Help coming out West

[Tony Crocker]

While I have voted over the years with my time and $ decisively for Utah over Colorado I think egieszl's point is well taken in the context of sheahunter's original post. Currently Front Range Colorado has had nearly as much early snow as the Cottonwood Canyons, a rare occurrence. And more relevant it's a short trip so a direct flight with no lost luggage on a connection has greater importance. From metro NYC maybe the prices are similar, so take your preference in skiing in that case.

 

[rfarren]

From metro NYC maybe the prices are similar, so take your preference in skiing in that case.

From NYC prices are a bit cheaper to denver, also the flight is shorter. However, there is one major advantage that Utah has over Colorado: If I catch the early flight to Utah I ski the day I arrive by 11:00ish, as the ski areas are all within easy reach of the airport. When you fly into Colorado you're talking about a 1 1/2 hour drive to the closest ski areas worth visiting.

 

[Admin]

So, sheahunter...what'd you decide?

 

[jamesdeluxe]

So, sheahunter...what'd you decide?

I bet that he opted for Hunter hardpack.

 

[EMSC]

From metro NYC maybe the prices are similar, so take your preference in skiing in that case.

From NYC prices are a bit cheaper to denver, also the flight is shorter. However, there is one major advantage that Utah has over Colorado: If I catch the early flight to Utah I ski the day I arrive by 11:00ish, as the ski areas are all within easy reach of the airport. When you fly into Colorado you're talking about a 1 1/2 hour drive to the closest ski areas worth visiting.

If you are coming west from anyplace roughly due east I'd bet it's a wash on timing. The extra 45 min of flight time to SLC means the now 45 min of 'extra' driving in Colo matches the 45min of driving from the airport to the ski areas in Utah...

 

[flyover]

If you are coming west from anyplace roughly due east I'd bet it's a wash on timing. The extra 45 min of flight time to SLC means the now 45 min of 'extra' driving in Colo matches the 45min of driving from the airport to the ski areas in Utah...

I'm inclined to mostly agree. Timing (i.e. avoiding Friday night, Saturday mornings, Sunday nights) may be more important in Denver, however, when travel times to/from Summit County and congestion at the airport may be considerably worse than other times.

I've never gotten to SLC much more than an hour before my flight and I haven't had any close calls. I flew in and out of Denver this summer for work, and wouldn't take the same risk there.

I don't think it has ever taken me more than an hour to get from one of the Cottenwoods areas down to SLC, even on a Sunday afternoon. I did once miss a flight due to the LCC road being closed by an avalanche at Maybird, but that's another story.

In other news, I just noticed that Delta dropped MSP-SLC fares for mid-January to a more affordable $322. I was scratching my head trying to figure out why, until I noticed numerous flights through Denver on competing airlines for fares in the low $200s. Got to get planning...

sheahunter, sorry about the thread hi-jack.

 

[rfarren]

If you are coming west from anyplace roughly due east I'd bet it's a wash on timing. The extra 45 min of flight time to SLC means the now 45 min of 'extra' driving in Colo matches the 45min of driving from the airport to the ski areas in Utah...

I disagree based on my experience.
Firstly, the flight is an extra 45 minutes at most. Most days depending on winds the flight is an extra 30-35 minutes. Also note that KSLC has much less traffic and weather issues, so a holding pattern almost never takes place there. It's one of the finest airports in the country.
Secondly, SLC's airport layout is advantageous in getting you out of there quickly (quick walk to baggage claim and car rental) in comparison to Denver's.
Thirdly, Denver's airport is 30 minutes to the east of the city which is still a good hour and 15 minutes to loveland (I could be wrong about the timing to loveland from denver but I remember it being about that). From KSLC I can hit Solitude in a mere 30 minutes due to the proximity of the mountains and well laid out highways.
Fourthly, the weather can conspire against you flying into KDEN in comparison to KSLC. If it is snowing, the drive to loveland becomes much longer and far more hazardous. This is almost never an issue in SLC as most of the snow gets caught in the mountains and the majority of the driving takes place in the valley.

When going out for a short weekend I almost always choose SLC over Colorado. However, I have friends out in Colorado, and always plan about a week or so to spend with them out in Frisco.

 

[EMSC]

If you are coming west from anyplace roughly due east I'd bet it's a wash on timing. The extra 45 min of flight time to SLC means the now 45 min of 'extra' driving in Colo matches the 45min of driving from the airport to the ski areas in Utah...

I disagree based on my experience.
Firstly, the flight is an extra 45 minutes at most. Most days depending on winds the flight is an extra 30-35 minutes. Also note that KSLC has much less traffic and weather issues, so a holding pattern almost never takes place there. It's one of the finest airports in the country.
Secondly, SLC's airport layout is advantageous in getting you out of there quickly (quick walk to baggage claim and car rental) in comparison to Denver's.
Thirdly, Denver's airport is 30 minutes to the east of the city which is still a good hour and 15 minutes to loveland (I could be wrong about the timing to loveland from denver but I remember it being about that). From KSLC I can hit Solitude in a mere 30 minutes due to the proximity of the mountains and well laid out highways.
Fourthly, the weather can conspire against you flying into KDEN in comparison to KSLC. If it is snowing, the drive to loveland becomes much longer and far more hazardous. This is almost never an issue in SLC as most of the snow gets caught in the mountains and the majority of the driving takes place in the valley.

