hey guys, for the past year me and my brother have decided that when we graduate college we would like to go on a trip out west to some heavier stuff , i myself have been on the east coast and like the options, but if we were to follow through with this trip where would be a good destination for two bros who love to shred pow..? we wont be graduating for another 2 years but please let me know your thoughts, im thinking about Alta and Snowbird...
Good Ski Trips - Colorado? Utah?
- Thread starter Every26
- Start date
skier58284
Active member
Alta and Snowbird is literally the best choice you could make. If you are here for long enough to warrant season passes, get Snowbird season passes. You can do daily upgrades to include Alta pretty cheaply and Snowbird is better than Alta, so chances are a combined Alta/Snowbird season pass won't be worth the money. Alta is great, but with ~$33/day upgrades from a Snowbird season pass, that's all you need. And if you do get a combined pass anyway, get it from Snowbird because they stay open longer. If you lose your pass after Alta closes you can only get a replacement if you bought it at Snowbird.
Willskiforfree
Member
Alta and snowbird are the best , only downgrade is that snowbird is only open on weekends, but it's cool because if you get a pass to snowbird tickets to alta are way cheap or I believe you can get a combined pass.
Al.Capone
Member
There's going to be a lot of people that think Snowbird is better, and just as many think Alta is better. I personally like Alta better, I find it all around more playful with lots of kickers and quality drops, plus if you're willing to work a little you can get to those lines that people always talk about. Snowbird is sweet though don't get me wrong, think Sander Hadley. If you want to take a look at skiing inbounds at alta, all lift assisted, look up Cottonwood ep 1 on Vimeo made by the Sabek. All of the gopro edits Sander put out were money as well, and those weren't even good snow days! You really can't go wrong with either.
iH8pow
Active member
In my experience Jackson Hole>Alta>Snowbird. I've heard a number of people who prefer Snowbird over Alta, but I may be biased because I hit Alta on a pow day and Snowbird we hit during a snowstorm that was a bust. The difference between Jackson and Alta at least is that Jackson has all the terrain open. Alta does this thing where after a snow storm, they leave areas closed off so they can stagger it and open it up on the weekends so those people get freshies (correct me if I'm wrong), which sucks.
Also with Jackson, they have a park as well as Alta/Snowbird does not.
Don't even bother with Colorado. Can't compare anywhere in Colorado with the above mentioned 3 resorts
Also with Jackson, they have a park as well as Alta/Snowbird does not.
Don't even bother with Colorado. Can't compare anywhere in Colorado with the above mentioned 3 resorts
Holte
Active member
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, go ski Alta and Snowbird. Mostly Snowbird unless you have an undying love for cat tracks. I would rank Snowbird's terrain among the top 5 in North America.
Try to find a local to show you the mountain. You can easily find good spots at any great mountain, but you'll hardly find great spots without someone who's been riding it for years.
Try to find a local to show you the mountain. You can easily find good spots at any great mountain, but you'll hardly find great spots without someone who's been riding it for years.
13056748:TrollToll said:
you are wrong
every resort in ut opens terrain at the disgression of it's snow safety
professionalsdetermined by stablity and the manpower of the fine red coaters to keep it open and safe
don't listen to the lcc lemmings kid
it will b way easir for you to shred untracked pow in the bcc
the vibes way chiller and you get 2 resorts for less than 1
not to mention on the bestest pow day in the last decade the bird ran chickadee and alta ran the rope tow
infedel_one
Active member
all depends on if you ski alot of park or just rip mountain.
If you ride park then definitely Colorado. You can get a pass in Colorado for Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Abasin for 500-700 depending on what you want to get and if you are coming around christmas break rush. Best parks you could rip out west and plenty of mountains to ski if it dumps.
If you just rip mountain CO aint bad but alta/snowbird is definitely prime. Dope mountains and lines, along with some great snow, but alot more expensive for a season pass and day tickets will add up forsure as it will anywhere.
If you ride park then definitely Colorado. You can get a pass in Colorado for Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Abasin for 500-700 depending on what you want to get and if you are coming around christmas break rush. Best parks you could rip out west and plenty of mountains to ski if it dumps.
If you just rip mountain CO aint bad but alta/snowbird is definitely prime. Dope mountains and lines, along with some great snow, but alot more expensive for a season pass and day tickets will add up forsure as it will anywhere.
MikeWeinerONE
Member
You should think about checking out Squaw Valley USA. Granted it's not in CO/UT but it's some of the best terrain you're going to find in the US. They also have very cheap season passes and an incredible vibe exists in the Squaw community. The past 2 years haven't been amazing with snow, but 2011 was 810 inches.
bakerpunk
Member
13056632:Jwenz said:
why does everyone hate on utah so much? i moved here about 4 months ago and can't figure it out. So many outdoor activities and cool places to see. the only downside is the religious freaks, shitty drivers, beer flavored water unless you got to the liquor store, and the lack of weed. So i guess i agree utah sucks besides skiing, mountain biking, and outdoor stuff.
bakerpunk
Member
13056632:Jwenz said:
why does everyone hate on utah so much? i moved here about 4 months ago and can't figure it out. So many outdoor activities and cool places to see. the only downside is the religious freaks, shitty drivers, beer flavored water unless you got to the liquor store, and the lack of weed. So i guess i agree utah sucks besides skiing, mountain biking, and outdoor stuff.
caucasian_chad
Active member
Definitely not Montana. Montana is the worst.
http://www.backcountry.com/explore/the-top-10-reasons-not-to-visit-montana-ever
http://www.backcountry.com/explore/the-top-10-reasons-not-to-visit-montana-ever
skier58284
Active member
13056525:Willskiforfree said:
lolno, Snowbird is only closed on week days for like the last two weeks that it is open, which are after every other ski area in Utah is closed entirely.
Seconding Grizzly's recommendation for Jackson, it's on the same level as Snowbird, two of the best ski areas anywhere.
Also know that Snowbird, Alta, and Jackson Hole are more challenging mountains than pretty much any other ski area. OP, you say that you like to ski pow, so I assume you have skied in the mountains before, in which case those three are excellent areas--as long as you are comfortable on steep off-piste terrain. They are not like Colorado resorts where any gaper kid can go and ski easy groomers all day. They have a fair amount of groomers, but the groomers are not as well maintained as more family-oriented places so they get pretty choppy, and Snowbird/Alta/Jackson also have steeper terrain in general than most other ski areas. If you and your brother are good skiers they are pretty much your three best options, but if you are casuals/beginners you may want to consider other places.
skier58284
Active member
13059247:Peter. said:
"if the snow is good"
Exactly.