# Irish & lost in Utah....



## Guest (Nov 5, 2008)

Hey all, myself & my brother planning a 2 week trip to Utah from Ireland. We've never been before so looking for some advice please...
Both experienced snowboarders, cant wait to try out the famous Utah pow. We're flexible on travel dates, leaving Dublin any time from Christmas to mid-Jan. Will hire a 4*4 if required. So I was wondering...
I've read that Snowbird & Brighton are worth hitting. Any recommendations on reasonable priced accomodation? Best to stay at resort or in SLC?
Other resorts worth trying?
When would be the cheapest time to arrive for accomodation and lift tix? any dates( American/Utah holidays) to avoid?
How to get a drink(And I mean alcohol) 
tips on getting best price lift tix?
Any other general advice for 2 Irish snowboarders hoping to get the best out of 2 weeks in Utah would be much appreciated..

Many thanks in advance,

Slainte!!


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## Guest (Nov 6, 2008)

As a student in Utah, here are the days you will want to avoid due to school breaks:

December 20- January 4 for Christmas break

January 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I'm not sure if school is out, but last year it was super busy this day.

February 2- Teacher Development Day, I doubt this will be a big deal, but students will be out of school

Anyways, I can't drink (I'm only 16), so I don't what they have around here, maybe someone else can help you out.


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## Guest (Nov 6, 2008)

Thanks for that Braden343, we'll avoid those dates.

So as you live in Utah, where do you prefer to snowboard?
If I was staying in SLC do you know how long it would take to drive to either snowbird or brighton?


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## Guest (Nov 6, 2008)

irish bars in SLC...

irish bars in salt lake city - Google Search


bars w/ live music...

music bars in salt lake city - Google Search

i've never been to SLC, so I really can't help you out with any of your questions, but thought these links may help you find some nightlife while you're there. cheers!


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## Guest (Nov 6, 2008)

I've been to the slc area for boarding for the last 4 yrs or so, here's my advice:

If you can board the same day you travel: you can get a lift ticket for free by going to Park City's chamber of commerce website and signing a form, then you bring your boarding pass to Park City's liftticket window and bam... boarding for free.

If you can't ride the same day of travel: start on the Brighton/ Snowbird side.. its cheaper and really awesome... But try to hit up the Park City/ Canyons side for a night or 2. Park City can be a bit pricey, Canyons is cheaper, and even cheaper still if you get coupons that are usu available at hotels. The Holiday inn express on the Park city side is pretty affordable and centrally located to Park City and the Canyons! and of course the night life is alot better on that side.

Now for the lowdown on drinking: their liquor laws suck. You can get a beer anywhere, but most of the time the alcohol % is going to be a lot lower than you're used to. Ask the waitress if there's beer available at the bar your at that has the higher content. However these are usu a little more expensive because the state taxes them. You can get higher proof alcohol at state liquor stores, but again its more expensive cuz of taxes. The best bet is to go for the hard alcohol... its a little cheaper that way in my opinion. Or drink to low content beers... either way you'll pay a little more to get the same buzz, unless you're not used to the altitude!

I love the SLC area other than the liquor issue.. people are friendly (some are uptight) but the snow is awesome and you cant beat the travel time from the airport to the mountains

Enjoy your trip... let us know how it goes!


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2008)

Cheers man, thanks for that, always good to get a bit of local advice!
Looking forward to getting out there, 
Will certainly let you know how we get on...


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## neednsnow (Nov 30, 2007)

CMcG said:


> Cheers man, thanks for that, always good to get a bit of local advice!
> Looking forward to getting out there,
> Will certainly let you know how we get on...



Enjoy your time in the states. FYI, a group of us from the board are heading to the SLC area, but a bit to the north. We are going to Powder Moutain/Snowbasin. Let me know if you want to meet-up for a day on the mountain.


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## kri$han (Feb 24, 2007)

feel good said:


> I've been to the slc area for boarding for the last 4 yrs or so, here's my advice:
> 
> If you can board the same day you travel: you can get a lift ticket for free by going to Park City's chamber of commerce website and signing a form, then you bring your boarding pass to Park City's liftticket window and bam... boarding for free.


more details on this pls... where do we go to signup for this?... is that all season long, and at any resort in Utah?

I'd be up for that!


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## baldylox (Dec 27, 2007)

kri$han said:


> where do we go to signup for this?


Ski On Us The Day You Arrive



kri$han said:


> and at any resort in Utah?


