Utah First timer at Alta/Snowbird this weekend

[TonyPlush]

Thanks to the fantastic advice I received in this thread (https://www.pugski.com/threads/questions-about-1-night-near-salt-lake-city.13060/)

...I’m making my first trip to Alta/Snowbird this weekend! Very excited.

I’ll be taking the Alta Shuttle up to Goldminer’s Daughter on Friday night. Traveling solo. I’m definitely skiing all day Saturday, and that’s where things get interesting.

My flight is currently scheduled for Saturday night. BUT, I recently learned that with some added costs and serious shuffling of my personal life on Sunday, I could reschedule my flight to Sunday evening and book a second night at GMD. This would allow for a 9 AM to 2 PM Sunday ski day, before I have to report back to Gold Miner’s Daughter to gather my belongings and find the shuttle for the airport.

I see a few options here:

A) keep arrangement as is. Enjoy 1 day at Alta, save my $$$ and keep my real life simple, and plan to come back another day in the distant future.
B) Make the change. Ski Alta all day Saturday and 3/4 of the day Sunday too.
C) Split my time. Ski Alta Saturday, and ski Snowbird 3/4 of the day Sunday? Would have to ski back to GMD from Snowbird or take a bus I assume, which may eat into the skiing time.
D) Reverse the plan. Ski Snowbird on Saturday, and Alta 3/4 the day Sunday. Pro here being that I’d stay nearer to my shuttle pickup on Sunday.

Snowbird looks awesome to me. But I’ve heard it can be a madhouse on weekends, especially Saturday powder days. That said, there’s only a modest storm forecasted for Thurs/Fri, and the weekend is otherwise dry and sunny.

I’m definitely overthinking this, so would appreciate any input.

UPDATE: Trip report on page 2.

 

[coskigirl]

I vote B.

 

[raytseng]

if you have access to both mountain, there's no real reason to treat alta/snowbird separately, just do a hybrid of each as it's interconnected. You can pop back and forth within about 3 or 4 lifts time (45min) no matter where you are. Your only hassle is with MtnColl you have to pick up a pass at the window rather then having a direct to lift. I do think they issue you a direct to lift loaded with all your days though after you've done the paperwork, and not one each day.

I do suggest you catch lunch at snowbird top of the tram (also accessible from mineral lift), then you can drop down either way..

If you're optimizing to the minute, snowbird opens at 9AM vs 9:15 for Alta, so you get an extra 15 minutes if you're really at it and travel to start at the bird. (this is a huge hassle to spend 15 minutes to travel over to get 15min extra)

I can't evaluate how much cost it is for you to get that extra 5hrs of skiing; but you're already costed you so much to get the 7hrs of slope time for Saturday (in time and money) , typically if i'm going to a destination, I need at least a couple days of slope time to amortize the trip time. A lot of it may depend on when you may be able to come back and how much you ski to understand if this is more or less expensive for you(in time and money) then your ave. slope time.

 

[TonyPlush]

I can't evaluate how much cost it is for you to get that extra 5hrs of skiing; but you're already costed you so much to get the 7hrs of slope time for Saturday (in time and money) , typically if i'm going to a destination, I need at least a couple days of slope time to amortize the trip for slope time. A lot of it may depend on when you may be able to come back and how much you ski.

I have mountain collective, so good point about treating them as one. I believe the lady on the phone said I’d need to upgrade my day tickets for a fee to make this happen, but worth looking into. Thanks.

One critical piece that’s worth mentioning is that I’m squeezing this in at the end of a work trip, so my initial cost to get here was $0. Extra nights and flight changes would be on me. In that sense it becomes more about pure logistics rather than trying to justify a fixed cost.

 

[raytseng]

The biggest Cost is always Time on Earth and the opportunity costs. In your last days, how much would you pay for 1 more day of life in your prime? Have you spent each day as best as you can? Only you can evaluate the "cost" and what you'd be doing instead.
For example, I cut off a powder weekend trip extension that would have been free to attend a birthday dinner.

 

[raytseng]

In regards to the lift access in mcp, alta and snowbird are separate as i just looked up.

So if you do both in 1 day, you would be burning an alta day and snowbird day.

The rep was helping you conserve your days by saying you could also use 1 snowbird day+$38, as alternate method to get an interconnect or an alta+upgrade going the other way.

Just depends if you're needing all 4 days or can just burn the days.

 

[jmills115]

B for Alta both days.
Snowbird is great and I will be skiing there regularly by the end of April once Alta closes.


3/25/19 at Alta. By Sunday I’ll have 80 days at Alta this season.

 

[Shawn C.]

Tony, Tony, Tony...

You are going to love it so why not take the extra day? Sounds like a minimal disruption to your life so grab the opportunity!

