Super Pass available to all

[Powderqueen]

In the past, you could only get the SLC Superpass when you booked lodging. Now you can get it without booking lodging, but it is $6 more per ticket. $62 per day for Alta, Snowbird, Solitude and Brighton. Not a deal for Solitude and Brighton. It also gets you on the ski bus.

https://websales.omniticket.com/slc/index.cfm?tab=2

I am going to buy one since I'll be there for 10 days. Will save me trips to the Lift House and cost of bus fare.

 

[rsmith]

That deal only seems to make sense if you're taking the bus. Even taking the bus, like you said, it's more a matter of convenience then money savings. It is very nice to not have to fish the $3.50 or $7 out to pay the bus fare... Multi-day, with local discounts, you can ski Snowbird for $56 per day, Solitude for $52.50. Alta per day can get as low as $52 if buying 5+ consecutive. Brighton with discount is $52. Note you can pre-purchase ski bus passes online.

The AltaBird ticket is $75 for 5+day purchases. Combine this with pre-purchased UTA bus passes at $7 a pop and a stay at one of the inexpensive, but nice, extended stay hotels that dot the valley (on the bus line) and you have what might be the cheapest steep/deep trip in the U.S. (especially given the cheap direct SLC flights).

 

[Tony Crocker]

](*,) ](*,) :dead horse:
It still makes no sense whatsoever to me to come to SLC for 10 days and not rent a car. Not only the nuisance value that rsmith points out, but circumstances can arise when you'll want to ski somewhere other than LCC/BCC. Lift House/Canyon Sports have discount tix for those places too. And one of the great virtues of staying in SLC is the flexibility to make last minute calls where to ski based upon the day's weather, road and crowd conditions.

 

[Staley]

I'm the real target audience here, since I'm not old enough to rent a car. Sure, it is way less convenient, especially since a car gives you so many options in SLC, but for a college kid with limited transportation options, the Super Pass is a great deal for me.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

one of the great virtues of staying in SLC is the flexibility to make last minute calls where to ski based upon the day's weather, road and crowd conditions.

Agreed. I've actually run into destination skiers in SLC who said "I don't want to spend all that money on a rental car." I'm like, "you flew out here and can't spend an extra $14.99 a day for a car?!?!?!" People have this absurd flatland notion that they need an H3 or something similar to drive in six inches of snow. I've never rented anything larger than a compact rental car in my life, but that's probably due to growing up in upstate NY lake-effect country. If you're concerned about driving conditions and/or don't have chains, and absolutely have to ski the Cottonwoods that day, park in the lot and take the bus.

I'm the real target audience here, since I'm not old enough to rent a car.

That makes perfect sense.

 

[rsmith]

If you're concerned about driving conditions and/or don't have chains, and absolutely have to ski the Cottonwoods that day, park in the lot and take the bus..

BTW - there is a real time space counter for a few of the closest lots to the canyons at http://www.utatrax.org/spaces.aspx. Comes in handy in terms of telling you whether or not you should park down lower to catch a bus.

Note that later in the year (March/April) I've found relatively cheap 4x4 rentals in SLC (somewhere around $40 per day). To me, this is a worthwhile investment - since the extra space and traction are worth the price difference. At the price differential you find during the holiday season, a normal car is the only way to go.

 

[Tony Crocker]

At the price differential you find during the holiday season, a normal car is the only way to go.

I agree. Even in LCC the percentage of days you need 4WD is probably about 10%, and the bus is there as a backup. I do understand that people are trying to hold down costs as much as possible. But you're already saving big $$$ in lodging (and little $ on lift tickets) vs. most ski destinations and with a "normal car" still way ahead of the game on costs.

 

[Admin]

A holiday week SUV rental here is running $1300 for 10 days right now. Just ask Mira and Sima.

 

[Tony Crocker]

A holiday week SUV rental here is running $1300 for 10 days right now.

1. For SUV vs. regular car, see comments above.
2. If you insist on taking destination trips Christmas week, don't complain about cost.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

A holiday week SUV rental here is running $1300 for 10 days right now. Just ask Mira and Sima.

