Utah vs Colorado

Nick_Pank

New member
So coming up to the season here I have the option to either go to Utah or Colorado and im pretty stumped on where to go cause you have breckenridge and keystone in one and then you have park city and snowbird in the other. Whats better??
 
topic:Nick_Pank said:
So coming up to the season here I have the option to either go to Utah or Colorado and im pretty stumped on where to go cause you have breckenridge and keystone in one and then you have park city and snowbird in the other. Whats better??

based on the fact you considered snowbird which has no park, you probably don’t want to ski park. Utah destroys almost anything in colorado in terms of snow and terrain.
 
13850314:The.Fish said:
based on the fact you considered snowbird which has no park, you probably don’t want to ski park. Utah destroys almost anything in colorado in terms of snow and terrain.

CO still has Silverton and Telluride tho
 
13850316:DIRTYBUBBLE said:
CO still has Silverton and Telluride tho

he was considering breck and keystone so I was reffering to that area. I did forget about telluride though.

**This post was edited on Oct 31st 2017 at 10:41:59am
 
The snow and terrain in Utah is just straight up better, especially if you are considering Keystone and Breckenridge. You could make an argument that Crested Butte, Silverton, and Telluride compete with Utah though.

Park City sucks compared to Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude, and Snowbasin.

However, the lifestyle and mountain towns of Colorado beat the shit out of anything in Utah. It's more expensive to live though.
 
13850356:freeballer said:
The snow and terrain in Utah is just straight up better, especially if you are considering Keystone and Breckenridge. You could make an argument that Crested Butte, Silverton, and Telluride compete with Utah though.

Park City sucks compared to Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude, and Snowbasin.

However, the lifestyle and mountain towns of Colorado beat the shit out of anything in Utah. It's more expensive to live though.

This. Utah is better for all around skiing... but in my opinion, Colorado is the better state to call home. Idk what you're into, but Utah and Colorado are on some very different vibes.
 
topic:Nick_Pank said:
So coming up to the season here I have the option to either go to Utah or Colorado and im pretty stumped on where to go cause you have breckenridge and keystone in one and then you have park city and snowbird in the other. Whats better??

If I were you i would just stay at the base of snowbird and ski snowbird/alta.
 
13850356:freeballer said:
The snow and terrain in Utah is just straight up better, especially if you are considering Keystone and Breckenridge. You could make an argument that Crested Butte, Silverton, and Telluride compete with Utah though.

Park City sucks compared to Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude, and Snowbasin.

However, the lifestyle and mountain towns of Colorado beat the shit out of anything in Utah. It's more expensive to live though.

This is pretty much what I was going to say.
 
13850314:The.Fish said:
based on the fact you considered snowbird which has no park, you probably don’t want to ski park. Utah destroys almost anything in colorado in terms of snow and terrain.

"destroys" lol
 
Lived in PC for 4 years, Denver for 3.

Unless you're skiing the southern resorts in CO that are in the middle of fucking nowhere (CB, Telluride, Silverton), UT takes the cake for basically anything skiing-related... ease of access, crowds, terrain, cost, snow quality etc etc.

The only advantage I could see to Summit Co. is Abay opens earlier and spins later than everywhere else in the country, save for maybe Tline. Beach days in June are pretty fucking rad.

That said, CO wins for pretty much anything social... bars, breweries, music, art, weed, women etc etc. I obviously have a bit of a bias having gone to a huge place like Denver from a small mountain town like PC, but regardless the social scene in SLC/PC is average at best IMO.

As a skier, you'll love both either way. Good luck!
 
Utah wins for terrain and price. The best one for you more depends on the things you want out of the ski vacation. Do you wanna get off the mountain and hit bars and stuff in town? or do you want to spend every second of it shredding?
 
13850497:seanahue. said:
Lived in PC for 4 years, Denver for 3.

Unless you're skiing the southern resorts in CO that are in the middle of fucking nowhere (CB, Telluride, Silverton), UT takes the cake for basically anything skiing-related... ease of access, crowds, terrain, cost, snow quality etc etc.

