Utah 2021-2022 Utah Ski Resorts/Conditions/Meetups

[Tony S]

I‘ ve never skied there, and it’s one place I’d like to visit.

I've skied there a few times, including the deepest powder day in my memory, on the last day of the 2014 Gathering. It's a very pleasant spot, but somehow has never really captured my imagination or gotten me excited to ski there. Different strokes, I guess

 

[Rudi Riet]

I‘ ve never skied there, and it’s one place I’d like to visit.

It's my old home mountain, I know it better than any other place I ski.

The improvements look reasonable, save for the gondola (though I see why they want to do it, it's a head scratcher in terms of the logistics on the summit ridgeline). Replacing the Eagle Express is definitely overdue. It was the first quad lift in Utah, the first built by CTEC, and it feels old when you ride it. I remember when it first opened and it was an audible "wow" moment. A new quad with modern tech will make a big difference.

The snow fencing/shielding at the top of the Apex lift will solve a lot of issues with snow retention. While it's never really boilerplate there (Utah folk don't know from boilerplate), it can get "scratchy" and there are often exposed small stones and bigger rocks due to the wind. The snowmaking there helps a lot but helping block/deflect the wind will make a world of difference.

Interesting that they're discussing a teardown of a base lodge that still seems young to me, even though the base village is now over 30 years old and there may be some infrastructure deficiencies in things. Showing my age, I guess.

 

[AmyPJ]

This was the dusty view I saw upon returning to the greater Salt Lake valley yesterday, kicked up by winds ahead of a cold front. AQI was yellow just from the dust coming off the now very dry lake bed.

 

[ss20]

Nice soaker today at least along the Wasatch Front north of Provo. Looks like a lot of areas could pick up .4-.5" of rain, that's a win for sure.

 

[Rudi Riet]

Nice soaker today at least along the Wasatch Front north of Provo. Looks like a lot of areas could pick up .4-.5" of rain, that's a win for sure.

First measurable rain for much of the Wasatch Front since early April. It should soak into things quickly enough but the state needs a steady stream of rainstorms like that to even put a tiny dent into the drought.

This is likely a long-term problem for the state. With the population growing by over 1 million people since 2000 (and most of them concentrated in the four counties along the Wasatch Front) there hasn't been an equivalent modification of resource management along with the new people, industry, etc.

I weep for my home state.

 

[Lorenzzo]

First measurable rain for much of the Wasatch Front since early April. It should soak into things quickly enough but the state needs a steady stream of rainstorms like that to even put a tiny dent into the drought.

This is likely a long-term problem for the state. With the population growing by over 1 million people since 2000 (and most of them concentrated in the four counties along the Wasatch Front) there hasn't been an equivalent modification of resource management along with the new people, industry, etc.

I weep for my home state.

I’m going to fix the western drought in all western states right here, right now. End lawn watering. That’s it. It’s not Kentucky out here. Taking the associated chemical fetilizer out of play would help the watersheds too.

 

[AmyPJ]

I’m going to fix the western drought in all western states right here, right now. End lawn watering. That’s it. It’s not Kentucky out here. Taking the associated chemical fetilizer out of play would help the watersheds too.

For sure! When living in Ohio and Virginia, if it rained a lot during summer, the lawn was green. If it didn't rain a lot, the lawn went dormant and came back the following spring. That being said, after traveling through much of the PNW the past week I was much more aware of the irrigation systems used to water crops, and many of them are NOT efficient. Old sprayer methods that lose God-only-knows how much to evaporation and wind. So much could be done and should have been done decades ago when the alarms started to ring that this kind of drought could be coming and coming on a regular basis.

Meanwhile Yellowstone is closed due to flooding and Red Lodge, MT is badly flooded. These events aren't the result of "yaay, look, it's raining!" but "Oh geez, the climate is changing and this is going to happen more often and be horrific in burn zones". Feast or famine at a much exaggerated level. The Spokane River was off the charts incredible last weekend--several rivers in WA were approaching flood stage due to incredible amounts of rain.