When going out for a short weekend I almost always choose SLC over Colorado. However, I have friends out in Colorado, and always plan about a week or so to spend with them out in Frisco.

A couple I agree with, a couple I disagree (surprise!).

Denver's air traffic is rarely an issue (if at all). DIA has 6 runways and I've personally never had nor heard of holding patterns being used - super rare if/when it happens. The one issue the larger traffic does give is getting OUT during snow, when de-icing takes forever (horrible design/operation for de-icing IMO).

I find baggage claim just fine at Denver. By the time you take the train from the concourse your bags are just popping out of the chute. No wasted time standing around the claim area (about 90% of the time anyway...). More hassle for getting to rental cars though. There I'd agree.

If snowing, the drive is much more of a PITA than SLC would be. Agree there. Not like it snows THAT much, THAT frequently in Denver though. Many snow storms often peter out only about 10 mi east of Loveland ski area due to the divide. For example this season Loveland is up to 105" of snowfall YTD, DIA has recorded a whopping 1.5" YTD. Storms can definitely create issues, but it's not as frequent as might be implied about the 'snowy and mountainous' Denver area.

So there are some advantages to SLC airport wise, but it's not exactly a massive difference for most travelers, esp coming from the east where you gain 30-45min of reduced flight time.

 

[rfarren]

A couple I agree with, a couple I disagree (surprise!).

It's all good!

Denver's air traffic is rarely an issue (if at all). DIA has 6 runways and I've personally never had nor heard of holding patterns being used - super rare if/when it happens. The one issue the larger traffic does give is getting OUT during snow, when de-icing takes forever (horrible design/operation for de-icing IMO).

Fair enough, but if it's snowing then the drive definitely will take longer. The point really is that the weather can be worse more often, even if it still doesn't happen too often.

I find baggage claim just fine at Denver. By the time you take the train from the concourse your bags are just popping out of the chute. No wasted time standing around the claim area (about 90% of the time anyway...).

That's not my experience, but since you fly there more often than I, I'll take your word for it.

If snowing, the drive is much more of a PITA than SLC would be. Agree there. Not like it snows THAT much, THAT frequently in Denver though. Many snow storms often peter out only about 10 mi east of Loveland ski area due to the divide. For example this season Loveland is up to 105" of snowfall YTD, DIA has recorded a whopping 1.5" YTD. Storms can definitely create issues, but it's not as frequent as might be implied about the 'snowy and mountainous' Denver area.

I understand that Denver itself doesn't get that much snow, but I was under the impression that I70 can get hammered once you start to get into the mountains. I would imagine that it tends to get sloppy on the roads a bit farther east of Loveland than just ten miles, but again I'll defer to your judgement.

So there are some advantages to SLC airport wise, but it's not exactly a massive difference for most travelers, esp coming from the east where you gain 30-45min of reduced flight time.

With the caveat that you're skiing loveland the day you arrive and the day you leave. That's seriously limiting, it's a nice mountain, but I'm not sure I want 2 out of 4 days there on a trip. Also, you can't fly home on a Sunday for that to hold true, the traffic returning to Denver on Sundays can be brutal. That can pretty much kill the whole idea of a weekend ski-trip, as most times when I pull a short weekend I leave thursday morning and come back Sunday around 5:00. I tend to think that a trip to Colorado via denver is best when you have 6-8 days in which to spend.

 

[kingslug]

Last year I proved that no matter what ..you can fly and ski the same day in Utah. Even with a massive storm dumping...LCC closed, Solitude jammed up..I still managed to make it to Brighton and get 4 hours in. Can't beat the place...

 

[sheahunter]

Thanks for all the advice. I knew I could count on you guys. Unfortunately, while I had permission, she neglected to tell me she was going out of town Sunday night. Had to console myself with a WROD at Hunter.

Another chance comes soon.

 

[Tony Crocker]

I bet that he opted for Hunter hardpack.

Prescient call.

 

[Marc_C]

Unfortunately, while I had permission, she neglected to tell me she was going out of town Sunday night.

Um,...so?

 

[Admin]

Um,...so?

I'm guessing it has something to do with something you've never had to worry about: kids.


-- Sent from my Palm Pre using Forums Beta

 

[jamesdeluxe]

I bet that he opted for Hunter hardpack.

Prescient call.

So prescient that I ended up doing the same thing. My very first opening-day WROD ever and somewhat historic because it was the launch of NYS's only six-pack lift. Sorry, wrong forum, but kinda related.

Except for the killing field at the very top of Hellgate, conditions were actually quite good. Here's Happy Harv rockin' Kennedy:

 

[Marc_C]

Um,...so?

I'm guessing it has something to do with something you've never had to worry about: kids.

True, we ate ours. But for others, with this:

Plus this:

Or maybe this:

Problem solved!

 

[rfarren]

I bet that he opted for Hunter hardpack.

Prescient call.

So prescient that I ended up doing the same thing. My very first opening-day WROD ever and somewhat historic because it was the launch of NYS's only six-pack lift. Sorry, wrong forum, but kinda related.

I thought about doing it myself but my big lift card hasn't come in the mail yet, and I didn't feel like paying for WROD. Next weekend I have a wedding so I doubt I'll make it but the weekend after that I should be good, and then I'll be up there a bunch for midweek after that.