Utah Interconnect...which one?

[schubwa]

I'm in the Park City area on March 25-28 for spring break. The kids want to ride at Park City as the parks there are great I hear. Although I'd prefer to be closer to AltaBird, I haven't been to Canyons and might hit Soldier Hollow for some skating while nearby.
I'm an avid AT skier and want to do the Interconnect. I'm taking my wife along, she's an accomplished alpine skier. I'm hoping it might spike her interest in BC skiing.
I read with interest that the tour now starts some days at Dear Valley. Is this a good idea or should I drive over to the Bird to start? The LCC route does sound like it's got more big boy land.

 

[Admin]

The kids want to ride at Park City as the parks there are great I hear.

The main one off Payday is HUGE! :shock:

I'm an avid AT skier and want to do the Interconnect. I'm taking my wife along, she's an accomplished alpine skier. I'm hoping it might spike her interest in BC skiing.
I read with interest that the tour now starts some days at Dear Valley. Is this a good idea or should I drive over to the Bird to start? The LCC route does sound like it's got more big boy land.

I've done the Snowbird :arrow: Alta :arrow: Brighton :arrow: Solitude :arrow: Alta :arrow: Snowbird tour, and highly recommend it without any hesitation whatsoever. The BC portions between Alta/Brighton and Solitude/Alta are particularly intriguing. In fact, I'll sometimes do the Alta/Brighton leg when avi conditions are low and things in-bounds at Alta are all tracked out, then either take the bus around or ski back via the Solitude/Alta leg depending on whether my partner(s) have Solitude lift access.

Wanna see a video shot on the LCC tour? I took one and have posted it to our SkiMovies.com subsidiary. Films there are listed alphebetically, and you're looking for "Utah Interconnect."

Frankly, knowing the general lay of the land but not the precise route taken on the tour that originates at Deer Valley, I'd definitely opt for the LCC tour.

 

[schubwa]

Marc,
I was hoping you wouldn't recommend the LLC tour as since I'm over the hill at PC. I'll most likely start there. Here is the route, what do you think?

A typical Deer Valley departure (Mon., Wed., Fri. and Sun.) begins at 8:15 a.m. at Deer Valley's Snow Park Lodge. Our guides will talk to the group about avalanche safety, backcountry etiquette and that day's conditions. They will also fit each guest with an avalanche transceiver. We'll board either Carpenter Express or Silver Lake Express at 8:50 a.m. before the lifts are open to the general public, then ski several runs as we make our way to the top of the Empire Express where the guides will check out with Deer Valley Resort Patrol and ski into Park City Mountain Resort terrain. After several runs at Park City we'll end up at the top of Jupiter Chair and check out with Park City Mountain Resort Patrol. Then it's off the back side of Park City into Big Cottonwood Canyon and a long backcountry descent to the base of Solitude Mountain Resort. We'll ski several runs making our way to the top of the Summit chair, then ski the upper SolBright trail to Brighton Ski Resort. After a run or two at Brighton, we'll take the lower SolBright trail back to Solitude where we'll stop for lunch and a well-earned break. After lunch it's back to the top of Summit chair where we'll check out with Solitude Patrol and then make the dramatic 500-yard traverse across the "Highway to Heaven" and into Little Cottonwood Canyon via Twin Lakes Pass. Another long backcountry descent puts us at the upper base of Alta Ski Area. We ski several runs at Alta, ending up at the top of Sugarloaf chair, then pass through the Mineral Basin gate and, voila, we're at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, our final ski area. Don't worry, there's still plenty of great skiing as we make our way to the bottom of Mineral Basin, up the Mineral Basin Express to the top of Snowbird and then a long last run to the Tram Plaza where our van meets us for the drive back to Deer Valley.

Having not been to the land of milk and honey in a while I'm sure either tour will be cool.

PS: We have 179" mid mountain here at Mt Bachelor with a stormy week forecasted. The skiing on the volcanoes will be going off 'till August! Come on out.

 

[Admin]

we make our way to the top of the Empire Express where the guides will check out with Deer Valley Resort Patrol and ski into Park City Mountain Resort terrain.

That's basically ducking a rope.

Then it's off the back side of Park City into Big Cottonwood Canyon and a long backcountry descent to the base of Solitude Mountain Resort.

Nice. I thought that I had a photo of that face handy, but it's on a DVD-ROM somewhere. In essence, the upper 500 feet or so are treeless, before you drop through aspen trees on the opposite side of the road from Solitude. In the summertime, that's a road over what's known as Guardsman Pass.

We'll ski several runs making our way to the top of the Summit chair, then ski the upper SolBright trail to Brighton Ski Resort.

That's all in-bounds.

After a run or two at Brighton, we'll take the lower SolBright trail back to Solitude where we'll stop for lunch and a well-earned break.

That's in-bounds, too.

After lunch it's back to the top of Summit chair where we'll check out with Solitude Patrol and then make the dramatic 500-yard traverse across the "Highway to Heaven" and into Little Cottonwood Canyon via Twin Lakes Pass. Another long backcountry descent puts us at the upper base of Alta Ski Area.

That's part of both tours. It's a beautiful traverse and descent through Grizzly Gulch, which is where Alta runs its cat skiing operation.

We ski several runs at Alta, ending up at the top of Sugarloaf chair, then pass through the Mineral Basin gate and, voila, we're at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, our final ski area. Don't worry, there's still plenty of great skiing as we make our way to the bottom of Mineral Basin, up the Mineral Basin Express to the top of Snowbird and then a long last run to the Tram Plaza where our van meets us for the drive back to Deer Valley.

