Utah trip in March

[silverwhale]

Hi - I am planning a trip to Utah in mid-March and have a couple questions about it if anyone has some opinions. I am from Ontario and never been out West - only Quebec (mainly Tremblant) and Vermont (Stratton). So I am really excited to get some actual powder rather than ice and chop all day! (planning on Solitude for sure, deciding between The Canyons, Snowbird, and Snowbasin - one or two of those).

First question - I am curious about whether I will find the transition difficult - I am used to groomers, hard pack with a light dusting of snow on top, and ice/chop. On days with "a lot of snow" around here it seems to be really heavy and hard to cut through - I find myself getting tossed around quite a bit, almost like going over mini moguls (it gets chopped up by people turning pretty quickly). Will I have this problem in Utah, or will it be easier because the powder is much lighter?

Second question - are the runs graded similarly to the hills around here? I can go down anything at Tremblant no problem (I spend most of my time on blacks, but I am perfectly fine on double blacks and trees), but I don't want to hop on a black or double black in Utah and realize I'm in over my head or something (it will be my first time on an actual large hill this season, so I might be a bit rusty, especially since I have a new board I'm still getting used to). Anyone with experience at Tremblant able to comment on trail rating differences?

Thanks for the help!

[NoOtherOptions]

I'd do Snowbird or Snowbasin personally. The Canyons is more of a park place, if you are a big park rider..do it. And there's no way to tell how the snow will be, it's not been great there either from what I've seen. Take a run or two on a blue, see what you think of it then go. BTW I will be in Utah the 10th-16th so I wish us good luck snow wise!

[silverwhale]

Originally Posted by NoOtherOptions

I'd do Snowbird or Snowbasin personally. The Canyons is more of a park place, if you are a big park rider..do it. And there's no way to tell how the snow will be, it's not been great there either from what I've seen. Take a run or two on a blue, see what you think of it then go. BTW I will be in Utah the 10th-16th so I wish us good luck snow wise!

Those are the dates I'm going as well - definitely hoping for good snow! I don't go in the park at all, so thanks for the tip - I heard Canyons didn't get as much snow, but I know the resort is huge acreage-wise. But I'll skip it then and try one of the other two! Where are you going? (I think I cut out Park City (crowds), Pow Mow (lifts not as good?), Brighton (small,busy?), etc. But I'm curious to know whether I was misinformed

[NoOtherOptions]

Originally Posted by silverwhale

Those are the dates I'm going as well - definitely hoping for good snow! I don't go in the park at all, so thanks for the tip - I heard Canyons didn't get as much snow, but I know the resort is huge acreage-wise. But I'll skip it then and try one of the other two! Where are you going? (I think I cut out Park City (crowds), Pow Mow (lifts not as good?), Brighton (small,busy?), etc. But I'm curious to know whether I was misinformed

I've been to Park City twice before. Both PCMR and Canyons. They are cool because they are pretty big, but outside of a few runs I wasn't personally wowed. Big and Little Cottonwood get's a ton of snow. Brighton/Solitude is great terrain wise from what I hear. My personal plan is one day at the Canyons (because I have a free mid week lift ticket there otherwise I wouldn't go) on Monday the 11th most likely. Then probably Snowbird, Solitude, then maybe Snowbasin or Brighton or a loop back to Snowbird or Solitude depending on weather/crowds.

[snowvols]

Don't go to The Canyons.

Brighton is super fun if you know where to go. Probably the best resort in the Cottonwoods but you have to know where you are going or it might not be as fun.

If you want crowds go to Snowbird on a weekend.

Pow Mow is super fun and I highly recommend the drive.

[silverwhale]

Originally Posted by snowvols

Don't go to The Canyons.

Brighton is super fun if you know where to go. Probably the best resort in the Cottonwoods but you have to know where you are going or it might not be as fun.

If you want crowds go to Snowbird on a weekend.

Pow Mow is super fun and I highly recommend the drive.

What are the lifts like at Powder Mountain? I was reading a couple articles about the resort that kept mentioning having to take shuttles and stuff to get to certain lifts (the articles were a couple years old though). I would be fine with something like that, but I think my dad just wants to show up and ski since he's used to the super-infrastructure of Tremblant. Thanks for the tips though, I was worried about Snowbird being busy during the week as well because it's March Break. Any suggestions on what runs in Brighton are the best?

Thanks for all the help NoOtherOptions as well!

