CO vs UT. Where should I go late January to early February with my Ikon pass.

[Ogg]

I have been trying to decide where I should go to ski for ~5 days sometime between 1/23 and 2/13 to take advantage of my Ikon base pass. I have pretty much narrowed it down to Winter Park, CO or SLC area with multiple options. These seem to be the best "bang for the buck" options when flying from NYC, all things are considered. With winter park I would stay close to the mountain and with SLC I'd probably stay in Sandy or Midvale. I could avoid renting a car with Winter park by taking a shuttle or ski train from Denver but in SLC I'd want the flexibility of a properly equipped vehicle(Turo.com?) so I have the option of LCC or BCC.
I have been to Snowbird twice with my younger brothers who ski much better than I do and it is, by far, the best/scariest place I have ever skied. I will likely be spending most of my time in UT at Snowbird/Alta with possibly a day each at Solitude and Brighton.
I have never been to CO and would like to ski there for a different experience but I'm afraid I might be a bit disappointed with Winter Park compared to Snowbird.
I'd like some input from the "Pug-verse" before I just flip a coin.

 

[Bill Miles]

Having skied both and also one to try to save a buck, I would vote for SLC.

IMHO, the place to go on an Ikon pass in Colorado is Aspen. Pretty pricey, but there are ways around some of the costs.

 

[DanoT]

I will be arriving in Utah around that time, traveling in a truck camper so if I arrive on a weekend then it is off to Brighton/Solitude, midweek its Alta/Bird.

 

[KingGrump]

I'm afraid I might be a bit disappointed with Winter Park compared to Snowbird.

The answer to your question is a definite yes.
I spent the 2014 season at Snowbird and a month in WP/MJ the following season. So my answer comes with some qualification.

You got 5 days to ski. Go to SLC and do the sampler pack.
Hit one day each at Alta-Bird (actually 2 days), Brighton, Solutude & Deer Valley.

The Bird and DV are my two favorite resorts around SLC.

 

[Tony]

I voted other because if you go to Winter Park, you should also consider Steamboat which is about 100 miles away and Copper Mountain, a little over 60 miles from Winter Park. Or if you want to hit all three in a loop, it is also 100 miles from Steamboat to Copper. But that would require a rental car. Note that all three are on Ikon.

And while you may be able to get away without a car going to Winter Park, the Ski Train is not daily and only runs once on the days it runs leaving Union Station at 7 AM. "The Winter Park Express runs Saturdays and Sundays only, plus the first two Fridays of each month (January 4 and 11, February 1 and 8, and March 1 and 8)." While it sounds like a fun way to get to the slopes, and more reasonable than a rental car if you are solo, it also sounds like it is more for day-trippers. One car is for people staying overnight.

 

[Ogg]

I voted other because if you go to Winter Park, you should also consider Steamboat which about 100 miles away and Copper Mountain, a little over 60 miles from Winter Park. Or if you want to hit all three in a loop, it is also 100 miles from Steamboat to Copper. But that would require a rental car.

And while you may be able to get away without a car going to Winter Park, the Ski Train is not daily and only runs once on the days it runs leaving Union Station at 7 AM. "The Winter Park Express runs Saturdays and Sundays only, plus the first two Fridays of each month (January 4 and 11, February 1 and 8, and March 1 and 8)." While it sounds like a fun way to get to the slopes, and more reasonable than a rental car if you are solo, it also sounds like it is more from day-trippers. One car is for people staying overnight.

Thanks for the heads up. Now I know why it was routing me through Frasier, showing a 3 hr travel time and arriving after 11, when I tried to find a train.

 

[Nathanvg]

WP and SB are two very different ski areas. SB has way more expert level steeps and generally gets more snow. WP has way more groomers and single black bumps and glades. WP also has more lodging, shops and restaurants at the base. Both are fun.

 

[Ogg]

The answer to your question is a definite yes.
I spent the 2014 season at Snowbird and a month in WP/MJ the following season. So my answer comes with some qualification.

You got 5 days to ski. Go to SLC and do the sampler pack.
Hit one day each at Alta-Bird (actually 2 days), Brighton, Solutude & Deer Valley.

The Bird and DV are my two favorite resorts around SLC.

This is definitely what I'm leaning towards although I feel like I could stick to Alta-Bird for the 5 days and just scratch the surface. I spent 8 days just at Snowbird last time and felt no need to go elsewhere. I may try to stretch the trip a day(or two ).

