SLC mid April , or CO?

Jonny D

Jonny D

New member
Ok, so my trip to Mammoth is coming apart, because it's REALLY epensive from Canada (even flying from Buffalo is killer...)

So i am wondering what would be the scene in SLC around mid april? When do places like Alta and Snowbird start losing their snow? What could I expect?

Colorado is potentially another option.. Where would be the best bet there?

Thanks in advance....
 
I don't know how SLC is doing right now, but Northern Colorado is getting pounded at the moment. Winterpark is doing pretty darn good. Seems most of the storms have been favoring that direction. I would definitely look at the higher elevation areas. Summit County (Copper, Breck, A-Basin, Keystone), Winterpark, Loveland etc. These spots are playing a little catch up right now since Febuarary didn't bring much snow. Every two days we seem to be getting 10-16 inches. More is forecasted for today through the weekend. It's been pretty good as of late.
 
Here are the Utah tentative closing dates:

Beaver Mountain.....April 2
Sundance.....April 2
Brian Head.....April 10
The Canyons.....April 10
Deer Valley.....April 10
Park City.....April 10
Snowbasin.....April 10
Brighton.....April 17
Solitude.....April 17
Alta.....April 17
Snowbird.....May 30
Powder Mountain.....no set date

Therefore, if you want some options to your skiing, make sure that you get out here before Apr. 17. The Park City-area resorts close earlier as their lower elevation (by 1,500') softens and melts out their snow more quickly.

That said, with an approximately 150-inch base at the four Cottonwood resorts (Alta/Snowbird/Brighton/Solitude) it's not going to disappear anytime fast. About the only place that I'd expect some thin areas would be in Snowbird's south-facing Mineral Basin area.

That said, we're positively getting pummeled with snow this week. At Alta, somewhere around 30" of snow fell this past Sunday, another foot fell in the past 24 hours, it's snowing there now with another 9-12" in the forecast for today, another 4-8" tonight, and another storm is setting up for Friday. \:D/
 
Jonny D said:
Ok, so my trip to Mammoth is coming apart, because it's REALLY epensive from Canada (even flying from Buffalo is killer...)

...what would be the scene in SLC around mid april?

Colorado is potentially another option.. Where would be the best bet there?
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We are facing a similar quandry of wanting to ski Mammoth between 10-17 April but not liking the travel arrangements.

Marc has covered SLC pretty well. Snowbird can get hammered anytime such as 29 Apr 1987 when it dumped 39". Fabulous day! I think is snowed as much the next year--and this year promises more action.

For nine years in a row my wife and I skied Summit Co, Colorado during National Taxpayer's Week (i.e., 15 Apr). (In a couple subsequent low-snow years we switched to Mammoth and Mt. Bachelor for April.) In CO we always had a good time, but snow conditions do vary a lot by location, altitude, and time of day. Many tourists hate it--which makes the slopes less crowded. One year we counted up nine types of snow during the week from wet mashed potatoes, ice, corn...to 10" fresh powder. As April is a big snow month, fresh snow at during a week is common.

The best strategy is to get cheap lodging in Frisco, Dillon, etc. and drive to the area with the best snow. From Frisco you can get to Copper, Breckenridge, A-basin, and Loveland in about 1/2 hour. (Keystone too but it will close 10 Apr according to the Denver Post.) Vail and Winter Park take around an hour. Most areas have lower rate but coupons published in the Denver newpapers and at the checkout counters of Loaf 'n Jugs can improve on the discount.

When we fly into Denver, we usually stay in town (~5200 feet) and drive the next day to Winter Park. On the way back to I-70 we drop into Idaho Springs and eat at Beau Jo's Restaurant--a local interesting place. One night in Denver allows us lowlanders to more gently move to higher altitude. Restless sleeping is common for us in Summit Co (~9200').

Hope this helps...

Cheers,
Jeff
 
I'm surprised to hear these cost comments about Mammoth. Southwest flies to Reno, which should keep airfares reasonable. You could use Vegas, which I know is cheap. From there it's 5 hours drive, but part of it is through Death Valley, which I presume would be interesting to an easterner.

But the other ski options are resonable. Utah is having a good year, and while Colorado Front Range is below average, it's catching up now, in its historically snowiest part of the season.
 
Admin":3ovebicm said:
Here are the Utah tentative closing dates:

Snowbird.....May 30
<snip>
About the only place that I'd expect some thin areas would be in Snowbird's south-facing Mineral Basin area.

