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#21
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Solitude - good deal when backcountry skiing?
Alan Baker wrote: In article .com, "Yabahoobs" wrote: Two Buddha wrote: Solitude is perhaps the best backcountry access of any lift served area in Utah. Wonderful and marvelous. Make sure to lay tracks below any telemark skiers, they are all assholes. Naaa, most I encounter are very laid back. Scott you just have a way of bringing out the worst in people. Probably cuz you're even more annoying in person then you are on here. The people you wanna "lay tracks below" are the idiot boarders. There's a saying that I find very helpful: Any day you think you've met three or more assholes, just look in the mirror and you'll see the only one that was involved... "Two to Tango"...and so forth... |
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#22
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Solitude - good deal when backcountry skiing?
Not sure where you've skied in Europe, but compared with the northern French
Alps, the bi-canyon area of the Wasatch where most people do their tours is pretty small, and many of the popular tours and runs feel kinda short compared with some other mountain ranges I like to ski. The downhill ski resorts in Utah are kinda small compared with some resorts in other mountain ranges. Like I suspect that all of the ski resorts _and_ backcountry terrain of Big and Little Cottonwood could fit inside Les Trois Vallees lift-served resort in France, which you can ski all around with a single lift ticket. So for me it would seem too constricting to do ski tours only from one place in the Wasatch for a week. There's some special things about the skiing terrain and snow and backcountry skiers in the Wasatch, so I like to visit there. My advice: * rent a car -- for maximum flexibility on finding favorable snow conditions and weather for touring. (and perhaps for transport to cheaper lodging). * America is about the Road. If you don't do a Road Trip, you haven't really been there in the American West. * there's lots more to Utah than just powder skiing. Drive out and see some of other parts of the state, even if you don't ski those parts. Especially drive out somewhere into the emptiness of Utah. * in a dicy touring period like December, Interstate 15 is your friend. In a long evening you drive north to the mountains of Idaho or Wyoming. There's some possible interesting ski touring in mountain ranges in the southeast part of Utah -- there's a new guidebook with lots of ideas for ski touring outside the central Wasatch. So if the favorable snow is south, drive south. If it's north, drive north. If there's no good snow anywhere, drive southeast to the canyon country around Moab or south / southwest to around Bryce + Zion. I don't think it's smart to commit in advance to a specific place when you've chosen December as your time. * might consider checking out kite-skiing in Utah. (probably need a car to get there) Ken |
#23
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Solitude - good deal when backcountry skiing?
Walt,
thanks for all the hints! Just one last thing: can you recommend some lodging in the Ogden area in case we'll go skiing (hope we will!) in Powder Mountain? Alex Walt wrote: Sandi M. wrote: Walt wrote: Sandi M. wrote: Try this place: http://www.utahvacationhomes.com/default.aspx We rented one of their units last December - quite affordable, convienently located. looks nice, but as everywhere they're rising the prices during the holidays. Yeah, Xmas week + skiing == high prices for accomodations. Think we stay in SLC downtown. Well, there's definitely better food to be had in SLC proper. Haven't checked it out, but there's supposed to be a good bus system to the resorts as well, right? If not- we got a car I'd plan on using the car. There is a bus that goes up the LCC & BCC canyons, which is handy for when the road is closed to non-4WD vehicles, but other than that I would plan on renting a car and driving. You don't want to spend 3 hours on the bus everyday. The "easy" was related to Brighton only. Yeah, I heard that it's kind of crowded on weekend. We'll avoid going there on weekends! It's the only SLC resort where kids ski free. Throngs of Mormon families show up by the busload on Saturday. Sunday, they're in church, so that day's not too bad. Especially if you're planning on spending the day off the beaten path. HINT: check out the Sol-bright trail. |
#24
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Solitude - good deal when backcountry skiing?
Damned LRZ (right, it's easy to figure out my location).
But thanks for the help. BTW: 4) Many backcountry skiers which sometimes can be helpful, especially if you buy them beer at the bar and ask knowledgable questions. So, that does work with you as well? ;-) Sandi klaus wrote: In rec.skiing.backcountry Sandi M. wrote: See my other post. So what do you think are the main dangers for the Wasatch (to be that specific)? I took classes, but what are the main differences between the Alps and here in your opinion? Warning: Extreme generalizations. Most prominent Wasatch Hazards: 1) Wind loading on east aspects. 2) Sometimes heavy snowfall. 3) Buried surface hoar. 4) Very terrain and history dependent hazard due to skier compaction/previous slides. 5) Explosives from helicopters. Mitigating factors: 1) Predictable hazard (for the most part). Read this daily: http://www.avalanche.org/%7Euac/newa...y/advisory.php 2) Safe terrain can usually be found. 3) Some "frontcountry" offers quick and experienced body recovery from the adjacent resorts. 4) Many backcountry skiers which sometimes can be helpful, especially if you buy them beer at the bar and ask knowledgable questions. 5) Usual storm pattern involves heavy warm snow turning to light snow as the storm progresses. leading to right side up new snow. South wind at start, NW as it continues. Again, these are gross generalizations and are often wrong. As for the Solitude angle to out of bounds, go with 10 packs of single rides if you are planning on mainly OOB. And one more thing, judging from your posting handle and location, you may qualify for a free local tour guide that speaks german. ; Disclaimer: I am not a ski guide and all risks will be your own. -klaus |
#25
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Solitude - good deal when backcountry skiing?
