Utah 3 Weeks in Utah 2022 (Ikon Resorts)

[Chip]

Currently starting to plan for a 3 week trip to Utah for Feb-Mar 2022.
This trip was originally planned for Feb-Mar 2021, but we ended up cancelling due to Covid. So now I'm back in the planning stages.
Looking for advice on where to stay and any other tips from all you Utah skiers. My plan is to rent a house/apartment in the Salt Lake area that will give me easy access to Solitude/Brighton and Alta/Snowbird and prolly make a few trips over to Deer Valley as well.
I'll be driving out from NC and will be bringing our dog as well.
TIA

 

[Gary Stolt]

There are condos available at the base of the canyon close to where the right turn takes you to LCC or straight takes you to BCC.

 

[mdf]

There are condos available at the base of the canyon close to where the right turn takes you to LCC or straight takes you to BCC.

There are some nice ones there in Cottonwood Heights that are not too expensive. If you go a couple more miles into Sandy or other surrounding towns you can probably get something a little cheaper. You do need to work out a strategy for dealing with canyon traffic -- at peak times or when there are road closures it can take awhile.

 

[Chip]

There are some nice ones there in Cottonwood Heights that are not too expensive. If you go a couple more miles into Sandy or other surrounding towns you can probably get something a little cheaper. You do need to work out a strategy for dealing with canyon traffic -- at peak times or when there are road closures it can take awhile.

Yep- The traffic issues are unknown to me- I hope someone can school me on this aspect of the area. We will have our 4x4 4 runner so that should help.
Is the traffic terrible during the week? Just weekends? I would assume big dump days for sure.

 

[mdf]

The biggest issues are when the Utah department of transportation closes the road for avalanche mitigation. They post when their plans, and snowbird often posts info about it by the lifts. If the road is open for a one hour window you can imagine the red snake all the way down. Only happens in exceptionally large storm cycles (like 2 years ago).

edit - for jams on the way up, if you are sufficiently committed apparently you can drive up *before* the morning avalanche shot closures. I forget the times, but there is a pattern, like closing 6 to 7am or maybe it's 7 to 8 am. Not that I've ever done that myself -- the only time I've beat the crowd is when I stayed up-canyon.

 

[Jim Kenney]

Hopefully, parking will be back to mostly normal, although I understand Alta will be paid parking next year.

Full or basic Ikon? If full, go to the busy places on Presidents Weekend becasue the basic black out means they'll be empty.

Snowbird and Alta generally have modest crowds on weekdays, but when there is a well advertised storm coming the locals will play hooky in big numbers in mid-sesason. They'll come in huge numbers if it snow just before a weekend.

The best is when they call for a little 2 or 3 inches new snow on a weekday and it actually snows 8 or 10 because it will catch the spoiled locals not bothering to take the day off for 3 inches. You get free refills all day.

I don't know the BCC resorts as well, but I guess I would say Brighton is your best bet when everything in BCC and LCC look like they'll be busy. At Snowbird I have developed strategies to avoid the worst lift lines on busy days. Some lifts don't get as much traffic at certain times of the day and thats when you ski them. Deer Valley could work very well on days when you think it will be busy in BCC and LCC. They have a nice spread of lifts and there are always lightly used ones in the far corners of the resort.

Depending on what kind and age of tires you have, you might invest in a $50 set of chains. You might only need them one day, but it could be the best powder day of your life

I saw a couple with two large old dogs in their SUV parked beside the slopes yesterday. It was 55-60 degs and they kept the windows down and said the dogs would be fine while they skied for a few hours.

from 2021:
Snowbird


Deer Valley


Brighton


Alta

Didn't get to Solitude this winter, but from the past

 

[Chip]

@Jim Kenney we have the Ikon base- so solitude is unlimited and the others all have 5 days. We'll head out during Presidents weekend and plan to check in either Monday or Tuesday so we'll miss any blackout dates while we are out there.
We haven't skied many of these resorts, so we don't know our way around (I'll be asking many questions as we get close). We were out in Park City back in the 80's and did ski DV a couple times and skied 1 day at Alta.
So what is modest crowd at Alta/Snowbird? Are we talking long waits at lifts- or just a couple minutes.
Will parking be an issue next year at these resorts- with the way things are opening up I would think it would be back to the old normal we all love and miss....

As for tires- I'll be due to get new ones soon, but getting some chains is on the radar- thanks for the tip.

As for the dog- she'll just sleep her hearts content during the day at the house

 

[blackke17]

Usually need to get into the canyon before 7am to beat the closures for storm days and those are some of the most terrifying drives you'll ever encounter. pitch black outside , white out conditions. cant see a thing and high consequences if you go off the road. Good times!

 

[DanoT]

I saw a couple with two large old dogs in their SUV parked beside the slopes yesterday. It was 55-60 degs and they kept the windows down and said the dogs would be fine while they skied for a few hours.

