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Utah Utah 2020-2021 Season Pass Selection Options

Ski&ride

Out on the slopes
Pass Pulled
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Posts
1,633
A little bit more into that LCC allure for me:
95% probability that we won't be living in Utah forever.
Bite the bullet and get a pass that will maximize your chance to ski where you REALLY want!

I think all the crowd and traffic concerns from previous seasons will be out the window next season! Thanks to covid19, prior season experience will be largely irrelevant.

Crowds could be non-existence due to tourists staying home, or even worse than last season because people are working flexible hours!!! Who knows???

You’ll be shooting in the dark. Might as well aim at least at the direction of the heart’s desire.

BUT,
HOWEVER,
ON THE OTHER HAND,
HAVING SAID ALL THAT,
LAST BUT NOT LEAST,
...

If you can afford to lose $2k in case there won’t be much of a season, then you can afford to lose the $100~200 “early bird discount” by waiting till fall before buying!

Doesn’t make sense to risk $2k for the sake of $200 “saving”.
:huh::huh::huh:
 
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Thread Starter
TS
CB-4

CB-4

'Skers by 90
Skier
Joined
Mar 28, 2020
Posts
6
Location
South Ogden, UT
Have you taken the UTA ski buses before? If you've been consistently driving to Snowbasin, I recommend caution in projecting transit use next season. The one time I took the ski bus to/from Solitude, it was an all-around unpleasant experience--booting up down in the smog, standing in ski boots on a wet floor holding skis & poles while the bus went around hairpin turns. Some others were standing in better shoes, but they were holding skis, poles, and a boot bag. Awkward either way. Crammed too tight and wearing warm gear so it was very hot. And the extra waiting at both ends. Just not very pleasant. I found UTA great for when I needed to work downtown and could just hop the bus instead of driving, or when exploring different areas around downtown or the U... but the ski bus isn't for me.

Of course, weekday rush hour from South Ogden to LCC can be brutal. When I lived there I was in Millcreek and bought a pass at Snowbasin... mostly for weekends/holidays, but on those weekdays when I went up to Snowbasin, I definitely remember being thankful I was going against traffic as I saw the giant backups. I'll share my thoughts resort-by-resort
  • Snowbasin: when I lived in Utah, it was amazing. Based on various reports at PugSki, it's gone downhill a lot in the past few years... but that still probably means it offers a better-than-average experience, which would help reconcile the differences in perspective between you and longer-time Snowbasin patrons. Your observations about Snowbasin seem on-target to me. I'd add that it's the worst spot in Utah for a lower intermediate skier. Briana definitely deserves some better easy-blue-run experiences to help build confidence and skill.
  • Alta: Maybe I just lucked out with restrooms at Alta, but I didn't run into any that were "gross" by a long shot. They're definitely not as luxurious as in Snowbasin's main lodge, but Snowbasin's are in a league of their own. Great intermediate skiing, and a better fit for Briana. Advanced terrain is not very solo-accessible... Cody would likely have a significantly better experience at Alta if he's got a buddy there or can make some ski buddies pretty quickly. You mention lift lines on weekends/big pow days... my experience at Alta is that sunny weekdays also have the longest lift lines in Utah.
  • Snowbird: Better low-intermediate terrain than Snowbasin, but worse than anywhere else in Utah. My experience as an intermediate at Snowbird was that its terrain kept on pushing me to get better... it wore me out but I had a stupid grin on my face after each run. It definitely doesn't feel small even if just sticking to blues. Still, might be a little too much for Briana until she skills up a little farther. A lot more advanced terrain is clearly visible from the lifts, making many steeps much more solo-friendly than at Alta. Snobby? Not in my experience... Alta's got more of a snob problem.
  • Powder Mountain: Make sure to try it out next year (assuming there's a ski season). Very uncrowded, which makes for a radically better ski experience in my opinion. Fantastic intermediate terrain--the best bet for Briana. The old lifts are much faster than the fixed-grip lifts at Snowbasin, so it shouldn't feel like as much of a downgrade as you might worry. And when you say "challenging but not crazy" terrain, PowMow has that... but those steeps have similar snowfall to Snowbasin without the snowmaking that helps get & keep Grizzly/Wildflower/Hollywood open. And the snowcat/bus skiing is best experienced with a partner. If your car can handle the access road, I'd actually recommend it as a pass purchase for both of you next year, and maybe Mountain Collective or just one-off day passes for Cody's solo days to explore some more challenging options.
  • Brighton: I wasn't particularly excited to try Brighton, but it turns out overall it's my favorite Wasatch ski spot for its fantastic intermediate terrain, fast lifts, and relatively low crowds. Probably the second best spot for Briana, but more limited advanced terrain.
  • Solitude, PCMR, Deer Valley: I think you're right--too far, too expensive, not the right mountains for you two.
Note that your slide for Snowbasin + Mountain Collective has a couple errors in the Benefits section.... no Ikon Base Pass (although there's overlap); only 5 days in Utah (2 Alta + 2 Snowbird +1 bonus day if you buy early enough). Grand Targhee is now an MCP member, making a Sun Valley-Grand Targhee-Jackson Hole vacation ideal (unless you're fixated on Big Sky, which is a significantly longer drive).

