Wet Slide Interlodge? Alta/Snowbird closed for almost 2 Weeks

ChrisC

ChrisC

Well-known member
Anyone notice what a disaster Alta/Snowbird have been?

Essentially they will have been out of commission for almost 2 weeks.

https://www.facebook.com/127280227321831/posts/pfbid02zFZ9TQK1g8fEaaVm2KwTdL6BXrHwa8M3mQ5W1pZzCgAwJZBGWNMe5XywLgWfrQiBl

Ok, here is the Little Cottonwood Canyon game plan for this week.

• We anticipate that Highway 210 will remain closed until Friday. This timeframe may change as the week progresses, but this is based on a warming trend that will continue through Thursday.

• For lodge guests and residents of Alta, we plan on opening tomorrow with Sunnyside, Sugarloaf and the Transfer Tow. Food will be available on-mountain at Alf's Restaurant.

• Temperatures are expected to cool off by Thursday afternoon. And we are hopeful that will be back to business as usual by Friday, April 14th.

Ready? break.

Please visit https://cottonwoodcanyons.udot.utah.gov for the latest updates regarding Highway 210.
 
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Between Mammoth/town issues and AltaBird recently this season, the answer seems to be a very clear and definitive, YES, you can get/have too much snow.

jamesdeluxe said:
Did @socal make it outta Dodge?
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Also waiting for this update; but I can only assume he's crushed with stuff after both vacation, but extended, unplanned vacation.

ChrisC said:
this is based on a warming trend that will continue through Thursday.
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Definite risk at lower altitudes this time of year. Thankful the best spring ski areas in Colo should only hit mid-upper 40's this week before more snow on Fri/Sat
 
Thanks for asking! We took the first shuttle out of the canyon we could on Friday at 6am. Ended up flying to Long Beach vs LAX since we had previously booked a flight that evening thinking later was better.

Looking back, we had a great trip on Sat-Mon, then adventure (that wasn’t cheap with extra hotel costs and flight changes). I was sick on Tuesday and Wednesday and then got to ski on Thursday before a wet slide closed the road just a few hours before we all thought the canyon would reopen.

Looking back, the country club day last Monday will be an all time day I’ll remember forever, kids were on spring break, so overall, it was a win.


Here’s two links to the last run of a day last Monday with my 8 year old on a “groomer”. I think we passed maybe 2-3 people the whole run.

photos.app.goo.gl

New video by Ian Konowitch

photos.app.goo.gl photos.app.goo.gl

photos.app.goo.gl

New video by Ian Konowitch

photos.app.goo.gl photos.app.goo.gl
 
socal said:
adventure (that wasn’t cheap with extra hotel costs and flight changes)
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How does Snowbird decide the amount to charge people for unexpected extensions to their stay? Is it just the per-day amount that you were already paying?

Airlines don't charge for flight-change fees now so I assume you paid more due to the last-minute purchase of new flights?
 
jamesdeluxe said:
How does Snowbird decide the amount to charge people for unexpected extensions to their stay? Is it just the per-day amount that you were already paying?

Airlines don't charge for flight-change fees now so I assume you paid more due to the last-minute purchase of new flights?
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I was at the Cliff too, we were supposed to leave on Tuesday so for Tuesday and Wednesday night they charged us 50%. I'm told they didn't charge anyone for Thursday night, everyone was ready to go that day and then the wet slide got everyone interlodged again, I think they felt bad. Plus by that point there really wasn't a lot of food options left so it wasn't a fun day/evening after the few hours of country club skiing.

By Wednesday we had no idea when we'd be traveling so we canceled our award ticket. On Thursday we finally booked the last flight we could get to be safe on Friday. A few hours later they announced the early road opening and by that point we all were just ready to go home so I booked another flight on Southwest for 10am. You're probably right but now I'm stuck with more Jet Blue points which really have a terrible redemption value and a few hundred dollars in their bank, since they don't refund you the fees. Its not the end of the world, we were happy to be on an early flight at that point.
 
Depending on what credit card you used, you can claim 'travel interruption' for incurring additional expenditures.

I have a Chase Sapphire card that is heavily travel-focused and is quite good about paying out.

Generally, I submit my original itinerary and document all the required changes (hotels, food, car rentals, shuttles, loss of airline seat upgrades, etc). Reason for the interruption - maybe something from Utah DOT / Snowbird. It can be worthwhile if in the $100s.
 
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ChrisC said:
Depending on what credit card you used, you can claim 'travel interruption' for incurring additional expenditures.

I have a Chase Sapphire card that is heavily travel focused that is quite good about paying out.

