 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm a powder hound and my one and only ski holiday this season proved powderless!! Due to work commitments I am not lucky enough to be able to book last minute ski trips whenever there is a big dump of snow so, for next season, i'm looking at booking a 7-10 days ski holiday somewhere that i am going to have the best chance possible of getting good snowfalls to make up for this seasons disappointment.
Must be North America/Canada (I have been to Japan and LOVED the place but a bit too expensive for me) and be end of January or early February.
I appreciate that there is no such thing as guaranteed powder.
I thought that Snowbird sounded a good bet. Anyone got any thoughts on Snowbird?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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IMO the best of the Utah spots, I certainly preferred it to Alta (not that Alta isn't good though).
Do rent a car as that gives you the flexability to drive round to PArk City/Deer Valley/The Canyons in one direction and Snowbasin and a place I have forgotton the name of (!) in the other.
We were lucky and had bottomless powder in Snowbird (do NOT fall over...getting up was a nightmare!)
Bottomless meant that if you stopped, crouched down on your skis and stuck your pole in, and then your arm, as far as it would go....still no bottom!
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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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rungsp, Thanks for the info.
What did you think of the hotels and resort itself?
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If you're really into powder, you may want to leave yourself the maximum freedom by not booking at any specific resort at all.
Just fly out to a gateway city, Salt Lake City being one of the good options. Have a hire care at the ready and go where the next storm is forecasted.
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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 advise staying down in Sandy / Cottonwood and hiring a car (an SUV) if you can, that's what we did. It's about a 20 to 40 minute drive to the various resorts in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons (Alta, Snowbird, Brighon and Solitude), and you can also head out to places such as Snow basin near Ogden and even round to Park City et al.
We had great condtions in Alta, proper blizzard and LOADS of freshies, but the best day of all was round at Solitude.
Staying in SLC also means you get a wider choice of places to eat and could even pop out (as we did) to catch a Utah Jazz NBA game.
One thing to mention, the food at Snowbird was excellent, freshly made pasta with your own choice of ingredients, possibly the best "on mountain" food (albeit at the base) we've ever had.
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Hornster,
We spent our nights 50/50 SLC and Park City. Park City loads's more fun, SLC cuts some of the drive. We adored Solitude, as it was, well, quiet.
(For ref, group was all experienced, most ex-saisonnaires, some instructor grade (for e.g. ESF, NZ), happy anywhere)
Didn't make the drive to Snowbasin out of laziness.
But...we arrived some days after the last proper storm. NO BOTTOMLESS POWDER. But excellent, excellent compacted snow and lovely between the trees. Oh yes, we did have a 6" day in Alta, which was rather nice. But not bottomless.
Had a blast, skied ~75% off piste, ~50% in trees.
Powder is not guaranteed.
Would I go back? Oh yes please...
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FAQ
, that and Snowbasin are probably the 2 least crowded places in the area 