Entirely in-bounds.

Having not been to the land of milk and honey in a while I'm sure either tour will be cool.

True. One difference between the two tours is that the one that originates at DV is a "one-way" tour, where you take a van shuttle back to DV. The LCC/BCC tour, by contrast, is a loop.

Both tours include two sidecountry sections, and one of those -- the Highway to Heaven/Twin Lakes Pass/Grizzly Gulch section -- is on both tours. So, in essence it's 6 of one, a half dozen of the other. However, I'll admit two things: the Lake Catherine/Dog Lake route between Alta and Brighton on the LCC/BCC tour is one of my favorite sidecountry shots, and second, I've never skied the route from Jupiter at PCMR to Solitude myself, although I've driven it often in the summer. Understand that virtually everything else on both tours is in-bounds.

PS: We have 179" mid mountain here at Mt Bachelor with a stormy week forecasted. The skiing on the volcanoes will be going off 'till August! Come on out.

Thanks! That's actually a good possibility. My wife works for an airline, so I enjoy the luxury of basically flying where I want when I want. I'm also, however, considering a trip to South America this summer.

 

[Patrick]

My wife works for an airline, so I enjoy the luxury of basically flying where I want when I want. I'm also, however, considering a trip to South America this summer.

That's the ticket...

I guess that desire to ski elsewhere has come back. I remember you mentioning that the ski-streak (months) was going to end how that you had completed 12 months in a year. :wink: You never know? :lol:

 

[Admin]

I guess that desire to ski elsewhere has come back. I remember you mentioning that the ski-streak (months) was going to end how that you had completed 12 months in a year. :wink: You never know? :lol:

Oh, no...that streak is definitely over at the end of this lift-served season. (It's currently at 16 consecutive months.) However, the prospect of visiting South America, or even the PNW once our Utah season is over is tempting. There are two factors at play here:

1. I still have no burning desire to travel to ski elsewhere when Utah's best is 30 minutes or less from home; and

2. I really, truly don't feel like hiking monthly to ski miserable sun cups just to keep the streak alive.

Now, corn on a PNW volcano or powder in the Andes is another story altogether.

 

[Patrick]

I really, truly don't feel like hiking monthly to ski miserable sun cups just to keep the streak alive.

Who said anything about hiking for miserable suncups?

Now, corn on a PNW volcano or powder in the Andes is another story altogether
(...)
I still have no burning desire to travel to ski elsewhere when Utah's best is 30 minutes or less from home

I didn't know the Andes where only 30 minutes from SLC? :lol: :wink:

Oh, no...that streak is definitely over at the end of this lift-served season.

That's what the smoker said about this being his LAST cigarette. :lol:

 

[Tony Crocker]

I would be very cautious about South America with the current La Nina. Some forecasters think it will reverse within a few months, but I would not commit any $ to South America until there is snow on the ground. Not really a problem because late August/early September is when you should go there anyway.

Powdr Corp's cheap-ass policy of closing Bachelor at Memorial Day will be particularly obnoxious this year. You will be earning your turns in the PNW starting in June, except at Timberline. IMHO just Palmer Snowfield is not worth a fly-in trip, except for the purposes of keeping a streak alive. Using Palmer + a short hike to access pristine corn on other aspects of Mt. Hood with a shuttle pickup could be intriguing. But I'd want a local along for navigation and safety.

My best guess is that Mammoth will go a couple of weekends into June this season. You could meet me there for June, do a PNW volcano hike for July, then South America (snow permitting) for August/September and the streak will live!

 

[schubwa]

Powdr Corp's cheap-ass policy of closing Bachelor at Memorial Day will be particularly obnoxious this year.

There is no need to sugar coat it, it's been awful having these guys in charge. They recently put their their bus stop/parking lot property on Bend's westside into escrow, recouping nearly half the original price they paid for the area. Looks like they are positioning to resell Mt Bachelor. We're just hoping they don't close Easter Sunday. Oh yeah, then they shipped the two new Bombadiers snowcats we got for this season back to Park City! It must snow more back there...

IMHO just Palmer Snowfield is not worth a fly-in trip, except for the purposes of keeping a streak alive. Using Palmer + a short hike to access pristine corn on other aspects of Mt. Hood with a shuttle pickup could be intriguing.

True that, unless you're Marc who could jump on the recently added SLC to Redmond, OR (15 miles from Bend) Delta airlines flight. Just to wet your appetite for volcanic corn check out this site: http://www.skimountaineer.com/CascadeSk ... deSki.html
On my short list for this summer is the 333 chute on Adams, South Sister and Mt McLaughlin.

My best guess is that Mammoth will go a couple of weekends into June this season.

No doubt about that as InterWest has adjusted their opening/closing dates as snow pack dictates. As a long time Mammoth local, I have to add that for some reason there is no finer corn on the planet than in the High Sierra. Maybe it's the right combination of high altitude and low latitude or just the fine sunlight.
That being said, we did get some pretty fine popcorn a few weeks ago on the SW face of Mt Thielsen (near Crater Lake) during a recent warm spell. I used my Dynafit TLT boots and binders on a pair of Volkl Mountain 178's.

 

[Tony Crocker]

The possible resale of Bachelor would be good news.

I do think high altitude/low latitude/no clouds is the recipe for corn. And that is standard operating procedure in the Sierra spring. From what I saw at Las Lenas I think the Andes are comparable.

Within lift service I think Bachelor's Summit and backside are unparalleled though. If there is an SLC-Redmond direct flight, I would concur that admin should take advantage of it sometime between Alta's closing and Bachelor's.