Out west for 11 days.

[Marc_C]

I was being kinda cheeky there,

I know. :wink:

A lot of my family is from Imperial Valley, CA. Man, you couldn't pay me to live there — well, aside from family considerations. I find that version of desert depressing and drab. Phoenix? Meh — although the foothills north of the city were surprisingly purty when I drove through last winter.

Northern AZ/So. Utah — Red Rock Country — I love, like any red-blooded American; visiting Bryce/Zion in July for third time, not that those places are exactly part of the topic. Haven't seen enough of New Mexico to have an opinion.

I think it safe to separate visiting and appreciating the desert from actually living there. I liked Death Valley, too, but I certainly wouldn't want to live there. I also feel that No. AZ / So UT are indeed part of the topic. The Colorado Plateau is indeed desert, but it's high desert so the ecology is totally different. Land forms are not part of the definition of desert.

 

[Marc_C]

The town of Moab was a drag and the towns I drove through around there bummed me out.

Yep, some are pretty desolate and depressed. You haven't seen some of the ones that make Moab a thriving metro area in comparison.

That leaves SLC which I just don't think I could do as it's a bit sprawlish (we've been over this before, and besides I work in classical music). So, airplanes will have to do for now when it comes to visiting the desert. I'm fine with that as I get the best of city life while never more than non-stop flight away. Maybe Santa Fe would jive with me but I couldn't tell you as I've never been.

You could live right in downtown SLC which would mimic NYC on a much smaller scale with no apparent sprawl in sight. BTW, pretty much anywhere in the west is sprawlish by your definition. Oh, and for you, "the west" would start on the other side of the Hudson. SLC does have a symphony and ballet and a few other dance and theater companies. And since it's getting easier and easier to work virtually and remotely in so many endeavors.... but I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else to move here - it leaves more for us!

 

[Tony Crocker]

Or at least in March, perfect temperatures

This was the time frame I was in Egypt in 2006. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2009 Temps were generally comfortable, around 80F, though it was already 90+ in Aswan/Luxor.

Our SW deserts are positively lush compared to what I saw in Egypt. The Sinai Peninsula is close to a moonscape. You can drive for miles on end without seeing a trace of vegetation. The main part of Egypt once you get a few miles away from the Nile or an oasis like Siwa is not much different.

 

[Skrad]

Steamboat...

You were warned.

Glad the snow was great/ think you got more than the median.

 

[Tony Crocker]

rfarren was very lucky with Steamboat this late in the season. There was enough new snow that the sunny exposure was a non-issue. If he still didn't like the long tree runs on Sunshine Peak he should definitely not return. I note the contrast with the reports from Vail. Vail may not have Squaw/Jackson/Snowbird steeps, but it clearly has an abundance of terrain for good powder skiing.

 

[rfarren]

SLC does have a symphony and ballet and a few other dance and theater companies.

Would you move to the Catskills for the skiing?

You could live right in downtown SLC which would mimic NYC on a much smaller scale with no apparent sprawl in sight.

Let's be realistic.

Oh, and for you, "the west" would start on the other side of the Hudson.

Not really. I lived in Indiana for 5 years, and Michigan for a bit more than 1 year. I know what I like and what I don't as far as living is concerned. I would prefer to live in the mountain west over the mid-west any day. For right now in my life, I prefer a more urban/eclectic locale. If skiing and outdoor activities were the #1 priority certainly NYC would not be preferable.

The town of Moab was a drag and the towns I drove through around there bummed me out.

Yep, some are pretty desolate and depressed. You haven't seen some of the ones that make Moab a thriving metro area in comparison.

I wish I had seem them, but honestly I wasn't there for the towns.

And since it's getting easier and easier to work virtually and remotely in so many endeavors.... but I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else to move here - it leaves more for us!

One thing you can't do remotely is be in a community of artist. You can't just go to a concert or a gallery to make connections that are pertinent as far as an artist's career is concerned in the middle of a remote location. The internet will never replace human interactions. Nonetheless, I love visiting those remote locations as they are special.

 

[rfarren]

Steamboat...

You were warned.

Glad the snow was great/ think you got more than the median.

