Just wanted to say thanks for all the helpful advice you folks provided before our Mid-January trip to Utah.
Simply put, the trip was fantastic. Here's a quick recap.
Rented a Chrysler Pacifica from Rugged Rental. Better rates than the big guys, friendly, prompt and helpful. We ended up not needing the 4WD, but it was there just in case. We stayed at a condo on Fort Union rented through All Area Rentals. Reasonable rate, clean, comfortable, plenty of room. About what you'd expect for a budget unit. Exactly what we were looking for.
We started our week on a Thursday at Park City. There's about a foot of fresh powder everywhere. This is my 13 yr-old?s second season on skis with much of his first season spent on blades. What he lacks in technique he makes up for in youthful athleticism. We begin slowly, and after two runs we set off in search of fresh snow. We find some untracked terrain and discover what all the hoopla is about untracked powder. We're floating!! Skiing this stuff is nothing like hard pack, though, and my thighs are burning. I stop to chat with someone who is clearly at home in the powder and he gives me a few tips (weighting my skis differently, etc) and I try the suggestions out. They work! All four of us put down fresh tracks, just like on the post cards. Very Cool. That evening we play tourist and visit a shop to buy yellow lenses for two of our goggles. Today was sunny and bright, but the rest of the trip is forecast cloudy. The shop owners tell us the next week will be a madhouse due to Sundance. I get the impression they?ll be glad when it?s over. That night it's tough to get the boys (and myself) to bed at a decent hour. We're still too pumped.
Friday - Off to Brighton. What a scenic drive. Being from the midwest, it's all new and we gawk at the terrain. The boys encourage me to drive and leave the sight seeing to them. Like Park City, there are no lift lines at Brighton, although things start to get busy about 1:00. Still the longest wait is maybe five minutes at the busiest lift. The boy?s favorite runs are anything through the trees in powder. They've become expert at exploring. I get them over onto Evergreen once, but the lack of a chicken bar and the chair's altitude is too unsettling and they head back after one run. I stay for two more runs and find myself on a double black at one point. Huh??? I'm not ready for this stuff. I descend under control and make a note to pay more attention. Back at the condo that evening the boys are in bed by 9:30.
Saturday at Solitude. No fresh powder today, in fact, most of the slopes we ski that morning are very well groomed cruisers. In general the blue terrain here feels steeper than Brighton's, but we're comfortable with it. Something new every day. I discover that my great carving skis are a little unstable if kept flat at the speeds we reach here. I also learn I'm no match for my son's friend in the speed department. Youth. Later that day we work our way over to Honeycomb canyon. This is a completely different experience from the cruisers. We prefer the varied terrain here and the occasional surprises it offers. We whoop it up here for the rest of the day.
Sunday - We head north to Snowsbasin. Heading into the lodge I'm floored by just how plush this place is. I felt like I should take my boots off before walking across the carpeting. The people are nice at all the resorts, but this place is something else. We're back to skiing fresh snow too! Again, the terrain is completely different from the prior three days. Again, the lift lines are zilch. We vow to hit every run and pretty soon my youngest and I take the strawberry lift to the top. For the fourth day Utah throws something new at us. Whiteout. We ski the first third of the mountain from marker to marker. This is new for us, so it's fun. I understand how mountaineers become lost in storms. This isn?t really skiing, but it?s an adventure nonetheless. Halfway down we meet others new to these conditions and were all on a bit of adrenalin high from skiing through bumps you can't see coming. It forces us to ski, "soft", is the best way I can describe it. I think we all become better skiers.
At lunch we discover the Australian women?s aerial team is here. A gondola is being named for one of their members who medalled here in 2002. (Each gondola is named after a different alpine Olympic champion. A nice touch) After lunch I see the team gathered around a TV watching a broadcast of the world cup action over in Deer Valley. The boys go over to ?watch TV? as well and are smitten. As we head back to the lifts the conversation is something like, ?Dad, they?re beautiful, and they can ski, and they?ve got these incredible accents, and they smell great!? Teen hormones have hit a new high and they?re so distracted I finally herd them back in and ask the young ladies if they?d oblige the boys with a group photo. This is old hat to them and they ham it up with the kids. The grins last for hours. So much for skiing being the highlight of this day. Did I mention the food is fantastic as well? Very very good, very reasonably priced. Dad?s happy too.
Monday ? Our last day. The boys vote for Brighton (love that tree skiing), but I overrule and we return to Snowbasin. I know there?s a lot of mountain left, and I?m guessing the crowds will be large at Brighton (this is a holiday, Martin Luther King day). Strawberry has better visibility today and we get in some nice runs, even finding some missed powder from the previous day. It?s nice to see where you?re going. My youngest is launching himself frequently, a completely different skier from our first day. Even his older brother is impressed. Later that day we take the John Paul express chair and explore the Ogden bowl area. Like Solitude's Honeycomb canyon, the bowl offers much variety and we even get into the trees a bit, which pleases the boys. We take the tram to the grizzly downhill, but do not ski it. The visibility is poor, but I can see that it?s incredibly steep. The tram operator is more than happy to provide some Olympic history. The boys call it quits with an hour to go, they?re simply skied out and I have the mountain to myself. The final run is a slow one, with frequent pauses to drink in the scenery and savor the vacation.