The only advantage I could see to Summit Co. is Abay opens earlier and spins later than everywhere else in the country, save for maybe Tline. Beach days in June are pretty fucking rad.

That said, CO wins for pretty much anything social... bars, breweries, music, art, weed, women etc etc. I obviously have a bit of a bias having gone to a huge place like Denver from a small mountain town like PC, but regardless the social scene in SLC/PC is average at best IMO.

As a skier, you'll love both either way. Good luck!

Sums it up

13850694:danbrown said:
u cant get drunk or find weed in utah tbh

This is an exaggeration but is the essential decision maker-- if social aspects are a factor, colorado is WAY better. For beer, weed, chicks, mountain culture, live music, and general fun having, Colorado is one of the best states and Utah is one of the worst.
 
You can get drunk and find weed and cool people in UT, you just have to know where to go. I think Salt Lake City is a really fun town. The snow here is incredible.
 
stay near the city so you can go bar hop, or stay in PC and take the free busses around everywhere, stay right on the mtns, and rage

if you do stay in the valley, USE THE DAMNED SKI BUS. Seriously parking is a fucking nightmare at Snowbird/Alta/Brighton, tbh its pretty nice on powdays too. youre stuck in traffic like the rest of us only you already got your shit on and dont need to worry about parking or anything. and getting popped by UPD for a DUI at the mouths of the canyons isnt fun either.
 
13850316:DIRTYBUBBLE said:
CO still has Silverton and Telluride tho

Silverton is fun as shit, the lift scares me though, but once your up it's a pretty mellow walk to get to the good stuff. Also most of the winter your supposed to have a guide.
 
13850700:JohnJonsz said:
Sums it up

Utah is one of the worst.

oh really? news to me and everyone else that lives here. We must all be social hermits that are just sober all the time and play board games.

Any place where you can find like-minded individuals that are into the same shit you are, you can have a good time and a great social life. Utah is definitely one of those places considering the huge draw here for many different outdoor adventure sports.

I also consume more thc than anyone on this site and never have any problems brah /claim.

But this is just the opinion of a loner, sober, mormon that lives in the worst social state in the country.

**This post was edited on Nov 2nd 2017 at 9:11:46am
 
13851039:PBraunstein said:
oh really? news to me and everyone else that lives here. We must all be social hermits that are just sober all the time and play board games.

Any place where you can find like-minded individuals that are into the same shit you are, you can have a good time and a great social life. Utah is definitely one of those places considering the huge draw here for many different outdoor adventure sports.

I also consume more thc than anyone on this site and never have any problems brah /claim.

But this is just the opinion of a loner, sober, mormon that lives in the worst social state in the country.

**This post was edited on Nov 2nd 2017 at 9:11:46am

Ok fine i should have clarified that I meant skiable states not all states. Cuz the other non-skiing states don’t matter to this discussion or most of our present and future lives. So I amend my statement to:

out of western ski states that skiers would want to reside— for beer, weed, chicks, mountain culture, live music, and general fun having, Colorado is one of the best states and Utah is one of the worst.

Utah has better pow skiing particularly in little cottonwood canyon, a more consolidated core of really good skiers, and much essier accessibility from city to mountain (slc to like 8 mtns within an hour vs denver problems).
 
13851044:JohnJonsz said:
for beer, weed, chicks, mountain culture, live music, and general fun having, Colorado is one of the best states and Utah is one of the worst.

Yea, still going to have to disagree with you here. Again, its all opinions but to say that we're the worst is just silly. I dont need to defend each one of the things that you listed, but your statement reads like its coming from the mouth of someone that has never actually lived in Salt Lake/PC. Most apparent by you saying that we lack in "mountain culture", live music, general fun having.. and girls... so basically everything that you listed.