[306stang]

I'll be there from march 6-11. Riding Brighton Thursday and Friday then going to hit pow mow Saturday and Sunday.

Haven't been to Brighton in a while but never been to pow mow. Should be a good trip.

[WasatchMan]

Pray for snow!

Depending on how many days you're there -

I'd start with Snowbird, then Powder Mountain, then Solitude/Brighton then The Canyons/Park City.

This is all based on powder days though, I'd hit different resorts depending on current conditions.

But like Snowvols said - Brighton is my favorite resort, it's taken me a few season to actually know everything about the mountain, it's actually pretty small compared to other Utah resorts. Brighton is all about knowing where to go, you can find powder - days even weeks after a storm. Brighton is great if you love cliffs, trees, chutes and AMAZING side or backcountry access. The area between "brighton"/milly that is closed off as "CLIFF AREA" - all of that back in that area is just a dream land.

I recommend Park City resorts not for their terrain, but if you come from a non ski area, it's cool to hit PC and have all the nice and cool stuff you see in ski movies. it's very touristy, the mountains can be fun. I wouldn't personally pay what they charge though. But if you're coming a long way to Utah to ride, one day in PC is always fun.

[neednsnow]

Wow. All sorts of information given, here.

1. The Double-Blacks in Utah are not the Double-Blacks of Tremblant. I've made the same mistake and pussed-out.

2. If your dad wants the resort experience, then you'll have some decisions to make. Brighton and Pow Mow are locals mountains. Something akin to Jay Peak. Great mountains, lots of fun, but not very resorty. Park City and the Canyons are near each other.....Lots of Terrain, lower elevation and on the back-side of the range, so they get less snowfall....but they are the "resort" experience. While everyone says "If you know where to go, Brighton is AWESOME." I've been to Brighton 5 times and I just can't accept that it is better than Snowbird. There are more crowds for sure, but there are so many "hidden spots" at Snowbird. Hell, even the open stuff takes a while to get beat-up at snowbird. (Yes, I've ducked the ropes Off Pacific and it wasn't bad....but I wouldn't advise a tourist on their first west trip to do it.)

Problem is, Brighton doesn't have much of a lodge or "Infrastructure." A good spot, for sure....but Tremblant to Brighton...pops may be upset.

I always endorse Snowbasin. It is flashy, down-home folks hate it because of the flash, but there is so much terrain......All Day Laps in Strawberry Basin are always a good time.

Snowbird is Big, Bad, Crowded, and always just Awesome! That being said, it is much more pretentious than Brighton/Solitude.

Good luck with your decision. Each place is lacking in some areas and offers awesomeness in others.

[silverwhale]

Originally Posted by neednsnow

Wow. All sorts of information given, here.

1. The Double-Blacks in Utah are not the Double-Blacks of Tremblant. I've made the same mistake and pussed-out.

2. If your dad wants the resort experience, then you'll have some decisions to make. Brighton and Pow Mow are locals mountains. Something akin to Jay Peak. Great mountains, lots of fun, but not very resorty. Park City and the Canyons are near each other.....Lots of Terrain, lower elevation and on the back-side of the range, so they get less snowfall....but they are the "resort" experience. While everyone says "If you know where to go, Brighton is AWESOME." I've been to Brighton 5 times and I just can't accept that it is better than Snowbird. There are more crowds for sure, but there are so many "hidden spots" at Snowbird. Hell, even the open stuff takes a while to get beat-up at snowbird. (Yes, I've ducked the ropes Off Pacific and it wasn't bad....but I wouldn't advise a tourist on their first west trip to do it.)

Problem is, Brighton doesn't have much of a lodge or "Infrastructure." A good spot, for sure....but Tremblant to Brighton...pops may be upset.

I always endorse Snowbasin. It is flashy, down-home folks hate it because of the flash, but there is so much terrain......All Day Laps in Strawberry Basin are always a good time.

Snowbird is Big, Bad, Crowded, and always just Awesome! That being said, it is much more pretentious than Brighton/Solitude.

Good luck with your decision. Each place is lacking in some areas and offers awesomeness in others.

Thanks for the tips! I think I've decided on Snowbasin, Solitude, and Snowbird. I'm sure I'll be back to try out the other places at some point, and these 3 seem to be a good mix for this trip. How do the trail ratings compare? Like black Utah = double black Tremblant sort of thing? Do you think I'll have trouble transitioning to the different snow conditions? Thanks!