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Utah Solitude Mountain Resort will charge visitors for parking

scott43

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At the end of the day they'll have to decide if their revenue is greater or less as a result. They're kind of unique since public transit gets you right there. Personally I'd be pissed. But would I stop going? Probably not..
 

AmyPJ

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Slim

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I agree with the article that (significantly) more parking doesn’t really help. I also agree that something needs to be done.
I am not sure that it’s a weekend only thing, I have seen some pretty big days midweek as well.

I do wish they would coordinate it with the other 3 Cottonwood resorts.
And, more importantly, improve the bus service. If the bus service was better, it would get more single drivers (like @blackke17 ) out of their car, and if it was really good, even doubles or families.

Until now, what has kept me out of the bus was lack of parking at the park and ride lots, then the question of whether you will even be able to get on the bus, followed by the fact that the bus sits in the same traffic jam as the cars.
Finally, the Busses don’t stop at many popular backcountry trailheads.

If they could enlarge the park and ride lots, increase the number of busses during peak hours, stop at some of the trailheads, and most importantly, add a bus lane wherever physically possible, that would get me into the bus for sure.

I do see it’s free with Ikon pass, because that was the other thing, $9 for a 7 mile bus ride is ridiculous, so another of the reasons I haven’t taken the bus up a Cottonwood Canyon yet.
 
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Slim

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They're kind of unique since public transit gets you right there...
I don’t consider that unique. Every other large size resort in the US I have been to has bus access:
Little Cottonwood resorts, Park City resorts, Frisco CO area resorts, Winter Park, Whistler, Big Sky. And all the ones I have read about do as well.
 

mdf

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I suppose paid parking where there are alternatives can be spun as public-spirited. Where there are no alternatives, it is just a way to recover a per-day charge that went away with cheap passes. I think any expensive attraction that charges for parking in their own lots is a bit sleazy.
 

jmeb

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I don’t consider that unique. Every other large size resort in the US I have been to has bus access:
Little Cottonwood resorts, Park City resorts, Frisco CO area resorts, Winter Park, Whistler, Big Sky. And all the ones I have read about do as well.

You need to have a pretty loose definition of "access" for Winter Park or Frisco resorts to qualify. While they have bus access for people who are tourists in towns up there, they have very limited or no bus access for the mass of front range commuters. It's why there is so much excitement for the very limited trial runs of (at $25 round trip) of the new SnowStang from Denver this year to Abasin and Loveland.
 

bquick222

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So I just moved to SLC and was planning on riding the bus this winter to save money instead of buying/mounting snow tires. How reliable is the ski bus, and how quick does the bus fill up? I plan on using the Bingham Junction park and ride lot to BCC, and I plan on skiing mostly weekdays.
 

Daniel

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I've been riding the ski bus since the 1984-5 season, with the exception of a seven-year period when I lived in Logan and also when I was traveling overseas for a very extended period. The bus schedule for the past two seasons is the best it's ever been, in terms of frequency of service.

The bus is reliable but, when it's gridlock in the canyons and/or at the mouth of the canyons or one or both canyons are closed, the buses are at the mercy of traffic patterns and mother nature. A bus stranded in a canyon that's closed or stuck in crazy insane traffic could be the bus that's next scheduled to run the route you're hoping to utilize.

The Bingham Junction park and ride lot is an excellent choice of locations to catch the bus because I am quite certain it ensures you'll get a seat since I believe it is the beginning of the route. The closer one gets to the mouth of either canyon, the more difficult it progressively is to get a seat, get a spot to stand, and even get on the bus because it definitely can completely fill up even prior to arriving at the park and rides on the east bench and at the mouths of the canyons.

Getting back down the canyons from Solitude and Snowbird can also be challenging on busy days because buses often leave Brighton and Alta completely full during prime departure times. I often either leave for home earlier than I would normally care to or hitchhike down-canyon as a workaround. Hitchhiking up or down the canyons is super easy and it's a rarity to wait longer than a minute or two before getting a ride.