 

[Lorenzzo]

For sure! When living in Ohio and Virginia, if it rained a lot during summer, the lawn was green. If it didn't rain a lot, the lawn went dormant and came back the following spring. That being said, after traveling through much of the PNW the past week I was much more aware of the irrigation systems used to water crops, and many of them are NOT efficient. Old sprayer methods that lose God-only-knows how much to evaporation and wind. So much could be done and should have been done decades ago when the alarms started to ring that this kind of drought could be coming and coming on a regular basis.

Meanwhile Yellowstone is closed due to flooding and Red Lodge, MT is badly flooded. These events aren't the result of "yaay, look, it's raining!" but "Oh geez, the climate is changing and this is going to happen more often and be horrific in burn zones". Feast or famine at a much exaggerated level. The Spokane River was off the charts incredible last weekend--several rivers in WA were approaching flood stage due to incredible amounts of rain.

Yes, Ive enjoyed banner snow years in WY when UT had little.

Water rights can have harsh consequences but are long-settled law. Here we have endless acres constantly summer irrigated into the wind for low yield feed crops in the midst of an historic drought and diminishing reservoirs.

 

[blackke17]

IKON't ski Solitude anymore because IKON't stand the crowds

 

[Wendy]

This was the dusty view I saw upon returning to the greater Salt Lake valley yesterday, kicked up by winds ahead of a cold front. AQI was yellow just from the dust coming off the now very dry lake bed.
View attachment 171162

This is I-70 near Green River, UT yesterday:

My husband said the dust out there was awful the last few days. He can’t wait to get back east where it’s not so dry and dusty.

 

[RJS]

I foresee myself leaving when my daughter graduates high school. After spending the past 8 days in the PNW, I'm ready to go back.

Come join us: https://www.skitalk.com/threads/2021-2022-pnw-ski-resorts-conditions-meetups.24004/

Oregon is the first place I've lived out west but I really like it. The skiing is much better than in New England. Compared to Utah the PNW is largely more expensive and our ski areas are generally more crowded, but we get almost as much snow or in some cases more snow than the Cottonwoods (also, heavier snow and cooler springs mean that our spring skiing lasts much longer) and our air quality is better, plus if you live on the west side you won't have to worry about water. It's snowing right now at the summit of Skibowl, the smallest of the three Mount Hood ski areas. Skibowl gets less snow than most PNW ski areas but still got 341" this season through the end of April and likely got another 2-3 feet in May after they stopped counting. Timberline got 6" in the last three days and is now at 593" for the season with a 138" base at 6000' with summer skiing up to 8,500'.

I do envy the better snow quality of the Cottonwoods and they have better terrain than anywhere in Oregon, although the terrain at Crystal/Baker/Stevens in Washington is as good in my opinion as Solitude/Brighton but slightly behind Alta/Snowbird. I also love how much choice there is in the greater Salt Lake area. The PNW has multiple ski areas but they are spread out and for the most part on different pass products. Even with the red snake it's a much longer trip from Seattle to go skiing than it is from Salt Lake, not to mention being able to take public transportation. We have traffic problems on weekends and powder days too, and when the skiing is good places will park out early.

Like everything in life there are pros and cons and each place is better for some people and worse for others. I love living in the PNW but I cannot wait to hopefully take a trip to go skiing in Utah next winter!

 

[AmyPJ]

Come join us: https://www.skitalk.com/threads/2021-2022-pnw-ski-resorts-conditions-meetups.24004/

Oregon is the first place I've lived out west but I really like it. The skiing is much better than in New England. Compared to Utah the PNW is largely more expensive and our ski areas are generally more crowded, but we get almost as much snow or in some cases more snow than the Cottonwoods (also, heavier snow and cooler springs mean that our spring skiing lasts much longer) and our air quality is better, plus if you live on the west side you won't have to worry about water. It's snowing right now at the summit of Skibowl, the smallest of the three Mount Hood ski areas. Skibowl gets less snow than most PNW ski areas but still got 341" this season through the end of April and likely got another 2-3 feet in May after they stopped counting. Timberline got 6" in the last three days and is now at 593" for the season with a 138" base at 6000' with summer skiing up to 8,500'.

I do envy the better snow quality of the Cottonwoods and they have better terrain than anywhere in Oregon, although the terrain at Crystal/Baker/Stevens in Washington is as good in my opinion as Solitude/Brighton but slightly behind Alta/Snowbird. I also love how much choice there is in the greater Salt Lake area. The PNW has multiple ski areas but they are spread out and for the most part on different pass products. Even with the red snake it's a much longer trip from Seattle to go skiing than it is from Salt Lake, not to mention being able to take public transportation. We have traffic problems on weekends and powder days too, and when the skiing is good places will park out early.