Generally, I submit my original itinerary and document all the required changes (hotels, food, car rentals, shuttles, loss of airline seat upgrades, etc). Reason for the interruption - maybe something from Utah DOT / Snowbird. It can be worthwhile if in the $100s.
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Good call. I probably will do that. I actually just got a claim approved from my chase sapphire card for the trip we had to change because of illness over presidents weekend. I wouldn’t call it easy, they asked for a lot, which was fine, but kept saying they needed more , even though I sent it already. I persisted and got an $800 check issued for lost deposits at mammoth.
 
My brother was going to go on a ski safari after Telluride closed down. However, Utah is kinda crappy now thanks to the 80s in the SLC Valley. As my brother says, conditions are only as good as the last 48 hours... and Utah is not awesome anymore.

So he's been playing local with Silverton. Solid with snowstorms passing through.

Sure Epic winter in LCC.....but how many down days? The last 2 weeks were bad....and then really how good was the skiing for the 100 days from December till the LCC meltdown in April? I'm guessing other seasons were better.
 
I think it’s safe to say 2010-11 was better. We were there for Alta closing weekend with 20 inches new snow.

I agree that LCC does not ski well during the awkward stage between powder and corn, but I think more powder is predicted next week.

You brother needs to check out Mammoth this spring/summer. How long will Silverton lift service continue?

Telluride’s season was OK but nothing exceptional. I had Telluride at 106% of average at the end of March. Aspen, Crested Butte, Purgstory and Wolf Creek had big years at 130-140%.

I would find it incredibly frustrating to be a Tellurude local and see the place close first weekend of April with maximum snowpack and another month of quality skiing ahead. It is shocking to realize Telluride was closed for the season when Liz and I were enjoying record snowpack and deep midwinter conditions at Mammoth on April 4.
 
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Tony Crocker said:
I think it’s safe to say 2010-11 was better. We were there for Alta closing weekend with 20 inches new snow.

I agree that LCC does not ski well during the awkward stage between powder and corn, but I think more powder is predicted next week.

You brother needs to check out Mammoth this spring/summer. How long will Silverton lift service continue?

Telluride’s season was OK but nothing exceptional. I had Telluride at 106% of average at the end of March. Aspen, Crested Butte, Purgstory and Wolf Creek had big years at 130-140%.

I would find it incredibly frustrating to be a Tellurude local and see the place close first weekend of April with maximum snowpack and another month of quality skiing ahead. It is shocking to realize Telluride was closed for the season when Liz and I were enjoying record snowpack and deep midwinter conditions at Mammoth on April 4.
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My brother Greg is going over to Aspen - looks like 10" new. Somehow he still gets basically comp'ed a Mountain Collective pass with some lift tickets to burn. He likes the bands that are playing there too..... before he heads to New Orleans Jazz Fest 2nd weekend.

Yes, Colorado was average. Do not know how the storms came in to not bump Telluride into above-average, but that's what happens. In other years storms slide in from the Northwest and hit the San Juan wall.

(Honesty: Most Telluriders do not want that much snow. If it gets to 350-400", they complain about roof shoveling, driveways, snow depression, etc.......they are mostly snowflakes).

Although Silverton was trying to call it its best season ever.

The new Silverton chairlift will be interesting. It's a lot less required oxygen than the current lift - not much hiking afterward. It's really the old heli-ski one drops.
 
Skiing on Snowmass was exceptional this past weekend with 10" new and mid-winter conditions Saturday and great spring conditions Sunday. The prior week the skiing was not very good thanks to the wind storm almost three weeks ago that coated the Colorado mountains with dust.

I skied Aspen Mountain two days ago (Monday) and the conditions were ok. It was mashed potatoes in the afternoon and the new snow has melted exposing the dust.
 
Here we are almost a month after this thread was started and 210 up to Alta/Bird is still seriously messed up due to threat of snow/mud slides. It's been closed for all but a few hours this week, basically shutting down day-skier visits. Fortunately, I also have an Ikon base pass that I've been using for Sol-Bright. 190 up BCC is also messed up, but generally open except closing for several hours at mid-day when temps are warmest.

I love Snowbird in April, but I only skied it three days in April this year, last time on the 16th. I went away for 6 days mid-month and 210 has been very problematic since I returned. They are doing Woodward Peace Park Championships this week (May 2-6) on that big park they built in Mineral Basin and nobody (except overnight guests) can get up LCC to spectate?? Hoping to get up there sometime in the next 3 or 4 days?
 
Ahem :eusa-whistle:

Joking of course. Does anyone believe that anything will actually be done to remedy the Cottonwoods access road/parking issues? I say not in my lifetime.
 
Depends. The huge crowds due to amazing snow this year exacerbated the traffic/parking problems, for sure. If next few years are more normal it will be bad, but not terrible. I'm biased for a gondola up LCC, many locals don't want it. Traffic will dictate, and politicians seem to want it.
 
This season has made it painfully obvious that the LCC road needs avalanche sheds like Rogers Pass in Canada or any number of exposed roads in the Alps.
 
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