 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello All,
Just looking for some info on the Three Resort International Pass that is available for Park City/The Canyons/Deer Valley - can you only ski one area each day as I've seen it advertised that you change a voucher each day at the lift office - does this limit you to this area or can you "jump the fence" to the next area if you fancy it.
Also if you had the choice between 10/11 days in either Park City or Big Sky , Montana which would give you the best experience and why ?
Thanks, briand6868
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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How would you classify yourself as a skier? I skied Park City a little and it was not one of my favorite of places to ski out there. Snowbird takes the cake as far as I am concerned, however I was with a snowboarder at the time so I didn't get to venture to Alta. This depends totally on what type of skier you are though, conditions were good not great while I was there and I got a little bored. Big but not challenging.
By comparison, Big Sky is big and can be pretty challenging (steep and rocky). If you get adventurous you can trash your skis on the sharp rock there pretty quick, but thats what skis are for anyways, right? I had fun skiing there but my only complaint is that you can't really just take top to bottom laps, there is lots of lift riding to get where you want to go.
For 11 days I would have to agree with Bones, I think you would have more fun in Utah because there are many more options. If you do look into Alta/Snowbird and stay in a place up by the resort instead of down in the canyon, little cottonwood canyon road (gets you from the valley to the mountains) shuts down with heavy snow, meaning only those who are staying up by the resort get to enjoy the freshies while the day-trippers are stuck waiting for the road to open...
Whats the reason for being between big sky and park city? Would you consider other US skiing?
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Hello Bones/americanskier,
Both areas really appeal to me given the detail available on both,both are similar cost-had considered Aspen/Snowmass but extra200e + more expensive in resort cost has put us off a bit. Park City etc was the favourite but only as there was a bit more off the slope action and we plan on an 11/12 day trip with 9/10 days of skiing and a visit to the Olympic Park at some stage.
Americanskier we would be 80/20 % on/off piste and (BASI Level 1 grade) and definitely looking for challenging steep stuff aswell as fast carving on groomers + a bit of inbounds off piste - an allround experience for our first trip Stateside.Looking to go first two weeks in March and staying at Park City Peaks hotel.
Any idea what the crowds will be like around then - are we talking busy (St. Anton) or quieter off season Schladming or small Austrian resort type crowds - don't fancy having to keep all ears open and eyes in the back of the head before turning - buddy likes to make big ass carving turns while letting out war-whoops!!!
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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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Hi Bones - just a quick question - if your doing 2 weeks in Utah do you ski every day or is it typical to get knackered and take a break 1/2 way through.We ski all year round on the dry slope and consider ourselves fairly "ski-fit" and usually have a 6 day full on alpine fix but have never done longer than 6 days straight.
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I wouldn't recommend skiing more than one resort a day, with or without extra cost. The resorts are not link by lift. So you're talking about getting on a bus to get there. Why waste time busing about when each resort is big enough to entertain for more than a day?
Definitely take the collective advice to ski some of Salt Lake City resorts in addition to Park City.
Crowds: depends on when are you looking to go...
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US schools usually let kids off for a spring break during the month of march, but it isn't the same week nationwide so you may run into some crowds but for the most part the weekdays really shouldn't be that bad. If you are going to take a day off, probably best to make it on a weekend.
Just for my clarification, Bones, what is "in bounds off piste"? Just referring to skiing off groomed trails?
I would strongly suggest checking out Alta and/or Snowbird if possible though. You will have plenty to entertain you with Park City/Deer Valley and The Canyons, but next to Jackson Hole, Snowbird is one of the best mountains I have skied in the US, and Utah powder is just fantastic if you are lucky enough to get a good storm. Seeing as though you are going to be there for 2 weeks in March and it is going to be a big snow year, I would say you have a very good chance of finding this out for yourself.
Oh and good choice on avoiding Aspen, it is a very overpriced place and people go there to flaunt their money more than ski. It can be more of a fashion scene there than anything else (same goes for Vail). There is good skiing to be had, but Utah has better steeps and generally better snow.
Sounds like an awesome trip!
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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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Hello all
I am off to park City too on 26th feb and really looking forward to it. Was planning 4 days at Park City resorts and then off out and about to the other resorts. Do you know of any good sites that offer good rates on ski passes? Have had great holidays in Vail, heavenly and Canada over the past few years and can't wait to try these new resorts (for me)!
@bones you mention not eating on main street - we will have a car do you have any suggestions of where else is good to eat? We like a good meal and a coiple of drinks rather than going wild with the drink (would rather have a clear head for a full days ski-ing).
Thanks.
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As Bones and I have mentioned, there is a lot of great skiing in Utah and it is all very close. Look at google maps for Sandy, UT and follow little cottonwood canyon road up into the mountains, that leads you to Alta and Snowbird. Just north of little cottonwood canyon will be big cotton canyon road which will lead you to Solitude and Brighton. Ski around Park City and then drive to the Sandy area and ski those mountains, I think there is more than enough terrain around there to tire you out.
Also, I just remembered that I have a friend who lives in Provo, UT that purchased a large number of Snowbird tickets at a low cost somehow and is planning on redistributing them for a small profit, I can contact him if you would like and potentially even see if he will dump a few for what he paid.
If you are looking to explore outside of UT, Jackson Hole is about a quick 5 hour drive north of Salt Lake City (longer with snow though). You probably won't have much luck finding deals there, but there is a whole wide range of fantastic terrain there, and plenty of stuff in bounds that will get you pretty scared dropping in.