Once at the park and ride at the bottom of the canyon you can hop on the bus, as there are always riders disembarking there creating space for you. Skiing weekdays will alleviate a lot of the aforementioned issues but weekday powder days can sometimes rival weekends and holiday periods for congestion. I've always had a season locker rental and so typically don't haul gear up and down canyon. I have on several occasions witnessed the aftermath of a person disembarking from the bus at Snowbird or Solitude and mistakenly taking another person's similar or identical ski gear only for the actual owner heading for Alta or Brighton to discover their skis, poles, or board is missing and similar or identical gear is left in its place. Keep an eye on your equipment at stops to avoid this predicament.
 
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4aprice

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A little background as I get to Utah every season but always in late March which is a different beast then the regular season. Solitude has always been a favorite.

I'm not against payed parking but I think they will regret not making weekend or even powder day only. I understand its the one unlimited on the base Ikon pass but when I was there last March the lot was as empty as its ever been. I think its fair for them to try to capitalize on busy days. It keeps the lifts running.
 

Tony

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I would be pissed if I bought my pass on the premise that parking was free! :nono:

Oh wait a minute, I did :eek::doh:
Parking may not be free, but the bus is free for passholders including Ikon. From article linked in first post: "Round-trip fare on Utah Transit Authority canyon buses, which operate only during ski season, is $9. Solitude will cover this charge for all its season pass holders, including those who hold the multiresort Ikon pass". Sounds like a win-win to me although I don't usually ski Solitude.
 

bquick222

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I've been riding the ski bus since the 1984-5 season, with the exception of a seven-year period when I lived in Logan and also when I was traveling overseas for a very extended period. The bus schedule for the past two seasons is the best it's ever been, in terms of frequency of service.

The bus is reliable but, when it's gridlock in the canyons and/or at the mouth of the canyons or one or both canyons are closed, the buses are at the mercy of traffic patterns and mother nature. A bus stranded in a canyon that's closed or stuck in crazy insane traffic could be the bus that's next scheduled to run the route you're hoping to utilize.

The Bingham Junction park and ride lot is an excellent choice of locations to catch the bus because I am quite certain it ensures you'll get a seat since I believe it is the beginning of the route. The closer one gets to the mouth of either canyon, the more difficult it progressively is to get a seat, get a spot to stand, and even get on the bus because it definitely can completely fill up even prior to arriving at the park and rides on the east bench and at the mouths of the canyons.

Getting back down the canyons from Solitude and Snowbird can also be challenging on busy days because buses often leave Brighton and Alta completely full during prime departure times. I often either leave for home earlier than I would normally care to or hitchhike down-canyon as a workaround. Hitchhiking up or down the canyons is super easy and it's a rarity to wait longer than a minute or two before getting a ride.

Once at the park and ride at the bottom of the canyon you can hop on the bus, as there are always riders disembarking there creating space for you. Skiing weekdays will alleviate a lot of the aforementioned issues but weekday powder days can sometimes rival weekends and holiday periods for congestion. I've always had a season locker rental and so typically don't haul gear up and down canyon. I have on several occasions witnessed the aftermath of a person disembarking from the bus at Snowbird or Solitude and mistakenly taking another person's similar or identical ski gear only for the actual owner heading for Alta or Brighton to discover their skis, poles, or board is missing and similar or identical gear is left in its place. Keep an eye on your equipment at stops to avoid this predicament.

Sweet, and thanks for the advice! I am usually one of the first ones there and dip around 2ish in the afternoon since my legs are shot anyways so hopefully I can catch a bus down earlier than everyone else and avoid having to wait for an empty one at the end of the day.
 

New2

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Undoubtedly something needs to be done about the crowding in the Cottonwood Canyons. But just letting Alterra arbitrarily decide to collect $$$ from people parking on National Forest land to recreate on National Forest land rubs me the wrong way. Was there a formal review/public comment process leading up to this?
 

