SLC

[Erin808]

So if yo uare staying in SLC or not right at a resort, where would you recommend? Johnny mentioned a few places before but looking for some more input. It looks like one of our trips will be to SLC this winter. It's just 2 of us so not looking to do a condo. I dont want something super jenky but I want something cheap

[Johnny Law]

So if yo uare staying in SLC or not right at a resort, where would you recommend? Johnny mentioned a few places before but looking for some more input. It looks like one of our trips will be to SLC this winter. It's just 2 of us so not looking to do a condo. I dont want something super jenky but I want something cheap

 

The little america is like 100 buck a night and is pretty damn nice for what you get. That is in SLC on 600 so its close to some shit.

 

The Pavilion is supposed to be nice and wicked cheap like as low as 60 bucks a night but I've never stayed there. It is in the Murray Cottowood heights area so it is close to the skiing.

 

Homestead is in Mid-valley and is as cheap as it gets, as far as I know, maybe 50 a night. Its pet friendly and maybe 15 miles from BCC/LCC, word was that it wasn't great but I don't know personally.

 

There is an Extended Stay that is wicked close in Union that is in the 60's but its run down. Clean but noisy and the furniture feels like it was purchased in the FDR era.

 

There are a butt ton of cheap options in Sandy, S. Jordan and Airport area but I don't know anything about them.

 

DH may know.

[Erin808]

So in terms of areas -- Union, Sandy, and S Jordon are locations that are good/central? The little america sounds pretty spot on for what we are looking for. Thanks for the advice! It's so hard when you aren't familiar with the area.

[Quickturns]

Just wanted to say thanks for the advice, we had a sweet trip out to SLC for our first days on snow this year. Flight out of PHL on Thursday at 7 arriving in SLC a bit after 10 am. Drove down to Sandy to pick up tickets and rental skis from Canyon Sports. They didn't have lift tickets yet so we just picked up the skis and used the 20% off coupons from the Ski Utah books in all the local shops. Checked in early at the Sandy Hilton Garden Inn and threw on our ski cloths. The hotel was brand new and close to a number of shops and restaurants. I used my points for the hotel, so it didn't end up costing anything.

 

Based on the conditions reports we decided to hit up Alta on the first day. Got there around 1 and it was snowing. I saw my surgeon in Philly the day before and he was a bit surprised I was already going to ski less than 6 months post ACL surgery. He told me to keep it on the groomed runs, no bumps and not to push it. During the first run I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it as my knee seemed so weak. A few runs and I felt better and the form was starting to come back. It was a bit of a disappointment not to be able to hit any of the chutes or trees, but it was great to be gliding over the snow again. The area had tons of short, steeps, but the base looked a bit thin. It seemed like an area where you needed some local knowledge so as not to get cliffed out or come up on something that was only marginally skiable.

 

Second day we hit Snowbird and got first tram. You really appreciate the time difference on your first day or two out there as it makes it easy to get up early. They only listed 11 open trails, but there was a good amount to ski and the new snow overnight certainly helped. It didn't take much imagination to be able to find some boot top deep untouched pow. I couldn't quite follow the docs advice and needed to try the goods. Skied a bit in the Peruvian Gulch area in the morning and then off the Gad lifts mid-morning and early afternoon. Again, it would be totally sweet with everything open and being able to charge it.

 

I didn't push it to much but we followed an untracked line and ended up on the wrong side of a creek. Kept following the line and came up on a mildly steep couloir with a choke at the top only a ski length wide. It opened up a bit in the middle before tightening again at the bottom. It seemed like just a taste of what was out there if you were willing to explore... Next time!!

 

A few tips that I picked up. One if you are going to rent a car, make sure you get an 4WD or AWD due to the canyon road access. It was limited to 4WD or vehicles with chains the day before we arrived. Avis doesn't provide chains with their rentals. Second, even though the distance from Sandy wasn't far in terms of mileage, it took about 40 minutes to get to the resorts. The speed limits were 35, and surprisingly, that is what people drove. It took some getting used to so that I wasn't trying to give the car in front of me a little push. Keep this in mind when planning where you stay and how much time you think it will take.