 

[Coach13]

These are the type of problem decisions that I love to have since there are no bad choices. All the areas you are considering are a little different but also great. If you have the option of waiting to see where the best conditions are, I’d wait and follow the snow. If not I’d deal search, make a choice and know it’ll be pretty darn good no matter the choice.

 

[KingGrump]

Variety is the spice of life.

 

[TonyPlush]

I voted other. I've never been to Snowbird, but if I were planning a Colorado ski trip in late January with the IKON pass, Steamboat is the place to go IMO.

Relative to other resorts, late January is exactly in line with Steamboat's peak. Winter Park doesn't gain the advantage until the March time frame. At least that's what the ZRankings data shows (See their "best time for snow" and "snow quality" rankings for Steamboat and Winter Park)

Regardless of timing, I prefer Steamboat over Winter Park anyway. If you're looking for a unique experience, Steamboat is one of the most unique mountains I've ever skied. The tree skiing there is on another planet, and truly unlike anything else. I'd argue Steamboat has the edge over Winter Park in blue and black cruisers too. Personally I found WP a little underwhelming for my style, whereas Steamboat is home to two of my three favorite ski trips ever.

 

[KingGrump]

Steamboat is the place to go IMO.

Too bad they need more gravity there.

 

[Ogg]

I voted other. I've never been to Snowbird, but if I were planning a Colorado ski trip in late January with the IKON pass, Steamboat is the place to go IMO.

Relative to other resorts, late January is exactly in line with Steamboat's peak. Winter Park doesn't gain the advantage until the March time frame. At least that's what the ZRankings data shows (See their "best time for snow" and "snow quality" rankings for Steamboat and Winter Park)

Regardless of timing, I prefer Steamboat over Winter Park anyway. If you're looking for a unique experience, Steamboat is one of the most unique mountains I've ever skied. The tree skiing there is on another planet, and truly unlike anything else. I'd argue Steamboat has the edge over Winter Park in blue and black cruisers too. Personally I found WP a little underwhelming for my style, whereas Steamboat is home to two of my three favorite ski trips ever.

I've heard steamboat is a cool place but not particularly steep. I, personally, have little interest in cruisers of any sort and tend to gravitate towards the most difficult terrain I can ski. Snowbird sets a very high bar for other areas from pretty much every thing I've heard, read or experienced. Steamboat wasn't really even on my radar. If I ever can take the winter off or move to Colorado I'm sure I'll ski Steamboat but with limited western days it's not in my current top 10.

 

[Mike King]

Aspen. You won't know what you are missing until you visit.

Mike

 

[Ogg]

Aspen. You won't know what you are missing until you visit.

Mike

Some day but it's really not in the budget right now. From my research an Aspen trip would be roughly double the cost of skiing around SLC or Winter Park. I also need to pay for my planned Squaw/ Mammoth trip in the spring.

 

[cosmoliu]

I absolutely love Winter Park, and am perhaps one of its biggest fans in the Pug-Verse. However, based on the factors listed in the OP, I would go for the Cottonwood Canyons too.

 

[Ogg]

UT it is. I just pulled the trigger and booked 6 days. (1/30-2/5)
Thanks for everyone's input. I hope to see some of you out there.

 

[cosmoliu]

Nice!

I'm pulling in to Snowbird 2/8 for a week. . Sorry I'll just miss you.

 

[Slim]

If it’s a weekend, BCC is supposed to be a bit less busy than LCC. Remember that you get unlimited days at Solitude. So, if you want steeps, I would head to Brighton, ski the steep stuff there, and if you are done there, head over to Solitude for the rest of the day. Then you can still do another day at Solitude as needed.
Brighton doesn’t have a lot of steep terrain, but it does have some, and it’s very fun terrain, with a lot of features. It also has a lots of short steep bits and optional lines and features, so it’s a great place to start working your way up to bigger drops or steeper chutes, without committing to something huge right away.

Solitude certainly has plenty of VERY steep terrain if Honeycomb Canyon is open.

Brighton:
https://www.feedthehabit.com/skiing/brighton-ski-resort-the-mt-millicent-playground/


Solitude:
https://solitudemountain.com/blog/solitudes-three-steepest-ski-runs

 

[Ogg]

@Slim my tentative plan is to ski Snowbird and/or Alta Thursday and Friday then Brighton and Solitude on Sat and Sun and decide from there where I want to ski Monday and Tuesday but I'm leaning towards going back to Alta-Bird. I'm hoping to meet up with some other Pugs who can show me around so I can make the most of my time at each place.