I know I was warned, and I bitched and yelled at my friend who made the plans.

rfarren was very lucky with Steamboat this late in the season. There was enough new snow that the sunny exposure was a non-issue. If he still didn't like the long tree runs on Sunshine Peak he should definitely not return. I note the contrast with the reports from Vail. Vail may not have Squaw/Jackson/Snowbird steeps, but it clearly has an abundance of terrain for good powder skiing.

I was really lucky!!! Two days earlier and I would've broken my skis over my friends head! Those "long" runs were certainly not steep nor sustained. Vail offered some great steeps in the backcountry of which I took pictures.
Of all the mountains I hit this time the one that made the best impression as far as terrain was concerned was Snowbird. I have always liked Alta better, but for whatever reason Snowbird seemed the most impressive as far as terrain was concerned.

 

[Tony Crocker]

I have always liked Alta better, but for whatever reason Snowbird seemed the most impressive as far as terrain was concerned.

=D> :stir: =D>

This is a common opinion among expert skiers, contrary to the impression often given on FTO. There are many times when Alta's snowfall edge can give it an advantage in snow conditions, and locals and veteran visitors usually figure out when those are.

 

[rfarren]

I have always liked Alta better, but for whatever reason Snowbird seemed the most impressive as far as terrain was concerned.

=D> :stir: =D>

This is a common opinion among expert skiers, contrary to the impression often given on FTO. There are many times when Alta's snowfall edge can give it an advantage in snow conditions, and locals and veteran visitors usually figure out when those are.

It was in part that I spent 2 days at Alta and 1 at Snowbird. Historically I have spent much more time at Alta. Perhaps, I've just hit more of Alta's terrain. This time I felt that I barely touched Snowbird, and would've wanted to hit more of it. It was just much bigger than I remembered it. It also helped that it was near empty. If there was a difference between snow I didn't notice it.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Great report! Actually, trips like yours are a fantasy that most skiers rarely get to act out.

Your "Mall" picture looks like you were standing outside "Ski-N-See" in Sandy, UT. My wife and I have traveled to and through all 50 states at various times. If you didn't know where you actually were when you took the picture you could have been in any of those 50 states. There is one small difference. None of them would have shown LCC and BCC (with the "Alta Cloud") peeking out just a couple of miles behind and above the buildings in the background BTW, my home is near the base of the down-slope shown above the buildings toward the right side of the picture. My wife doesn't ski, but loves the views of the Wasatch and Oquirrah mountains every time she comes out of one of those stores in the various malls. Lucky for me!

 

[rfarren]

Great report! Actually, trips like yours are a fantasy that most skiers rarely get to act out.

Thanks... I would like to do it again next year. By then I'll have to discuss with the wife! Certainly, I see no reason I couldn't do it again. That is as long as I still have a friend with condo in Vail. Next year he wants to visit his friend in Telluride (who has a house there), and we would like to go to Aspen for a few days. The beauty of SLC is it's pretty cheap to stay there and Vacation for a long weekend.

Your "Mall" picture looks like you were standing outside "Ski-N-See" in Sandy, UT. My wife and I have traveled to and through all 50 states at various times. If you didn't know where you actually were when you took the picture you could have been in any of those 50 states. There is one small difference. None of them would have shown LCC and BCC (with the "Alta Cloud") peeking out just a couple of miles behind and above the buildings in the background BTW, my home is near the base of the down-slope shown above the buildings toward the right side of the picture. My wife doesn't ski, but loves the views of the Wasatch and Oquirrah mountains every time she comes out of one of those stores in the various malls. Lucky for me!

We went to Ski-N-See for discounted Snowbird tickets. Plus my father was demoing skis. He ended up buying them at the end of the trip. It certainly does look like any "new" development. Even Noblesville Indiana, which has a very developed downtown, had a drag with strip malls. You're very right that not everywhere has the Wasatch in the background. Lucky you, indeed!

