Spring is here and, despite the fine corn on Stowe, my east coast season is coming to a close. But, that leaves me time to let you all know how a couple trips out west went – most especially my old man’s assault on Park City.
Right up front, let me say that PCMR delivered in spades for Pop. I know things were snowier up the canyon, but the ability to be right downtown, walk to the town lift, and escape the hassle of parking, driving, and crowds was fantastic. We stayed in a nice little house about 500 feet from the overpass to the Town Lift. Perfect, and just like parking in the Gondi lot back home. Dad was very happy.
Weather was easily the weirdest week I’ve ever seen. The first three days were straight up spring skiing conditions, 40-50 degrees and sunny. Grabby snow in spots, but the bumps were fun. We caught one morning off McConkey’s that saw Sundog freshly groomed and it was beautiful creamy snow all along skier’s left. Dad gamely took a few runs and was pleasantly surprised that he could handle a west coast black trail. More importantly, the view from up there was wonderful. We caught a couple bluebird days and, to our east coast eyes, the scene was plenty majestic. Yes, it’s not the Canadian Rockies, but you Utah guys sell yourselves short. I thought it was fantastic.
Then, praise be to Ullr, we found ourselves gifted with a 12-18 inch dump and a real deal powder day. Unfortunately for Dad, skiing heavy pow beat him up pretty good and he found himself staying on the groomers most of the day. The first few runs of untracked were OK, but his 3-D skiing skills are not great and powering through chop wasn’t his jam. I have to remind myself that he’s 77 sometimes and not to push too hard. It was also day 4 of the trip and he’d already spent 3 days hammering hard bumps and keeping up with kids half his age.
We were joined on this trip by my brothers-in-law and we broke away from Dad for a single run up the Jupiter lift. I’ve discovered that boutique skis and indie brand snow gear have a way of acting like a secret handshake with some locals. On a chairlift earlier in the week, a local gave me a rundown on Scott’s Bowl and where to take a couple advanced but not expert skiers. It was perfect. The bowl is accessible with a short hike (kind of fun for those who never do the backcountry) and the further you push to the left for your drop in, the shallower the pitch. It was just right for us as I could drop the steep side while my BILs pushed left and had their first experience in steep and deep snow. Epic.
After rejoining Dad, we lapped the Motherlode lift and I took full advantage of west coast tree skiing. It’s like a superhighway in there, kids, if you’re used to eastern pines. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew continued to chase freshies where they could find them until 4:00 chased us from the hill. Towards the end of the day, BILs and Dad moved down to the base area and lapped Widowmaker and Naildriver while I returned to McConkey’s. While the Jupiter lift line was an easy 20 minutes, McConkey’s held nary a line. I had also been let in on a little “secret” where one can traverse into the lower 2/3rds of the bowl off of Jupiter peak and skip the hike up. While the extra vert would have been nice, the time involved would have cost me 4-5 runs of beautiful open pow skiing. I’ll take that trade.
après-ski in town is fantastic and we hit the usual suspects. We talked our way into High West and a table, somehow, and the food was fantastic. We universally liked the Prairie Bourbon the best, but some had a taste for their Rendezvous Rye as well. The Utah liquor laws befuddled us all week as we tried to remember where you can get real beer and where you get the weak stuff. Dad held it down at the No Name (see the pics) and was something of a minor celebrity when people found out he was 77, picked up skiing 5 years ago, and was now ripping it all over the mountain.
The most surreal moment of the trip was an après visit to St. Regis which, to my wallet, may as well have been a trip to the Moon. $20 Old Fashioneds, ski bunnies hopped up on bottles of Veuve, and a couple of stuffed sheep wearing ski goggles are all the details I remember. Dad took it all in with a smile and decided that Deer Valley was probably not the mountain for us. He was curious if you needed a credit check before you rode the lifts.
The flights in and out were easy and SLC was a piece of cake to navigate. The folks at Pro Trans run a great shuttle. Dad finished the trip and, with a curmudgeonly grin, said he might even be willing to do it again someday. Win! We really only got one day on the Canyons’ side and never up to 9990 or the steeper stuff. Plenty of fun on the cruisers, though, and a side jaunt down Diablo was the highlight for team BIL.
While I’m at it, I also managed to score a couple extra days of west coast skiing after a business trip to Denver. Only one Brother-in-law for this trip, but the strongest skier of my extended family. We got two days in at Breck and, holy moly, that was a blast.