Dogs aren't allowed in BCC or LCC due to drinking water catchment for greater SLC. so

 

[Jim Kenney]

Dogs aren't allowed in BCC or LCC due to drinking water catchment for greater SLC. so

Good point, you are correct now that I think about it. They said they were from a couple hours away and didn't want to leave the dogs at home. Maybe they didn't know the local dog law, or chose to ignore it? I haven't had a dog in about ten years and don't think much about doggie factors.

 

[Gary Stolt]

There is some good advise here, from people that ski LCC and BCC a lot. We usually stay in Midvale, which is central, cheap, and close to a wide variety of restaurants. Even though Snowbasin is not on the IKON, it is still worth a visit, a good hour away.

 

[Chip]

There is some good advise here, from people that ski LCC and BCC a lot. We usually stay in Midvale, which is central, cheap, and close to a wide variety of restaurants. Even though Snowbasin is not on the IKON, it is still worth a visit, a good hour away.

thanks for the tip-
This is kind of where I've been looking- do you usually book with vrbo and/or airbnb? Or something local?
We went to Snowbasin and Pow Mountain a couple of years ago and would love to go back. It's in the plans...

 

[Ogg]

thanks for the tip-
This is kind of where I've been looking- do you usually book with vrbo and/or airbnb? Or something local?
We went to Snowbasin and Pow Mountain a couple of years ago and would love to go back. It's in the plans...

There are a good number of residence hotels as well as many VRBO options. Some of the hotels have quite nice suites and amenities so you get the best of both worlds. VRBO will probably get you a bigger place for the price but your pretty much stuck with any issues/funkiness.

 

[Gary Stolt]

thanks for the tip-
This is kind of where I've been looking- do you usually book with vrbo and/or airbnb? Or something local?
We went to Snowbasin and Pow Mountain a couple of years ago and would love to go back. It's in the plans...

If skiing only a few days, we usually stay at a motel in Midvale, However, if staying 3 weeks, I would definitely look into a condo. When you find one that fits, check VRBO, airbnb, vacasa, etc as they share listings but not the listing fee. If you are not looking at the original listing, there may very well be multiple listing fees in the final price.

 

[Chip]

Last year we had a house booked through airbnb but had to cancel. I was just wondering if there were other options for condo/house rentals in the SLC area other than vrbo and airbnb.

 

[DanoT]

I once shared a chairlift ride at Solitude with a guy who was staying at Studio 6 in Midvale. https://www.reservations.com/hotels/midvale-utah/brands/studio-6

There are other Extend-a Stay places in Midvale as well.

 

[Chip]

OK- reviving this thread as the trip is getting close-
So some updates-
We booked a nice 2 BR basement apartment in Sandy- just about 30 minutes to LCC and BCC resorts and 40 to DV.
No dog.

I've been reading up on many of the posts about paid parking and it doesn't seem that bad- I understand the locals are still pissed and that seems fair. But as an outsider that doesn't get to ski these awesome resorts everyday/every week- I'll pay the parking and still enjoy the awesome skiing with a big smile.
My understanding is Alta is paid parking on weekends only. Is this correct? I'm not planning on skiing either Alta or Snowbird on weekends- so that should be a non issue.
What about Solitude? Is that paid parking 7 days a week still?
Looking at DV- seems like there is free parking as well as paid parking. The free sounds good to me.
Anything else I need to know about parking at these resorts?

Traffic and road closures- What's the go to website for this info?

The plan right now is a buddy and I will drive out from NC and arrive in Sandy on Feb 21 and will start skiing on Tuesday the 22nd. We'll miss the blackout days for the Ikon pass. Now my buddy doesn't have the Ikon and will only be skiing for 4 or 5 days before heading out. I know the Ikon has the 25% discount, but are there any other ways of getting cheaper lift tickets?
What about a good place for him to get some rentals? Looking for recommendations- preferably in the Salt Lake area and not at a mountain.

Many more questions to follow for sure

 

[Jim Kenney]

Don't think you'll have a problem or need to pay for parking at Snowbird on weekdays, esp if no fresh snow: https://www.snowbird.com/parking/

 

[DanoT]

Renting skis from an on mountain shop allows you to swap skis during the day for bad tune, wrong ski for the conditions, just not the right ski: too soft, too stiff, too damp, etc.

 

[cosmoliu]

The Lifthouse Ski Shop is very handy for rentals and skiing knick knacks- at the stop light for the road going up to Big Cottonwood Canyon. They also have discounted tickets for all the resorts. At least they did the last time I checked in there a couple of years ago.

The Lifthouse Ski Shop

From ski rentals and guidance for a first skiing experience, to gear and advice for experts, we have everything you need to get out on the slopes. Brands include: Rossignol, ARC’TERYX , Patagonia, Dynastar, DPS, Völkl, Kastle, Stöckli, Blizzard, Head, Nordica, Technica, Marker, Hestra and many more.

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