so here is the deal...

3 of my friends are flying out west weekend of March 20th to go riding for 3-4 days. we are hoping to RDU on a thursday night, ride fri/sat/sun and fly out sunday night. we have considered colorado, but flying into Denver and driving to the elite resorts is a pain we dont really want to deal with. I have heard Park City, Utah has an airport relatively close to the mountain, and they have a deal where you can use your boarding pass if you fly in as a lift ticket THAT day only. The point is, we are trying to maximize time out there riding and having fun, not traveling to get to a resort....ANY IDEAS??

we want to ride a respected mountain, since none of us are beginners and want a challenge and as long of a ride as possible for runs...We are also considering Jackson Hole, WY and possibly some other places....

if anyone has any stories of any deals they took advantage of or great places to go please contribute if you can!

thanks.

2/5/2008 7:43:28 PM

you can fly in to SLC and take a shuttle to park city for like $20. I think it's at deer valley (in park city) where you can ski free that day with your boarding pass. It's about 45 minutes to park city from SLC.

Usually when I go, we stay in SLC and ski the resorts locally (Solitude, Alta, Snowbird, Brighton), but if you're looking for the more popular/touristy resorts, park city is where you want to go, but you'll pay double for lift tickets.

[Edited on February 5, 2008 at 7:50 PM. Reason : asfd]

2/5/2008 7:49:05 PM

my friend just was at park city over the weekend and did the boarding pass deal, but only managed to get in a few hours. he went to the canyons the next 2 days and said it was probably the best mountain+conditions he's ever had anywhere.

2/5/2008 7:53:40 PM

2 words:

Mt. Baker

2/6/2008 12:07:01 AM

skiied Mt Baker last weekend (and pretty much every other weekend this winter--i alternate between there and Stevens Pass...although I need to hit up Whistler). Baker is considered a sort of snowboarders' mecca. It's not as good overall as any of the big places in Utah or Colorado, though (although it is nice, and they get a FUCKING INSANE amount of snow, although it's kinda heavy, wet snow).

^^ I liked the Canyons a lot when I was there, too--prob better than Park City. Park City is a good time, though. If you fly into SLC, there are at least a half dozen GOOD resorts there all grouped together.

Quote :

"we want to ride a respected mountain, since none of us are beginners and want a challenge and as long of a ride as possible for runs...We are also considering Jackson Hole, WY and possibly some other places...."

Have you ever skiied out west, or are you just good around NC/VA/WV? Out west is a new ballgame...I'm usually damn near the most badass skiier on the mountain in the southeast, but I get smoked like it's cool out west. If Snowshoe is the most kickass mountain you've ever skiied, you will find yourself quite impressed and thoroughly challenged by any mountain I've ever seen in the West.

Also, Jackson is out in bum fuck Egypt (which is a part of its appeal). I've driven by it, although I've unfortunately never skiied it. I don't think it's easy to get to from any airport, and I don't know about the nightlife. It has a reputation for some really wicked terrain, but unless you are one seriously bad motherfucker on a snowboard, you will have all need to be entertained at a comparatively "tame" mountain like Park City.

2/6/2008 2:48:53 AM

^many thanks for the input

i have ridden Vail (hands down the best i could imagine), Breckenridge, and Keystone as far as out west. I have ridden Killington and Snowshoe multiple times and everything in NC and VA as far as East coast goes. I am very comfortable on a board, so im not worried about getting in over my head.

I am really considering Park City heavily based solely on the location from a major airport and the overall convenience of getting to the resort without having to rent a car.

Does anyone know where i would fly into in order to ride Jackson Hole? i just want to know what to expect in terms how difficult it would be to get to the mountain from the airport.

Thanks everyone who offered any advice, much appreciated. Any known cheap(er) flights would be helpful as well...

2/6/2008 10:41:49 AM

Deer Valley resort in Park city does not allow snowboards last I checked...just so you know before going out there.

2/7/2008 10:53:52 AM

so its going to be between Park City Resort or The Canyons...anyone have any first hand opinions to share??? thanks in advance. Again, we are not amateurs and are looking for long rides with some incline and some challenge..

2/8/2008 12:24:28 PM

If you only have 3-4 days to ride in Park City then PCMR and The Canyons will be enough to keep you busy. When I was in Park City last March for spring break, I had 4 days to ride and spent 3 days at PCMR and 1 day at The Canyons and was never bored. I'm sure you will be able to find challenging terrain at both resorts. The free bus service throughout the city will most likely get you from your hotel to the resorts so you will not need to rent a car in Park City.

2/8/2008 12:46:12 PM

Just go out there for spring break.

And uhh Lake Tahoe, or Whistler...period

2/9/2008 2:48:04 AM

^^^ unless you're staying ON one of the resorts and don't have transportation, there's no reason not to do both of them. they aren't far at all from each other.

I kinda liked the Canyons, and it was substantially cheaper, to boot.

That said, Park City is definitely worth going to. Those bowls are sweet.

[Edited on February 9, 2008 at 3:00 AM. Reason : ^ I think I'm gonna take this weekend off, but do two days at Whistler next weekend]

2/9/2008 3:00:04 AM