Anyone who pays that kind of money either a) has enough of it that spending $130 a day (!) isn't a hardship, or b) isn't using his or her noggin (not necessarily directed at our Serbian superheroes).

 

[Admin]

Anyone who pays that kind of money either a) has enough of it that spending $130 a day (!) isn't a hardship, or b) isn't using his or her noggin (not necessarily directed at our Serbian superheroes).

Their British friends insisted upon one and were willing to fund the difference in price. OTOH, they managed to score a condo right at the mouth of LCC that sleeps up to 15 for $150/night during said Christmas week. Even with only four of them using it that comes to $75/couple and it even has a pool table downstairs and a hot tub.

 

[joegm]

If you insist on taking destination trips Christmas week, don't complain about cost.

amen Anthony !!!!

 

[socal]

Anyone who pays that kind of money either a) has enough of it that spending $130 a day (!) isn't a hardship, or b) isn't using his or her noggin (not necessarily directed at our Serbian superheroes).

Their British friends insisted upon one and were willing to fund the difference in price. OTOH, they managed to score a condo right at the mouth of LCC that sleeps up to 15 for $150/night during said Christmas week. Even with only four of them using it that comes to $75/couple and it even has a pool table downstairs and a hot tub.

Can you find out the owner or rental agents contact info? Sounds perfect for my trip out in 3 weeks.

 

[Admin]

Can you find out the owner or rental agents contact info? Sounds perfect for my trip out in 3 weeks.

They got it on VRBO.com. I'll ask when they come over tonight, but from what I understand this was a last minute fire sale on a unit that normally rents for 2.5x that price (during Christmas week, I imagine that other times are far less).

Also, feel free to call Tristan Webb at http://www.utahvacationhomes.com and tell him that I referred you. I get nothing out of it, but he's an old acquaintance who manages a number of units in the Oaks at Wasatch, Canyon Racquet Club, etc., all of which are convenient to the canyons.

 

[socal]

Can you find out the owner or rental agents contact info? Sounds perfect for my trip out in 3 weeks.

They got it on VRBO.com. I'll ask when they come over tonight, but from what I understand this was a last minute fire sale on a unit that normally rents for 2.5x that price (during Christmas week, I imagine that other times are far less).

Also, feel free to call Tristan Webb at http://www.utahvacationhomes.com and tell him that I referred you. I get nothing out of it, but he's an old acquaintance who manages a number of units in the Oaks at Wasatch, Canyon Racquet Club, etc., all of which are convenient to the canyons.

Thanks, ill give Tristan a call this week. And thanks in advance for grabbing the vrbo info, if they have it.

Id figure chrismas/new years fire sale pricing is probably close to mid winter pricing?

 

[Admin]

Id figure chrismas/new years fire sale pricing is probably close to mid winter pricing?

Perhaps...could be, I'm not sure. I'll get the info for you.

 

[johnnash]

A holiday week SUV rental here is running $1300 for 10 days right now. Just ask Mira and Sima.

For anyone planning a trip involving car rental -- and this is true in spades during a holiday season -- it pays off big-time to start shopping far in advance. For reasons that I have yet to understand, car rental companies do not requre any deposit, so you can make a reservation and then keep on shopping for a better deal. Prices for advance reservations for given dates fluctuate a lot over the course of a year, so this kind of strategy can save a bundle. We rented a 4WD Jeep for the Christmas- New Year week in SLC, and paid $360 including all taxes. We made these rez several months ago on Hotwire (via Kayak) with Fox Rent a Car. I started looking about 6 months in advance, and this was the cheapest I found by a wide margin.

On the question of whether it's worth it to go with a 4WD, one also has to take into account the fact that if you have several people travelling with skis/boards plus normal luggage, you really need the extra space in an SUV for the trips from and to the airport. You might be able to get by with a regular car with a ski rack, but the rack usually adds around $10 a day to the cost.