It’s your chance to get a free same-day lift ticket at The Canyons Resort, Park City Mountain Resort or Deer Valley Resort (ski only).


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## neednsnow (Nov 30, 2007)

Hmm, interesting. What if I arrive at 12:10 am.....same day, right?


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2008)

I have lived in slc for almost 4 years now and I would defenatly hit up snowbird and brighton. I have yet to go to every resort but snowbird is by far my favorite place to board. What kind of riding do you guys like to do? If its freestyle then you will love part city, two terrain parks. If you like hiking backcountry deep powder type stuff then head up to powder mountain. It is a little bit of a drive but way worth it. Snobasin is also a top notch resort, extremly nice lodges. If I remember correct you can get rooms at snobasin for 70+ bucks per night. Also, on a side note I personally would not worry about it being too crowded. This is just my personal expericance but the longest I have ever had to wait in a lift line could not be longer than 15 min. or so and I only ride on holidays and weekends. One last thing you should know is that no matter where you stay all the mountains listed are in easy driving distance, I freaking love living here even though the liquor laws suck ass.


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2008)

rmgilbert11 said:


> I freaking love living here even though the liquor laws suck ass.


I'd feel the exact same way if I was you!


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2008)

This is a late response, but I'll pretty much second what rmgilbert11 said. The later in January you can come, the better the snow will be. Last year in the month of January the snowfall was incredibly consistent and *heavy*. Even through the end of April and into May, the mountains here were getting consistent heavy snowfall.

My opinions on the various resorts:

Snowbird is an excellent big-mountain freeride resort. On Powder days it really shines, but not for long. It's the steapest, and highest resort in Utah, and I'm pretty sure it has the most vertical of any resort here. Its also the only resort here (in the world?) with a moving sidewalk *through* a mountain. On powder days you can't go wrong anywhere on the mountain, even on the 'beginner' lift. Last season I got so spoiled riding powder at snowbird that unless there was _at least_ 10 inches of fresh snow I wouldn't even bother waking up till 10am, much less be there for first chair. Unfortunately fresh snow here gets tracked out fast, especially on the weekends. In my opinion, unless you like euro-carving steep groomers, Snowbird doesn't offer a whole lot without 6+ inches of powder in the last 48 hours. Snowbird has absolutely minimal park features, so if that's your goal, you'll be better off at any other resort here. 

Brighton is a good 'locals' type mountain. The terrain isn't as vast or extreme as snowbird, but its got a nice variety. The tree riding is nice, and fresh snow doesn't get as windblown or tracked up so quickly. Its also got really good park features if thats your thing. Its rarely crowded, and its cheaper than any other resort in the area.

If you've got access to a car, SnowBasin and Powder Mountain are worth a visit. Snowbasin was where they held the 2002 Olympic downhill events, and they really decked out the resort for it. _Really_ nice lifts and lodges. Good variety of terrain. The fact that its an extra hour from Salt Lake City means its never crowded, and the lift tickets are very reasonable.

Powder Mountain is the opposite of Snowbasin, as far as facilities go. Its got a very 'local's mountain' feel to it. The lifts are all old and slow, the lodge is small and kind of grimy, but the powder and tree riding is absolutely unbeatable. This resort doesn't get much traffic, so a big snowfall means good powder all over the mountain for a week or more. They also offer cool backcountry trips there. For around $10-15 a pop, you can ride a snowcat up to a ridge outside the lift-access resort. The bowl accessed by this ridge is pretty untracked all season long and it dumps back into the resort area, so you get backcountry access without any hiking whatsoever. You can also dive out of the resort area on a few of the lifts, and ride backcountry terrain which runs out to the road coming in to the resort. The resort runs a continuous shuttle up and down this road, so you can ski/ride the backside of the mountain, wait by the side of the road for a couple minutes, then hop in a shuttle back to the lifts (this is free). If you've got a car, and there's a bunch of fresh snow, I'd hit snowbird the day of the snowfall, then hit up powder mountain the next day.

I've ridden almost all the snowboard-friendly resorts here at least 1 or 2 times, and know the town pretty well, so if you have any questions please go ahead and PM me.


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## Guest (Nov 28, 2008)

Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated! we have the flights booked now and arrive on 29th Dec so looking forward to it, Lets hope theres plenty of snow by then!!


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2009)

You didn't happen to go to Powder Mountain while on your trip did you? I sat next to two guys from Ireland on the lift up at Pow. That would be quite outrageous if it was you guys.


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