Which UT resort for a season?

K

kmartshopper

New member
After a few years getting bored and sick of crowds at Killington, I've arranged for 3 months off in UT Jan-Mar! :D

Need a season's pass... maybe 2 if the price is right.
Snowboarder only. No park/pipe. Trees, bumps, steep, and groomer days on a carving board. No prob with anything in the east, but probably won't tackle the hairiest drops and rocklined chutes in UT. Big preference for lack of crowds and less tracked snow.

Leaning towards both Snowbasin ($800) & Powder Mtn ($650), and staying in Layton. Mix in some midweek daytrips to Cottonwood or Park City to sample the wares.

Alternative is to do a midweek at Snowbird with weekend daytrips to Snowbasin/PM.

Any thoughts? I've only been to Snowbird & Brighton, and loved both. Would someone get bored at PM & Snowbasin for 50days? I like that PM
has night skiing. Is PM still fun w/o paying the cat ride too much? Are there still good steeps at both places? I Like the Snowbasin gondolas over the Snowbird tram too.

Thanks for any input.
 
In terms of just plain quantity, IMO you'll find more steeps at Snowbird, the No Name area notwithstanding. You'll also find better snow due to elevation, exposure and annual snowfall. Add to that the fact that personally, I'd rather stay in the Salt Lake Valley than Layton, and I'd opt for a midweek Snowbird pass with weekend daytrips to PM and Snowbasin if I were you.

I should add that, as much as I love PM, the place isn't too heavy in the Steeps Department. It's more about snow quality than steep terrain.
 
I would also vote for a midweek Snowbird pass with weekend daytrips to PM and Snowbasin. Judging from local input Solitude probably deserves a few of those weekend daytrips.
 
tirolerpeter: I had actually stumbled across that post on ticket prices... very helpful.

So you guys dont' feel Snowbird is typically crowded midweek? That's the only thing that would drive me away - crowds and getting tracked out quickly.

Oh... what about the Tram? I don't mind slow chairs - but how much hiking would you have to do to cover Tram terrain from the lifts? ie. is it worth it? $699 vs. $899 is a chunk.

Thanks for the feedback all.
 
If I remember correctly, it is not a matter of hiking to get to the terrain served by the tram, just a matter of taking a couple of lifts in succession. Google "Snowbird Resort Trail Maps" and download a trail and lifts map. You can access the top from the lifts that are at (I believe) Entry 1 of the Resort. In snow storms, extreme cold, and wind (if they don't stop tram) it is nice to ride up in comfort. But that is a decision about $$$$ that you have to make for yourself. BTW, "crowded" is a relative term. It depends on your perceptions and conditions where you normally ski. I have really only found a crowd at Snowbird on a Sat when they were running a local "two-for-one" or "half off" promotion and it was a "blue sky" day. Even then, those folks tire early and by one or two o'clock, the mountain is essentially yours; especially if you stay off the groomed blues.
 
There are two methods to reach the top of Snowbird without riding the Tram. The first involves riding Gadzoom, skiing down to Little Cloud, and riding the Little Cloud double to the summit. The other, new this year, will be to ride the new Peruvian Express quad, go through the tunnel into Mineral Basin, and ski down to and ride the Mineral Basin Express. The latter is expected to be quicker than the former, plus you get a decent run in between the tunnel and the MBE.

That said, the Tram is worth the extra $200 IMHO. You're getting nearly 3,000 verts in one eight-minute ride. The ability to lap that on a powder day is well worth the $200. To quote Bob Dangerous, "It's the greatest ski lift in North America."

Snowbird crowds midweek are a non-issue unless it's a big powder day when locals skip out on work for a few hours in the morning. Admittedly at Alta this is more of a phenomenon than at Snowbird. Days like those are when the Tram really comes in handy. Of course, you could always scoot over to Solitude or something on those days if you want to -- if you're up in Layton, your options without a big drive are much more limited.
 
I agree that the Snowbird tram is "the greatest ski lift in North America." That said its lines are excessive on the weekends and I have not used it the past couple of Sundays on my annual trip. But I use it 2-4 times a day on Monday and Tuesday. And the the new Peruvian lift has the potential to put a substanial dent in the tram line.

plus you get a decent run in between the tunnel and the MBE
Click to expand...
That's going to be a coral reef run early in the morning, at least much of the time I'm at Snowbird in early March.
 
Tony Crocker":20ew1usx said:
I agree that the Snowbird tram is "the greatest ski lift in North America." That said its lines are excessive on the weekends and I have not used it the past couple of Sundays on my annual trip. But I use it 2-4 times a day on Monday and Tuesday. And the the new Peruvian lift has the potential to put a substanial dent in the tram line.
Click to expand...

I don't know that I agree. Now, I of course time my usage of it judiciously, but I seldom encounter a line longer than one or two cabins on weekends.

Tony Crocker":20ew1usx said:
plus you get a decent run in between the tunnel and the MBE
Click to expand...
That's going to be a coral reef run early in the morning, at least much of the time I'm at Snowbird in early March.
Click to expand...

When it's refrozen in March, of course...but on a powder day...
 
I had one of those powder days last March 13. But every other year since Mineral opened in 2000 it's been difficult snow during my week with that exposure. I just used Mineral Basin as an example on Epic of the effect of exposure, and thus why advance booking to Jackson Hole in March is not advised IMHO.

I do suspect that Snowbird will cut and groom a blue run coming out of that tunnel. But I'd still advise having well sharpened skis for it.
 
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