Overall, you're a tough pair of skiers to make recommendations for! I think my biggest worry would be Briana saying "I ski blues but if they are really steep or conditions are not ideal I don't like it very much." I'd be very worried that another season at Snowbasin is going to convince her to quit skiing, and the extra hassle of commuting down to LCC isn't going to help much, even with better terrain. PowMow is chock full of blue runs that are a bit less steep than Snowbasin's and are much more frequently in ideal shape due to the low crowds--I think that's the spot for Briana to practice and explore next year, maybe take a lesson or two, and perhaps be more comfortable on the more challenging or crowded terrain in 21/22. Pairing PowMow with MCP or Ikon can still offer some more variety, too.


Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply! That must have taken you a lot of time and I really appreciate that. I noticed the errors on the slide with the Mountain Collective + Snowbasin when I was presenting to Briana the other night haha! -Sorry about that.

Current Leaning: After going over it all with Briana we both ended up leaning towards the full Ikon Pass. I was surprised. No blackout restrictions, 21 days at all the great UT resorts beyond Solitude, Jackson Hole access, and not outrageous $$ led us to that persuasion. Runner-up is a full Brighton pass, third is a Powder Mountain pass, and Alta is still somehow on our minds at 4th. I get what you mean with expert terrain in view of the chairlifts. It's definitely been a struggle for me to meet other skier buddies to ski with so that I can be safer when skiing certain terrain. Maybe I haven't tried hard enough :huh:

I fully agree with you that we're tough skiers to make recommendations for! The thing that we most agreed on was that we don't want to go back to Snowbasin for exactly the reasons that you mentioned. I'm doing fine there and like it but Bri recognized that she's having a really hard time comfortably pushing herself with the intermediate terrain issues and she actually thought that the super cushy lodges might make it too easy for her to hide out in when she gets discouraged haha! Additionally, we really meshed with the idea of exploring what Utah has to offer, even if we're not at the perfect resort for our situation every day that we ski. I just don't know if we could spend the 1400 for a powder mountain + ikon base pass. That's a lot of money for us. Additionally, mountain collective is kind of a no go for us anymore because we want to see the Utah resorts and we'd only get 5 additional days in LCC and maybe one extra out of state trip.

Regarding the travel: We think that we would be a lot more likely to ski a "full day" on Saturdays if we travelled to the UT ikon resorts and then rest/ allocate time to do other things on Sundays instead of usually skiing half days Sat and Sun at Snowbasin. The bus ride up and down the canyon doesn't sound like a lot of fun, I wish it wasn't that way (especially with all paid parking at Solitude now).

The only thing that I'm hesitating on with the full Ikon is that the only unlimited UT access is Solitude. Two issues: When I go skiing without Bri, it could only be at Solitude if we want to stay on the same "days left" schedule. Additionally, I think that we're really going to love skiing at Brighton and we'll be sad when those 7 days are up.

Ultimately, we'll have to make a decision, make the best of it, and adjust when '21-'22 rolls around. It is kind of fun to optimize this and dream a little bit though. I sure appreciate the feedback.
 
