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Good Ski Trips - Colorado? Utah?

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Every26
Posts: 11 - Karma: 55
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...
Jul 9 2014 1:35AM
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skier58284
Posts: 1705 - Karma: 5,365
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.

Jul 10 2014 10:00PM
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Willskiforfree
Posts: 929 - Karma: 3,158
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.
Jul 10 2014 11:19PM
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shitty
Posts: 242 - Karma: 46
Willskiforfreeonly downgrade is that snowbird is only open on weekends


Yea nooo. cept pre or late season.
Jul 10 2014 11:37PM
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.lencon
Posts: 6753 - Karma: 17,178
Also if you travel north a little bit from Utah you could ski jackson hole and targhee which have pow so much of the time...but I'd recommend alta and pow mow in utah
Jul 11 2014 12:38AM
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Al.Capone
Posts: 661 - Karma: 2,779
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.
Jul 11 2014 12:45AM
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Jwenz
Posts: 8893 - Karma: 7,633
Utah sucks..tell your friends
Jul 11 2014 12:57AM
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iH8pow
Posts: 1726 - Karma: 7,207
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
Jul 11 2014 5:33AM
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speedin
Posts: 731 - Karma: 131
TrollTollIn 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


Alta and snowbird are great. But what most don't tell you is that the visibility at these mountains are really poor most of the time. Combine the heavy snowfall with inversions, and it makes skiing really hard, because you can't see shit.
Jul 11 2014 11:41AM
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.nasty
Posts: 10581 - Karma: 11,090
TrollTollDon't even bother with Colorado. Can't compare anywhere in Colorado with the above mentioned 3 resorts


yes, definitely not silverton or crested butte. those places are flat.


gtfo n00b.
Jul 12 2014 11:08AM
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Holte
Posts: 10730 - Karma: 7,744
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.
Jul 12 2014 11:37AM
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SFBv420.0
Posts: 2539 - Karma: 3,124
TrollTollIn 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


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
Jul 12 2014 12:14PM
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Z_Benesch
Posts: 2028 - Karma: 2,683
Utah.
Jul 12 2014 7:41PM
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infedel_one
Posts: 5140 - Karma: 444
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.
Jul 12 2014 8:08PM
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SwaggyP
Posts: 79 - Karma: 151
I'm interested in this too. I'm making a trip out west for a week this winter. I'd like to ski pow and a little park. The Main thing is there has to be other stuff to do for my mom besides skiing.
Jul 13 2014 11:49AM
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MikeWeinerONE
Posts: 501 - Karma: 1,215
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.
Jul 13 2014 2:06PM
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J_Berg
Posts: 562 - Karma: 2,031
SwaggyPI'm interested in this too. I'm making a trip out west for a week this winter. I'd like to ski pow and a little park. The Main thing is there has to be other stuff to do for my mom besides skiing.


If you want pow and a lil park check out Brighton, to me its a hidden gem. Not crowded cuz not a lotta tourists think to go there but the mountain is great. Awesome for park laps, and then on the otherside you can drop cliffs from 5-35 feet
Jul 13 2014 2:17PM
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bakerpunk
Posts: 884 - Karma: 1,125
JwenzUtah sucks..tell your friends


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.
Jul 13 2014 3:49PM
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bakerpunk
Posts: 884 - Karma: 1,125
JwenzUtah sucks..tell your friends


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.
Jul 13 2014 3:49PM
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Jwenz
Posts: 8893 - Karma: 7,633
ISP_wawhy 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.


check the calibration on your sarcasm meter dude
Jul 13 2014 11:37PM
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Peter.
Posts: 23796 - Karma: 13,012
go to tahoe. if the snow is good in tahoe it's unreal. im serious
Jul 13 2014 11:53PM
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caucasian_chad
Posts: 4078 - Karma: 3,625
Definitely not Montana. Montana is the worst.

http://www.backcountry.com/explore/the-top-10-reasons-not-to-visit-montana-ever
Jul 14 2014 12:14AM
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skier58284
Posts: 1705 - Karma: 5,365
WillskiforfreeAlta 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.


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.
Jul 14 2014 1:15AM
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skier58284
Posts: 1705 - Karma: 5,365
Peter.go to tahoe. if the snow is good in tahoe it's unreal. im serious


"if the snow is good"
Exactly.
Jul 14 2014 1:16AM
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