Like everything in life there are pros and cons and each place is better for some people and worse for others. I love living in the PNW but I cannot wait to hopefully take a trip to go skiing in Utah next winter!

We'd likely end up in the Spokane area but we'll see if that can happen since it'll be very dependent on jobs. That being said, I grew up in the PNW and my whole family is still there so I'm pretty versed on the different areas and ski areas, etc. And yes, the access to skiing here is unparalleled but the cost to health from air quality from smog and now dust is becoming a bigger deterrent to staying here. With shorter winters and longer summers, access to great MTB trails is growing in importance. It's a tough call with wildfire smoke now becoming a regular part of the equation. I just know that Utah has done a horrible job of managing growth and the industrial/residential interface for decades and it's really showing as the growth of the area spreads.

I'm kind of tired of regularly dealing with sinus headaches and infections.

 

[ss20]

Great day at Alta today, June 15th. Skiing might be continuous to the bottom... there is a very short walking patch at the Collins angle station but there could be a way around it. I hiked Baldy shoulder, then traversed/5 minute hiked up to the top of the Saddle, then hiked 5 minutes out of the stream bed towards the Collin's mid station and skied ShNina's all the way. Perfect weather. I hiked, did not skin. Took me the same amount of time to get up as the skinner's. 90% of my hike was on dry ground, 10% was on snow that had already been bootpacked. Get it while you can, gonna be a lot more patches in a week or so. Bottom of Corkscrew will be walking required probably by the weekend.

 

[justaute]

Come join us: https://www.skitalk.com/threads/2021-2022-pnw-ski-resorts-conditions-meetups.24004/

Oregon is the first place I've lived out west but I really like it. The skiing is much better than in New England. Compared to Utah the PNW is largely more expensive and our ski areas are generally more crowded, but we get almost as much snow or in some cases more snow than the Cottonwoods (also, heavier snow and cooler springs mean that our spring skiing lasts much longer) and our air quality is better, plus if you live on the west side you won't have to worry about water. It's snowing right now at the summit of Skibowl, the smallest of the three Mount Hood ski areas. Skibowl gets less snow than most PNW ski areas but still got 341" this season through the end of April and likely got another 2-3 feet in May after they stopped counting. Timberline got 6" in the last three days and is now at 593" for the season with a 138" base at 6000' with summer skiing up to 8,500'.

I do envy the better snow quality of the Cottonwoods and they have better terrain than anywhere in Oregon, although the terrain at Crystal/Baker/Stevens in Washington is as good in my opinion as Solitude/Brighton but slightly behind Alta/Snowbird. I also love how much choice there is in the greater Salt Lake area. The PNW has multiple ski areas but they are spread out and for the most part on different pass products. Even with the red snake it's a much longer trip from Seattle to go skiing than it is from Salt Lake, not to mention being able to take public transportation. We have traffic problems on weekends and powder days too, and when the skiing is good places will park out early.

Like everything in life there are pros and cons and each place is better for some people and worse for others. I love living in the PNW but I cannot wait to hopefully take a trip to go skiing in Utah next winter!

I just might join Amy in moving to (not back to) the PNW, unless Canada takes me. haha

 

[Rudi Riet]

Not sure if anyone here saw the news drop last night, but the Park City Planning Commission blocked PCMR's plans to replace the Eagle and Eaglet lifts with a high-speed detachable lift, as well as the upgrade of Silverlode lift from a HS6 to HS8.

Most of the hubub was due to parking concerns, something for which I have a highly charged opinion that I won't get into on this genteel forum. Want to see my take? Find my Twitter comments on the matter.

It's too bad the lifts were blocked because they're sorely needed to clear up the logjam on the Park City side of things. Replacing Eagle/Eaglet with a re-aligned HS lift would help clear the bottleneck at the base as well as the sea of people at Crescent, and upgrading Silverlode to an 8-pack is long overdue. Perhaps for 2023-24...

