# Moving out west for the winter - advice?



## kylo7 (Jul 28, 2016)

Hello everyone, I'm from the Midwest area/Chicago and I just wanted to plan a vacation (?) out west for the winter (Jan - March or Feb. - April). Basically I've been saving for quite a while now and will continue to for the winter. I've considering a lot of different places - Bend, OR, Bozeman, MT, Frisco/Breck/Silverthorne/Dillon, Tahoe maybe. I've been perusing CL for rooms etc. but I just wanted to get some opinions on what's the best way to do this? Have any of you ever done this type of thing and how did you find lodging? Any recommendations on where to go? Thank you!


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

Don't waste your time with anything in Summit County. No one wants to rent a room during peak season for that length. Go to Bend or Bozeman. This county is about to be fucked in the ass with people doing what you're doing thanks to USA Today naming Breckenridge the number 2 small town to visit in the U.S. 

Check VRBO and see if anyone is doing 3 month contracts on places to rent.


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

BA will let you spoon with him on the couch though if you give a good reach around.


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## txb0115 (Sep 20, 2015)

There is no place better than SLC.

More snow, cheaper living, closer resorts, better backcountry, better quality snow, more jobs, the best terrain...


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## kylo7 (Jul 28, 2016)

Thanks everyone for the replies and info, I was thinking summit county because I have a homie who lives in Silverthorne but I reckon that's the only way I'd stay out there. I have another friend that's in Bozeman so maybe that'll be the best decision. And true about SLC, I was considering Ogden also but I'm just wondering about availability of lodging in/near SLC? Relatively easy to find a place? Thanks everyone!


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## txb0115 (Sep 20, 2015)

There is more lodging than you could ever need.. Tons of places for rent and or roommate situations... either right at the bottom of BCC/LCC or anywhere else in the valley.. 

Utah News, Sports, Weather and Classifieds | KSL.com 

For classifieds


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## kylo7 (Jul 28, 2016)

Wow, no kidding man. SLC looks pretty sick, actually decently cheap also thankfully. I'll definitely put it into consideration, seems like a top contender for sure. Thanks for that link too, super helpful!


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## kylo7 (Jul 28, 2016)

txb0115 said:


> There is more lodging than you could ever need.. Tons of places for rent and or roommate situations... either right at the bottom of BCC/LCC or anywhere else in the valley..
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Just another question - are the inversions something to be worried about or is it tolerable? I reckon if you're up in the mountains it won't matter but I just wanna get your opinion.


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## txb0115 (Sep 20, 2015)

kylo7 said:


> Just another question - are the inversions something to be worried about or is it tolerable? I reckon if you're up in the mountains it won't matter but I just wanna get your opinion.


When they happen, they do suck. But really it's only about 10-14 days a winter max, and if you go up snowboarding on those days then you're out of them. Inversions can really only happen in Jan-Feb, and even then it takes 3 or 4 weather things happening all at once for them to form, some winters we end up getting two weeks worth of them and some winters only 3 or 4 days.

It takes takes a cold storm that is immediately followed by a super cold high pressure system that has no wind and it has to happen in Jan or Feb because those are the two months when the suns angle is low enough that it doesn't "burn off" the inversion, or to be a little more detailed, the sun is at an angle in Jan and Feb is so low that it has a hard time heating the cold air trapped in the valley bottom. Once you get in to March the sun is strong enough again and inversion season has passed....

I've been in SLC for 15 years now and there has really only been two winters in those 15 years where the inversion was enough of a problem to piss me off. There have been plenty of winters where I've never even given them a thought..

Hope that helps...


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## kylo7 (Jul 28, 2016)

txb0115 said:


> When they happen, they do suck. But really it's only about 10-14 days a winter max, and if you go up snowboarding on those days then you're out of them. Inversions can really only happen in Jan-Feb, and even then it takes 3 or 4 weather things happening all at once for them to form, some winters we end up getting two weeks worth of them and some winters only 3 or 4 days.
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Alright, that makes a lot of sense. I guess it's just a luck of the draw type thing but doesn't sound too terrible. The whole concept makes sense to me. So would you say it's best to go there in feb? Or Jan? And what's the best way to go for season passes? I would guess Snowbird or maybe Solitude/Brighton?


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## txb0115 (Sep 20, 2015)

kylo7 said:


> Alright, that makes a lot of sense. I guess it's just a luck of the draw type thing but doesn't sound too terrible. The whole concept makes sense to me. So would you say it's best to go there in feb? Or Jan? And what's the best way to go for season passes? I would guess Snowbird or maybe Solitude/Brighton?


