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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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Be aware that Grand Canyon North Rim closes for several months over winter - and this is the one that will be closer (severeal hundred miles closer than going round to the South Rim park) to the US ski resots in Utah and Colorado.
Check out the US National Parks Service website for details. www.nps.gov
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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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nismat, Welcome to  's
I did something like this in March 2002, just after the Olympics (free tibet etc) in SLC
We flew to Las Vegas, drove up to SLC and skied at Brighton and Snowbird before driving back via Bryce and Zion.
A few pointers:
LV to SLC takes all day in the car unless you have concrete buttocks and/or a flagrant disregard for US traffic laws.
We went in March and did not plan in a trip to GC North Rim cos the maps said it was closed until May. However, we went within 90 miles and I cannot believe it could have been closed for snow - we saw a little at the top of Bryce but non further South than that.
I think Zion and Bryce (and Canyonlands and Arches) are amazing and could be better than GC - but I wouldn't know cos I'm saving GC for some indeterminate moment before I die...
If you just want to tick off the GC then how about a flight from Vegas - lots of different iteneries to choose from.
To really do the US National Parks any sort of justice you have to stay there and walk or ride in them big open spaces...
I've been to Alta (Utah) in June and if you were prepared to walk up then there was more snow than the average Feb in Porte de Soleil (just to pick one alpine resort to be rude about). I think Easter is absolutely no problem.
Of the Utah resorts the only one (I've seen) that has any atmosphere at all is Park City. However, if you're just in it for the skiing then they all seem pretty fantastic (if much smaller than the mega Europeans)
Good luck....
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I went to GC south rim in January a couple of years ago. There was snow everywhere from quite a large dump a week or so earlier. During the day when standing in the sun it was warm enough to ditch the coat but at sunrise when the views are more dramatic it was about -8c plus windchill.
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nismat, did 10 days in the US in april 06. started of at Heavenly South Lake Tahoe then spent 3 days at Vegas and included a day trip to the Canyon. Snow in Heavenly was er, 'heavenly' , Vegas was loads of fun, and the Canyon was sunny but a bit cold. more details on this thread with some pix from Heavenly.
BTW they were just building the skyWalk out over the canyon when we were there. I understand it has now opened - must be awesome!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon_Skywalk
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Thanks so much everyone for your responses! This is the first time I have done this and it is just fantastic reading the information you have been kind enough to share with me.
By the sounds of things, we should go for end March and will need to do some good research on all of this but looks like the start of a plan .... thanks again!!!!
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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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nismat, No problem - happy memories! Let us know what you end up settling on
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There are two scenarios that initially come to mind on how to approach this.
1) Fly into Salt Lake City, ski Alta, Snowbird, Park City, etc. for a few days, then drive down to Grand Canyon and Las Vegas area (about 6 hours) using a few more days, then drive back to SLC for a couple more days and flight home.
2) Other choice is to fly into Las Vegas and drive to Mammoth, CA (about 5 hours) ski there for 4 or 5 days and return to Las Vegas to see Grand Canyon and fly home.
Both Mammoth and the ski areas around Salt Lake City are known for outstanding skiing through March and usually very acceptable in early April too. You would have more ski terrain variety with the Salt Lake City gateway approach, plus you could use the Grand Canyon/Vegas excursion as a rest between ski days. It would also entail a higher percentage of high speed interstate highways.
How long is the duration of your visit? I think you will need about 10-14 days to reasonably accomplish scenario 1, and perhaps only one week for scenario 2. It is not to everyone's taste, but in a man made way Las Vegas is nearly as astounding as the Grand Canyon is in a natural way.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I have done this many times. Drivin from LA via Las Vegas, hoover dam .
Visiting the Grand Canyon (south side) Flagstaff, Arizona then heading up to the 4 corners Skiing in South Western Colorado Telluride, Wolf Creek & Purgatory (now called Durango Mountain Reosrt).
The Grand Canyon is spectacular in winter with over 1 metre of snow in the park. I have some photos (if I get ime I put them up on here). If you travel up fro Grand Canyon to the 4 corners you can also visit "Monument valley" Where they film all the rock videos. http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/monument_valley/mvbutte.html
Enjoy
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