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rickg

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Hello all,

Starting to plan a trip to Utah. Want to stay in Alta Snowbird area. Anyone have a suggestion for a reasonable on mountain condo? We may or may not have a car, so would like to walk to lift or be right on shuttle line. Of course ski in ski out would be great, but probably out of my price range.

Thanks all!

Rick G

PS Glad to see that Pugski has kept the love alive from Epic Ski.
 

Jim Kenney

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When you thinking of going Rick? I get out there a lot these days. My son lives in SLC. Big gathering is there Mar 3-10, 2018 with free guides, extreme hucking, lunch time cookouts, wine flowing like beer, and apreski insanity. All ending by 830PM:roflmao:
 
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Lofcaudio

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The lodging options at both Alta and Snowbird are fairly limited. If you are going to be staying anywhere close to Alta and Snowbird, it's going to be basically ski-in, ski-out. I'm a huge fan of the lodges at Alta as they include a nice dining experience to great location and ambiance. How many are in your party? What is your budget (per night for lodging)? You mention "price range", so what exactly is that? Alta/Bird is a bit all-or-nothing as far as lodging is concerned, because your next closest place to stay is down in the SLC valley.
 

Beartown

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I just planned/booked a trip to Alta/Bird for February. Group of 7 guys. We placed a high value on ski in/out over other amenities (restaurants, nightlife, etc). Found a number of places on VRBO, as well as the resort lodging. We are ski-in/out at Snowbird, but not right at the main lodge complex (snowbird center/cliff lodge/restaurants/etc). I think we're going to have to drive to eat out, even at Snowbird (no real good way to walk down there). We are paying $130/night/person for a nice big condo with separate beds for all. Depending on how many people you have and how many people are willing to share beds, you can do it for much cheaper. I have stayed at the Cliff Lodge in the past, and it would be very easy to stay there without a car (a few walkable restaurants, free shuttle to Alta), but it's pretty pricey. Alta has a few options, including "all inclusive" packages with meals included.

I have also stayed at cheap motels in Cottonwood Heights/Sandy and driven up daily. Depending on your party size/makeup, the savings on lodging may be enough to justify car rental. You always run the risk of the canyon road closing (always get 4WD/AWD and snow tires on your rental!), but that is not super common. The biggest downside is not being able to roll out of bed, step into your skis and take off. That feeling is tough to put a price on.
 

Jim McDonald

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@Beartown, where did you get a rental with snow tires in SLC?
 

Jim McDonald

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Thanks much; I'll check into that!
 
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rickg

rickg

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When you thinking of going Rick? I get out there a lot these days. My son lives in SLC. Big gathering is there Mar 3-10, 2018 with free guides, extreme hucking, lunch time cookouts, wine flowing like beer, and apreski insanity. All ending by 830PM:roflmao:

Actually, that is the week we are looking at. I will start reading the thread and if we make will definitely hook up for some turns.

Rick g
 
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rickg

rickg

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The lodging options at both Alta and Snowbird are fairly limited. If you are going to be staying anywhere close to Alta and Snowbird, it's going to be basically ski-in, ski-out. I'm a huge fan of the lodges at Alta as they include a nice dining experience to great location and ambiance. How many are in your party? What is your budget (per night for lodging)? You mention "price range", so what exactly is that? Alta/Bird is a bit all-or-nothing as far as lodging is concerned, because your next closest place to stay is down in the SLC valley.

There will be 4 in our party. As for price range, I would like to keep the land portion around $1500 pp. Is that realistic?

Thanks,

Rick G
 

Jim McDonald

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Hmm, this from the Hertz reservations site:

Ski Equipped Vehicles
Vehicles are equipped with all-weather tires at most locations, snow tires or chains are available in some non-US countries.
 

mdf

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Yeah, I used to get the unnecessary ski rack package to improve my chances of AWD, since I figured that was what they put the ski racks on. Now I just reserve a small SUV or cross-over and check for AWD and tread when I get it.

I believe Quebec rental cars have snow tires, because it is a provincial requirement for all cars.
 

Lofcaudio

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There will be 4 in our party.

Depending on the makeup of your party of 4, you could definitely stay in a dorm room at Goldminer's Daughter that falls well within your budget (especially when you consider that your meals are included!).

https://www.goldminersdaughterlodge.com/stay/dorm/

If you are two couples, a dorm room probably isn't going to work. But if 4 guys...I would do it in a heartbeat. Goldminer's Daughter is right at the base of Alta. You walk right out and the Collins lift is right there. And the meals are outstanding! (Alcohol does cost extra though.)
 

eggraid101

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We are planning a trip out there Feb 8-18, and we are planning to throw a couple of ski days in at Snowbasin as well. It seems like it might be best to stay at Alta/Snowbird and then move closer to Snowbasin for a few days. Is there a difference in crowds on weekends in Utah?
 

Crank

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Craigslist. No really. Was 3 or 4 seasons ago I found a slope side studio condo in Snowbird's Iron Blossam building for $600 for a week. Seems like locals advertise there to dump some unused timeshare weeks. I was dubious about the whole deal and called the Iron Blossam management to make sure it was legit before I paid. Not as nice as Cliff Lodge, but not bad and right there at Snowbird. It was cheaper than a so so hotel in SLC. Also saved on car rental and took a shuttle to resort.
 

TonyC

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Alta/Snowbird visitation is about half local, so definitely more people on the weekends. Snowbasin is not as quiet as it used to be, but eggraid1 should probably try to plan weekend days at Snowbasin.
 

New2

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I'd definitely encourage weekdays over weekends at Alta. Snowbird v. Snowbasin weekend crowding is very condition-dependent...
  • Storm days: Snowbird's more crowded, but conditions there are likely to be vastly superior. Snowbasin has a serious fog problem in storms and it's likely that at least a third of the mountain (Strawberry) will be closed.
  • Day-after-a-storm: Both will be crowded, but the crowds will be significantly worse at Snowbird
  • Sunny days without fresh powder: the locals can't be bothered, so Snowbird's uncrowded; Snowbasin will feel a bit more crowded, but shouldn't be problematic
On clear or day-after-a-storm weekends, traffic from LCC to Snowbasin and back will be nonexistent, so I think my recommendation would be to just stay the whole trip at Alta or Snowbird and stay flexible to drive or Uber a couple days to Snowbasin when conditions look to be right. Assuming it's within your budget, at least.
 

eggraid101

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It is a hassle to pack everything up and move, maybe we should just stay put.
 

TonyC

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It is a hassle to pack everything up and move, maybe we should just stay put.
If you are staying in Salt Lake, the drive to Snowbasin is an easy hour. If staying in LCC no it's probably not worth leaving. Maybe on arrival or departure day if the schedule fits.
 

Jim McDonald

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I'm still pondering the +/- of driving time vs cost & moving hassle. Leaning toward sticking with a Midvale base.
 

mdf

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Last time the Gathering was in Utah, I stayed in Eden for the Snowbasin days and then moved to Goldminer's Daughter for the Alta/Snowbird days, and stayed in a hotel in the valley near the mouth of the canyon for Solitude and then the airport. This time I'm staying put in a group house in the valley for the whole thing and commuting each day. Most non-Gathering trips I've stayed in a motel in Sandy or Midvale. Pre-Mountain Collective Pass we bought a discount ticket for the next day at a ski shop on the way home each day. Pluses and minuses to each strategy.
 

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