Many More Utah Ski Days

Our time in Utah continued with four more ski days!  Since this actually happened about a month ago, Scott and I apparently have different memories. So, for your enjoyment, we have each added our own personal comments.

#1. Alta. Shannon- Alta is known for its skiers only policy, powder, and long traverses. We definitely got to experience all of these!  I enjoyed the first two, not so much the third.  We also definitely got cliffed out once.  It included a sketch side slip that I was not a fan of.  I also crashed and thought my ski was lost in the snow forever. I found it after about 10 minutes (but it felt like an hour!).

Scott - I really like Alta, despite the long traverses.  I started out this day on my groomer skis because it was a few days after the storm.  We quickly found powder stashes everywhere and I ran to the car to switch to the pow skis.  Dad and I got in a giant line for a huge traverse to the Devil's Castle zone which just opened and provided top-to-bottom boot deep powder.  Niiiiice.  We did get cliffed out a few times here, but that's what you get for chasing the pow.  Sent the smallest cliff band we found which felt very good.

Devil's Castle in the background.

Scott finds the powder at Alta!

#2. Snowbasin. Shannon- Snowbasin is about an hour away from Park City, and since Scott and I could get comp tickets (from our Stevens Pass pass), we thought we would check it out.  This was definitely one of my favorite new places.  First of all, the bathrooms and the lodges are super fancy.  I also demo-ed some different skis so I can work on picking an upgrade to my tiny, baby skis. (As Gene said, I outgrew my skis!) I tried some Volkls in the morning that were kind of the worst. The Potion-80 K2 upgrade that I had in the afternoon was much better!

Scott - Our great day at Snowbasin was filled with good snow and premium views.  This place is definitely a gem and the terrain allows for a lot of variety on each run which is ideal for a non-aggressive day.  The rocky views of the upper cirques are very unique and we enjoyed em' all day long.

And there's a moose statue! Is this pic worth 10 bucks, Dad??

After lunch at a fancy lodge. Great view!

#3. Park City Day 2. Shannon- We had a huge group headed to Park City for another day of skiing. This time it was perfect bluebird conditions, and after the snow softened up, made for pretty good skiing. Joining us were Scott's cousin, Colleen, her fiance, John and Kate and Kate made it up from Salt Lake.  One of the highlights of this day was seeing a real moose (unfortunately, the pictures weren't very good) from the chairlift!  Scott and John also climbed up to the top of Jupiter Peak, while the rest of us watched them (nervously) ski down very expertly.  At night, we all headed to Deer Valley for Empire Dining. It is a gluttonous dining experience, but delicious.

Scott - In the morning we sampled the Signature groomed black runs which  I think we normally overlook.  Very nice skiing and fun to take laps off the Crescent chair.  Taking in the views from the top of Jupiter Peak is always fun and gets my heart pounding.

We call ourselves Groomer Babes, but we actually do ski off piste. :)

John at the top of Jupiter Peak. 

Everybody met up in town for apres ski!

Yes I will eat an entire plate of melted cheese. 

#4. Snowbird Shannon- I was told Snowbird was a difficult resort, so that made me a little nervous. In the morning, the snow was very firm, making me even more cautious. As the day went on, the snow softened and we actually had a good time. I can vouch that my ankles and knees were quite sore at the end of the day (because everything is STEEP!).  This included a tram lap and a cirque lap. The cirque lap in particular, included a quite difficult traverse.  All in all, a good challenging day.

Scott - Oh, Snowbird, you hold a special place in my heart for your relentless difficulty.  You also amaze me at the ability to retain good winter snow quality on the front side eons after the last storm.  I just love this place because, as John/Colleen pointed out, you can't ski here without getting better.

You get to ride through this cool tunnel on skis!

Me, Scott, Colleen and John at the top of the tram.