Again, I'm not saying that we do or don't do these things better then CO, but to say that we're the worst in these areas is just ridiculous. (even among ski states, East or West)

**This post was edited on Nov 2nd 2017 at 11:02:37am
 
13851065:PBraunstein said:
Yea, still going to have to disagree with you here. Again, its all opinions but to say that we're the worst is just silly. I dont need to defend each one of the things that you listed, but your statement reads like its coming from the mouth of someone that has never actually lived in Salt Lake/Pc

Likewise but I'd like to experience utah this winter from your perspective. I'll prob get a few trips down from JH because it's easier for friends to visit and ski snowbird than JHMR

I lived in cottonwood heights the big year winter of 10/11 with a season pass to snowbird and a cottonwood canyons 120 day pass to alta brighton solitude. I was 21 years old but didn't enjoy much socially off the mountain. Didn't matter because it was snowing every day and the tram was spinning. In hindsight it may have just been a case of right place but lame people that I was mostly riding with daily
 
13851067:JohnJonsz said:
Likewise but I'd like to experience utah this winter from your perspective. I'll prob get a few trips down from JH because it's easier for friends to visit and ski snowbird than JHMR

I lived in cottonwood heights the big year winter of 10/11 with a season pass to snowbird and a cottonwood canyons 120 day pass to alta brighton solitude. I was 21 years old but didn't enjoy much socially off the mountain. Didn't matter because it was snowing every day and the tram was spinning. In hindsight it may have just been a case of right place but lame people that I was mostly riding with daily

Let me know man.. you can help me find that hidden park that Zane keeps bugging me about. He's got the plug for the good shit too
 
You want a bunch of rich tourist gapers with gaper-tier terrain where the bunny hills are designated double black? Colorado.

You want a real mountain with real terrain? Snowbird.

Park City? lolno, no good terrain at any of the PC resorts. The good terrain is at Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, and Snowbasin. But mostly Snowbird.

**This post was edited on Nov 2nd 2017 at 2:35:24pm
 
13850694:danbrown said:
u cant get drunk or find weed in utah tbh

Drugs are bad, but you're wrong. When I ski at Snowbird closing weekend I'm almost the only person there not getting drunk and smoking.
 
13851143:Cats. said:
You want a bunch of rich tourist gapers with gaper-tier terrain where the bunny hills are designated double black? Colorado.

You want a real mountain with real terrain? Snowbird.

Park City? lolno, no good terrain at any of the PC resorts. The good terrain is at Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, and Snowbasin. But mostly Snowbird.

**This post was edited on Nov 2nd 2017 at 2:35:24pm

Colorado is the 8th largest state. Come ski Crested Butte, Silverton, and Telluride. I'd put those three mountains up against any terrain in Utah, especially Telluride. The snow isn't as consistent as Utah though. Utah snow is hard to beat. It probably can't be beaten.

There is a large group of passionate skiers in Utah that party just as hard as Colorado. The difference is you have to live in Salt Lake City. It's just a small city with traffic, big buildings, and crazy pollution. It's just not a mountain town like you would find in Colorado. There's a just a vibe it's missing that I really like in Colorado and other mountain states. I'm not here to put down anyone that chooses to live in SLC and shred hard all season and smoke blunts and have a good time. But if you've spent any time in a real mountain town, say Crested Butte, Jackson, Tahoe, Whistler, Aspen, Vail, Breck, and on and on, you would know that apart from actual skiing, SLC just isn't quite as hip.
 
Reading all this thinking back to when I could of really changed my life.

Utah may have been a better option.... fuck

might still be sane.
 
I'm doing 3 days in Utah, then 3 days in Colorado this December.. I've never skied outside of Washington and Idaho, super stoked. Honestly super excited for both!

At the end of the day its usually what you make of it. I doubt your going to be disappointed whatever you choose, as long as you fucking shred it!
 
13851144:Cats. said:
Drugs are bad, but you're wrong. When I ski at Snowbird closing weekend I'm almost the only person there not getting drunk and smoking.

im not wrong dude i have been looking for weed for years now to get blazed and all there is to drink is this very low alcohol content beer also ps there’s no girls here either which is very annoying
 
13851436:RousedWits said:
I'm doing 3 days in Utah, then 3 days in Colorado this December.. I've never skied outside of Washington and Idaho, super stoked. Honestly super excited for both!

