I feel like all I am doing is asking this year.  Trip to Utah, Alta 3 days, 2 open days.  Skiing the weekend with an Alta season pass holder.  Two of us like the idea of Powder Mt.

Any hints on discount Alta tickets?  Any ideas for days 4 and 5.  Thinking on not buying tickets in advance and watching the weather.  If I do that, any ideas on cheap tickets other than liftopia?  I have skied Brighton, Snowbird and Alta, loved all three.  Will have a vehicle.

Lastly, any hidden gem hotels that are cheap in Midvale /Sandy probably . . .

Its take take take this year.  

Go to Snowbasin.

When not using the MCP and staying in the city, I usually just get a lift ticket at the ski shop at the base of BCC.  Called the LIft House I think.  For PowMow and Snowbasin, I think there are places in Eden for discount tickets if don't one one before leaving SLC.  If you haven't been to Snowbasin, worth a side trip especially with good visibility.  PowMow can be fun with fresh powder, which can be found 2-3 days after a storm.  But if it's warm, then better to stay in LCC/BCC.

For Midvale, I've stayed at the La Quinta.  Full hot breakfast, indoor pool and hot tub, and interior hallways.  Can get a microwave for $10 extra.  There is a Motel 6 next door that I think has been renovated with the bamboo floors.

teleman wrote:

Go to Snowbasin.

Yep.

Pow Mow has been discovered. Freshies 2-3 days after a storm, nah. Go to Deer Valley for that. Srsly. SB terrain >>>> Pow Mow Terrain, unless you take the cat, but even then, mebbe a toss up.

And Pow Mow gets more warmer weather affects. Snowbasin gets that also, but higher stuff and chutes stay better longer. SB does suck on low viz days.

SLC Super Pass. Maybe too late for the best deals.

I'll agree with MarzNC, LaQ in Midvale is my discount (but not bad) lodging of choice. Plus right near Trax station if a pow day and need to take bus.

this ==>  Thinking on not buying tickets in advance and watching the weather. 

always chase the snow.  

all things being equal i liked solitude.  

small sample size :)

pagamony wrote:

this ==>  Thinking on not buying tickets in advance and watching the weather.

always chase the snow.

all things being equal i liked solitude.

small sample size :)

 

Yes. Good idea. Microclimates vary considerably between the Ogden resorts, BCC, LCC, and PC resorts.

I skied 9 days this year in Utah--8 at Basin and 1 at Pow Mow. One issue to consider is SLC traffic--it keeps getting worse and worse. If you plan to ski BCC/LCC, you probably want to stay in SLC. POW MOW and Snowbasin, by comparison, are easier to get to from Ogden. I really wanted to ski Alta or Bird this trip but the thought of a 1.5 hour drive through "beautiful" SLC during rush hour compared to a quick 30 minute jaunt up the Ogden Canyon road to Basin or Pow Mow always dissuaded me.

I stayed at an Airbnb and used Liftoptia to buy tickets. That worked well--just be advised about all the Liftopia rules. Epic has some threads on Liftopia. I bought a 3 and a 4 day ticket for Snowbasin from Liftopia and 1 Day midweek tickets for Pow Mow ($50 per ticket)

Also, Solitude has a new high-speed servicing Honeycomb Canyon. Nice place that I skied on a past trip.

PS Pow Mow is not just about powder. They have great groomers! It's also good for a group with mixed abilities--lots of nice, low angle green groomers. Snowbasin, by comparison, does not have much green circle terrain, especially from the top.

johnfmh wrote:

pagamony wrote:

this ==>  Thinking on not buying tickets in advance and watching the weather.

always chase the snow.

all things being equal i liked solitude.

small sample size :)

 

...

Also, Solitude has a new high-speed servicing Honeycomb Canyon. Nice place that I skied on a past trip.

...

oh my, i am not sure that is a good idea.   got to keep out the riff raff.  

 Only have 6 days lifetime at Alta/Bird, three in late Jan 2016.  Didn't appreciate potential for delays getting up LCC on snow days.  Son lives 25 mins from Snowbird and has pass there this winter.  One Saturday morning pow day we headed to Bird around 715am.  Got within 1/2 mile of entrance to LCC and came to halt.  Road closed for plowing, but at least we were close to front of line.  After an hour we got thru and skied about 920am.  Snow (~20" total) kept coming all day and Sunday became a pow day too with hoards of locals.  We hit road about 815am on Sun and had even longer wait.  Didn't ski until about 1045am.  Beware of weekend powder days at LCC and go real early or you be forced to go late.  Either way you may be delayed for road maintenance and lose a chunk of your ski day.  I guess this is why God created BCC because it apparently has less traffic bottlenecks and gets pretty much same snow.

AS ALWAYS, THE ADVICE ON DC SKI HELPS ME ON MY TRIP PLANNING. 

Trip completed.  Here are my thougths on SLC: Stay in the valley, you don't need a car, ski lots of resorts, get a local to guide you.   I haven't found another place easy plan for as SLC, If you need gear, stop by Level 9.  They are very reasonably priced.

Read everyone's emails looked at all the suggested hotels and air B&B.  Ended up staying at a hotel I used 11 years ago because they treated us very right.  Other options were close in price, but ended up going with the Crystal Inn.  Great hotel, it was clean, big rooms, caters to skiers (95% skiers, only saw one tie the whole time).  They offer a good buffet breakfast, fruit/yogurt, cereal, hot eggs, potatos, meat (good variety), breads of many types.  They also offer an "ok" dinner, an airport shuttle and a restaurant shuttle.  Located in Midvale with a Ski bus stop too.  

We rented a car, as my son works at Enterprise so it was a good deal.  

Skiing - 3 days Alta with a local friend who "guided us." Realy nice to have a guide.  Drinks at the Peruvian!  Lunches outside, weather mild, people VERY friendly.  A local loaned me a pair of gloves when I left mine, "just but them under my locker, I will be back tomorrow."  Skied everywhere, snow was hard and chunky in the morning due to 35-40 afternoons and cold nights.  Skied Collins, Supreme the most followed by Sugarlof and Wild Cat.  All great in the afternoon.  Accessed some of the ungroomed steeps off Supreme and Wildcat when it warmed up.  With the young guys it was lots of speed and long runs.

Skied Snowbird, weather was cold and overcast at the top so did the Mineral Basin (terrible conditions that day, hard and chunky) only a few times.  Top of the mountain was cloud covered, middle over cast and scraped/ice, bottom spring skiing!  A full season in every run.  Loved the natural half pipes off the Gad lifts.  I think we spent most of our day on the Gad area, did some of everything.  Trees were pretty good with soft snow over a week after the last dump.  Happy we went, but worst conditions out of the five days.

Skied Brighton, loved loved loved it.  Every area was great except the drops from of the Great Western lift.  Snake Creek Trees were even better than Snowbirds Tiger Tail area.  Trees were big and spaced and there was even some freshies left!!  Contrasted with the open runs off the Milly lift in the afternoon, I think it was the best day of the trip.  Poached 100 feet on the Solitude side of the rope of the Sol-Bright trail so I skied all four Cottonwood resorts.  I recommend this place for the variety packed in a small area and the great signage on how to get from lift to lift.  Never felt lost, or confused.  Vibe is very different than the other two places.  This might be my season pass resort if I move to SLC.  If we were skiing a sixth day it would have been here, lots left to explore.

We even tacked on a drive and walk at the Great Salt Lake and a quick look see at the Temple Square (park at the Mall, two hours free parking).