Thanks for your help! Got the Solitude pass for 6 days now to get used to
the conditions there and then.. well... let's see (but the hint with the bar and the beer seems to be good...). BTW: If anybody fells like showing us around (3 Germans, one Austrian guy) for a couple of beers- let me know! And: I hope that this was a good teaching for everybody who thought about going out there without the proper equipment and the knowledge as well. Thanks, Sandi Sandi M. wrote: Me and some friends are going to SLC around 20. December for 2-3 weeks for skiing/snowboarding. As we wanna do some off-piste/backcountry skiing (is there a difference btw? Is offpiste patrolled and backcountry not? Sorry, might be different in Europe) and on a shoestring as well, we we're thinking about getting the Deal at Solitude: 6 days for $36/each So do you think it's worth it? I mean will we get an easy access to the lifts when we ski down? Honeycomb? Or is it better to get single ride tickets (I know they got those at Brighton)? What about the other resorts around (even in the north like Powder Mountain)? Does somebody have a better suggestion than Solitude? Thanks, Sandi |
#26
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Solitude - good deal when backcountry skiing?
Hint: Honeycomb Canyon is NOT backcountry - there's a dam lift, even.
Whatever you want to call it, it's good skiing. However, you are going to find lighter powder in the higher altitudes. Sandi M. wrote: Thanks for your help! Got the Solitude pass for 6 days now to get used to the conditions there and then.. well... let's see (but the hint with the bar and the beer seems to be good...). BTW: If anybody fells like showing us around (3 Germans, one Austrian guy) for a couple of beers- let me know! And: I hope that this was a good teaching for everybody who thought about going out there without the proper equipment and the knowledge as well. Thanks, Sandi Sandi M. wrote: Me and some friends are going to SLC around 20. December for 2-3 weeks for skiing/snowboarding. As we wanna do some off-piste/backcountry skiing (is there a difference btw? Is offpiste patrolled and backcountry not? Sorry, might be different in Europe) and on a shoestring as well, we we're thinking about getting the Deal at Solitude: 6 days for $36/each So do you think it's worth it? I mean will we get an easy access to the lifts when we ski down? Honeycomb? Or is it better to get single ride tickets (I know they got those at Brighton)? What about the other resorts around (even in the north like Powder Mountain)? Does somebody have a better suggestion than Solitude? Thanks, Sandi |
#27
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Solitude - good deal when backcountry skiing?
Sandi M. wrote:
Walt, thanks for all the hints! Just one last thing: can you recommend some lodging in the Ogden area in case we'll go skiing (hope we will!) in Powder Mountain? Sorry, but I've never even been to Ogden or Powder Mt. The scuttlebutt among the locals is that it's a good place, but I haven't made it there myself yet. From what I understand, it's only an hour and change away from SLC (modulo traffic and weather), so you should be able to do it as a day trip from wherever you're staying in the city. //Walt |
#28
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Solitude - good deal when backcountry skiing?
In rec.skiing.backcountry Sandi M. wrote:
Damned LRZ (right, it's easy to figure out my location). But thanks for the help. BTW: 4) Many backcountry skiers which sometimes can be helpful, especially if you buy them beer at the bar and ask knowledgable questions. So, that does work with you as well? ;-) My friends think so. -klaus |
#29
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Solitude - good deal when backcountry skiing?
In article ,
klaus wrote: In rec.skiing.backcountry Sandi M. wrote: Damned LRZ (right, it's easy to figure out my location). But thanks for the help. BTW: 4) Many backcountry skiers which sometimes can be helpful, especially if you buy them beer at the bar and ask Utah? Beer? Beware trap (honeypot, see Munich?). knowledgable questions. So, that does work with you as well? ;-) My friends think so. Oh? Follow-ups reduced. No mind it's just a bicycle pump. -- |
#30
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Solitude - good deal when backcountry skiing?
In rec.skiing.backcountry Eugene Miya wrote:
Utah? Beer? Beware trap (honeypot, see Munich?). Spaten Pils at Molly's. ; -klaus |
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