We?ll be back. Thanks again for taking the time to answer my earlier questions.
Simply put, the trip was fantastic. Here's a quick recap.
Rented a Chrysler Pacifica from Rugged Rental. Better rates than the big guys, friendly, prompt and helpful. We ended up not needing the 4WD, but it was there just in case. We stayed at a condo on Fort Union rented through All Area Rentals. Reasonable rate, clean, comfortable, plenty of room. About what you'd expect for a budget unit. Exactly what we were looking for.
We started our week on a Thursday at Park City. There's about a foot of fresh powder everywhere. This is my 13 yr-old?s second season on skis with much of his first season spent on blades. What he lacks in technique he makes up for in youthful athleticism. We begin slowly, and after two runs we set off in search of fresh snow. We find some untracked terrain and discover what all the hoopla is about untracked powder. We're floating!! Skiing this stuff is nothing like hard pack, though, and my thighs are burning. I stop to chat with someone who is clearly at home in the powder and he gives me a few tips (weighting my skis differently, etc) and I try the suggestions out. They work! All four of us put down fresh tracks, just like on the post cards. Very Cool. That evening we play tourist and visit a shop to buy yellow lenses for two of our goggles. Today was sunny and bright, but the rest of the trip is forecast cloudy. The shop owners tell us the next week will be a madhouse due to Sundance. I get the impression they?ll be glad when it?s over. That night it's tough to get the boys (and myself) to bed at a decent hour. We're still too pumped.
Friday - Off to Brighton. What a scenic drive. Being from the midwest, it's all new and we gawk at the terrain. The boys encourage me to drive and leave the sight seeing to them. Like Park City, there are no lift lines at Brighton, although things start to get busy about 1:00. Still the longest wait is maybe five minutes at the busiest lift. The boy?s favorite runs are anything through the trees in powder. They've become expert at exploring. I get them over onto Evergreen once, but the lack of a chicken bar and the chair's altitude is too unsettling and they head back after one run. I stay for two more runs and find myself on a double black at one point. Huh??? I'm not ready for this stuff. I descend under control and make a note to pay more attention. Back at the condo that evening the boys are in bed by 9:30.
Saturday at Solitude. No fresh powder today, in fact, most of the slopes we ski that morning are very well groomed cruisers. In general the blue terrain here feels steeper than Brighton's, but we're comfortable with it. Something new every day. I discover that my great carving skis are a little unstable if kept flat at the speeds we reach here. I also learn I'm no match for my son's friend in the speed department. Youth. Later that day we work our way over to Honeycomb canyon. This is a completely different experience from the cruisers. We prefer the varied terrain here and the occasional surprises it offers. We whoop it up here for the rest of the day.
Sunday - We head north to Snowsbasin. Heading into the lodge I'm floored by just how plush this place is. I felt like I should take my boots off before walking across the carpeting. The people are nice at all the resorts, but this place is something else. We're back to skiing fresh snow too! Again, the terrain is completely different from the prior three days. Again, the lift lines are zilch. We vow to hit every run and pretty soon my youngest and I take the strawberry lift to the top. For the fourth day Utah throws something new at us. Whiteout. We ski the first third of the mountain from marker to marker. This is new for us, so it's fun. I understand how mountaineers become lost in storms. This isn?t really skiing, but it?s an adventure nonetheless. Halfway down we meet others new to these conditions and were all on a bit of adrenalin high from skiing through bumps you can't see coming. It forces us to ski, "soft", is the best way I can describe it. I think we all become better skiers.
At lunch we discover the Australian women?s aerial team is here. A gondola is being named for one of their members who medalled here in 2002. (Each gondola is named after a different alpine Olympic champion. A nice touch) After lunch I see the team gathered around a TV watching a broadcast of the world cup action over in Deer Valley. The boys go over to ?watch TV? as well and are smitten. As we head back to the lifts the conversation is something like, ?Dad, they?re beautiful, and they can ski, and they?ve got these incredible accents, and they smell great!? Teen hormones have hit a new high and they?re so distracted I finally herd them back in and ask the young ladies if they?d oblige the boys with a group photo. This is old hat to them and they ham it up with the kids. The grins last for hours. So much for skiing being the highlight of this day. Did I mention the food is fantastic as well? Very very good, very reasonably priced. Dad?s happy too.
Monday ? Our last day. The boys vote for Brighton (love that tree skiing), but I overrule and we return to Snowbasin. I know there?s a lot of mountain left, and I?m guessing the crowds will be large at Brighton (this is a holiday, Martin Luther King day). Strawberry has better visibility today and we get in some nice runs, even finding some missed powder from the previous day. It?s nice to see where you?re going. My youngest is launching himself frequently, a completely different skier from our first day. Even his older brother is impressed. Later that day we take the John Paul express chair and explore the Ogden bowl area. Like Solitude's Honeycomb canyon, the bowl offers much variety and we even get into the trees a bit, which pleases the boys. We take the tram to the grizzly downhill, but do not ski it. The visibility is poor, but I can see that it?s incredibly steep. The tram operator is more than happy to provide some Olympic history. The boys call it quits with an hour to go, they?re simply skied out and I have the mountain to myself. The final run is a slow one, with frequent pauses to drink in the scenery and savor the vacation.
We?ll be back. Thanks again for taking the time to answer my earlier questions.