 

[EMSC]

rfarren,

despite that you were warned, I'm still a bit surprised at your level of dislike of Steamboat. You actually got super lucky - the 'Boat only has gotten a bit over 200" this season which is way below normal for there, yet you didn't find any runs with consistent single black pitch? It's certainly no Pali at abasin kind of steep, but the nearly 2,000 vert off Sundown Express can be reasonably tasty on a pow day. The trick is to figure out Closet and Shadows trails... easily the best runs on the mtn overall. But you do have to search for them, they don't have big signs pointing at them which is a big part of what makes them so good and uncrowded. Pony express has bad exposure, but some halfway decent terrain as well (though this late in the season not sure I would trust the subsurface or even possible melt out that would be underneath the new powder).

It's also true that your observations of the Morning side lift on the 'backside' is a joke (or at least it's trail ratings are), and that the few real steeps in St Pats and Christmas tree bowl are followed by the worst run-out anywhere in ski country.

Wish I had the oppty to join you at Copper. Sounds like you had good snow there as well. I rarely bother hiking as far out on the ridge as you did. Good snow, but It flattens out more than I care for when you go that far (copper bowl side anyway). I haven't had time to pay attention this year; were they not running the Tucker mtn snow cat service? It's a slog of a hike even from where the cat drops you off (~40min hiking after 10 min cat ride), but some very fun untracked for longer vert than most of Copper bowl.

Finally, if your friend who took you into the BC at Vail is still there in future years, you should have him take you down the Minturn Mile at the end of the day... (BTW hope he knew the specific avi ratings and conditions, followed protocol, etc... At least one of your pics shows a 'small' looking opening on a commonly used BC line that is known to slide regularly, etc...)

 

[rfarren]

Shadow and Closet were my 4th-8th runs that day. There were untracked lines except for the last time down.They just didn't seem that long nor steep. Both runs would be considered blue grade at eithe Whistler or Snowbird. For that matter it seemed about the same grade as the trees off the top born free. Understand that these are biased opinions, as I didn't like the Aspen glades near the bottom of the sunshine lift due to their openness and lack of visibility. It just felt very much like an EC mountain.... It had nice snow though, but I understand I was lucky with that.

 

[rfarren]

Copper is running the cat service on weekends but while I was there it wasn't running. The runout at the base is somewhat flat but is a venerable cliff compared to the runout from the chutes and christmas bowls at Not so Steepboat.

 

[ChrisC]

Part of the reason I have skied Telluride is the proximity to deserts. It's only about 2.5 hrs Telluride-to-....Moab/Arches/Canyonlands or Cortez/Mesa Verde NP or Montrose / Black Canyon NP. You can see Moab pratically from Telluride summits. We also have some of that red rock within the town limits.

Also a rafting trip on the Green River is something not to be missed too. Northern New Mexico has an amazing sense of place too.

Steamboat - not a fave. A lot of effort to get to a big friendly intermediate hill with some trees/mogul runs thrown in. It's OK.

 

[Admin]

Also a rafting trip on the Green River is something not to be missed too.

viewtopic.php?style=1&f=3&t=3203

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

 

[rfarren]

Part of the reason I have skied Telluride is the proximity to deserts. It's only about 2.5 hrs Telluride-to-....Moab/Arches/Canyonlands or Cortez/Mesa Verde NP or Montrose / Black Canyon NP. You can see Moab pratically from Telluride summits. We also have some of that red rock within the town limits.

Telluride is high up on the list of mountains I would like to hit. My original trip plan was a week longer, and I had planned on getting there along with Crested Butte and Aspen. However, my friend's condo had funny terms on the lease which required them to vacate the condo the first week of April, so I had to go to summit county one week earlier. I suppose I was lucky because I heard that Telluride during the dates I had planned being there was a wall of ice. In the end the logistics of a longer trip plus wedding planning all conspired against the trip I originally planned. It's a shame, but then again the costs could've become much higher! It would be nice if there was a $500 wandering gypsy ski pass that was good at all resorts for two days in a period of a month. It would only make sense if the car rental companies and cheap hotel companies worked out a pass like that.

 

[Tony Crocker]

You're timing was quite good. The week between my 2 trips was the bad one, and I saw some of that "groomers only" conditions at the start of my Idaho week. The past week or so has been full-on winter again, and it looks like it's going to stay that way for at least another week. And widespread too: PNW, Sierra, Utah, Colorado, it's all good now.