That said, we're positively getting pummeled with snow this week. At Alta, somewhere around 30" of snow fell this past Sunday, another foot fell in the past 24 hours, it's snowing there now with another 9-12" in the forecast for today, another 4-8" tonight, and another storm is setting up for Friday.
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Some clarifications on Snowbird....
Because of its southern aspect, Mineral Basin usually closes sometime in mid-April. It all depends on conditions. Secondly, Sunday, May 8, is the last day of daily operations. Fro the remainder of May they operate weekends only.

Finally, at some point, the only "officially" sanctioned spring skiing is in the Little Cloud bowl - ie: terrain accessed from the Little Cloud lift. You up and download on the tram. Skiing below the LC lift into Gad Valley or anything on the Peruvian Cirque side is officially considered back country skiing. However, they do regularly bring a groomer up Chips and up the collection of major trails in Gad Valley that enable skiing back to the tram. Exactly what date this goes into effect is totally conditions dependent. Last season it was the last week of April, but in 2004 we had an early and exceptionally warm spring.
 
Jonny D":3k3n0if0 said:
Ok, so my trip to Mammoth is coming apart, because it's REALLY epensive from Canada (even flying from Buffalo is killer...)
Click to expand...

What was the Mammoth cost? Just curious, you can send me a private message.
 
Tony Crocker said:
I'm surprised to hear these cost comments about Mammoth. Southwest flies to Reno....
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For us cost was less the issue than air schedules. But we have flights into Reno on SW for 10-17 Apr and plan to ski Mammoth.:D Gotta get some lodging lined up though.

The west looks pretty good about everywhere... Hope it holds for a few more weeks.

Cheers,
Jeff
 
Look for a 1970's era condo in the "old" part of town. My longtime connection was at Viewpoint, which is now walking distance to the new village/gondola. I think it's around $175/night, which is OK if you have 4-6 people. Mammoth is expensive if you're only 1 or 2 people as there are few hotels and they tend to be pricey.
 
I've realized that i can save a good chunk of change if i don't use a travel agent and try to put this together myself. It makes it cheaper (but more grueling ) if i take red-eye flights from buffalo to reno and drive through the night... we'll see how this plays out in the next few days.

Thanks Tony for the idea of flying to Reno, this could save me lot....
 
The Reno-to-Mammoth drive does cross 3 mountain passes at ~8,000 ft. Probably not a good idea if you're dog-tired, especially if the weather is bad. The good news is that it's a remote area and there's not much traffic.

I will be skiing Mammoth April 9-10.
 
Colorado is getting a lot of snow right now, but I have to say that the past few days Ooootah has been getting freaking puked on.
 
Killclimbz said:
Colorado is getting a lot of snow right now, but I have to say that the past few days Ooootah has been getting freaking puked on.
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Dang! Perhaps we zigged when we should have zagged by choosing Mammoth over CO/UT for our April trip. Oh, well this will fit our recent record of hitting dry spells this year (and last) in areas more known for powder.

There again, Mammoth hasn't lacked for powder recently and it may continue to get a dose through the 16th. If I recall correctly, it can lapse into spring conditions pretty quickly. But, as my wife says, one woman's mashed potatoes is another woman's corn.

Overall, it's turning into a good spring season.

Cheers,
Jeff
 
It won't be mashed potatoes at Mammoth. If it gets that warm without overnight freezing they will salt the groomed runs. But with normal Mammoth weather that usually is not necessary until early May. The steep upper runs are at least 50/50 to still be packed powder.

This is another one of those situations where you must consider the range of possible conditions. Mammoth is very consistent for spring skiing. Utah is more likely to have fresh snow, but also more likely to have the mashed potatoes if it's warm, and they don't salt anything.

The open Colorado areas don't have as much in the way of steeps as Mammoth or Alta/Snowbird. A-Basin is the standout Colorado area in April for both terrain and snow conditions, but it's 1/3 the size of Alta, 1/4 of Snowbird and 1/5 of Mammoth. The other areas are more intermediate-oriented.
 
Oh man,
I booked today. Skiing May 6 - 11. So Excited.

Thanks for the tips, arranging the trip on my own saved me 1/3 of what the travel agents said the same trip would cost.

Thanks again.
 
Jonny D":1scry4p7 said:
Where? I presume you settled upon Mammoth?

Yup :D
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Have fun...

On this side of Ontario, the big boss seem to be back tracking on last week assurances on his green light for the big trip. :evil:

I am not a happy person today... :x
 
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