I second @jmills115 suggrstion to enjoy Alta for that extra day. Explore a bit, ride all of the lifts multiple times. Take an extra run that you enjoyed without feeling an obligation to immediately move on because of an expectation to explore two resorts.

Quality over quantity and Alta exudes quality.

 

[TonyPlush]

Okay Pugskiers, I just changed my flight to departing Sunday at 5:50 PM. So, I'll get a full day of skiing Saturday and should be able to ski until 2:00-ish on Sunday. Goal is to catch the 2:45 Alta Shuttle back to the airport on Sunday.

In regards to the lift access in mcp, alta and snowbird are separate as i just looked up.

So if you do both in 1 day, you would be burning an alta day and snowbird day.

The rep was helping you conserve your days by saying you could also use 1 snowbird day+$38, as alternate method to get an interconnect or an alta+upgrade going the other way.

Just depends if you're needing all 4 days or can just burn the days.

Interesting. This will be my last ski trip of the year and my MCP still has 2 days at Alta and 2 days at Snowbird left. So I'll just burn all four of those days, get both an Alta and Snowbird lift ticket each day, and then ski between the two.

I'll stay flexible but probably focus on Alta Saturday and Snowbird Sunday, to hopefully mitigate Snowbird's Saturday crowds a bit. Unless someone else has any tips.

 

[Decreed_It]

@TonyPlush you are doing it right! Saw this thread and screamed out inside "TAKE ME WITH YOU" lol. Then option B all the way.

If you're not going to make it to Altabird again this season you could, in theory, take the Sugarloaf pass off the top of Collins to get over to the Bird both days - you'd burn a day at each off your MC pass if you do this - so 2 days of skiing would be your 2 and 2 at Altabird. We were there over Xmas holiday and just took a shuttle to the bottom so we used 2 days each at AltaBird without burning "2" in one day - if that makes any sense.

Still - if this is your 1st trip there just ski Alta. You'll leave wanting more. I also highly recommend the afternoon off-trail workshops - worth it and you'll find stuff you wouldn't on your own, which you can return to on Sunday - also gets you priority lift access: https://www.alta.com/the-mountain/ski-school/adult-ski-school#advanced-expert-off-trail-workshops

Make the most of it especially because the airfare was on the company! Awesome dude!

 

[TonyPlush]

@TonyPlush you are doing it right! Saw this thread and screamed out inside "TAKE ME WITH YOU" lol. Then option B all the way.

If you're not going to make it to Altabird again this season you could, in theory, take the Sugarloaf pass off the top of Collins to get over to the Bird both days - you'd burn a day at each off your MC pass if you do this - so 2 days of skiing would be your 2 and 2 at Altabird. We were there over Xmas holiday and just took a shuttle to the bottom so we used 2 days each at AltaBird without burning "2" in one day - if that makes any sense.

Still - if this is your 1st trip there just ski Alta. You'll leave wanting more. I also highly recommend the afternoon off-trail workshops - worth it and you'll find stuff you wouldn't on your own, which you can return to on Sunday - also gets you priority lift access: https://www.alta.com/the-mountain/ski-school/adult-ski-school#advanced-expert-off-trail-workshops

Make the most of it especially because the airfare was on the company! Awesome dude!

That workshop sounds awesome. Especially because one of my biggest concerns on this trip is that I'm skiing solo, and therefor pretty cautious about exploring unknown or unseen terrain by myself. Would love to ski Alf's High Rustler, but I've seen youtube videos of the high traverse and seriously doubt whether I could ever find the thing.

I can ski any black, but only some double blacks. (Cliffs and chutes are totally out of the question.) Sounds like the advanced group would be a good fit. I imagine expert at Alta/Snowbird has a totally different definition that even most other western mountains, haha.

 

[Decreed_It]

I can ski any black, but only some double blacks. (Cliffs and chutes are totally out of the question.) Sounds like the advanced group would be a good fit. I imagine expert at Alta/Snowbird has a totally different definition that even most other western mountains, haha.

High Traverse has a couple entrances - but I'd absolutely recommend 1st timing it with a guide - but if I can do it you for sure can do it LOL. Also there's some fantastic stuff skiers' left off of Wildcat that have some hairy entrances but below is amazing. You should be able to do both on one of these workshops - just be sure not to undersell your confidence level. I think if you said exactly what you wrote here you'll find all the good stuff - assuming High T is open. Not always, but with the year they've had should still be doable!

Our last trip of the year is this weekend to Fernie BC and it's not looking good - been warm, hot even, and half of Fernie has wet slid it seems . Wish I was going with you to Alta . . .

 

[coskigirl]

I did the expert clinic my first afternoon at Alta and it was great. I was really glad I had someone showing me the high traverse and how to get around the mountain a bit.

