Utah in Feb

Happy New Year. I was lucky enough to score a few days at a friends
condo in Park City coming up at the end of Feb. Never been to Utah and
am planning on at least one of the days at Alta and the other two at
Park City. Not equipped to go outside the ropes and won't be doing so -
I'm an advanced-expert level skier so if anyone has some suggestions on
what to hit while I'm there or a good place to grab a beer after skiing
it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

On Sat, 05 Jan 2008 10:23:23 -0500, mikec
wrote this crap:

Happy New Year. I was lucky enough to score a few days at a friends
condo in Park City coming up at the end of Feb. Never been to Utah and
am planning on at least one of the days at Alta and the other two at
Park City. Not equipped to go outside the ropes and won't be doing so -
I'm an advanced-expert level skier so if anyone has some suggestions on
what to hit while I'm there or a good place to grab a beer after skiing
it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!


How I envy you. I've skiied both places, and I would love to go back.
I'm sure it's changed since I was there, so I can't recommend any
watering holes, but just walk down the main street, and you'll find a
few. Make sure you visit the old Wasatch Jail.




My T-shirt says, "This shirt is the
ultimate power in the universe."

Skip Park City and go to Deer Valley!
"mikec" wrote in message ...
Happy New Year. I was lucky enough to score a few days at a friends
condo in Park City coming up at the end of Feb. Never been to Utah and
am planning on at least one of the days at Alta and the other two at
Park City. Not equipped to go outside the ropes and won't be doing so -
I'm an advanced-expert level skier so if anyone has some suggestions on
what to hit while I'm there or a good place to grab a beer after skiing
it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

On Jan 5, 4:17*pm, "Daniel J. Spalluto, II"
wrote:
Skip Park City and go to Deer Valley!
* "mikec" wrote in ...
* Happy New Year. I was lucky enough to score a few days at a friends
* condo in Park City coming up at the end of Feb. Never been to Utah and
* am planning on at least one of the days at Alta and the other two at
* Park City. Not equipped to go outside the ropes and won't be doing so -
* I'm an advanced-expert level skier so if anyone has some suggestions on
* what to hit while I'm there or a good place to grab a beer after skiing
* it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

That was going to be my suggestion too. Get the "special" map from the
ticket window that shows a lot of the good tree shots as well as the
more challenging "bowls" and "chutes". Don't expect giant bowls or
butt clenching rock crevices, but they are fun. And if truely expert
skier you will be far above the ability of most DV skiers and find
some really nice skiing. Save some time to have a nice lunch. It's
worth it too. Be nice to any finish carpenters you see out there too !

mikec wrote:
Happy New Year. I was lucky enough to score a few days at a friends
condo in Park City coming up at the end of Feb. Never been to Utah and
am planning on at least one of the days at Alta and the other two at
Park City. Not equipped to go outside the ropes and won't be doing so -
I'm an advanced-expert level skier so if anyone has some suggestions on
what to hit while I'm there or a good place to grab a beer after skiing
it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Sounds like you have the right idea. Since you're staying in PC, do two
days there, and since you're in SLC a daytrip to Alta is a must-do.

PC has a ton of blue cruisers with lots of high speed lifts to move you
around. You have to go out of your way to find the gnarly stuff (e.g.
the Jupiter Lift), but there's plenty of easily accessed groomed
cruisers, steeps and bumps. Last time I was there our party had the
luxury of getting a grand tour by a charming young Australian woman from
the ski school on her day off. She showed us most of the area, except
for the expert stuff (per my request to ski the cruisers). With two
days, you should be able to just wander and find much to your liking
without feeling like you've seen it all before.

Alta is a very different vibe - fewer lifts, fewer cruisers, but
hundreds of acres of open terrain. The real stuff there isn't really
marked trails so much as open mountain where you pick your own line.
However, you don't "go outside the ropes" to get to it, it's in-bounds
off-piste. If that's not your cup of tea, there are still a lot of
marked pistes, some groomed, some not. Definitely do a day there if you
can arrange it.

Alta is in it's glory after a fresh dump of a foot or more, but that's
assuming you can get there before it's skied out (or at all) and that
you know how to ski deep powder once you do. Although this may seem
counter-intuitive, if there's a big dump you're probably better off
staying in PC rather than trying to make the drive to Alta.

Some people have recommended Deer Valley. I actually prefer PCMR -
longer runs with more vertical. DV is spread out over a bunch of hills,
none of which are all that big on their own; although it has over 3k of
vert, you can't ski it top to bottom and most runs are about 1200' or
so. But DV is a sui generis and has to be experienced to appreciate it.
Everybody should go there once, so maybe you should hit it this trip.
If it were me, I'd skip DV and spend two days at PCMR.

As for watering holes, none to recommend other than the deck of whatever
resort you just skied. But you should be aware of the funny Utah liquor
laws. See http://www.slcparty.com/Laws.htm

//Walt

Walt wrote:
mikec wrote:
Happy New Year. I was lucky enough to score a few days at a friends
condo in Park City coming up at the end of Feb. Never been to Utah
and am planning on at least one of the days at Alta and the other
two at Park City. Not equipped to go outside the ropes and won't be
doing so - I'm an advanced-expert level skier so if anyone has some
suggestions on what to hit while I'm there or a good place to grab a
beer after skiing it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Sounds like you have the right idea. Since you're staying in PC, do
two days there, and since you're in SLC a daytrip to Alta is a
must-do.
PC has a ton of blue cruisers with lots of high speed lifts to move
you around. You have to go out of your way to find the gnarly stuff
(e.g. the Jupiter Lift), but there's plenty of easily accessed groomed
cruisers, steeps and bumps. Last time I was there our party had the
luxury of getting a grand tour by a charming young Australian woman
from the ski school on her day off. She showed us most of the area,
except for the expert stuff (per my request to ski the cruisers).

erp. Dunno about the charming or young bit. Big place, innit? There's
something there for everybody, which is why it's good for groups. Heaps of
cruisers, some excellent trees (you have to know where they are though, me
and a colleague spent two winters experimenting and concluded that some of
the trees just weren't skiable! They were more like shrubberies), some
enjoyable steeps, and stellar bumps.

