G'day,
I'm a Solitude season pass holder. Conditions in BCC will almost always mirror conditions in LCC and vice-versa. All four of the Cottonwood Canyon resorts are in extremely close proximity to each other. In regard to conditions at Solitude, it has only a fraction of its normal snowpack for this time of year. This has resulted in a reduced amount of terrain open and some of the terrain that is open is, in my opinion, very marginal. Thus far I'm being quite selective in where I choose to ski and ride. We have a pretty long season and I'm a risk mitigator. Not interested in sustaining any type of injury that will jeopardize my ability to participate in the next (hopefully) four-plus months of skiing and riding or all the other outdoor recreational activities I routinely indulge in. I also prefer not to trash my gear. That being said, there is a relatively small minority that is venturing into said questionable terrain. I don't see much reward for the risk being taken.
Surprisingly, crowds since the day after Xmas have been very robust. I believe this is also true for the other Cottonwood Canyon and Park City-based resorts. This has resulted in significant crowding on many groomed runs and something one rarely experiences at Soli, lift lines. Normally I do the vast majority of my riding and skiing off piste and when off piste conditions aren't suitable to my liking I rest up for the next storm cycle; however, this season I've been overdosing on groomers. I think I've already equalled or exceeded my usual seasonal allotment. Groomers are where the best and safest snow surfaces/conditions are currently found. The mix of man-made to natural snow on the runs is a long way from optimal for my tastes but I'm spoiled by living and skiing/riding here for the past 30+ years. Every day during chair lift rides I hear out-of-towners raving about the snow so I suppose it compares favorably to what they're used to but it's not up to the usual Wasatch standard.
Today the parking lot filled up and vehicles were parked on the canyon road. This doesn't normally happen as a result of a paltry five-inch storm but locals are starved for any snow. It was a sunny day with mild temperatures. There are a number of groomed runs where rock and debris avoidance is not an issue but the combination of large crowds, limited terrain, and a big dose of man-made has resulted in patches of snow with a polished surface emerging by noon, or sooner on crowded days like today. I suspect this coming week will see greatly reduced numbers of skiers and riders but things will ramp up again with the upcoming holiday weekend. The best surface conditions are found first thing in the morning. There's also fewer participants and no lift queues at that time.
I don't have photos or first-hand experience this season thus far at Brighton or Deer Valley. I do have ski and/or riding privileges at both as a result of my pass but have been blacked out through today. Brighton has two-thirds the acreage of Soli and typically has larger crowds so I expect conditions to be similar there. Deer Valley (and Park City) don't receive the quantity or quite the same quality of snow as the CC resorts and are more dependent on man-made. Generally speaking, the terrain there is less rugged/rocky as well so they don't require the same coverage. Sorry but I also don't have any instructor recommendations. I wish this condition report had better news. We do have a storm approaching and will arrive in a couple days but we need a series of major impulses moving through to bring conditions up to just normal for this time of year.