At the end of the day its usually what you make of it. I doubt your going to be disappointed whatever you choose, as long as you fucking shred it!

Good outlook, I feel like everytime I see a post from you it’s always stoke and good vibes, respect.
 
13850497:seanahue. said:
That said, CO wins for pretty much anything social... bars, breweries, music, art, weed, women etc etc. I obviously have a bit of a bias having gone to a huge place like Denver from a small mountain town like PC, but regardless the social scene in SLC/PC is average at best IMO.

I think Colorado is the better place to decide to live longterm (because of above) but if you're going for a shorter time I would definitely say Utah. Terrain there is hella.

**This post was edited on Nov 5th 2017 at 10:55:10pm
 
13850356:freeballer said:
However, the lifestyle and mountain towns of Colorado beat the shit out of anything in Utah. It's more expensive to live though.

Bingooo. If you want a true ski town there are quite a few in CO. However alta/bird is insane
 
This thread brings back alot of memories going back and forth on where to move.

I worked 2 seasons at Snowbird now going into my second season at A-Basin.

You can't go wrong with either...

Living in SLC:

Cost: ($325 a mo. for rent super easy to find places.) Also food and stores are generally cheaper than summit county.

Snow: Nothing beats the Bird/Alta on a pow day. However everyone is a powslut. Finding snow after storms was harder. Everyone who skied regularly loved to ski pow and owned an A/T or tele setup to skin.

Culture: Utah is super conservative that is never overstated enough. My boss at the Bird was a 60 yr. old mormon who didn't ski at all and was repulsed at the smell of coffee. Weed is more expensive and harder to find. Drinking in Utah is a hassle, booze is available but more expensive and regulated. SLC is however a big city so there are women (U of U! ), bars concerts etc.

Access: SLC is awesome for having a airport so close. Yes there are 8 or so ski resorts nearby only 4 are worth skiing in my opinion. When the canyons routinely close due to avalanches getting from Brighton or Alta is worse than being on i70. Living in downtown SLC or by the University is not close to the resorts living in Sandy or in the canyons is close. You will not get pow tracks down Great Scott or off the Hi Rustler unless you wake up at 4am. Utah has pow but is more about stashes.

Overall: The mormons are nuts, Utah sucks but goddamn the pow is amazing. You can move to Utah with little effort. Season passes are expensive and you are typically bound to one or two resorts all season.

Living in Summit County:

Cost: $650 a mo. (I'm lucky!) Everything is expensive. Some things you need to drive 90 minutes to Denver for.

Snow: The snow is not as amazing as Utah we definitely get less. It however seems to get skied off less fast especially at the jerry trap resorts like Breck/Beaver Creek/Vail.

Culture: Colorado is much more pleasant to live in. Even the Texan tourists suck less than my mormon neighbors in SLC. There are no girls, (it's not your girlfriend it's your turn). Every douchebag in Arvada or Thornton has an epic pass, skis directional skis and thinks "Breck has the sickest groomers". Denverites ski weekends only (play this to your advantage). These same douchebags will fight you on i-70, then to park and ultimately run you over in the lift line. The nightlife is full of tourists if I want to see a concert for instance I head to Denver 99% of the time (some cool things happen in summit ski films for instance).

Access: The airport is 90-100000 minutes away. Where I live getting to the hills is a breeze, there is a free bus to 4 ski resorts right out my front door. I can wake up at 8am and get my choice of lines on a pow day. Going to Denver is my biggest nightmare. Major mountain passes do close unexpectedly and routinely.

Overall: I pay twice as much to live in Colorado so I can smoke weed and ski 20+ resorts a year. I still do dream of the days I had at Alta.

tldr: Utah has better snow. Colorado is better to ski day in/day out.

Last points: Breck and Key are some of the worst ski resorts in Colorado ( or planet earth) for big mountain.

Breck and Key have good parks and also the biggest crowds you have ever seen. (Sidejumpers galore!)

