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#1
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SLC resorts logistics
My son, my brother-in-law, and I will be in Salt Lake City over the
Presidents Day holiday in February 2007. We will have three full days on the slopes -- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We'll be staying at the Embassy Suites hotel in downtown SLC. Everything's booked and the multiday lift tickets have been purchased. My son and I are snowboarders. We've been riding for only a few years in the eastern U.S. Freeride only; no interest in pipes or parks. We wouldn't be attempting anything above a blue in Utah. (Our past experience in the west -- Lake Louise/Banff -- revealed that greens out there are often the equivalent of blues back here.) My brother-in-law is a skier with a lot more experience. He skis blacks in the east; I'm not sure how his abilities will translate to western powder, but he typically likes long, fast runs. Not a bumps fan. Our general plan is to make Snowbird the priority; my brother-in-law is keen to visit that resort. We'll probably go there for two days. I would like to go to another resort for one day (but no more than that) -- almost certainly Brighton since it offers night sessions and seems to generate more enthusiasm among Internet snowsport types than Solitude. Maybe my brother-in-law will go to Alta for a day if we go to Brighton; that'll be up to him. Questions: 1. I've read that Brighton should be avoided on Saturdays because it gets quite crowded from turnout by the locals, but that Sundays are better because people attend church. True? I realize that the entire weekend is going to be very busy because it's a holiday; I'm just looking for whatever edge remains. 2. How long does it take the free ski bus to get from downtown SLC to the four Cottonwood Canyon resorts? Is there a direct bus to each resort, or is transferring necessary? What time do the buses stop running the return trips from the resorts to SLC? We would like to avoid renting a car since there's already a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel. If the ski bus is adequate, that would seem the way to go. 3. Comments/suggestions on anything else would be welcomed. Thanks a lot, Joe Ramirez |
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#2
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SLC resorts logistics
1. During that weekend, EVERYTHING is crowded, not just Brighton. And
VERY crowded. Snowbird too. I've brought a few easterners who lived on blacks out there, who nearly **** their pants when they step out the Tram on top of Snowbird. I would consider going elsewhere for your first time. Sometimes The Bird's blues get bumped up too, turning them from east coast black into a "Holy Crap". 2. The bus from the valley floor up to the four resorts takes A WHILE. And again...during that time will be absolutely JAM PACKED. |
#3
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SLC resorts logistics
Yabahoobs wrote: 1. During that weekend, EVERYTHING is crowded, not just Brighton. And VERY crowded. Snowbird too. I've brought a few easterners who lived on blacks out there, who nearly **** their pants when they step out the Tram on top of Snowbird. I would consider going elsewhere for your first time. Sometimes The Bird's blues get bumped up too, turning them from east coast black into a "Holy Crap". Well, if the blues are "holy crap" and the blacks are "time to clean the lift chair," I guess there are always the greens. Seriously, in an extremely large resort, the average difficulty level doesn't concern me that much, since one can almost always find suitable terrain somewhere. That was our experience at Lake Louise and Sunshine. I have no illusions about "conquering the mountain" or anything like that -- just want to find some good snow. Last year, my workplace organized a ski/ride day at the local resort. It was the same weekend as the X Games. Great idea, right? Yes, except it *rained* that day. That's one of the reasons we're going to Utah. 2. The bus from the valley floor up to the four resorts takes A WHILE. If it's 1 to 1.25 hours, we could live with that, since I figure it would take at least 45 min. to drive there ourselves. If it's 2 to 3 hours, that's a real problem. And again...during that time will be absolutely JAM PACKED. The Monday holiday in the middle of Feb. makes that weekend an extremely convenient time for ski/snowboard trips. Unfortunately, that applies to us too. Joe Ramirez |
#4
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SLC resorts logistics
If you dont mind a bus trip in the hour range, you're in good shape.
Definatly won't be two to three. You should find good snow, just hit the hill early. It seems like half the state is in the two Cottonwood canyons during that weekend. Along with half the east coast, and LA Valley. |
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SLC resorts logistics
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#7
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SLC resorts logistics
Walt wrote: If I found myself going to SLC over dead preznits weekend, I'd probably hide out at Solitude for the three days. My $.02. BINGO. |
#8
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SLC resorts logistics
Neil Gendzwill wrote: wrote: Well, if the blues are "holy crap" and the blacks are "time to clean the lift chair," I guess there are always the greens. Seriously, in an extremely large resort, the average difficulty level doesn't concern me that much, since one can almost always find suitable terrain somewhere. That was our experience at Lake Louise and Sunshine. Are the blues at Louise and Sunshine seriously "holy crap" compared to those in the east? Never been to the east, don't have any idea how the ratings compare. Well, eastern terrain is pretty varied. I'm in Pennsylvania, which I believe is less challenging than many places in New England. Some New England ratings are probably comparable to those out west. We visited Banff at the end of our first season of snowboarding, so we stuck to the greens. The greens at Lake Louise definitely would have been blues back home -- very steep in spots. The greens at Sunshine Village were not as tough, just extremely long, which was fun (except for the snowboard-unfriendly flat areas). More experienced skiers and riders on our trip also commented that many of the slopes they encountered seemed to be a level above the ones with the same rating that they were used to. Lots of Americans in Canada that weekend, too. It's a crowded time to go skiing. We went to Banff in early April. The conditions were still quite good, but this time I wanted to experience peak season snow instead of spring skiing conditions. Feb. is crowded for a good reason, I imagine. Joe Ramirez |
#9
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SLC resorts logistics
Yabahoobs wrote: Walt wrote: If I found myself going to SLC over dead preznits weekend, I'd probably hide out at Solitude for the three days. My $.02. BINGO. But would Solitude from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. offer more opportunity than Brighton from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.? Joe Ramirez |
#10
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SLC resorts logistics
I dunno about you, but even if the time that the place is open is
shorter...---- If that time isn't spent dodging people left and right on an extremely crowded run, and waiting in long-ass lift lines...then I'll take the 9a-4p resort. It's about how the time spent, not how long the place is open. Solitude has some great stuff, and is generally less crowded (especially during Dead Prez). At least give it a try, if you dont like it, head back to Brighton or Little Cottonwood. |
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