4ster

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I had an Ikon pass last season (& again this year) but never skied any of the Utah resorts. I did plan to ski at least a few days at Solitude early this season maybe more if the skiing isn't great up north. Even though I am in Utah during the winter it is an 80 mile drive one way for me to the CC's or I would probably go more often. When I have skied there it is always midweek, low season.
When I do go it is usually a decision made the morning of, and requires an early start. I drive my winter equipped, compact, fuel efficient car which will not handle 3 passengers & their equipment comfortably. Now you’re telling me that I need to find parking at the bus stop, wait for a bus, guess what clothes & equipment I may need from 4000’ below, unload my car, load it into a bus that may or may not be full of sick or diseased humans, trust someone I have never met to drive a 30,000 lb. box up a winding mountain road, find a place to boot up & leave my shoes & extra stuff, discover l left an important item in my vehicle, know ahead of time when I will be done for the day, try to time the bus departure perfectly so I’m not caught waiting around only to find out it is full. Then the road closes before the next bus can get there forcing me to spend $100’s of dollars on a hotel room or sleep on the wet, smelly cafeteria floor!
Sounds like a nightmare to me & a definite deterrent to my visiting Solitude.
C2DA8B3A-F8B6-402D-8A0D-42F54D4A5893.jpeg

Again, I am not sure how they can ethically make a policy change like this after they have sold the first pass for the season. Snowbasin pulled this trick a couple of years ago when they decided to make A-lot car pool only after passes had been sold.
 
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jmeb

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But just letting Alterra arbitrarily decide to collect $$$ from people parking on National Forest land to recreate on National Forest land rubs me the wrong way.

Pretty sure the National Forest aren't foot the bill for plowing the lots and maintaining them during summer.

It's a crappy cash crab with greenwashing for sure.
 

HardDaysNight

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I had an Ikon pass last season (& again this year) but never skied any of the Utah resorts. I did plan to ski at least a few days at Solitude early this season maybe more if the skiing isn't great up north. Even though I am in Utah during the winter it is an 80 mile drive one way for me to the CC's or I would probably go more often. When I have skied there it is always midweek, low season.
When I do go it is usually a decision made the morning of, and requires an early start. I drive my compact, fuel efficient car which will not handle 3 passengers & their equipment comfortably. Now you’re telling me that I need to find parking at the bus stop, wait for a bus, guess what clothes & equipment I may need from 4000’ below, unload my car, load it into a bus that may or may not be full of sick or diseased humans, trust someone I have never met to drive a 30,000 lb. box up a winding mountain road, find a place to boot up & leave my shoes & extra stuff, discover l left an important item in my vehicle, know ahead of time when I will be done for the day, try to time the bus departure perfectly so I’m not caught waiting around only to find out it is full. Then the road closes before the next bus can get there forcing me to spend $100’s of dollars on a hotel room or sleep on the wet, smelly cafeteria floor!
Sounds like a nightmare to me & a definite deterrent to my visiting Solitude.
View attachment 80356

Again, I am not sure how they can ethically make a policy change like this after they have sold the first pass for the season. Snowbasin pulled this trick a couple of years ago when they decided to make A-lot car pool only after passes had been sold.

^^^This! It’s a tragedy that a group of carpetbaggers has managed to wreck one of Utah’s truly great resorts in just a couple of seasons. Hidden in the detail is the fact that Solitude has expanded parking by 200 spots, presumably with the intention of filling them, so the justification that this is for the protection of the environment is bogus. It’s intended to pack more people onto the mountain and to extract more revenue from them.
 
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blackke17

blackke17

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Would be tough for me to bring my grill up on the bus to tailgate for lunch as well.

IKON'T stand what's happened to Solitude
 

Crank

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I have heard that Solitude has been getting more skiers since the advent of the Ikon.
 

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