SKI UTAH!
The greatest snow on earth... yet thousands of people come here and ski or board on mediocre snow or conditions because
they chose poorly whether it be time of year, resort choice or what have you. Some ruin their trip by poor planning
or poor choices... a simple error can ruin the entire trip if you are vomiting the whole time.... Here is our scoop
on skiing in Utah. Some of them have no clue because freezer ice is more fun then east coast skiing, or heartlanders
that get excited when the vertical drop is more than 100 feet.
Skill Level:
I
can lead you to the best places, like snowbird, but if you are a beginner you will be very limited since over half of the
place is expert only. Consider all of the members of your group when making your choice of resort.
Altitude:
Notice the elevation of resorts; if you are
coming from sea level you may be toast trying to ski back to back days at 10,000 ft. and it may really screw up your
trip and your body; plan wisely, maybe a day on, day off, day on... and if you pre purchase your tickets buy trip insurance!
Hot
tubs:
As much as they
feel awesome after a day on the slopes save it for your last day unless you are used to skiing a lot. The hot water
will increase blood flow in your torn muscles making the 'injury' worse and you will be MORE sore and take longer to recover.
Drinking lots of water will assist in recovery and improve performance.
Things to carry:
Sunscreen (yes, even on cloudy days), chapstick (Carmex, etc), electrolyte
drink, power gel, sunglasses (for lunch on the deck), two way radios with everyone on the SAME CHANNEL AND MODIFIER,
and $100 if you plan to eat at the resort. Plan ahead where and when to meet.
Water:
drink double or tripple your normal amounts;
it will help adjust you and dehydration happens really fast in the mountains as it is sooo dry.
The
Scoop:
Some years we get killed
with snow by December, some years robbed. On the "robbed" years don't bother until at least January or Feb.
The best powder is Jan to early March. The deepest days are typically mid Feb to late March. The highest
chance of freshies is late feb to late March. Warmest skiing is late April to mid May on corn. Drink twice as
much water as you usually do on ski trips as you dehydrate faster and will bonk and get headaches. Lowest crowds
are March. The lower the elevation of the resort the greater chance it sucks. Don't bother with low elevation
resorts in late April or May, and they are covered with rocks in Nov and Dec. The weatherman is often wrong.
Backcountry:
Unless you are an experienced backcountry
skier stay out or buy a guide. With 20 years in the back country I have seen a lot of errors, the most costly coming
from thinking they could just 'do it'. Always know what's up and have your 4 essential
pieces of gear; if you don't know what I mean then stay out.
Resorts:
Downhill ski and snowboard resorts ranging from closest to the cabin to furthest away.... only listing those 90 minutes
away or closer.
Deer
Valley:
no snowboarders!:(
great powder and tree skiing. Posh. 20-25 minute backside lifts from the cabin. good overall mountain.
Park
City:
Over rated, good for
intermediates, beginners. very little true expert terrain. low elevation, high crowds, cool town. 35 min from cabin to
lifts.
Sundance:
Beautiful, but low elevation. Rather small, beautiful back drops. Good beginner and intermed. Redford was not an adrenalin
junkie. 35
Canyons:
Lovely. Good for beginners, intermediates and lots of open terrain. Great place to find fresh snow and lower crowds; is the
size of Maine, easy to get lost. 35+ minutes away.
Snowbird: Awesome mountain, mostly expert terrain. Ski with the best here, this place rocks;
Due to efficient lifts/ Tram it gets tracked out very quickly and fresh tracks may be hard to find. 80min.
Alta: No Snowboarders!:( LOTS of powder,
Big mountain and GREAT terrain for all levels. great views, 85 minutes without traffic.
Solitude: GREAT place, low crowds, great powder,
LOTS of snow; great all around mountain. 85 min away without traffic.
Brighton: Snowboarder mecca, GREAT mountain, TONS of powder! There are some flat spots that
sand trap you if not careful. Lots of lifts; 90 minutes without traffic.