 

[rsmith]

For anyone planning a trip involving car rental -- and this is true in spades during a holiday season -- it pays off big-time to start shopping far in advance. For reasons that I have yet to understand, car rental companies do not requre any deposit, so you can make a reservation and then keep on shopping for a better deal. Prices for advance reservations for given dates fluctuate a lot over the course of a year, so this kind of strategy can save a bundle. We rented a 4WD Jeep for the Christmas- New Year week in SLC, and paid $360 including all taxes. We made these rez several months ago on Hotwire (via Kayak) with Fox Rent a Car. I started looking about 6 months in advance, and this was the cheapest I found by a wide margin.

On the question of whether it's worth it to go with a 4WD, one also has to take into account the fact that if you have several people travelling with skis/boards plus normal luggage, you really need the extra space in an SUV for the trips from and to the airport. You might be able to get by with a regular car with a ski rack, but the rack usually adds around $10 a day to the cost.

That's definitely a good deal you got and a great suggestion to reserve early. On the space issue, I would argue an SUV doesn't give you much more room than a comparably priced car. You can pretty much always rent a 'full-size' car for ~$30-$35 per day (taxes included). Assuming you only have 3 people, the full-size rentals with a 50/50 fold down seat give you plenty of room. In a compact SUV (the lowest rate of which I've ever seen is ~$40) you're pretty much limited to 3 people, as well, since you also need to fold down a seat to get skis inside. If you want to fit 4 people with luggage/skis in either a compact SUV or a full-size car you're pretty darned cramped... In my mind, the only real advantage of an SUV remains traction.

The rental ski racks are, in my experience, a joke and not worth bothering with...

 

[Tony Crocker]

Agree 100% with rsmith's above comments. The space problems come into play once you get 4 people in the car and can't fold down the seats.

 

[flyover]

Our formula has been to skimp on lodging and pricey food and beverages, but spring for a car that will get us to the LCC, BCC, and Ogden area resorts as conditions and our whims dictate.

Four or five years ago, we found ourselves waiting for the bus in one of the BCC park and ride lots on a deep powder day near the beginning of March. If memory serves, it was either a Thursday or a Friday, and it was the first big powder day for some time. Now I know the early goat gets the garbage, but we had arrived at the lot with our 2wd rental car early enough that, at least theoretically, we should have been able to catch the bus and be on the lifts shortly after opening bell. There was a problem however: all of the busses arriving in the lot were refusing passengers because they were too full. We didn’t get on the hill until 10:30ish. Maybe this was an outlier experience and maybe we should have been at the lot by 7:30 a.m., but I swore: “never again.” As a destination skier from the flatlands with just 3 or 4 days to maximize big mountain powder, just about nothing sucks more than getting stuck in a parking lot, for however long, on a powder day.

Since then I have booked the cheapest AWD possible and planned to cancel 48 hours out, if the forecast indicated unrelenting high pressure. On last year’s trip we stuck with our reserved RAV4. We ending up needing to have AWD to legally get up the canyons 1 out of 3 days, and were REALLY happy have it going to and from Snowbasin, during a big storm on our 4th day. The year before, we needed it to legally get up the canyons 2 out of three days, and found it reassuring on the mostly (but not totally) clear Powder Mountain road. In prior years, we have been really happy to have had AWD when skiing Powder Mountain on, or even a day or two after, a powder day.

Here’s a question for the locals: are chains and/or AWD legally required to get up the Snowbasin and/or Powder Mountain access roads, even in dry conditions during the winter?

Another question for locals: how reliable are the shuttle busses that run up and down the Powder Mountain road and is there an equivalent for Snowbasin?

Having said all of that, I have noticed that the rates for AWD cars seem a lot higher this year. I’ve got a four-day trip planned at the end of February and the cheapest in-terminal AWD I could find, will run us just under a $100 a day (which is admittedly, completely and totally ridiculous, even if split 2 or 3 ways) with all of the fees and taxes. This is a lot more (by at least 25%) than we have had to pay in the past.

johnnash, how was your experience with Fox? They are much cheaper, but also off-sight. Were you able to drop off and/or pick up after hours?