I had a great week in Utah with my son over spring break. We stayed at
a Days Inn in Salt Lake City. It's on 7000 South near I15 in Midvale,
and very close to the bus station where ski buses meet the light rail
line. In SLC there are city buses going to the resorts in Big & Little
Cottonwood Canyon (and, I think, over towards Park City).

Our routine was to drive West along 7000 South to a ski shop called
Canyon Sports where discount lift tickets are available for the local
resorts. From there we would either continue driving to our resort for
the day or park near a bus stop and take the bus. There were several
days when the snow caused the canyons to be closed to vehicles without
chains or 4WD (our rental had neither) so the bus was a convenient,
safe and cheap option.

It's all good, but I enjoyed Little Cottonwood Canyon the most, with
Snowbird & Alta. Snowbird offers guided tours in the morning and, as
the days only guidee, I enjoyed it immensely. Solitude, in Big
Cottonwood Canyon, provided the best snow that I have ever experienced
(I bought, and needed, powder cords). I was told that Brighton tends to
be rowdy, but can't confirm that.

Moving around to the North, and further from the city (perhaps a
half-hour drive) Deer Valley was a rather luxurious experience, and
would be very attractive to somebody who likes meticulous grooming more
than I do. The Canyons (used to be Park City West, I think) has
spectacular scenery and was my son's favorite, but felt too much like a
real estate development for my taste.

Years ago I drove down to Sundance and found it a very nice, but much
smaller, place.

It's good to stay up in the mountains, and SLC isn't a particularly
pleasant city, but I was content to trade that for the ability to drive
to any of the resorts depending on that day's weather.

I will definitely be going back there.

Giles