Thread Starter
TS
CB-4

CB-4

'Skers by 90
Skier
Joined
Mar 28, 2020
Posts
6
Location
South Ogden, UT
Just out of curiosity would also like to ask the OP what's their Myer's Briggs type or other personality test results if they are willing (guess: ISTP or INTP)
Oh man that's funny. If I'm remembering correctly: I (it was close) N (also close) but definitely TP. The latest hot one is the Enneagram and I guess I'm type 3 wing 2. Also Gallup CliftonStrengths: Achiever, Harmony, Belief, Consistency, Competition.
 

blackke17

I'd rather be at Alta
Skier
Joined
Apr 25, 2017
Posts
986
Location
South Side
your gonna kick yourself in the ass if you move out of Utah without undertaking a full season in the cottonwoods!

I already bought my ikon base and will be adding an Alta pass on top of it.
 
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Jim Kenney

Travel Correspondent
Team Gathermeister
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VA
IKON sounds like a good way for you to get some nice variety. There are a lot of Utahns skiing with the base IKON. If you get the full IKON be sure to plan to ski on the blackout days for the base version. They will be some of the lightest non-weekdays you'll ski all winter.
 

Tony

tseeb
Skier
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Posts
1,284
Location
Northern CA
Ikon sounds OK for you although giving up closest ski area to where you live or stay is tough. I was also considering that for next season.

Note that at 24.5 now, you may not qualify for Young Adult passes next season.

I think you and others in this thread are too quick to dismiss Deer Valley as too far and not for you. The distance/time is similar to LCC and BCC and you could go the back way through Coalville and avoid I-15 and most Park City traffic. While it's known for it's groomers, it would have a lot more runs for your wife than Snowbird, which I think is very limited for beginners and intermediates. Yes Deer Valley does not get as much snow as LCC and BCC, but it can deliver in some storms, does have some steeps and competition for powder is lower. If you have Ikon, you have to try it early or mid-season.

I'm not sure if I found a hole in the Ikon Pass Brighton limits on my one day there this year about a month ago. We started at Solitude (paid $5 for parking since we had 5 in friend's SUV), but found a lot of the lower mountain was very firm (later heard it rained to 9K previous night). The three of us with Ikons moved to Brighton where E-facing Milly was in good shape from sun hitting it. We skied it at least 5 time,s then my wife and I went to Molly Greens (great ski lodge and beers and pizza although small) for a beer and a French onion soup. Then we rode and skied Crest before returning to Brighton via Milly. My Ikon only shows I skied Solitude on that day. It may be a limit in their system. YMMV. Also note that not only does Brighton have Milly facing East (with side-country on both sides) and a lot of tree-lined runs facing N in center of mountain, W-facing Great Western is also a great lift with over 1700 vertical and variety of runs including some great side-country.

Also wondering if following is new for Solitude and will continue next year. It's dated 3/14/20, their last day open and says $5 parking for Ikon and Solitude passholders, and free with 4 or more if you have at least one Ikon Pass or Solitude pass holder.

From https://www.solitudemountain.com/discover-solitude/getting-here
DAILY COST PER VEHICLE

3/14/20 - Update
Ikon Pass and Solitude pass holders
- $5 daily rate

Vehicles with 4 or more occupants, including at least one Ikon Pass or Solitude pass holder
- Complimentary

Standard Daily Rates
4+ occupants: $5
3 occupants: $10
1 - 2 occupants: $20
 

raytseng

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Posts
3,330
Location
SF Bay Area
Also wondering if following is new for Solitude and will continue next year. It's dated 3/14/20, their last day open and says $5 parking for Ikon and Solitude passholders, and free with 4 or more if you have at least one Ikon Pass or Solitude pass holder.

From https://www.solitudemountain.com/discover-solitude/getting-here
DAILY COST PER VEHICLE

3/14/20 - Update
Ikon Pass and Solitude pass holders
- $5 daily rate

Yea, it could only be meant as a Spring adjustment; and unknown if that'll be in place for next season.