More pictures attached, but the two of us managed to hit most of Peak 6, except the closed stuff off to skier’s left, and got a perfect, spring corn day of laps in the Imperial Bowl. Day 2 saw increased wind, which was a blessing in disguise as the gusts pushed us down the hill and onto the E chair. Now, that’s some fun terrain! Devil’s Crotch was about as fun a steep bump run as you can have and the E Chair liftline deserves a place in all time great underchair runs.
Altitude was definitely a factor and I found myself out of gas far more often at Breck than I ever did at PC. And, while PC was fun and the town can’t be beat, I think I’ll bring the family to Breck when we come out for another trip. The chair served, above treeline terrain was unlike anything I’ve encountered and something I’m hoping to expose both Dad and my own kids to.
This forum was invaluable for tips and hints that I took full advantage of. Thanks to all who gave input and even more thanks to those who encouraged these shenanigans. I know many folks harsh on the Epic pass and the effects it has on our home mountains. But I will stand up for them and say this. The Epic pass is the single most effective tool I’ve seen to encourage ski travel. There’s no way I would have seen family ski with me at three different mountains on two coasts without the pass. And for that, I’m grateful. Just remind me I said that when I’m hacking my way through the President’s Day weekend crowds back home at the Fourrunner….
Dad owns the No Name Saloon.
Nice view off the backside of McConkey's
That bowl behind us is a real leg burner, but a hoot. The trees to the right are even more fun.
Team BIL conquers Diablo!
The pow begins...
Nerves and this sign almost lost me a BIL at Jupiter, but he pushed on!
Top of Scott's Bowl. Deeeeeeeeep! The steepest entries were behind me, but already tracked out. I found a nice slot with fresh snow and it was beautiful.
At the base of Scott's Bowl. Only been open again for a few months and a great place to introduce folks to bowl skiing.
Jupiter Peak runout selfie!
The snow gods were kind! The snobs thought it too heavy and wet, but you could've fooled me!
après at the St. Regis is otherworldly. Those sheep didn't stay on the shelf for long.
Only my father would blow dry skis before packing them.
It's Breck time! This sucker was steep, but fun.
Always bring a good ski photographer when you travel!
Especially on a bluebird day.
And ski with no fear as Ava the Avalanche Dog was on duty.
Right up front, let me say that PCMR delivered in spades for Pop. I know things were snowier up the canyon, but the ability to be right downtown, walk to the town lift, and escape the hassle of parking, driving, and crowds was fantastic. We stayed in a nice little house about 500 feet from the overpass to the Town Lift. Perfect, and just like parking in the Gondi lot back home. Dad was very happy.
Weather was easily the weirdest week I’ve ever seen. The first three days were straight up spring skiing conditions, 40-50 degrees and sunny. Grabby snow in spots, but the bumps were fun. We caught one morning off McConkey’s that saw Sundog freshly groomed and it was beautiful creamy snow all along skier’s left. Dad gamely took a few runs and was pleasantly surprised that he could handle a west coast black trail. More importantly, the view from up there was wonderful. We caught a couple bluebird days and, to our east coast eyes, the scene was plenty majestic. Yes, it’s not the Canadian Rockies, but you Utah guys sell yourselves short. I thought it was fantastic.
Then, praise be to Ullr, we found ourselves gifted with a 12-18 inch dump and a real deal powder day. Unfortunately for Dad, skiing heavy pow beat him up pretty good and he found himself staying on the groomers most of the day. The first few runs of untracked were OK, but his 3-D skiing skills are not great and powering through chop wasn’t his jam. I have to remind myself that he’s 77 sometimes and not to push too hard. It was also day 4 of the trip and he’d already spent 3 days hammering hard bumps and keeping up with kids half his age.
We were joined on this trip by my brothers-in-law and we broke away from Dad for a single run up the Jupiter lift. I’ve discovered that boutique skis and indie brand snow gear have a way of acting like a secret handshake with some locals. On a chairlift earlier in the week, a local gave me a rundown on Scott’s Bowl and where to take a couple advanced but not expert skiers. It was perfect. The bowl is accessible with a short hike (kind of fun for those who never do the backcountry) and the further you push to the left for your drop in, the shallower the pitch. It was just right for us as I could drop the steep side while my BILs pushed left and had their first experience in steep and deep snow. Epic.