And as far as Canada goes, and I am going to make the assumption you are talking about British Columbia, I have done limited skiing in poor conditions, so I can't comment much, but I was living just a few hours south of the Canada border before shipping out the the UK, and I was just sent this forecast from a friend still back in Washington for the Mt. Baker area (very close to the Canadian border, but in the US - holds the record for most snow in a season):
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=48.80641123477908&lon=-121.77726745605469&site=sew&smap=1&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text
I am not even sure I can add all those numbers up...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
Oh and good choice on avoiding Aspen, it is a very overpriced place and people go there to flaunt their money more than ski. It can be more of a fashion scene there than anything else (same goes for Vail). There is good skiing to be had, but Utah has better steeps and generally better snow.
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This is not relavent to the OP, but just to present an opposite view. Aspen IS expensive. But it has the quietest slopes I've ever experienced even in a major holiday (MLK day). So I would not call it "over-prised" if garrantied quiet, well groomed slope is what you're looking for. (and I failed to see what others do has any bearing on your own enjoyment).
Utah may have as good or perhaps slightly better snow record. It's by no means crowd free. Especially on weekends, the Salt Lake side fo the resorts (Snowbird/Alta) can get crowded (by NA standard, that is). Aspen with its low skier traffic, often time actually have better snow surface condition.
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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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| Bones wrote: |
I always thought groomers in North America were there to get you to the good stuff  |
This is half true, the other half is that they keep tourists occupied and off of the good stuff.
Well I suppose they provide early season skiing as well, and in a bad snow year allow you to open it up for some fast runs. In some places, and I have noticed this especially at resorts in Colorado, like to do this, but when they have posted "SLOW" signs on their groomers there are people who stand by them and will yell at you to slow down. If you don't obey they will chase you down and stop you, and depending on your attitude (or their attitude) they can write you warnings for "speeding" or even take away your tickets! If you ask me, going slow defeats the purpose of groomers...
By the way, briand6868, if you check out the Teton Gravity Research forums (go to www.tetongravity.com then click "community" up top and "forums" then navigate to the ski forum) you will find a wealth of info on any ski resort in the US. Just use the search function to sort through the forum, as the whole ski forum is consolidated onto one page. This is an extremely active site, however, and unfortunately you will need a lot of time to go through everything, as there is a lot of nonsense and very biased or extreme opinions, but if you can read between the lines you will find a lot of good information. I suggest doing a little research here prior to your trip to get a general sense of where to go when you get to the resort (especially if you plan to head out of bounds).
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks very much for the responses 
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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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IMO, Park City is the only proper ski resort village in Utah. Lots of dining, drinking, and shopping options. SLC is an urban area and the villages at Alta, Solitude, and Snowbird are very small. All three of the Park City resorts are quite large. They are not lift linked and there's no real reason you'd need to have a pass at more than one on any given day. The Cottonwoods Canyons resorts (Solitude, Brighton, Alta, and Snowbird) are approximately 1 hour from PC. Roads can be closed for avalanche control, may have all wheel drive or chain restrictions, but are generally well maintained. Base elevations in the Cottonwood Canyons resorts are higher, the terrain is more open, snow is generally better early and late season, and just has a higher alpine feel. Alta and Solitude have very nice terrain for all abilities. Snowbird is best for advanced intermediates and above. If you're there in mid winter and have a car you might also head North and check out Powder Mountain and/or Snowbasin. Snowbasin is very scenic with lots of open terrain, modern lifts, fantastic lodges, and excellent food. Powder Mountain is completely retro, only 1 high speed lift, kind of spartan lodges, but it has huge acreage, side country skiing, and is a great place for intermediates to start skiing off piste. There's tons of groomed cruisers at all three of the Park City resorts. There used to be, and most likely still are, shuttles that will take you from PC to Alta and Snowbird. Tons and tons of skiing in the area. Individually, none of the resorts compare in size to the huge European resorts. But collectively there is a whole lot of skiing.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hello All,
Thanks for all the info and views on the different resorts. It looks like we're going for a 6 day 3 resort pass and see what we fancy after that.Has anyone stayed at or know anything about, the Park City Peaks hotel - how far is it from town,is the on-site food reasonable price/quality - I've read a few reviews on T/Adv but first hand from a fellow Snowhead would be great.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hello...has anyone been this season who can pass on this seasons tips...i am off to Park City in 13 days
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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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darbyrw, Not yet, but flying out Friday
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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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Bergmeister, I agree this this completely. I was at Alta earlier this season and overheard two locals moaning about the lift line. There was virtually no line?? To add another positive on our American cousins, I am always really impressed with how polite everybody is in the queue, they run in almost a military fashion. I love Austria dearly, I do not of my skiing and riding there but on a few occasions I've had to force forward in lift queues otherwise you would never get on.
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briand6868, darbyrw,
It used to be possible to take a back-country guided tour between a number of the Utah ski hills. It was called IIRC the "Utah Interconnect" or something similar. You might want to look into this...
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Acacia, There still is and yes thats waht its called - 4 or 6 resorts in one day. costs around £200. This gets you guides, lunch, transport and resort lift costs + maybe other stuff IIRC. Its supposed to be like true back country skiing. 
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FAQ
IIRC you aslso need to collewct your book of vouchers from the main ticket office in Park City Resort, if you have email confirmation of your passes.
WE were in Utah for 14 days skiing last season, and having another 15 days this season. Probably only skiing PC/ Canyons/DV 4 -5 days max 
so not much good to you. You can get the Salt Lake super pass too for Alta/Snowbird/ Solitude and Brighton - any number of days and can use at any mountain. 