However, don't worry, purchase with confidence!
As we've learned form the Northstar lawsuit, if you purchase your pass now, and they change the parking policy on you, you are not screwed!
All you have to do is don't use your pass for 20/21, hire a lawyer and put down ~$100,000 retainer, take them to US district federal court; make a bunch of affadavits and time off to go to court; and in about 3months you'll most likely get your $999 back and $100,000 retainer back. You'll likely be blacklisted from Ikon for life for this; but you didn't want to ski there anyway...:beercheer:
 

tromano

Goin' the way they're pointed...
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Posts
2,440
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Layton, UT
Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply! That must have taken you a lot of time and I really appreciate that. I noticed the errors on the slide with the Mountain Collective + Snowbasin when I was presenting to Briana the other night haha! -Sorry about that.

Current Leaning: After going over it all with Briana we both ended up leaning towards the full Ikon Pass. I was surprised. No blackout restrictions, 21 days at all the great UT resorts beyond Solitude, Jackson Hole access, and not outrageous $$ led us to that persuasion. Runner-up is a full Brighton pass, third is a Powder Mountain pass, and Alta is still somehow on our minds at 4th. I get what you mean with expert terrain in view of the chairlifts. It's definitely been a struggle for me to meet other skier buddies to ski with so that I can be safer when skiing certain terrain. Maybe I haven't tried hard enough :huh:

I fully agree with you that we're tough skiers to make recommendations for! The thing that we most agreed on was that we don't want to go back to Snowbasin for exactly the reasons that you mentioned. I'm doing fine there and like it but Bri recognized that she's having a really hard time comfortably pushing herself with the intermediate terrain issues and she actually thought that the super cushy lodges might make it too easy for her to hide out in when she gets discouraged haha! Additionally, we really meshed with the idea of exploring what Utah has to offer, even if we're not at the perfect resort for our situation every day that we ski. I just don't know if we could spend the 1400 for a powder mountain + ikon base pass. That's a lot of money for us. Additionally, mountain collective is kind of a no go for us anymore because we want to see the Utah resorts and we'd only get 5 additional days in LCC and maybe one extra out of state trip.

Regarding the travel: We think that we would be a lot more likely to ski a "full day" on Saturdays if we travelled to the UT ikon resorts and then rest/ allocate time to do other things on Sundays instead of usually skiing half days Sat and Sun at Snowbasin. The bus ride up and down the canyon doesn't sound like a lot of fun, I wish it wasn't that way (especially with all paid parking at Solitude now).

The only thing that I'm hesitating on with the full Ikon is that the only unlimited UT access is Solitude. Two issues: When I go skiing without Bri, it could only be at Solitude if we want to stay on the same "days left" schedule. Additionally, I think that we're really going to love skiing at Brighton and we'll be sad when those 7 days are up.

Ultimately, we'll have to make a decision, make the best of it, and adjust when '21-'22 rolls around. It is kind of fun to optimize this and dream a little bit though. I sure appreciate the feedback.

Ikon is pretty limited for locals. The good part is being able to visit a few different areas. But IMO, it takes a season or more for me to really learn an area, so 7 days seems like a lot but it's not.

So much of what works for a person depends on work schedules and specific locations. Where your friends ski, etc...

I think extreme access, being just a few min from the lift to home/work has big value. Being able to slip out for some turns is never bad.
 

New2

Out on the slopes
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May 3, 2017
Posts
728
Location
Spokane
Sounds like you've got a good plan coming together! A few follow-on thoughts...
  • If you do go with Ikon, make sure to get over to Deer Valley, too. While I wouldn't recommend shelling out the kind of money it takes for a DV pass unless you're madly in love with it, it definitely is one of Utah's great resorts, and it has plenty to keep you both interested for several days' exploration.
  • Saturdays tend to be a lot busier in Utah than Sundays. How to spend weekends is, of course, a pretty personal decision, but there are advantages to focusing on skiing Sundays.
  • For times when you want a quick skiing fix or you're solo and don't want to hassle & pay for parking at Solitude, consider a Nordic Valley pass or multi-pack. It's got a limited season, but it's legitimately fun and an easy drive for you. I recommend reading this article for inspiration: https://www.slopefillers.com/five-lessons-from-small-skiing/
 

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