Planning a ski trip late Novemeber and need some questions answered please ! (Park City: ski resorts, to rent)

[heydade]

Hello to all..

My Wife and I are planning a ski trip to Utah around November 20th. I have been skiing in Colorado before, never Utah. One of the things that I picked Utah this year is that I hear you guys have some good early snow...meaning that late November most of the slopes should be opened if not 50% ?? Can someone provide me some insight into this ?

Also...I like that the mountains are close to the airport. We are planning to be there for 4 nights. So my question to you, is it better to stay at a hotel in Salt Lake and then have a shuttle co. or something like that take me to the mountains in the morning ? Or is it better to rent a car and stay closer to the ski resorts. Renting a car is so expensive especially with gas prices these days. Any insight into which route I should choose (rental vs.shuttle) would be great !

Another question, is what ski resort ? I am looking for a nice resort with nice groomed runs and many beginner slopes since this will be my Wife's first time skiing ! Also..snow is important, but since each resort is relatively close to one another....I shouldn't worry about snow, right ?

Thanks for the help and any more info you could throw my way would be much appreciated.

Regards
N

[eggalegga]

I'm not a skiier but access to certain resorts from the Salt Lake Valley can be temporarily closed from time to time for avalanche control. I think when this occurs, the closures are in effect for a few hours but not one whole day. If you can afford it, you'd be better off staying near the resort.

[heydade]

ok.....I will definitely stay near the resort. Question though......which resort and which one has free airport/hotel transfers.

[cinnabon]

You're probably better off skiing in Park City, rather than the cottonwood canyons south of the city. I think there is more groomed terrain at The Canyons, Park City Resort, and Deer Valley. If you stay in Salt Lake, you just have to drive up Rt. 80, which can sometimes get bad, but is a much better bet than the others I mentioned. If you stay in Park City, it's pretty expensive.

As for early season snow, I have no idea, but I think it may be a bit hit or miss that early in the season.

[kwm03160]

I agree that snow before Thanksgiving is hit or miss. There used to be a competition before Thanksgiving, but it was canceled for good a few years ago because there were too many years without snow.

[heydade]

hmm. That is the only time we can take a vacation this year. I would hate to go there and not be able to ski. Are there any other things to do that time of year in the Park City area ? We are thinking at staying at the Park Peaks hotel in Park City...excellent reviews everywhere. MSNBC states that Alta/Snowbird is the #1 place in the U.S. for early snow and opening days....even better than Grand Targhee, WY. I don't know what I should do ! I saw a video on youtube today that showed Nov.16th of 2007 in Park City..and snow was plenty ! People were skiing to their hearts content. Is this a common thing ?

[kwm03160]

Originally Posted by heydade

hmm. That is the only time we can take a vacation this year. I would hate to go there and not be able to ski. Are there any other things to do that time of year in the Park City area ? We are thinking at staying at the Park Peaks hotel in Park City...excellent reviews everywhere. MSNBC states that Alta/Snowbird is the #1 place in the U.S. for early snow and opening days....even better than Grand Targhee, WY. I don't know what I should do ! I saw a video on youtube today that showed Nov.16th of 2007 in Park City..and snow was plenty ! People were skiing to their hearts content. Is this a common thing ?

They most likely will be making snow if the man-made stuff isn't available, so you will still be able to ski.

2007 was an extraordinary snow season in Utah.

[heydade]

Originally Posted by kwm03160

They most likely will be making snow if the man-made stuff isn't available, so you will still be able to ski.

2007 was an extraordinary snow season in Utah.

Yes...I heard and saw on YouTube.....

Does park city and the nearby resorts have snowmaking capabilities though ? I would imagine that since they get so much snow, that they would not invest in snowmaking guns.

[kwm03160]

Originally Posted by heydade

Yes...I heard and saw on YouTube.....

Does park city and the nearby resorts have snowmaking capabilities though ? I would imagine that since they get so much snow, that they would not invest in snowmaking guns.

Yes, all of the major resorts have snow machines. Actually, Alta and Brighton receive more snow annually than the Park City resorts.

[heydade]

Well, we decided to plan our trip for the week of Dec.11th....3 weeks later than our original date. I'm pretty sure the slopes should be open by then, right ? Afterall, most resorts look at Thanksgiving day as the opening day...so we are safe in that regard. Looking forward to it ! Thanks for the help.