Snow in Utah, Jackson, Steamboat?

[markiel]

I'm looking to schedule a trip for early to mid February. Watching the weather, hear news of a pattern shift at the end of the month, waiting for said shift to become more real.

From San Francisco, so easiest would be to saddle up and drive out to Utah just before a storm hits.

Looking at the Snowbird website, they are reporting 59" base, which I would prefer read at least 72". But the mid-gad webshot looks like less than 4 feet, actually maybe less than 2 feet...

So how bad is coverage in the Cottonwoods right now? Maybe I should be waiting for a few storms before making the 10+ hour drive?

Alternative could be to fly out to Steamboat or maybe Jacskson where they seem to have been doing a bit better.

I did make it out to WhiteFish, MT just before this dry spell hit and had some pretty great skiing Jan 9 & 10.

 

[Admin]

I wouldn't worry to much about base depths anymore, just watch for the surface cover you want.

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[markiel]

Thanks for the feedback...

So the rocks and stumps are pretty well covered, and the next storm cycle should be good?

Tahoe is so bleak that I think we would need 2-3 epic sierra storms just to build up the base for the off-piste riding that I like.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Yes the Sierra is hopeless now and likely to take a least a month with multiple storms to really to get going. Snowbird's coverage is adequate but still far from what I usually see during my March timeshare week. Alta is better now as is typical with below average base depths.

If you're only doing one trip out from CA I'd wait for a storm and go somewhere short notice. If you can do more than one, I'd opt for Jackson or Steamboat in early February (both can get degraded surfaces later with their sunny exposures), then come to Utah in late February or March when there will likely be a more normal depth snowpack.

 

[Admin]

Sure, you'll find an occasional rock on some of Alta's steeper terrain or on the High T, but that happens when we have a 200-inch base, too. It's nothing to worry about.

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[markiel]

Thanks for the feedback. I already have a trip to Utah locked in during the first week of March...

So I'm leaning towards the Steamboat or Jackson options. Watching the models...

I got a StashPirate map for Steamboat when I was there a few years back, and it was great fun.
It would be nice to get an insider's map of every resort.

 

[markiel]

Ended up booking a four day trip to steamboat. Flying in on Saturday, skiing Sun-Wednesday.

It's not totally ideal, as the big storm is blowing through Wed-Friday, but hoping for some leftovers and a small refill storm Sunday-Monday.

If anyone has any tips on Steamboat - favorite run, secret stash, resturants, that would be appreciated.

I'm generally a powder in the trees guy...

 

[EMSC]

I'm generally a powder in the trees guy...

Closets & Shadows should be #1 on your list then... (lookers left of Sundown lift). Triangle 3 can be fun too (Bar UE lift). The double diamonds over by/past christmas tree bowl have hugely annoying flat-to-uphill traverses to get out of them after your few hundred verts of steep. Pony Express has some interesting though not overly steep terrain... the rest of the place skis mostly like it looks on the map or in pictures of the mountain.

Mostly eat-in when I've been there... but do recall a decent meal at Ore House a couple years ago (family friendly too).

At least they picked up 5" already this week... Look at Opensnow.com for the most accurate forecasts for Colorado. Currently 13-26" forecast for the rest of this week at Steamboat by Joel...

 

[markiel]

I've been watching opensnow... Looks great through Saturday morning - I've done worse in booking flights for ski trips. With a couple of feet of fresh, we should at least get some leftovers on Sunday-Monday.

Looking to try the pony express lift, as I haven't really rode that area very much in the past. I hear you on the traverse out of Christmas Tree Bowl - I'm on a snowboard (gasp) so those traverses really get me.

I'll take a look at the BarU lift too, I haven't really run that one much either.

My last trip to Steamboat in 2008, I was blessed with multiple days in a row of fresh snow - rode the closets/shadows area a bunch, and storm peak lift a lot. Thinking this time I may need to stray a bit further off the Storm Peak to find some left over freshies in the trees...

Do they keep the gates and Christmas Tree Bowl closed for a day or two after a storm to clear up the avalanche risk, or does the whole mountain usually open up after a big storm?

 

[EMSC]

Do they keep the gates and Christmas Tree Bowl closed for a day or two after a storm to clear up the avalanche risk, or does the whole mountain usually open up after a big storm?

To my knowledge Avi closures at Steamboat are in the rare to non-existant range. I think they get more concerned about tree well issues.

I've found steep and fun hardly touched powder lines in places like North St Pats for a while after a storm, but then again the traverse at that point is a real pita... Of course getting there I find to be a pita too since you have to do the flats down to Morninside lift. Super annoying layout. They should just put a lift in on the front side of Mt Werner.