After rejoining Dad, we lapped the Motherlode lift and I took full advantage of west coast tree skiing. It’s like a superhighway in there, kids, if you’re used to eastern pines. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew continued to chase freshies where they could find them until 4:00 chased us from the hill. Towards the end of the day, BILs and Dad moved down to the base area and lapped Widowmaker and Naildriver while I returned to McConkey’s. While the Jupiter lift line was an easy 20 minutes, McConkey’s held nary a line. I had also been let in on a little “secret” where one can traverse into the lower 2/3rds of the bowl off of Jupiter peak and skip the hike up. While the extra vert would have been nice, the time involved would have cost me 4-5 runs of beautiful open pow skiing. I’ll take that trade.
après-ski in town is fantastic and we hit the usual suspects. We talked our way into High West and a table, somehow, and the food was fantastic. We universally liked the Prairie Bourbon the best, but some had a taste for their Rendezvous Rye as well. The Utah liquor laws befuddled us all week as we tried to remember where you can get real beer and where you get the weak stuff. Dad held it down at the No Name (see the pics) and was something of a minor celebrity when people found out he was 77, picked up skiing 5 years ago, and was now ripping it all over the mountain.
The most surreal moment of the trip was an après visit to St. Regis which, to my wallet, may as well have been a trip to the Moon. $20 Old Fashioneds, ski bunnies hopped up on bottles of Veuve, and a couple of stuffed sheep wearing ski goggles are all the details I remember. Dad took it all in with a smile and decided that Deer Valley was probably not the mountain for us. He was curious if you needed a credit check before you rode the lifts.
The flights in and out were easy and SLC was a piece of cake to navigate. The folks at Pro Trans run a great shuttle. Dad finished the trip and, with a curmudgeonly grin, said he might even be willing to do it again someday. Win! We really only got one day on the Canyons’ side and never up to 9990 or the steeper stuff. Plenty of fun on the cruisers, though, and a side jaunt down Diablo was the highlight for team BIL.
While I’m at it, I also managed to score a couple extra days of west coast skiing after a business trip to Denver. Only one Brother-in-law for this trip, but the strongest skier of my extended family. We got two days in at Breck and, holy moly, that was a blast.
More pictures attached, but the two of us managed to hit most of Peak 6, except the closed stuff off to skier’s left, and got a perfect, spring corn day of laps in the Imperial Bowl. Day 2 saw increased wind, which was a blessing in disguise as the gusts pushed us down the hill and onto the E chair. Now, that’s some fun terrain! Devil’s Crotch was about as fun a steep bump run as you can have and the E Chair liftline deserves a place in all time great underchair runs.
Altitude was definitely a factor and I found myself out of gas far more often at Breck than I ever did at PC. And, while PC was fun and the town can’t be beat, I think I’ll bring the family to Breck when we come out for another trip. The chair served, above treeline terrain was unlike anything I’ve encountered and something I’m hoping to expose both Dad and my own kids to.
This forum was invaluable for tips and hints that I took full advantage of. Thanks to all who gave input and even more thanks to those who encouraged these shenanigans. I know many folks harsh on the Epic pass and the effects it has on our home mountains. But I will stand up for them and say this. The Epic pass is the single most effective tool I’ve seen to encourage ski travel. There’s no way I would have seen family ski with me at three different mountains on two coasts without the pass. And for that, I’m grateful. Just remind me I said that when I’m hacking my way through the President’s Day weekend crowds back home at the Fourrunner….
Dad owns the No Name Saloon.
Nice view off the backside of McConkey's
That bowl behind us is a real leg burner, but a hoot. The trees to the right are even more fun.
Team BIL conquers Diablo!
The pow begins...
Nerves and this sign almost lost me a BIL at Jupiter, but he pushed on!
Top of Scott's Bowl. Deeeeeeeeep! The steepest entries were behind me, but already tracked out. I found a nice slot with fresh snow and it was beautiful.
At the base of Scott's Bowl. Only been open again for a few months and a great place to introduce folks to bowl skiing.
Jupiter Peak runout selfie!
The snow gods were kind! The snobs thought it too heavy and wet, but you could've fooled me!
après at the St. Regis is otherworldly. Those sheep didn't stay on the shelf for long.
Only my father would blow dry skis before packing them.
It's Breck time! This sucker was steep, but fun.
Always bring a good ski photographer when you travel!
Especially on a bluebird day.
And ski with no fear as Ava the Avalanche Dog was on duty.
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