Just to start by wrapping it all up, it was a great week.
Jim and I flew in late friday night.? We decided to NOT ski ( I know, heresy) the first day in order to rest up, shop for food and scope out the "hood".
We stayed at the Redpine condos at the base of The Canyons. (courtesy of VRBO.com).
We headed to See-n-Ski (thanks Svend/Terryl) for discount tickets. We bought tickets to Snowbasin/Super Pass to the Cottonwood Canyons) at a decent discount.
That late afternoon we went for a timeshare spiel at the Canyons. I have done this many, many times before. In fact, almost everytime I have been in PC. They are aggressive about their marketing and I think it is worth my time for a 2 hr apres ski tour and talk for their latest offering, in order to get two free ski tickets to the PC resort of ones choice , plus discount tickets to most of the other resorts. If you know where you want to go, you can buy your tickets for the week at a better discount than at the SLC ski shops that have them. We decided to make our free tickets for DV.
First day of sking was on sunday at Snowbasin. Conditions: packed powder, sun baked, crusted crud speckled with intermittent piles of soft stuff. Hard for me to negotiate, but Jim handled with aplomb on his Watea 84's. But the bathrooms were to die for. And lunch wasn't bad either. And the place is just pretty great overall. Just no new snow for a bit.
Well, it puked snow that next day. Jim commented " I thought Deer Valley was known for its groomed trails!". Okay,? the visibility wasn't great, the skiing was soft and we are basically northeast skiers with minimal powder skills. Still had a blast. I fulfilled a long held desire to try Ontario Bowl that day. It requred a bit of a hike. When we got to the apex of the hike, there were almost NO tracks to be seen. I did wish I had a big, fat pair of powder skis. I had to really sit in the back seat to keep? the tips from diving down. But it was silent, beautiful and untouched. Magical even. Jim and I tracked down some fatties (or fatter skis ) to demo the next day. Most resorts got 12-16 inches from the storm.
Decided to do the Canyons the following day. I had Salomon Foils and Jim had Head Mogo 90's. I really liked mine, I will let Jim give his own review of the Mojo's. We had a fun time in the glades and powder. My long held assessment of The Canyons is that it's a fun mountain with fresh snow, but doesn't hold up as well as other places when its tracked out. We had it at its prime.
Next day: Powder Mountain. A bit of a drive, about 70 min. But a wonderful day. Bluebird, no lines, great snow and temps in the high 20's. The groomed trails basically serve to bring you to the different off piste areas. The only annoying thing was the persistent sound of the helicopter. All day long. Yuck. But fun to imagine being a heliski customer. Really like the place. But only with relatively fresh snow.
Next: Alta, a long favorite of mine. Challenging, as the temps were rising by noon and the snow was starting to bake. Crusty in parts, powder in others, crud with crust and mashed potatoes at others. Jim had a Wide World of Sports moment. Quite a fall; yard sale quality. In an area which was giving me pause and seeing him tumble and then slide was a reminder of how easy it is to get hurt. Fortunately, Jim was not, but the climb out was strenous for both of us. Gasp, gasp, at altitude.
Friday: A day of rest by mutual agreement. Yours truly was truly trashed. So, took a drive to Sundance Resort. Well, what can be said that hasn't. Mt. Timpanogos looming over the base of the gorgeous, rustic, small base area. I want to retire there.? Lotto, please, smile on me!!!
Frankly, the place is inspiring. The focus on environment, conservation, the arts, just amazing. Accompanying spa, restaurant, mountain an added bonus.
We should do a RS outing there for 3-4 days.? Non-skiing wives would enjoy as well, I think.
Final day: Solitude. Temps teens at night but rising to 40's during the day. These are the conditions I dislike the most. And which cause me the most fear. Slick powder, intermittent soft stuff, frozen, crusty crud. I had a hard time. Was fallling a lot. Did a yard sale with a small slide. Dug the toes of boots in to keep the head from heading down slope further. Jim came to the rescue. " Are you okay? Will you slide further?" A small test of lifted toes showed immediate downward trajectory. A helping hand was VERY helpful. After that, just looked for nice, smooth easy coast looking bumps when bored by the groomed. But Solitude is a great place. Trees, steeps, groomed, rollers. A nice combo. With fresher snow, would have been a blast. There is something there for everyone. And with warming temps, cooler than the lower resorts would have been. No real slush.
Almost every day after skiing, we would take a "longcut' back to PC. Jim likes to explore. There are number of really interesting canyons, lakes, reservoirs to drive around. It was fun exploring the surrounding country side as well. Farming next to upscale development. Cattle/horses and then a Victorian town.
That's all folks.
Lynn
(ps. might post some pics when I learn how. Thnk I need Jim for this)