 

[4ster]

^At least Vail doesn’t own the planning commission…
…yet

 

[Lorenzzo]

Not sure if anyone here saw the news drop last night, but the Park City Planning Commission blocked PCMR's plans to replace the Eagle and Eaglet lifts with a high-speed detachable lift, as well as the upgrade of Silverlode lift from a HS6 to HS8.

Most of the hubub was due to parking concerns, something for which I have a highly charged opinion that I won't get into on this genteel forum. Want to see my take? Find my Twitter comments on the matter.

It's too bad the lifts were blocked because they're sorely needed to clear up the logjam on the Park City side of things. Replacing Eagle/Eaglet with a re-aligned HS lift would help clear the bottleneck at the base as well as the sea of people at Crescent, and upgrading Silverlode to an 8-pack is long overdue. Perhaps for 2023-24...

My take is at this point PC the town and government will use any means available to force Vail to be a better business both to frequent and live near. Vail has gone well past their goodwill capital balance in Park City. Alterra has been, well, pretty much flipping the bird to Park City too. If these operators want things from the city going forward it’s going to have to be more transactional with value going to both sides.

 

[Daniel]

My husband is in southern UT now doing geology fieldwork. I used to go there every summer with him for years. The Paria River (shown below) used to be full of water in June. In fact, it never really ran dry during the summer; there was always water. Now, in early June, it’s completely dry:

View attachment 170944

Soil moisture content is a better indicator than snowfall in projecting drought and it’s WAY below normal. So it would take a lot of above average snowfall seasons to make up the deficit. Even typical arid plants like sage, Mormon tea and Juniper are stressed.

Wow! Seeing the Paria in such a dry condition is really sad. Have spent quite a bit of time in and along the river in late Spring and Summer going back many years: from backpacking from the House Rock Valley Road through Buckskin Gulch (and also through Wire Pass - different trip) out to the Paria and all the way along it to the confluence of the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry, AZ to an eight-day all off-road dirt bike adventure with 3 motorcycle friends from just outside the southern border of UT (AZ) to just outside the northern border of UT (ID). The section of the Paria along the Cottonwood Wash Road was one of the best rivers in UT to ride in at high speed shooting huge rooster tails of water at each other.

Here's a photo of a photo of me in Paria River Canyon from another backpacking trip which originated at the White House trailhead. Most of the time spent transiting the deep depths of the canyon was in the cool water of the Paria River.

 

[ss20]

My take is at this point PC the town and government will use any means available to force Vail to be a better business both to frequent and live near. Vail has gone well past their goodwill capital balance in Park City. Alterra has been, well, pretty much flipping the bird to Park City too. If these operators want things from the city going forward it’s going to have to be more transactional with value going to both sides.

Yep, and as it should be.

Want new lifts? Fix the traffic, parking, and build more employee housing. All of which have gotten wayyyyy out of control since Canyons/PC/Deer Valley were all independently owned. Vail has had what? 10 years to address these issues? It's only gotten worse and worse and worse. I'm sure the locals would gladly do 10% less business volume for the sake of having free-flowing traffic in town/the highway 5 days a week, be able to find a parking spot at 11am for lunch turns, and have rent costs stop growing exponentially. Of course Vail isn't going to out-price their clientele to reduce skier visits that much, so they need to build/fund/at least participate in the planning of- the infrastructure that supports it. None of which is happening. At all.

 

[Wendy]

Wow! Seeing the Paria in such a dry condition is really sad. Have spent quite a bit of time in and along the river in late Spring and Summer going back many years: from backpacking from the House Rock Valley Road through Buckskin Gulch (and also through Wire Pass - different trip) out to the Paria and all the way along it to the confluence of the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry, AZ to an eight-day all off-road dirt bike adventure with 3 motorcycle friends from just outside the southern border of UT (AZ) to just outside the northern border of UT (ID). The section of the Paria along the Cottonwood Wash Road was one of the best rivers in UT to ride in at high speed shooting huge rooster tails of water at each other.

Here's a photo of a photo of me in Paria River Canyon from another backpacking trip which originated at the White House trailhead. Most of the time spent transiting the deep depths of the canyon was in the cool water of the Paria River.

View attachment 171437

Have done lots of traveling on the Cottonwood Wash Road and off intersecting tracts, and lots of canyoneering down there. Buckskin Gulch is cool.