 

[raytseng]

if you've had experience doing traverses and with multiple woopeedoos you will be fine on highT dropping back west rustler down into Collins. Only when it starts turning into the ridge then it starts getting tight and needing to single track or tree skiing like skills where you need to be able to use some techniques to scrub speed and alter direction on a dime (sideslips pivot turns etc).
I also suggest checking out Supreme lift, supreme bowl. Will echo to do wildcat area, Even though it is a double it gives decent vert with lots of "interesting" terrain. in snowbird i found i tend to play around most in gad2/littlecloud lifts

For snowbird, for bucket list you must do mineralbasin at least once as well as Peruvian tunnel to mineral basin (more for the experience of a tunnel). if you are an expert skier should knock off the cirque from your list.

Would agree, to be flexible if you find good snow stick to it and expore, dont just do 1 run per lift and be moving for the sake of an itinerary or trying to see the whole mtn.

 

[coskigirl]

I don't necessarily mean that a person doesn't have the skills to do the high traverse. Maybe I just ski more cautiously but I don't generally get on traverses like that which go off to a place I don't know when I'm skiing alone. Having someone to show me around was great.

 

[givethepigeye]

@TonyPlush you are doing it right! Saw this thread and screamed out inside "TAKE ME WITH YOU" lol. Then option B all the way.

If you're not going to make it to Altabird again this season you could, in theory, take the Sugarloaf pass off the top of Collins to get over to the Bird both days - you'd burn a day at each off your MC pass if you do this - so 2 days of skiing would be your 2 and 2 at Altabird. We were there over Xmas holiday and just took a shuttle to the bottom so we used 2 days each at AltaBird without burning "2" in one day - if that makes any sense.

Still - if this is your 1st trip there just ski Alta. You'll leave wanting more. I also highly recommend the afternoon off-trail workshops - worth it and you'll find stuff you wouldn't on your own, which you can return to on Sunday - also gets you priority lift access: https://www.alta.com/the-mountain/ski-school/adult-ski-school#advanced-expert-off-trail-workshops

Make the most of it especially because the airfare was on the company! Awesome dude!

Negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.

They will charge you the upcharge for Alta/Bird at the gate at Sugarloaf/Mineral (at least that how it worked 2 weeks ago). If it were me I’d somehow hitch or shuttle down to Snowbird and pick up your Snowbird pass and keep them both on you - different pockets. Or just ski Keyhole down to ticket office at Snowbird. Since you aren’t going to use all 4 days (2 each). Also sometimes that gate doesn’t open anyway. Bad weather, vis and Mineral isn’t open.

High T can be a scrum on a powder day, backside is a tad more mellow (ski down to patrol building off Collins, hard left through gate).

 

[Decreed_It]

They will charge you the upcharge for Alta/Bird at the gate at Sugarloaf/Mineral (at least that how it worked 2 weeks ago).

My bad! We never attempted this because they said (MC over the phone to be fair, not Alta ticket office) it would burn 1 day at each passing the gates. Good to know.

 

[givethepigeye]

@Decreed_It - no,worries , just trying to save hassle of the $30+ or whatever the upcharge is. I didn’t think you could have both passes on your person at the same time - but it was fine for me, one in shell sleeve one in opposite pant pocket.

 

[TonyPlush]

They will charge you the upcharge for Alta/Bird at the gate at Sugarloaf/Mineral (at least that how it worked 2 weeks ago). If it were me I’d somehow hitch or shuttle down to Snowbird and pick up your Snowbird pass and keep them both on you - different pockets. Or just ski Keyhole down to ticket office at Snowbird. Since you aren’t going to use all 4 days (2 each). Also sometimes that gate doesn’t open anyway. Bad weather, vis and Mineral isn’t open.

Okay so if I'm understanding this correctly, a viable way to ski between Alta/Bird without paying an extra $60 over the two days would be:

Night of arrival - obtain pass/tickets for the next 2 days at Alta. (Using up both MCP Alta days)
Morning of day 1 - Bus to Snowbird, obtain pass/tickets for the next 2 days at Snowbird. (Using up both MCP Snowbird days.)

Rest of the trip - keep both passes in different pockets. At the Sugarloaf/Mineral gate, present the ticket of whichever mountain I'm skiing towards?

 

[raytseng]

yea,

That's a good plan, although the window is more likely closed the night you get in.

So I think better expectation, is you need to get yourself up at 8AM, go to Alta ticket window, get Alta card.
If Interconnect open (or no chance of storm), then jump on shuttle to snowbird, get to a snowbird base at say ~8:30, get Snowbird card,
Ski snowbird at first chair starting at 9AM and do crossover as you like for the 2 days.

Keep cards separate pockets (or swap them if you are staying in 1 area).
If Mineral and interconnect is not open, you can just do as givethepigeye said and use Wildcat->snowbird gate to get to snowbird as an alternative to shuttle, but without interconnect; is 1-way you would have to shuttle back to Alta.

It really depends if your focus is on Alta, or you really want to split both equally; when you go over to get the other card.