A-Basin Loveland MaryJane Monarch Wolf Creek Aspen Highlands Telluride CB...are good big mtn. ski hills.

In Utah, Park City is the place for park skiing not powder. Brighton is an honorable mention.

For good big mountain skiing: Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude, Snowbasin and Powder Mountain.

Let the debate begin!

(I'm moving to Taos next winter) ;)
 
Where does everyone ski backcountry and such near SLC that everyone has AT setups? Been thinking about a touring setup if I end up at U of U next season
 
13852820:ski_stee said:
This thread brings back alot of memories going back and forth on where to move.

I worked 2 seasons at Snowbird now going into my second season at A-Basin.

You can't go wrong with either...

Living in SLC:

Cost: ($325 a mo. for rent super easy to find places.) Also food and stores are generally cheaper than summit county.

Snow: Nothing beats the Bird/Alta on a pow day. However everyone is a powslut. Finding snow after storms was harder. Everyone who skied regularly loved to ski pow and owned an A/T or tele setup to skin.

Culture: Utah is super conservative that is never overstated enough. My boss at the Bird was a 60 yr. old mormon who didn't ski at all and was repulsed at the smell of coffee. Weed is more expensive and harder to find. Drinking in Utah is a hassle, booze is available but more expensive and regulated. SLC is however a big city so there are women (U of U! ), bars concerts etc.

Access: SLC is awesome for having a airport so close. Yes there are 8 or so ski resorts nearby only 4 are worth skiing in my opinion. When the canyons routinely close due to avalanches getting from Brighton or Alta is worse than being on i70. Living in downtown SLC or by the University is not close to the resorts living in Sandy or in the canyons is close. You will not get pow tracks down Great Scott or off the Hi Rustler unless you wake up at 4am. Utah has pow but is more about stashes.

Overall: The mormons are nuts, Utah sucks but goddamn the pow is amazing. You can move to Utah with little effort. Season passes are expensive and you are typically bound to one or two resorts all season.

Living in Summit County:

Cost: $650 a mo. (I'm lucky!) Everything is expensive. Some things you need to drive 90 minutes to Denver for.

Snow: The snow is not as amazing as Utah we definitely get less. It however seems to get skied off less fast especially at the jerry trap resorts like Breck/Beaver Creek/Vail.

Culture: Colorado is much more pleasant to live in. Even the Texan tourists suck less than my mormon neighbors in SLC. There are no girls, (it's not your girlfriend it's your turn). Every douchebag in Arvada or Thornton has an epic pass, skis directional skis and thinks "Breck has the sickest groomers". Denverites ski weekends only (play this to your advantage). These same douchebags will fight you on i-70, then to park and ultimately run you over in the lift line. The nightlife is full of tourists if I want to see a concert for instance I head to Denver 99% of the time (some cool things happen in summit ski films for instance).

Access: The airport is 90-100000 minutes away. Where I live getting to the hills is a breeze, there is a free bus to 4 ski resorts right out my front door. I can wake up at 8am and get my choice of lines on a pow day. Going to Denver is my biggest nightmare. Major mountain passes do close unexpectedly and routinely.

Overall: I pay twice as much to live in Colorado so I can smoke weed and ski 20+ resorts a year. I still do dream of the days I had at Alta.

tldr: Utah has better snow. Colorado is better to ski day in/day out.

Last points: Breck and Key are some of the worst ski resorts in Colorado ( or planet earth) for big mountain.

Breck and Key have good parks and also the biggest crowds you have ever seen. (Sidejumpers galore!)

A-Basin Loveland MaryJane Monarch Wolf Creek Aspen Highlands Telluride CB...are good big mtn. ski hills.

In Utah, Park City is the place for park skiing not powder. Brighton is an honorable mention.

For good big mountain skiing: Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude, Snowbasin and Powder Mountain.

Let the debate begin!

(I'm moving to Taos next winter) ;)

Taos is so sick, you're gonna love it. What are you doing for work and where are you living?
 
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