Hard to say when to come, but it's generally good all winter long, a benifit of 500+ inches a year... Harder to say where to go, but LCC/BCC is always good and Snowbasin and Powder Moiuntain are tits as well... I myself won't step foot at Park City, it's fairly pedestrian and gets quite a bit less snow.. 

Maybe but a Mountian Collective pass? That will get you two free days at Snowbird and Snowbasin then 50% off tickets there after. It will also get you a couple of free days at Jackson Hole which is only 5 hours away... Or you could just buy a Brighton pass, a midweek pass there is pretty cheap.. 

Really it all kinda depends on what you are looking to do and/or spend..


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## kylo7 (Jul 28, 2016)

txb0115 said:


> Hard to say when to come, but it's generally good all winter long, a benifit of 500+ inches a year... Harder to say where to go, but LCC/BCC is always good and Snowbasin and Powder Moiuntain are tits as well... I myself won't step foot at Park City, it's fairly pedestrian and gets quite a bit less snow..
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Yeah I wouldn't mind dishing out a little more to go to a mountain that has more variety - probably Snowbird? Anyways, thank you for all of the help it's been real cool and very appreciated!


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## Bertieman (Jan 19, 2014)

txb0115 said:


> Hard to say when to come, but it's generally good all winter long, a benifit of 500+ inches a year... Harder to say where to go, but LCC/BCC is always good and Snowbasin and Powder Moiuntain are tits as well... I myself won't step foot at Park City, it's fairly pedestrian and gets quite a bit less snow..
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> Maybe but a Mountian Collective pass? That will get you two free days at Snowbird and Snowbasin then 50% off tickets there after. It will also get you a couple of free days at Jackson Hole which is only 5 hours away... Or you could just buy a Brighton pass, a midweek pass there is pretty cheap..
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> Really it all kinda depends on what you are looking to do and/or spend..


Hey I may be moving to SLC for 6 months next winter. I sent you a PM with a few questions, curious if you can check them out? Thanks!


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## kylo7 (Jul 28, 2016)

txb0115 said:


> Hard to say when to come, but it's generally good all winter long, a benifit of 500+ inches a year... Harder to say where to go, but LCC/BCC is always good and Snowbasin and Powder Moiuntain are tits as well... I myself won't step foot at Park City, it's fairly pedestrian and gets quite a bit less snow..
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How would you compare SLC and Ogden? Obviously Ogden is not as big, but do you think it's advantageous in any way to choose Ogden over SLC? What's your preference from say Pow Mow and Snowbasin to Snowbird/Solitude/Brighton?


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## txb0115 (Sep 20, 2015)

kylo7 said:


> How would you compare SLC and Ogden? Obviously Ogden is not as big, but do you think it's advantageous in any way to choose Ogden over SLC? What's your preference from say Pow Mow and Snowbasin to Snowbird/Solitude/Brighton?


Ogden is okay, not too bad, but if I was only going to be here for one winter I'd post up in Cottonwood Heights ( SLC ) 

Then if I were you I'd do a mid-week Brighton pass, then buy some daily tickets to other places.. Snowbasin > Pow Mow... 

I won't go to Solitude because it's owned by Deer Valley assholes...

On the right day ( spring time ) there is no better resort in North America than Snowbird and no better lift than The Bird Tram... The only chair that comes close is Silverton, but that's an entirely different beast ( guided only most of the season and that chair is slow AF and janky ) ... 

A spring day, with 16" new, little crowds, a fat base, and tram laps all day can't be beat anywhere in North America.

Jackson is 2nd, but it's a distant second because of it's lower snowfall, much shorter season, less pow days and an east and south east exposure that lets the sun beat the shit out of the snow, especially in the spring, and the fact that the Tram at Jackson doesn't serve as much terrain as The Bird tram does, you can really only get about 1/3 ( if that ) of the mountain at Jackson from the tram and at the Bird you can access 3/4 of the terrain from the Tram and do laps all day if you know your way around.. 

I lived in Jackson for multiple seasons back in the 90's... 

You will catch the most pow days at Brighton for sure, but the resort is small, The Bird can get bigger dumps and get almost as much snow, but it's Brighton for the WIN on pow days in a season... BUT considering where you are coming from I'm pretty sure you'll think Brighton is a dreamland


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## kylo7 (Jul 28, 2016)

txb0115 said:


> Ogden is okay, not too bad, but if I was only going to be here for one winter I'd post up in Cottonwood Heights ( SLC )
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Lol true, anything compared to Chicago is going to be sick obviously! But some sage advice indeed. Cottonwood Heights looks legit and sounds like a solid plan along with the Brighton weekday pass, seems like a good value. Snowbird sounds super sick as well, and I woulda thought that Jackson would be the best in NA, but I guess it's all up to opinion! Anyways thanks for everything, helps a lot!


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