The only thing they lack is enough really green stuff. That trail to the
bottom gets a lot of tired beginners where it gets steeper at the bottom.

I never did ski everything off Jupiter, but had a lot of fun trying! The run
off the top down into McConkey's basin is brilliant and worth the crawl to
the summit.

Alta is a very different vibe - fewer lifts, fewer cruisers, but
hundreds of acres of open terrain. The real stuff there isn't really
marked trails so much as open mountain where you pick your own line.
However, you don't "go outside the ropes" to get to it, it's in-bounds
off-piste. If that's not your cup of tea, there are still a lot of
marked pistes, some groomed, some not. Definitely do a day there if
you can arrange it.

Alta's good for the lower end types too, more green (real green) than its
neighbour. We spent a very exciting day there in spring, some days after a
heavy fall. Alta had been closed, and in the interim the sun had come out
and baked a few inches of the surface of the new snow solid. gawd that stuff
was hard to ski! a couple of us hooked up with a ski school chap by the
name of JW who took us around to, I think, High Rustler, and in the pine
trees it was still soft. Great skiing there. Nice relaxed vibe, too, without
the attitude found, er, elsewhere.

Alta is in it's glory after a fresh dump of a foot or more, but that's
assuming you can get there before it's skied out (or at all) and that
you know how to ski deep powder once you do. Although this may seem
counter-intuitive, if there's a big dump you're probably better off
staying in PC rather than trying to make the drive to Alta.

The powder people come out wherever you are, queuing up at the lifts before
they open.

If you are at PCMR for the powder, you'll see them all mobbing Payday. So,
the evil trick is to scoot down to the old race lift.... mental blank can't
remember its name, but it loads down near First Time and takes you up over
the olympic runs. great shortcut.

If Ski Team's open, it's worth the walk up to that, too (or use first time
and skate over to it). Silver King with fresh on is magic.


Some people have recommended Deer Valley. I actually prefer PCMR -
longer runs with more vertical. DV is spread out over a bunch of
hills, none of which are all that big on their own; although it has
over 3k of vert, you can't ski it top to bottom and most runs are
about 1200' or so. But DV is a sui generis and has to be experienced
to appreciate it. Everybody should go there once, so maybe you should
hit it this trip. If it were me, I'd skip DV and spend two days at
PCMR.

Yeah. DV is a bit of a fizzer. I headed over there sometiems (hell, it was
free), and what was nice was how you'd find all these people skiing alone on
the lifts, who'd hook up with you and show you around. In my second season
there, I met a rabbi who really loved DV and he showed me his favourite
trees, which was a revelation. Food at Empire is hard to beat though. And
despite what people say, it's actually good value for money.


As for watering holes, none to recommend other than the deck of
whatever resort you just skied. But you should be aware of the funny
Utah liquor laws. See http://www.slcparty.com/Laws.htm

bars seem to change every season there, best thing is to ask people on the
lifts where's good. O'Shucks in the main street was a bit of a local's
place, ditto No Name (Alamo) which is next door. Proper locals place though
was at the racquet club, going back towards the Meadows district.


--
ant
Don't try to email me!
I'm using the latest spammer/scammer's
email addy.

Some people have recommended Deer Valley. *I actually prefer PCMR -
longer runs with more vertical. DV is spread out over a bunch of hills,
none of which are all that big on their own; although it has over 3k of
vert, you can't ski it top to bottom and most runs are about 1200' or
so. *But DV is a sui generis and has to be experienced to appreciate it.
Everybody should go there once, so maybe you should hit it this trip.
If it were me, I'd skip DV and spend two days at PCMR.

DV actually has more skiable vertical. At PC only 1/3 of most runs are
tilted. The rest is runout.

On Jan 7, 6:35*pm, pigo wrote:
At PC only 1/3 of most runs are tilted. The rest is runout.

hmmm, sounds a lot like the back 'bowls' at Vail.

snoig

On Jan 8, 9:45*am, snoig wrote:
On Jan 7, 6:35*pm, pigo wrote:

At PC only 1/3 of most runs are tilted. The rest is runout.

hmmm, sounds a lot like the back 'bowls' at Vail.

snoig

Actually it is. Only worse.

ant wrote:
Walt wrote:
Last time I was there (PC) our party had the
luxury of getting a grand tour by a charming young Australian woman
from the ski school on her day off.

erp. Dunno about the charming or young bit.

Well, younger and more charming than me. That's a start. (c:


Big place, innit?

Yep. Hope to go back.


The only thing they lack is enough really green stuff.

Agreed. I think they'd serve their clientelle better by having more
really easy stuff.


I never did ski everything off Jupiter, but had a lot of fun trying! The run
off the top down into McConkey's basin is brilliant and worth the crawl to
the summit.

Did we do McConkey's basin? I think so...

Alta's good for the lower end types too, more green (real green) than its
neighbour.

Alta has more real green than most resorts. Nothing from the top down
though.

The powder people come out wherever you are, queuing up at the lifts before
they open.

Yep. They even show up here in Michigan, with our pathetic excuse for
powder.


If you are at PCMR for the powder, you'll see them all mobbing Payday. So,
the evil trick is to scoot down to the old race lift.... mental blank can't
remember its name

Eagle lift? Anyway, good tip.

Yeah. DV is a bit of a fizzer. I headed over there sometiems (hell, it was
free)

I'd ski it for free anytime.

//Walt